THE SOUTHERN SHAN STATE ♡

Hello everyone...this time, I wanna share you guys about my recent trip to the southern Shan State, Myanmar. Taunggyi is the capital of the southern Shan State. It is the fifth largest city in Myanmar. The name Taung Gyi means "huge mountain" in Burmese language.

This is the view of Taunggyi city from Shwe Phone Pwint pagoda.

But we didn't stay in Taunggyi. We stayed at the hotel named "The White Avenue Hotel" in Nyaung Shwe. Nyaung Shwe is a township of Taunggyi District. The hotel is a three-stars hotel. The address is Kayay 1 road, Nandar Wun Quarter, Nyaung Shwe. Rooms are pretty, each one has a little balcony with some chairs and a little table to chill. The staffs were very kind and helpful.

My favourite part is that the breakfast is served in a nice patio on the first floor with the mountain scenery. Plus they made us traditional breakfast on top of their usual delicious breakfast menu if u ask for. You can also check for more infos here https://www.facebook.com/thewhiteavenuehotel/ .

This is one of the wall arts of the hotel.

Nyaung Shwe market (Mingala Market) ; it's that vivid green square thing stuck smack bang in the middle of town. This is the town's permanent, daily market, open from morning to late afternoon.

Apart from it's permanent market, Nyaung Shwe also has a five-day market but it's not connected to the Inle Lake five-day market. It has a separate scheduale that is shares with the nearby towns of Kalaw, Aung Ban, Heho and Pindaya. Every five days then, Mingala market doubles in size and overflows onto surrounding streets and pavements. You can find many traditional food stalls on five-day market morning. 

Those are my favourite recipes; Inn Mote-Ti, Ngar Htamin Nal and Wat Tha Chin.

Inle lake is located in the Nyaung Shwe township. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar. It becomes the Myanmar's first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Inle cuisine is different from Shan cuisine. You can find those dishes at five-day market. 

Phaung Taw Oo pagoda is a notable Buddhist site in Myanmar, located on the Inle Lake.

I wanna recommend some must-try restaurants in Nyaung Shwe & Taunggyi. The one in Nyaung Shwe is Pwel Taw Win (ပဲြေတာ္ဝင္). It is a popular traditional restaurants in Nyaung Shwe. There are also some nice bars to enjoy the nightlife of Nyaung Shwe. We have tried only one of those and it's really a nice one. The name is One Owl Grill. The grills are made with some fresh veggies and fruits from local and yes so delicious. 

Another one from Taunggyi is Myoe Nyein Chan-3 (ၿမိဳ႕ၿငိမ္းခ်မ္း - ၃). Daung Lann Htamin with traditional recipes is so so yummy. And don't forget to visit to Aye-Tha-Yar Wine garden at Taunggyi.

This is the view from Mine Thauk village, Nyaung Shwe. There is a monastery on Mine Thauk mountain named Mine Thauk Tawya Monastery.

Don't forget to pay a visit to nearby towns; Kalaw,Aung Ban, Pintaya and visit to some famous pagodas and coves from there.

This one is taken from a monastery at Kalaw. Some are known as view point.

You can find this kind of cute taxi at Nyaung Shwe🐴

Gift ideas (For Him/For Her) ♡

Here's a few ideas to help you pick out a gift for your lover, friends or family ♡ 

🎁gift ideas for girls

-makeup/ skin care / nail polish set /perfume

-purse/ handbag / makeup bag

-jewelry (necklace/ rings / earrings, etc.)

-giftcards from her favorite brands/shops

-bathbombs/bubble bars

-straightener/ curling iron

-flowers (plants for long lasting: cactus, succulent)

-books/movies

-clothes (mostly pretty/classic dress)

🎁gift ideas for guys

-clothes (caps/ shoes / jeans/ hoodies or sweaters: somethings that he can wear occasionally)

-sunglasses 

-phonecases

-headphones/speakers

-video games (not sure they are playing anymore or not 😅) or 3DS XL

-books / movies

-some DIY gifts

-cook a meal by yourself (if you can cook😁)

-framed picture of both of you

🎁Last minute gift ideas for both girls or guys 

-recipe (fill a mason jar with some dry ingredients to any cookie,cake or cupcake recipe then close it up , add some ribbon around it and add a tag with the dry ingredients you need and the baking instructions)

-personality box : get cute gift boxes and filled them with items that much the person's personality. Some examples;

-techy (phonecases, headphones, iTunes giftcards, portable charger , bluetooth speaker, etc.)

-chef/baker (recipe cards, recipe books, measuring spoons, giftcards, etc.)

-stylish (small jewelry, nice watch, cute socks, beanies, etc)

🎁As I'm a girl, the following picture is the last Valentines's day gifts I prepared for my boyfriend; I simply choose some essential things :some snacks of his favorite, a box full of medicines because he is a bit sensitive to health, some books of his favorite authors,  some cute letters filling in a jar, a cap and a photo album of us.

Hope my blog will help you guys for choosing perfect gifts for your love ones.

COLOURPOP ULTRA MATTE LIPSTICKS REVIEW ♡

There are over 30 shades available and I ordered these 6 colours; Midi , Trap , Beeper , Silhouette , Avenue , and Zipper. These lippies are cheap , great quality and extreme colour payoff. They are quite long-lasting and light-weight . They don't have taste or scent and easy to apply. 

If you're a fan of 100% matte, super long wearing lip colour, you'll love these. If you don't like matte lipstick or a starter for matte lipsticks, you won't probably like these because they are too drying. Personally, I love them. I feel weightless on the lips but there's no moisture in this formula . If you find them too drying, you can add lip primer underneath, or a gloss on top. They can even dry within 30 seconds. These last really well through eating and drinking. They started to wear off in the corners and the center of my lip first , but you can definitely retouch. If you're interested in trying liquid lipstick, just pick some up! The quality of the product is amazing especially compared to some expensive brands out there. 💄

Have a nice day to you all🦄 

Too Faced Bon Bons Palette Review ♡

The Too Faced  Bon Bons palette came out a month ago and i got it as a Valentine gift from my boyfriend by surprise.😁 I've been waiting for this palette so long and it's finally mine. I love almost all the products from Too Faced especially the chocolate bar palettes but this one is the cutest one and my first owned chocolate palette. The packaging is so adorable. I actually love the way they give the names of colours. 

The palette has a magnetic closure so you don't have to worry about opening up in your bag and breaking. It also has a cute mirror on the inside which is amazing for traveling. There are 16 shades total and most of them are shimmery and contains little bits of glitter. Black current and Cafe au lait have the most glitters. I love glitter and shimmer only for eyeshadows. So if you're looking for a palette with tons of matte shades, this probably isn't the one for you. I think this will be a great starter palette for anyone starting with makeup because it has a lot of neutral shades that look great on every skin tone. I don't own the previous 2 chocolate bar palettes so I can't compare. I only have Naked 3 so this one is totally different from it and has tons of cute colours to play around. 

After swatching all the colours, I found my favorite shades were Satin Sheets and Divinity and I'm so glad because they're larger shades! They are such the champagne colours. They're my everyday colours for a while! All the colours came out amazing without eyeshadow primer even for the pink colours. Plus the palette smells like chocolate confused with candy. The colours are creamy and go on really smooth.

There are also some example ways ♡

I recommend it to all of you ! ♡ This would be a great palette to add your collection.

Healthy Hair Tips ♡

-Get a trim every 5-8 weeks to get rid of the split ends.💇🏻

-Always use heat protector when straightening / curling to avoid damaging your hair too much.🙅🏻

-Wash your hair every other day to avoid drying out your hair. 💆🏻

-When showering, use shampoo only to your scalp and  put conditioner only on your ends.💆🏻

-Rinse your hair in cold water at the end of your shower to help it grow faster.💦

-Brush your hair from the bottom up to prevent tearing your hair and get rid of tangles eaiser.🎀 

-Use a wide tooth comb when your hair is wet to prevent it from tearing your hair.💁🏻

 

How to eat right for your body ♡

PEAR 🍐

Your Pear body shape is defined by a small upper body and breasts, heavier lower body and a 0.8 or lower WHR (waist-to-hip ratio).

Pear Shape Body Type

Not sure how to figure out your waist-to-hip-ratio? Here's a simple way.

Stand up straight and don't suck your gut in, then:

1. measure your waist one inch above your navel

2. measure your hip around the widest part of your body.

Then, divide your waist number by your hip number - if the result is 0.8 or lower, you have a Pear shape body.

This body type tends to gain weight through the hips and thighs, often with a small lower abdominal "pooch" (this is subcutaneous fat, not to be confused with visceral fat).

This body type appears to have a significantly smaller upper body, with little excess weight throught the arms and chest.

Common Cravings: High-fat dairy, lattes, rich desserts.

Response to a poor diet: Will experience unusual hunger either in between meals or at the end of the evening, after dinner.

Hormone to watch out for: Estrgen. Even though estrogen, as a group of hormones, isn't necessarily bad, an imbalance of toomuch estrogen to other hormones, particularly progesterone, can promote lower body weight gain.

What to eat: Start with a foundation of high-fiber vegetables and fruits, supplement with healthy amount of oats, quinoa, buckwheat abd brown rice. Also include small amounts of lean protain and clean, non-dairy fats.

Eliminate: High-fat dairy (cheese, cream), non-organic produce and meats (that contain pesticides or hormones), caffeine, alcohol, unfermented soy (tofu).

HOURGLASS  ⌛️

This body type typically gains weight evenly throughout his or her body, often most noticeable in the face, but also through the arms, chest, knees and ankles. This body type has a soft, round look.

Common cravings: Dairy, sugary carbohydrates.

Response to a poor diet: Water retention and congestion.

Hormone to watch out for: Master regulator of all hormones, the pituitary gland, which can have an effect on cortisol, insulin and thyroid, among others.

What to eat: Start with a foundation of raw vegetables and fruits, supplement with whole gain cereals (oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat). Include a daily serving of lean protein and plenty of spices.

Limit: High-fat meats; refined and processed carbohydrates.

Eliminate: Caffeinated beverages, dairy, refined carbohydrates, sweet.

APPLE 🍎

This body type tends to carry all or most of its weight through the belly area. The legs and arms of the Apple are generally fairly slender without much extra weight. Even though this body type is at the grestest health risk due to excess visveral fat, the belly fat that's deep inside the midsection, it's easy to get rid of.

Common cravings: Starchy or sugary foods, diet sodas, caffeine.

Response to a poor diet: Lacks energy and experiences cravings, particularly around midmorning or after lunch.

Hormone to watch out for: Insulin. The key to losing weight for the Apple is getting his or her blood sugar levels under control.

What to eat: Start with a foundation of clean proteins (chicken, lean beef, pork, fish) and supplement with healthy fats (eggs,avocado,nuts,seeds,nut butter,coconut,oil,olive oil,full-fat cheeses). Also include plenty of leafy greens (spinach,kale,romaine).

Limit: Starchy carbs to one meal a day and low glycemic index fruits (berries).

Eliminate: Coffee or caffeinated beverages as they can throw off cortisol and insulin. Sugary refined carbohydrates, like sports drinks, store bought energy bars or sweetened yogurts.

INVERTED PYRAMID / COLUMN 🔻◾️

This body type tends to have broader shoulders that taper down toward the waist and hips. They usually carry quite a bit of muscle mass in the upper body, but are prone to storing extra fat through the chest, back of the arms and above the bra line.

Common cravings: Salty, fatty, and fast foods; alcohol.

Response to a poor diet: Has a decent amount of energy early in the day, loses steam in the eveing and succumbs to cravings.

Hormone to watch out for: Cortisol. Released through the adrenal glands, found on top of the kidneys. Constantly elevated cortisol levels, released through the adrenal glands, can have a cascading effect on other hormones that perpetuate weight gain, particularly insulin.

What to eat: Start with a foundation of complex carbohydrates ( oats, brown rice, buckwheat) and supplement with low-fat dairy and lots of fresh vegetable juices, leafy greens and high-fiber fruits.

Eliminate: Heavy meats, heavy cheese, salty snacks, protein bars, caffeinated beverages.

Cr: Healthy Food Advice