I was in Bali at the time. Fresh coconuts, sound of the waves hitting the cliffs, sunset kisses, long night walks on the beach. Just like I imagined. At that time I didn’t really know what the reason of me being in Bali was. Yes, work combined with leisure in between, but why was I there? What drove me to Bali but not to Sardinia or Croatia, after all Europe is full of stunning locations and remote beaches. 

Then I got an email inviting me to be a part of a beautiful and inspiring movement called #faceforward. The idea is to create and inspire people to live their lives with no regrets, enjoy the moment and reach for their dreams. I absolutely love the idea and wanted to be a part of it straight away, especially considering Clinique is a company I admire and whose products have been on my bathroom shelf for quite a few years. But what did I have to say? And since I was in Bali, a familiar question came to my head: “Why am I here?”

The more I thought about it, the more I was lost in everything the place had to offer. But then I noticed one thing – the more I was posting bikini photos to Instagram, the more people would comment, sending messages asking about my diet and lifestyle in general. That made me realise that the lifestyle was actually the reason I chose Bali. A place that offers fruits in numbers hard to imagine, fruits I’ve never even seen or heard of, as well as vitamin D and fresh air that I very often lack in London. That was it, I needed I body detox, but it wasn’t your ordinary “lose weight” detox type thing, it was a body, soul and spirit detox, that is how my #faceforward journey began.

 I’ve talked so many times on my blog and social media about how important healthy living is. Maintaining a balanced lifestyle boosted by healthy food and workouts is what keeps me going, what keeps me healthy and ready to explore the world at any time. I agree with the saying “beauty comes from the inside”, but I think thanks to social media that belief has shifted a little bit and now we understand that what our grandparents missed is the fact that there can be no beauty or happiness in a body we don’t appreciate and treat wrongly.

Every time someone asks me what “magic” I do for my skin, I just say: healthy lifestyle and the traditional 3 step cleansing routine, or as I call it the holy trinity of every girl; cleanser, toner and moisturiser. And this is where I think your inner health has to be supplied with some outside boost in order to keep that body beautiful and happy. What I love about Clinique in particular is that it offers different types of products for every skin problem, and you can actually go into a store and ask for advice, because so many of us end up using the wrong products that don’t help. Healthy skin is just such an important part of our lives, it makes us so much more confident and radiating without any touch of makeup. Remember that it’s never enough and it’s never too late, the most important part of it is to keep doing it, even if you want a pizza or a burger from time to time (we all do it), it’s about making healthy your lifestyle rather than a “periodical” thing in order to lose weight or gain muscle.

And because going back to London is always painful after a trip like this, I’ve promised myself to continue to #faceforward and keep at least the eating behaviour I developed while in South East Asia, since I can’t do anything about the rest. So you’ll most probably see me at Whole Foods shopping the ridiculously overpriced Papayas and Mangos this summer and searching for bulk strawberries specials online experimenting with new smoothies and recipes (please feel free to share any of the recipes you know with me, I’ll be more than thankful). After all “once you go healthy, you can’t go back”.

Stay inspired and beautiful, lovely ladies.

Love,
Doina x

Ah, and also before I forget, Clinique invites you to make a promise to the future. Share the pledge you’re making to yourself via Twitter @Clinique_UK and Instagram @cliniqueuk. Take part in the #faceforward campaign to motivate yourself and inspire others! 

Photos: Daniel Dykes