Trippin' with Tarte in the serene Whitsunday Islands.

After an overnight flight from Perth to Hamilton Island, with a stopover in Melbourne (from one side of the country to the next!), I found myself on a luxury boat decked out with fabulous company and Tarte Cosmetics. Despite only catching a couple of hours sleep, I was beyond excited as we cruised passed the Whitsunday Islands in the most turquoise waters I had ever seen. Before we knew it, we had arrived at our destination, the One & Only Hayman Island.

Needless to say, as we sipped on cocktails by the resort pool, it was hard to believe that a fortnight earlier I was toasting marshmallows in the snowy Japanese Alps. It was a 'pinch me' moment, one of many to come over the course of our incredible trip with Tarte Cosmetics.

The rest of the evening was blur; from exploring our luxuriously decked-out poolside suites and a sunset stroll along the beach, to a welcome dinner in amongst the rainforest and discovering the latest launches from Tarte. It was the perfect beginning to an amazing weekend away.

I was up bright and early in the morning, ready to make the most of our time at Hayman Island (and, I'll admit, to finally test the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation, which I've been wearing ever since). After all, it's not every day you wake up to palm trees, blue skies and a crystal blue pool on your doorstep.

Our Saturday was spent doing what Tarte does best; #HustleAndGlow. We sweated through a very hot morning yoga session (with plenty of SPF!), winded down over a late breakfast and a relaxing Scandinavian massage, and then got our heart rates up again as we hiked the rocky trail to the stunning Whitsunday Lookout. Finally, it was time to treat ourselves to a delicious tapas feast (I'm stilldreaming of the endless plates of food!). I ended my night floating in the pool outside my suite, watching in amazement as birds and bats flew overhead underneath the starry sky. It was pure magic.
 

Alas, 'tis true, I was thrilled when I woke up on Sunday, knowing that we'd be spending the day at  the serene Whitehaven Beach. My goodness, it did not disappoint either. We're spoilt for beautiful beaches in Western Australia, but I'd never quite experienced sand so white and water so clear in my life. It was stinger season while we were there (ie. deadly jellyfish!), so we weren't keen to go swimming too far out, but the water was so refreshing in the scorching humidity, surrounded by yachts, sailing boats and seaplanes.

Back at the One & Only Hayman Island, we ended our wonderful weekend reminiscing about our favourite parts of the trip over another mouth-watering dinner (shoutout to Karima for applying my false lashes for the evening - you babe you!). Sans midnight in-bed photo editing (no rest for the wicked!), it was a flawless end to an unforgettable holiday with some of the most gorgeous young women I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

We woke on Monday to a tropical downpour, which made packing our bags that little bit easier. Unfortunately, it also made the boat ride back to Hamilton Island and the flight to Brisbane somewhat turbulent, but it was all worth it when I finally arrived in Perth in the early hours of Tuesday morning. There's nothing better than arriving home to your loved ones, is there?

Don't forget to watch my #TrippinWithTarte Hayman Island vlog below or on the Lion in the Wild YouTube too! Sit back, relax, drink coffee and enjoy!

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SHOP MY HOLIDAY STYLE

Outfit #1: Faithful the Brand shirt dress, Vitamin A swimsuit and Rebecca Minkoff bag, all from Shopbop, Ray-Ban sunglasses and Senso slides.

Outfit #2: White boyfriend shirt dress, Slip silk sleep mask and Pandora silver rings.

Outfit #3: Off-the-shoulder top, Levis shorts and Oscar Wylee sunglasses.

Outfit #4: Elliatt shirt dress, Janessa Leone hat, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Rebecca Minkoff bag and Senso studded slides.
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Photography by myself and Karima Mckimmie.

A huge thank you to Tarte Cosmetics for inviting me to go #TrippinWithTarte!