1. Vernazza lookout in Cinque Terre, Italy with Luke / 2. Fresh water diving in Annecy, France / 3. Endless lavender Fields in Provence, France / 4. Monterosso in Cinque Terre, Italy / 5. Sunflower fields in France / 6. Sunset swims in Cinque Terre, Italy / 7. Mediterranean Blues along the French Riviera, France / 8. Green tree lined paths in Ambiose, France / 9. Mont Saint-Michel, France / 10. Colourful Menton, France /  11. Vernazza in Cinque Terre, Italy by night

With 2013 drawing all too quickly to an end, I was overwhelmed with appreciation when receiving my Christmas present from Luke (which I’ll share with you all shortly). It was a collection of his favourite photos we took during our time in Europe this year, beautifully concealed in a simple white picture frame now hanging above our bed and each holding a place in my heart.

One factor Luke and I have always tried to focus on is quality over quantity. As much as I would love to update my blog once, if not twice a day, it is just not possible without the quality of my work slightly slipping in my eyes. People often ask “Who funds these trips?” or “How much did you get paid?”. The honest answer is that although I have worked with tourist boards in the past or collaborated with brands that allow me to fly to a city and travel, the majority of photos you see (especially the ones in this post) were funded by Luke and myself, driven by nothing but the urge to explore and capture the beauty we see during our time together and wanting to share our perspective with the world. It sounds crazy, and trust me it is expensive, but in my eyes a blog is a business so I’ve always seen content creation (no matter the lengths Luke and I go to create it) as a small investment back into my business. This is the main reason why I am so happy to share with you all this particular post. I felt crazy for wanting to share these photos with you all at once as I usually dedicate a whole post to one destination rather than sharing our favourite photos from seven destinations scattered across Italy and France, but after seeing them sitting alongside each other in such perfect harmony within my Christmas present I knew it would be impossible to share them any other way. As always, I want you to see exactly what we see and how we see it, even if it’s a little rose-coloured or just coloured in general.

Even though we never do anything for praise it’s so humbling to read all of your comments and hear from people who appreciate our work and the time and money we invest into it. This year we won the ‘Best Photography Award’ at the Socialyte Gala in New York and “Most Striking Photos Award” by WhoWhatWear. On a personal note, Luke also won “Photographer of the Year” by Riptide and Leboogie, the two largest and most established bodyboarding magazines in the world. To say I’m proud of him is an understatement. Our newest member who’ve you seen a lot of lately is my Parisian photographer Carin Olsson, whom I want to acknowledge as an important part of my content creation and also now a dear friend.

We still have hundreds of photos from Europe to share with you all. This is just a little thank you post to say we appreciate all the love and support you’ve invested in us and my brand for the past few years. Here’s to a magical 2014!

Photos by Luke Shadbolt

Alice McCall Top and Skirt / Ray Ban Glasses / COS Sandals (similar here)

Rising bright and early with the sun at 5am every morning means not only immersing ourselves in the ethereal light and colours of day break, but also being able to experience most destinations all by yourselves. It’s the ideal way to see a place for what it is rather than being distracted by how many people are there, how hot it is or how bad the traffic is. Still, I struggle to maintain a 5am wake-up call seven days a week. As I sluggishly attempted to wake up this morning, the refreshing sea breeze trickled in through the balcony doors and delicately danced its way over to my bed. Appreciative and finally awake, Luke and I set sail and made our way down to Pebble Beach at our resort to make the most of its pristine and empty state. Co-ordinating my outfit with the deck chairs was unintentional, of course.

Photos by Luke Shadbolt

Blue, green, yellow, blue, green, yellow, #selfie, blue, green, yellow. A repetition of one of my favourite colour palettes naturally created by any tropical oasis, but especially from Qualia Resort on Hamilton Island as I’m super biased because it’s part of Australia yet it didn’t even feel like we were in Australia. A secluded sanctuary that made us feel like we could have been floating on an island anywhere in the world. Worlds apart yet so close to home.

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Alice McCall Playsuit / Ray Ban Glasses / COS Sandals (similar here)

It’s a little too depressing to think about how long it’s taken me to find a playsuit that makes me feel like a big, white, pleated ball of cloud fluff.

Finally can tick become-a-butterfly-of-golden-light off my wishlist… and if you’re wondering what else is on my wish list, don’t worry, it definitely gets stranger.

Photos by Luke Shadbolt

ASOS Sequin Top / ASOS Leather Skirt / Cutler and Gross Glasses / Marc Jacobs Heels

Living in Australia means I’m accustomed to having quite generously warm weather all year round. My skin goes quite olive during the warmer months and the freckles across my nose inevitably get darker, even after the application of 50+ sunscreen and seeking shade wherever I can. Even though I try to avoid this, it makes it easy to be drawn to crisp whites and soft nudes during summer to keep me feeling fresh and radiant. Simple silhouettes also rule my summer wardrobe as it’s the perfect season for my less is always more approach. Add a soft pink lip, some illuminator cream across the top of my cheekbones and underneath my brow, and never enough YSL Touche Eclat to underneath my eye area and I’m ready for a glowing day around Hamilton Island with my love.

I really need to make a video of my beauty routine for you finally. It’s on my to-do holiday season list. And yes, I never don’t have a to-list dictating my every day life, minute, second. I’d rather it a list than a nagging boyfriend though. Win.

Photos by Luke Shadbolt