You might have noticed a mini lapse in my blogging, I was away for a week on a personal holiday in the land of Israel. To say I was beyond excited is an understatement, I’d always wanted to go see this beautiful country, float in the Dead Sea, eat, pray, admire the landscape. When one of my dear friends from New York told me she was getting married in Tel Aviv, I felt it was the perfect time to come, do her wedding day makeup plus be a tourist and soak up as much as possible. Lucky for me I was joined by two friends so it was a super fun girl holiday.

During one of our tours, we were taken to the AHAVA outlet near the city of Masada on the way to the Dead Sea. The AHAVA outlet was MOBBED, inside the shop there was a 20% off promotion so tourists were going nuts. I ended up getting just a couple of items, the AHAVA body Multivitamin Dry Oil scented in Mandarin and Cedarwood, divine and best applied right after a shower to get the full benefit. At first, I thought it might not suit my skin but it was fine, no reactions, the dry oil has a hint of citrus which I adore. The other item I bought was the AHAVA Facial Mud Exfoliator, a blend of Dead Sea minerals/ mud which help get rid of dead cells, something I do weekly while in the shower and pretty much on rotation with different brands. A mini haul of AHAVA, sweet.

The afternoon I spent at the Dead Sea was pure bliss. We arrived by bus to the location after a long walk in Masada, the bus ride was scenic and full of history. A UNESCO World Heritage Center, Masada is a bucket list must-see spot. At the top of Masada there is expansive views of the Judaean desert and the Dead Sea sprawled across. During the walk I covered my face/ neck in my Coolibar SPF 50 hat plus sunscreen [no sunburn], the heat was intensely dry, the tour was long with a lunch break – we were amazed by the views, the story of Masada, the tranquility of the desert, the clean air. Back to the Dead Sea, a little background this place, it is the lowest spot on earth, but also the saltiest and most mineral-laden body of water in the world. The Dead Sea joins Israel and Jordan, it is legendary as a source of healing and this I can understand why, floating is such a unique experience, does not happen anywhere else. Getting in the water is kind of surreal, you end up floating due to the high content of salt, I felt like a lump trying to flip and ended up with salt in my eyes (not so cool). I stayed for about 10 minutes inside the Dead Sea, felt very calming and so nice after. Of course I covered myself in black mud, scrubbed my body/ face, sat for a while observing and enjoying the moment. My skin felt amazing after a cool rinse outside in the showers. There are changing rooms, towels for rent and a little shop where you can buy refreshments. I’ll definitely go back, would love to try the Jordan side which I also hear is quite nice.

One last thing you see in my images is sunflower seeds. Why you ask? Note the size of them! They are massive and so tasty, at my friend’s bbq I nearly ate a bowl of seeds. Sunflower kernels is one of the finest sources of B-complex group of vitamins and 35% of Vitamin E (great for the skin!!!). During my time in Israel, my skin was fine, no itching as it went dry from the rashes I had during September, the climate and food was Mediterranean 100%, warm days, fresh October evenings.

I want to send a huge shot out to everyone I met on my trip, all kind, warm and generous souls both in Israel and my mini journey in Palestine, I can’t tell you enough the profound experience I lived in the cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, and Bethlehem – places where various faiths converge and collide. This is what I love about travel, it leaves me wanting for more!