Fashion Blogger Kristina Bazan Shares Her Travel Guide to Shanghai

As one of the most influential fashion bloggers in the world, Kristina Bazan is literally goals when it comes to her understated yet edgy style. If you’re unfamiliar with Bazan, let me familiarize you. Born in Belarus and raised in Switzerland, Bazan launched her award-winning fashion, beauty, and lifestyle blog, Kayture in 2011, and quickly amassed a large social media following (2.4 million Instagram followers, to be exact). She has been featured in Vogue, recently inked a L’Oreal Paris deal as the beauty brand's global beauty ambassador, and even dabbled into singing with the release of her pop music video debut, “Out,” all by the age of 23. Yes, she is crushing life.

The powerhouse tastemaker, who is known for her sophisticated Euro chic style, is no stranger to collaborating with luxury fashion houses, and this time around has teamed up with Italian brand Max Mara for a special viewing of its’ pre-fall 2017 collection. The coolest part? It took place in Shanghai and features a special art installation from Chinese artist Liu Wei. In a special exclusive with Allure, Bazan documented her favorite places to wine, dine, and relax in the city prior to viewing the epic show.

We chatted with her about Max Mara, plus the beauty and fashion rituals she swears by when traveling. Get the scoop below:

Eating breakfast at LV Yang Cun, a street food shop in Shanghai.

Courtesy of Max Mara

How did you connect with Max Mara?

Max Mara is a brand that I have always loved and to me embodies modern, European elegance. I am very excited to work with them on this trip. It’s a brand any woman can imagine herself wearing. It perfectly mixes style and elegance with comfort and productivity. It’s clothing for modern woman who lives multifaceted lives and wants her style to represent it.

What are your favorite pieces from the new pre-fall collection?

It’s hard to pick just one, but I really love the white sportswear inspired pants. They look so comfortable yet so elegant and are the perfect tailored pant for day or night looks.

Exploring the city.

Courtesy of Max Mara

On a typical trip, how many outfits do you pack?

It depends on how long the trip is, but I like to give myself some margin, which means I usually over pack. I always bring my essentials—like a beautiful coat (for this trip a Max Mara coat is definitely a must), boots that I can wear with several different outfits, a versatile bag, and various dresses, pants, and tops. I also love to play around with accessories, so I tend to bring a lot of belts and chokers.

Do you have any beauty or wellness tricks to combat jet lag?

If I need to get some sleep, then a glass of red wine does the job for me and I’ll sleep like a baby. Plus, they say that one glass a day is actually good for health. If it’s the opposite situation and I need to stay awake, I try to get as much sleep on the plane as I can, and when I land, I try to keep my mind as occupied as possible and take a cold shower for healthy blood circulation and to reduce any inflammation post-flying.

Enjoying a savory mooncake.

Courtesy of Max Mara

What is your nighttime skin-care routine?

I always make sure to remove my make-up before I go to bed, so I use a rich cleansing balm with a face cloth and then a cream cleanser. If my skin needs extra care, I love Korean face masks, especially the sheets one. I usually leave them on the entire night and wake up with a baby face the next day.

Who do you look to for beauty inspiration?

I read a lot online about what’s new in the beauty world and I love Youtube for good, honest tips. I’m a huge beauty lover, I can spend hours in beauty stores going through new products—that’s usually how I discover treasures.

Walking around in the streets of Shanghai.

Courtesy of Max Mara

Who do you look to for fashion inspiration?

I like to find fashion inspiration in unexpected places, like books or movies. I think it’s the only way to curate a style that’s as uninfluenced by trends as possible. I really dislike following trends, but it’s also so hard to be completely immune to them. So I try to create my own style bubble with my own secret inspirations.

You’ve been to so many countries, is there a tradition that you do in every city that you visit?

Traveling is one of my biggest passions. I am a huge foodie, so I always love to try the best restaurant, whether it’s recommendations from friends or from my followers. I love healthy places that use local food and experiment with flavors in pretty, cozy, welcoming environments. To seduce me, it always goes through my taste buds!

Attending the Max Mara pre-fall 2017 show, wearing pieces from the brand's capsule collection with artist Liu Wei.

Courtesy of Max Mara

What are some under-the-radar shops you’ve discovered while traveling to China?

I love the Shang Xia concept store and Xinlelu. They both always have incredible pieces.

What destinations are on your bucket list and why?

I still haven’t been to Australia, it’s been on my bucket list for years. When I was a small kid, I had an encyclopedia and there was a picture of Sydney’s Opera House in it, and I thought it was the most beautiful place in the world. So I always dreamt of going, and it feels like the lifestyle is a bit similar to Los Angeles, with great weather, fashion, and healthy food. I also really want to visit Brazil. I have a lot of followers there, so it would be nice to give them a visit!

Now learn how to pack like a supermodel: