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A Sunday must!

There’s something I do almost every Sunday morning that makes my heart sing and puts a spring in my step. I visit the amazing Growers Green Community Market at South Fremantle Senior High School and my week ahead is always better for it.

Here everyone is invited, all ages and their dogs are welcomed with open arms! While freshly face painted children climb the trees or dance to the band and the dogs wag their tails at each other, you will be amazed at what you can find.

My first stop was Miss Bolly’s Adventures in Spice where you can slurp on chai, fresh lemonade or a spicy ginger and lime soda. Next as I wandered past the delightful selection of breads and pastries I tried a scrumptious garlic prawn from Fremantle Market Seafood.

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Next I stumbled upon Kara Orchard from Karagullen that thanks to its huge selection of fruit and veg, always does a roaring trade. Then on to ‘RAW Juice’ where Rene will happily let you taste test. Whilst the juice with kale and lemon didn’t tickle my tastebuds the organic ‘Tiger’ with carrot, ginger and cinnamon did, so too the watermelon, strawberry and apple. Mmmmmmm!

However if you just want a cuppa then help yourself to a communal coffee cup and just wash it up when you are finished, this really sums up the vibe of the market.

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There are foods from almost every corner of the world. Mother and daughter team Anna & Iliana hand make Salvadorian Pupases with cheese and red kidney beans, or tamales with chicken, potato and olives wrapped in a banana leaf – exotic! Elsewhere there are Portuguese Empada’s and Tucha, Turkish & Greek delights, crepes and so very much more. One of my new favourites is from ‘Heritage Hogs’ in Brookton who serve free range pork and goat burgers with homemade tomato salsa or apple and ginger sauce – delicious!

P&G Burger.

Also, totally inspired, I purchased 5 plants for $15 from ‘Herbs are Us’. Now my garden is stocked with kale, lemongrass, thyme, oregano and basil and all the advice I needed.

Thank you Growers Green Farmers Market you really are the highlight of my week that is why I keep coming back again and again I think readers should too!

Growers Green Community Market
South Fremantle High School, Lefroy rd, South Fremantle.

Winter opening hours 8:30am – 12:30pm. Big market first Sunday of every month, regular market for the rest of the month.

Review by Kristy Mollica freelance TV and radio presenter, lover of girl power, farmers markets & things that are so totally not beige!

Be well,

xoxo

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Hello loves! It’s a bumper crushes edition this time around so lets get started, shall we?

Best.

♥ Decaff Green Tea

I love this stuff. I honestly see such a difference in my skin when I’m gulping down 2-3 cups per day. Winter is the perfect time to start a green tea habit too! I’m caffeine sensitive, which is why I go for decaff, but if you need a bit of pep in the morning / afternoon then feel free to go for the zinged up version. Decaff is a little better for you though!

I have tried Tetleys and didn’t rate it at all! If you can find the Clipper version (usually in good health shops) you’ll be much happier with the tea quality. Number one crush-ola!

♥ Natalie Portman’s Skin

While this one may seem a little creepy, I don’t think there’s many people who would argue that she has some of the clearest, glowiest skin in Hollywood / the world. After watching ‘No Strings Attached’ last weekend, I’m once again swooning pretty hard for her. The other great thing is that she is a vegetarian (sometimes vegan). If I could have anyones skin it would be Ms Portmans. /end creepiness.

♥ Meditation classes

I’ve been taking part in meditation classes for the past few weeks and am completely enjoying it. We even had to connect up with a ‘meditation buddy’ during the first week, and mine has been texting and checking up on me regularly – which makes it so much easier to get into practice at home. I’m loving the learning experience, and might post a little more about this at a later date when the course is finished, however I find that after class I’m really inspired to make healthy choices in my life and feeling much more calm and present.

♥ Getting my hair cut after nearly a year

I’m pretty naughty with my hair, but after my great cut and colour at Head Studio, King Street, I plan to do something with it (AT LEAST GET TRIMS!) every 3 months. I am a little shy to post a pic!

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♥ Lush – Rehab (guest crush by Kelly-Anne!)

If you’re like me, you wash your hair every second day and put your hair through a big list of chemicals that aren’t ‘organic’ or ‘vegan’ or ‘environmentally friendly’. However, we all want that boost of shine that we get from those long list of said chemicals, so whats a gal/guy to do?

Well Lush comes to the rescue, with their ‘Rehab’ shampoo. Once you lather this goodness in your hair, you’ll feel the natural ingredients pouring into your scalp. A sensible way of putting your hair into ‘rehab’ shall we say.

The ingredients include fresh organic juices of a papaya, pineapple and kiwi, fresh tropical mango, light vegetable oils of jojoba, olive and almond to repair the damage of the long-term effects of your ‘shall not be named’ shampoo. The blend of essential oils of rose, rosemary, lavender, juniper berry and peppermint balances your gentle scalp and gives your hair a well-needed break.

Link love

♥ Lendan 50 years of colour competition – convert your hairdresser to Lendan prods and win an AMAZING prize! Could be a tricky one, but worth the effort!

♥ Miranda Kerr’s Diet Secrets – some interesting tid bits.

What are your current crushes? I have a heap more to share next week too!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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Free spray tans in Perth. Free spray tans in Perth. FREE SPRAY TANS IN PERTH!

I hope I have got your attention now! So I wanted to share with you this super cool secret that those who are already in the know will be cursing me for sharing. Sorry guys!

Aussie Bombshell is a fab new Perth based fake tan company who are responsible for tanning Sam and Renee from The Amazing Race Australia, but to my knowledge not the lovely ladies from Big W, (though I’m sure they would too!) as well as the Miss Universe Australia Perth girls! And many more notable devotees.

In order to be lucky enough to score a free spray tan, you just need to be a member of the Aussie Bombshell Facebook page, and be online when they announce their TRAINING TAN days, if you get in quick enough with a comment or phone call you can swoop yourself a spray tan from a trainee, which I hear should look just as fabulous as a regular one!

They’re only available on training days 🙂 If you would like to try an Aussie Bombshell tan without waiting for a Facebook announcement then check out their stockists page or phone Penni on 0408 123 245 for more details.

Hope you enjoy this little treat!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Aspirin. For myself and I’m sure, readers, this is synonymous with pain relief. However, there is a growing trend of using it in an entirely different way – as a face mask!

Aspirin is less commonly known as acetylsalicylic acid, a derivative of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a key component of various products used in the treatment of skin-related issues, including acne. Increasingly, budget beauty babes and home DIYers are using aspirin as a cheap, at-home face mask. Online beauty forums are filled with testimonials proclaiming the benefits of the ‘Aspirin Face Mask’ to combat redness, acne, pimples, oily skin and large pores, though there is some debate as to whether the mask works as a manual or chemical exfoliant.

As I have quite oily skin that has the tendency to break out a bit, with large pores and patches of rough skin on my nose and chin (I sound hideous! It’s not too bad 🙂 ), I decided to try it out for myself.

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From the internet, most people use 2 – 6 tablets per mask. I used 4 and crushed them to a fine powder in baking paper, using a small hammer. A few ‘bits’ were remaining in mine, and it made application slightly difficult.

Next, I mixed in about 5 drops of water. The amount depends on how runny you want your mask to be. Keep in mind that if it is too liquid or too dry, application will be tricky.

Mixy mixy.

The reviews advised using mixers such as water, aloe vera, honey, rose hip oil, witch hazel and cleansers such as Cetaphil. I decided to slather half my face with just aspirin and water and the other half with aspirin, water and about 4 drops of honey. I found that the mixture with honey was a LOT easier to apply – it was much less gritty and foamy and had more of a soft, gel texture.

Aspirin face!

After about 20 minutes, I washed off the mask with warm water. To me, there wasn’t any real difference between the two sides of my face. My skin was extremely smooth and soft – I couldn’t get over how silky it felt! The rough patches on my chin and nose were significantly reduced (although not gone completely) and while I couldn’t see any difference in pore size, my skin was definitely less oily. It is enough of a difference that I will definitely be using it again in the future.

The Nitty Gritty

Cost:
24 Pack Aspro Clear from Coles = $3.58 (4 tablets per mask = $0.60 per mask)
Honey – cheapest = approx. $0.65 per 100g (many, many uses per bottle)

Pros:
♥ cheap as chips (possibly cheaper, depending on any penchant for gourmet chips!)
♥ instant results
♥ fun fizzing sensation during application

Cons:
♥ slightly time consuming and a bit fiddly
♥ the water and aspirin mixture was a bit difficult to apply
♥ was a tad sticky, due to the honey and the saccharin sodium (I think)
♥ may not be ideal if you have dry or sensitive skin

Recommended Usage:

I would recommend that you only use this mask once a week at most. It was granular and slightly abrasive, so probably not great if you have sensitive skin unless you crush the tablets up VERY finely. In addition, some reports on the Internet stated that it is possible to build up a tolerance to the chemical properties of the mask.

Rating:
3.5 / 5

Review by Cassandra, beauty lover on a student budget and soon to be regional (Pilbara) correspondent!

Be well,

xoxo

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And I think I’m in love. It was a quick courting period, I’m usually not that… well, easy.

Having been contacted by the lovely PR folk for Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, I rather shamefully admitted that I had not yet tried mineral makeup. Cue gasps.

I’ve always wanted to, it just seemed a little daunting to step out of my snuggly comfort zone and try something new… it turns out I wish I had sooner!

Yesterday afternoon I found myself down at Skin Resus in Floreat, having my mineral makeup done by the loveliest of all girls. I went from wearing no makeup and feeling a little self conscious (not even concealer!) to having a HEAP of people complimenting the makeup on how it looked when it was finished. Very happy!

The best thing about the Jane Iredale makeup (and mineral makeup in general) that I’ve discovered so far, is the number of different powder shades available. As someone who has skin that is incredibly hard to find a match for, this is pretty exciting for me.

I will share a bit more about my favourites at a later date, but will end on this note…

There’s a reason that everyone bangs on about it so much!

Have you tried mineral makeup yet? I would love to hear your thoughts on your favourite brands and experiences.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo