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Thoughtful birthday present definition; the act of finding the perfect balance between sentimental, exciting and budget pleasing gifts. Or an alternative definition; an extremely difficult task. However, last night I was lucky enough to bear witness to my friend Amy completing this difficult task and presenting me the perfect birthday present- an Indian cooking class at Latasha’s Kitchen.

If you are anything like me, a lover of Indian food with the desire to replicate the authentic mouth watering smells in your kitchen, yet after reading the long and intricate essay that is the recipe you decide a store bought paste isn’t really that bad…. then this cooking class is for you! Whilst the ingredient lists are on the unique, longer side and you may not have the spices waiting on your spice shelf next to the oregano and cinnamon, it’s nothing that quick trip down to Liquorice in Claremont, Kakulas Bros in Northbridge or if you’re game an Indian supermarket, can’t quickly and cheaply solve.

And believe me, using the authentic and unique ingredients makes a huge difference both to the final taste and the satisfaction you will receive when the aromas are wafting around your kitchen (and your housemate or boyfriend start to linger in the curries’ vicinity like an impatient cat waiting to be fed).

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At 6.00pm we were greeted by Latasha herself, a passionate and knowledgeable Indian woman, with a huge and contagious smile on her face (probably from eating amazing food all day!). After the five of us were led into the back kitchen the class commenced and Latasha constructed 5 delicious meals in front of our eyes. From the toasting and grinding of aromatic spices, the adding of what seemed like buckets full of vibrant (very hot) fresh chilli’s, that unmistakable smell of sautéing onion, garlic and ginger taunting our senses and being introduced to new ingredients (one of which smelt like socks worn with your oldest but most favourite boots all day) I was taught the secrets of Indian cooking.

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It is now safe to say I will never purchase a store bought curry paste again (unless it’s a freshly made one that can be purchased in store at Latasha’s Kitchen of course). There was so much love that went into Latasha’s family, home-style recipes and the demonstration flew by as she made us laugh with her stories from her younger days in India. At the end of the class we sat down, now sporting Latasha’s huge smile on our faces, with our thali of curries, saffron rice and eggplant pickle. The curries were spicy, rich and delicious and I was surprised at how healthy the cooking methods and ingredients were, no greasy, oil laden curries here!

I would highly recommend the vegetarian cooking class at Latasha’s kitchen, I left with an impressive amount of Indian cuisine knowledge and a very full stomach! However I must unfortunately highlight two downsides. Firstly all friends and family have begun requesting that I replicate the delicious meals Latasha created and inviting themselves to dinner and secondly you must wait for 3 hours in the mouth-watering smelling kitchen as the food cooks before you get to taste the food, but believe me it is well worth the wait.

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(Left to right: South Indian Sambhar, Eggplant Kasaundi, Butternut Pumpkin Masala, Mix Vegetable Pal Khari and Saffron Rice)

Where: Latashas Kitchen, 745 Newcastle St Leederville
What: Vegetarian Indian cooking class
How much: $130 for a night of learning to prepare (then devour) a vegetarian feast!
More details: http://www.latashaskitchen.com.au/

Review by future Indian dinner-party queen, Jade Jurewicz (http://jadescinnamon.tumblr.com

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I remember my first pimple fondly. Year 7, it was time for our yearly school picture and my best friend at the time had also broken out with one on the day of the photo. We both laughed, unaware of the imminent cascade of hormones about to wreak their havoc on our bodies (and skin).

Throughout high school I suffered from moderate-severe acne that would serve to crush most of my confidence. Although hormones played a large part, I failed to realise that eating mini pizzas, a bag of chips, 5 packets of wizz fizz and 3 glasses of soft drink each day was not doing my skin any favours. Not to mention my non-existant exercise routine and penchant for spending hours in front of the computer completing Dawson’s Creek quizzes.

Fast forward to now (10 years later!) and my skin has mostly settled down. However I have some persistant mild acne on the chin that almost never goes away, and any zit that pops up takes forever to heal. No amount of products have been able to get rid of it.

WHATS A GAL TO DO? In my quest for clear skin, I decided to look inside for the answers and see a naturopath who specialises in the treatment of acne, Brooke from mi:skn.

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The consultation starts with an extremely comprehensive question/discussion session incorporating many aspects of your current/past health and lifestyle. Things such as diet, stress levels, skin type, menstrual cycle (for the ladies!) and many more are examined, all of which can help paint a picture of your internal health and point towards some corrective remedies.

The most interesting part of the session was a zinc test (zinc is super important for pimple/wound healing and general health!), which involves swirling some clear liquid around in your mouth for 10 seconds. If it tastes absolutely horrible – you’re in luck! Your zinc levels are adequate. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t taste anything, which means… you guessed it, very zinc deficient.

Brooke prescribed me some vitamin c and zinc powder which should help to remedy this, and we’ll test my levels again in a few weeks time.

I was also prescribed a couple of other natural medicines to take that should help my skin on its way to being pimple free.

It’s not just about supplements though, personal lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise also play a huge role. I’ve been advised to cut down on sugars, carbs and grains, which is VERY hard for me, and dose up on vegetarian proteins and fresh veggies.

I will keep you all updated on my hopefully successful journey to clearer skin! Oh and I forgot to mention, Brooke has wonderful skin and she says that wasn’t always the case, which makes it very easy to believe that she knows what she’s talking about.

mi:skin is located in Highgate.

For bookings and extra information call: 0414 277 761 or Email: clinic@miskn.com

Tell me, have you ever seen a naturopath for your skin or a naturopath in general?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Disclaimer: My initial consultation was provided to me for review, however any supplements and additional consults are coming out of my own pocket. The complementary nature of the consult in no way affects my review. 🙂

Be well,

xoxo

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Being Spanish, and suitably hairy (as my lineage implies) I am always on the look out for new and less painful forms of hair removal, and ever since I first heard about the exotic art of Threading, it has intrigued me. So whilst browsing through the Browne’s Every Woman Expo in Perth last weekend I took full advantage of the free demonstration being offered by Zubia’s Threading!

Now, before I start my review I have a little confession. This is hard to admit on a beauty and wellness website, but it’s vital to showcase just how good this treatment is. *deep breath* I haven’t waxed, plucked or touched by eyebrows for six months. *shudder* This was not a pretty sight.  

Being in the middle of an expo and in a line of about five other ladies, the environment was not really conducive to a soothing and relaxing mood that one normally expects from salons. However, I assume this would be very different when having an appointment in store. 

Sitting down in the chair, my technician went straight to work on cleaning up the tops of my brows, this I barely felt and was over in less than 2 mins. The next bit was a tad odd. In order to thread the arches, you’re required to place one hand above the top of your brow and one hand over your eye and pull the skin tight while your unwanted hairs are removed, just as quick and almost as painless as the tops!  

I was up out of the chair less than ten minutes later and completely overjoyed with my new brows, the technician not only removed all unwanted hair but completely reshaped them and opened my eyes up. There was absolutely no redness and I was ready to go! This was the most quick and pleasant hair removal experience I have ever had!

My new threaded brows!

“Threading uses a pure cotton thread that is twisted and skilfully manipulated to gently lift the hair off the follicle. The pain is far less than waxing and provides a more accurate shape. Unlike waxing, where you often find Houdini hair that dodge elimination, not a stray hair remains and you are left with a perfectly shaped brow.” – Scoop Magazine.

The main Pro’s I found with Threading as opposed to waxing and plucking are;

♥ Much, much, much, much, much less pain – the best I can describe is it’s like a light scratching/tickling
♥ Very, very, very, very, very minimal to no redness – YAY NO REDNESS!!!
♥ Superior lines and smoother contours – I’m guessing this is due to the thread being able to create a smoother line and more accurate shape 
♥ Super quick – I hadn’t had my brows done in 6 months and it still took less than 10 mins!
♥ The $19 price tag is pretty attractive too. 

Zubia’s Threading is located all over Perth and both walk-in and appointments are welcome, head to their website for all locations.

Review by L, your ultimate style icon and resident cat lady.

Be well,

xoxo

KIT COFFEE BODY SCRUB (250G) RRP: $32.95

KIT Cosmetics have recently combined two of my favourite luxuries (& regular rituals) coffee & exfoliation = B – L – I – S – S !

If you’re anything like me & can’t bear to contemplate the day ahead until you’ve had your regular, must have, daily ritual morning coffee you’ll absolutely love KIT Cosmetic’s new trio of products inspired by Sensory Lab’s S1 Champion Blend. Featuring a freshly roasted coffee bean scent to literally awaken your senses, the range includes a Coffee Body Wash, Scrub and a delicious Coffee-Scented Soy Candle.

I was lucky enough to sample the scrub – thank you KIT Cosmetics!

As well as caffeine, the scrub features Vitamin E, organic jojoba and grapeseed oil, native Australian Botanicals and Australian sugar – a definite recipe for invigorating goodness. A welcome new addition to my morning beauty routine the scrub is not only a stimulating exfoliant, it also left my skin feeling ridiculously silky smooth & soft. As a coffee lover, I love waking up to the freshly roasted coffee bean scent!

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It is a well known fact that caffeine has positive effects on the mood such as increasing alertness and boosting feelings of energy and general well being & when combined as an exfoliant the positive effects are twice as beneficial. Who knew coffee was so versatile – genius!

Caffeine fix + invigoration + silky soft smooth skin all in one = P- E – R – F – E – C – T start to the day.
I definitely recommend a trip to your nearest KIT Cosmetics and adding this luxurious product to your beauty routine for an invigorating caffeinated kick start to your day.

Review by Jasmin, invigoration junkie and lover of silky smooth soft skin.

Be well,

xoxo

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Gyms stand for everything that makes me uncomfortable. Sweating profusely in public, wearing ugly shoes with unflattering clothing and being around people who may judge you because you cant lift your own body weight above your head. However, recently I started thinking about changing my exercise routine up a bit to include a bit more…well…routine.

Lots of gyms offer free trials for various periods of times you can find one near you on Good Gym Guide, it’s a great way to see whether (realistically) this is likely to be something you are going to be able to easily make a part of your day to day doings.

For this Battle Royale (number two if you’ve been following) I have chosen two gyms located in Perth’s CBD, Fitness First Murray Street and CBD Health Spa.

Home sweet home to our battlin’ gyms.

Round 1 – LOCATION

Ok well, both of these gyms are located right in the city so the ‘location’ point on the surface is kind of tied. So, let’s go into more detail. CBD Health Spa is open 24 hours a day so is as convenient as you like – you can sweat it out at 3am if it pleases you (Ed: Coincidentally, I have actually done this, 2:30am to be precise. Carry on!). It’s in off the street and is spread out over two levels, and has the better layout of the two gyms while also being the biggest. Fitness First has put their cardio room right at the front with nothing but a glass wall separating you and your sweat zone from the escalator to the Murray Street Mall. I didn’t dig it. But both have separate rooms for their classes.

You wont be him at either gym!

Round 2 – EQUIPMENT

CBD has older equipment but in the weights room there is a better mix of machines and free weights than at Fitness First. The locker rooms kind of feel like you are back at high school (a llittle bit old and the sort of place where you would want to wear thongs in the shower) but the lockers are free to use as long as you bring your own lock. The bike lockers are located inside the building right near the reception desk, which ensures max security. Fitness First has the newer equipment by far, fans built into the treadmills, ability to plug your headphones in to listen to/watch whatever is on one of the many TVs. The locker rooms are beautiful and very clean and your membership card is also your locker key (barcode = state of the art). Hairdryers are supplied at both places which means you don’t have to leave looking like a damp rat.

Round 3 – PRICE

Fitness First is about $22 a week and you are locked into a 12 month contract, CBD is about $17 a week when locked into a contract or $20 a week when you pay month by month (no contract) HERE.

Round 4 – ATMOSPHERE

CBD was the less intimidating and less gym-like, just a mix of people (student, corporate, young, old) doing their own thing. They always have Channel V on the TVs, which I loved because I like to catch up on what my girl Beyonce is doing these days. Fitness First has their own TV station (video clips heavily influenced by the 1990s – I saw video clips from AQUA and All Saints, multiple times whilst there, no lie), they have lovely staff and a big supplement store next door, if that’s your thing.

The worst thing about Fitness First is what I call the ‘leery’ atmosphere. The cardio room was ok, but the weights room was very intimidating. I was nearly always the only girl in there (sometimes there would be two, three tops) but I felt uncomfortable. This last point coupled with the 24 hour convenience of CBD Health Spa and the fact I can pay month by month (and the Channel V, I admit it) is what pushes it over the edge for me in this round of Battle Royale. Sorry Fitness First you came damn close. I guess it’s now time to find some not-so-ugly shoes.

Find out more info about both places here;

♥ Fitness First
♥ CBD Health Spa

Battle royale by Adriane Daff, newest convert to the exercise ‘dark side’!

Be well,

xoxo