To celebrate our impending new website design, Wellness WA is throwing it’s first competition / internet party! Thanks to our gorgeous sponsor Safire, we have two excellent prizes to start two VERY lucky readers into a whole new world of luxurious natural skincare!

1st Prize: Safire Spa Gift Box (Value $230)

♥ Deep Clean Face Gel
♥ Rose Hydrating Mist
♥ Face Scrub
♥ Light Hydrating Moisturiser
♥ 3 hand crafted soaps (Premium Castile infused with Wild Thyme & Geranium, & Goats Milk infused with Lavender & Mandarin)
♥ Natural Australian Sandalwood Essence Candle
♥ Selection of bath bombs and salts infused with Hibiscus, Rosemary and other herbs & aromas

All comes beautifully wrapped in a box with ribbon.

Safire Natural Skincare Offers the Spa at Home gift box – a complete face care regime for beautiful skin. Why not treat yourself to a luxurious bath, create a relaxing atmosphere by lighting your Safire candle made of natural soy wax, dropping our hand crafted bath bombs and salts into the bath water – guaranteed to relieve muscle tension and release stress by letting your mind and body float into complete bliss. The intoxicating aromas of Hibiscus Petals, Lavender, Mandarin and Sandalwood with soothe your senses and revitalize you.

2nd Prize – Safire Starter/Travel Kit (Value: $105)

♥ 45ml Deep Clean Face Gel
♥45ml Rose Hydrating Mist
♥ 45ml Face Scrub
♥ 45ml Light Hydrating Moisturiser

The kit is ideal for someone on the move – features the complete Safire Face Care Range in 45ml pump bottles packed in an attractive and reusable cosmetic pack. Perfect for travelling as it fits nicely into overnight luggage, pack it into your gym bag to refresh your skin about a workout and because the bottles their convenient size they can be included in your hand luggage when undertaking plane travel!

I personally wish I could win these prizes soooooo much! But that would be cheating!

You, however, have an excellent chance @ scoring muchos goodies!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment answering the following question! PIECE OF (ORGANIC) CAKE!

What is the main factor that influences your skincare buying decisions? Price, specific ingredients, brand name, skin condition (what the product is offering to solve, eg – clears pimples, fights wrinkles), word of mouth, other?

So, so easy! Winner will be drawn @ random, entries open only to W.A. residents & one answer per person! Winner drawn next Monday! For an extra entry into the competition, retweet or post on Facebook, then in a seperate comment link to the activity and VOILA! More chances at winning this fab prize!!

Best of luck to you all!

Be well,

xoxo

Acrylic Nail Salons in the Eastern ‘Burbs.

I love having acrylic nails. I can’t help it. I am addicted to the shiny, neat way my hands look when they’re just done.

Due to domestic downsizing, I went without them for a year and I eventually learnt that I am simply not disciplined enough to sit in front of telly, dutifully filing, shaping, buffing and coating all ten of those little suckers when I can pay someone else to do it in half the time.

So around Christmastime, in a fit of desperation, I had a full set of French acrylics back on. Being an acrylic aficionada, I was significantly underwhelmed with the result (at a service that shall remain nameless). So began the searching for a decent salon that would tick all the boxes.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with acrylic nails, acrylics are mixed by a nail technician from powder to create an acrylic material which adheres to your natural nail, making it very tough and durable. Depending on your nail growth, the acrylic takes about 3-4 weeks to grow to the point where your nails need to be “rebalanced” or in-filled.

“Permanent French” refers to creating a “French” manicured-look by using a white powder for the tip, then a pink powder for the nail bed. Typically, nail technicians should have appropriate qualifications, and of course, you should aim to check that out.

Over the coming months, I will be road testing a few nail salons in the eastern metro area and then rating them according to five categories: service, technique (of the technician and tools used), the finished nail form (whether a natural look is created through the ratio of pink and white, the shape and the thickness of finished nails), time, cost, plus an overall star rating, out of 5

Now remember, this is based on my opinion and how I like my nails to look; your requirements may be different but hopefully this will give you some hints about where and what to try.

For the purposes of our road-test, I will be having French in-fills, every 4 weeks. (All in the name of science!)

Fantasy Nails

Shop 6, 1010 Beaufort St, Bedford.

What I had done: Permanent French acrylic refills, after 4 weeks’ growth.

Having been for a great, cheap pedicure at Fantasy Nails, I was hopeful that their acrylics would also fit the bill. I wasn’t disappointed. They actually seem to know something about nail health. The lovely tech noticed the red area below my old acrylic and commented that the nail bed had been damaged through the last tech filing too thin. (Needless to say, this was not at Fantasy Nails). This has left a line, visible through the new acrylic and that has to grow out. I thought this was just an unfortunate side-effect since I’d had this before and no one else had ever spotted it. Colour me impressed.

Service

I made an appointment for late on a Thursday afternoon, although you can just walk in. If they’re busy, you may need to wait. The atmosphere is friendly, but efficient. Sure, chatter away, if you like, or not. It’s not a requirement. I didn’t make any new BFFs but I was treated respectfully and with a smile.
Nail form

Perfect ratio of white to pink – the white started just slightly lower than it would on my natural nail so they will continue to look balanced for at least two weeks. Nails were shaped square-round, as requested – smooth with no sharp corners. Thickness was the only aspect that let the form down – I prefer my nails reed-thin and this takes more time – a couple of nails look a bit chunky when looking laterally, down the nail. But from the top (and particularly when waving the little darlings around), the form is spot on.

Technique

I thought I’d seen it all until my nail tech used the end of a tip to cut into the drying white acrylic to create the curve. The result is a very clean line between the white and the pink, following the natural curve and shape of your finger. Electric drills are used, along with emery boards and buffers. The big surprise was the buffing paste. Ordinarily, I have a gel coat over the acrylic to create a shiny, wet look. My tech advised me that the gel overcoat isn’t necessary and instead, used a pink buffing paste which gave the acrylic a far more natural sheen. The buffed finish is looks glossy and smart.

Time

Woah! Super-quick. I was in and out in 45 minutes.

Cost

Not the cheapest refills at $55 + $5 for one tip but worth it for the finish.

Overall rating

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (4.5)

Fantasy Nails also operates in Subi and Booragoon. Also give the pedicure a go (the chairs are brill!).

Article by Bron: I am 39, married and a full-time health professional. Like most busy women, I work way too hard and struggle to make my own health a priority. But I’m beginning to understand that wellbeing is all about having a rich, full and balanced life. (It is possible to love food, drink good wine and feel healthy – it’s called “living”!). One area I’m passionate about is how our psychological and emotional health interconnects with our physical health, particularly the role of stress. So I really look forward to writing about the stuff that I’m curious about, or battle with, and hope that it answers questions for you too 🙂
Bron x
PS Oh, and at this age, I’m also learning that gravity wins, no matter what!

♥

Dear Wellness interested friends!

Firstly, let me apologise for the lack of action around these parts over the past week… Wellness WA is currently undergoing some changes that will be revealed VERY SOON!

A brand new look, some exciting collaborations, projects & competitions are a few of the things we have planned…

Please bear with us while these changes are taking place! In the meantime, why not join the Wellness WA Facebook Page?! With over 200 members in a week, it’s growing strong & it will be the first place to find out about special offers, comps & tips!

Also, check out the comments & experiences on the fish pedicure article!

Take care during this super warm month!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

Diorshow Mascara & YSL Touche Eclat are two of the most coveted & adored beauty products that I can think of.

I own both of them & Touche Eclat in particular has earned me many, many, many compliments with it’s magical dark-circle reducing properties! The Diorshow mascara thickens & lengthens your lashes into the stratosphere. It’s gorgeous & relied upon by thousands of girls for pretty eyes.

SO IMAGINE MY DELIGHT WHEN DISCOVERING THAT BOTH OF THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOW SELLING FOR DEVASTATINGLY CHEAP PRICES?!?! Touche Eclat usually retails for about $90 but is currently being sold for $29.99. Um, ridiculous!

This is seriously the perfect gift for yourself this X-mas, the only problem is that you will want to buy more than one!

♥ YSL Touche Eclat No. 1 – Suited for light-medium skins with a pinker undertone.

♥ YSL Touche Eclat No. 2 – Shade 2 is suited for paler skins & skins with a yellow undertone. This one is my go-to.

For the absolute perfect way to apply this gem, check out: Zoe’s Blog!

Unfortunately the third shade, which is suitable for much darker skin is unavailable at this very special price.

You can, however, still participate in the magic that is Diorshow!

♥ Diorshow Mascara in Black Out – Also selling for $29.99, it says on the website that the usual going price is $39.99 but I’m pretty certain I’ve paid more than that in store, so it’s more of a bargain than it looks!

Alright! Just wanted to share these delicious bargains with you all. I seriously recommend purchasing them both!

Let me know if you do, or if you love these products as much as I do!

Be well,

xoxo

– There are now 13 more beauty salon, day spa and yoga centre brochures on the site! We are constantly collecting and uploading them and you can have a look at them all by clicking the “Spa and Salon Brochure” link to the right of the screen under Categories.

– The Raw Kitchen are currently running a great little competition where you can win a voucher to the workshop of your choice! All you need to do is send in your best story, photo or recipe about raw foods and you’re in with a chance to win! So simple! It closes on the 14th of December so you better snap to it by heading to the site to enter!

– Since Today is officially the “First day of Summer” (yay!) it’s a great time to consider something like a full body exfoliating scrub to rid yourself of those pesky dead skin cells. It will leave you feeling fresh and glowing. There are plenty of places in town that do this and I’ll be reviewing some of them VERY shortly for you!

– Finally, Christmas is only 3 weeks away! My next post will give you some great beauty & wellness ideas for your loved ones (and maybe even yourself…!). I previously wrote on some great Chrissy ideas from Lush as well!

Til next time my friends!

Be well,

xoxo