♥

Yippee! I was lucky enough to be a winner in Adore Beauty’s Facebook giveaway (well, luck really had nothing to do with it. I wrote a killer rhyme to win!) and sure enough a teeny tube of Becca Mineral SPF Primer arrived in my PO Box (complete with a Time Out, these girls know how to swoon someone over).

The tube promises to deliver a ‘cocktail of anti-oxidant vitamins’ to my skin, which to me sounds a little worrying, but also to protect me from the sun with its SPF 30+ abilities!

Upon olfactory inspection, I’m pleasantly surprised! This baby smells like CAKE!!! Any makeup product that smells of sweet, delicious cake has already won a few points in my book.

The product is quite thick, and applies to my skin well. After waiting 5 minutes and peeking at my face in the mirror it has a slight glow to it.

My makeup applies well and I am pleased! Hurrah! I will definitely use this product again (the small tube I’ve got) and may potentially buy it again just so my face can be like cakes every day and also be protected from the sun!

For more info please see the Becca Cosmetics site!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

So I like to do little updates to let y’all know what wellbeing related things I’m upto and perhaps provide a little inspiration every now and then!

In the past week I have converted three people close to me to the JOY, MAGIC & WONDER (!!!) of smoothies containing spinach!!

With a combination of persuasiveness, persistence & the fact that the smoothies are, in fact, flippin delicious, three friends of mine overcame the deeply ingrained hurdle of spinach being a bland dinner vegetable & emerged on the other side amazed at the spinach + fruit combination.

One friend said, and I quote:

Person one and I sipped on tangy raspberry + spinach + banana + wheatgerm + little bit of apple / pear juice + water, while person two and I substituted raspberry for frozen mango, which made the smoothie really creamy & delish.

I’m going to keep a tally of how many people I convert!

In other stomach rumble inducing news, I’ve recently discovered and become addicted to THESE:

CHIC NUTS SICILIAN HERBS & GARLIC FLAVOUR!

I’d been struggling for a while to find a good alternative to chips. Whats super crunchy & dry, still a little bit salty and not as terrible for you as shoving 3 packets of chips into your hungry gob daily?

These babies pass the test. With flying legume-based colours!

They’re an all natural wholefood, contain 24% protein, lots of iron & fibre, are low G.I, probiotic AND super low in fat (4 grams per 50g with less than 1 being saturated). Pretty amazing if you ask me and way better than chippies!

You can find out more about them at http://www.chicnuts.com. I picked up my packet from Woolies. Great company, great idea & their customer service is fantastic as well.

Try these few tidbits out and if you have any fantastic ideas for healthy snacks be sure to send them my way!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

There’s not too much more relaxing than a nice hot bath. Despite the fact that it has reached over 40 here in the past few days, I found myself craving one. LUCKY FOR ME, Today was a delightful 28 degrees & a soak was on the cards!

I’ve long been a fan of Epsom salts (otherwise known as Magnesium Sulfate), you know, that weird box of crystals in the dark blue box with white writing that exists in the back of the laundry cupboard? Maybe this is just in my house…!

Well, I’ve recently discovered that this curious box contains a great stress relieving treat. Magnesium has long been known to reduce aches & pains by relaxing the muscles & blood vessels in the body (WHO KNEW?). The reduction in stress / anxiety come from these same benefits, relaxed muscles = relaxed mind.

Apparently a very high proportion of us are deficient in magnesium, which is a mineral that helps control high blood pressure, relaxation & helps the blood circulate smoothly! For more info on this super important little morsel, check out the WH Foods website & find out what you can munch on to get more! One of my favourite sites for sure!

So, I’m making these a part of my weekly routine. Once or twice a week, an epsom bath for me! I find that with a cupful of salts & a nice long soak, a wave of calm washes over me.

Apparently epsom salts are also good for the garden in some way according to my Mother, so you can go wild getting dirty with seedlings, worms & Magnesium Sulfate, then wash it all away with the same box of joy! I’m no gardener I’m afraid so take no responsibility for any withered blooms!

Have you ever had an epsom salt bath? Ever even HEARD of epsom salts? Leave a comment!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

After some busy times at my new job, far too frequent trips to the vending machine (you can’t put Twisties, Atomic Tomato, Cheese & Onion chips in a money operated glass box and not expect me to want all three on a daily basis) plus not getting enough rest, my skin has sadly seen better days.

Buoyed by my first paycheck, I decided to treat myself to a little shopping spree and first up on the agenda: foundation & lipstick!

Being a combination of albino + brown freckles makes it difficult to find a colour match that doesn’t a) wash me out to ghost-face land OR b) look too caked on and cover my kisses from the sun.

There was no-one to be found @ the Shiseido counter, I was interested in the brand because I’ve heard it’s very popular with Asian women, of which I am not, but my skin is more yellow based and they apparently have a variety of lighter shades.

Next stop Chanel, where the lady unfortunately told me they don’t have many pale shades – she was very helpful though and tried to help me out as best she could, but my skin proved too “English Rose” (I wish) for Chanel’s range of foundations.

After wandering around a bit more, contemplating the pros & cons of an electric essential oil vaporizer & deciding against it (for now…!), I moved onto the Lancome counter.

Greeted by a lovely girl, Jess, who tried a total of 4 different foundations on me! After doing my whole face with one of them that I thought was suitable, I ran off to the full length mirrors as it’s always so hard to tell with the tiny ones they give you.

Decided against it as it seemed a bit too dark, so she re-did my face in another colour that suited muchhhh more! I definitely recommend going away and looking at your skin in various different mirrors before committing to buying any one product, especially when they cost $82, as this one did!

The foundation I ended up getting was the one pictured above, Lancome Colour Ideal Precise Match Skin Perfecting Makeup. Bit of a mouthful.

I really want to find cheaper alternatives but I feel like it’s almost impossible for my skin, Cover Girl, Maybelline & Revlon all don’t really suit… HELP?!

Next up I re-bought a long-time favourite of mine, Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Poppy Love! A very sheer lipstick, great for paler skins & lips. Looooooove the finish, texture, colour – everything!

While this is obviously marketed at babies, I was pretty keen on the idea of sleeping like one so into my hands it went. Had a bath with it tonight & it really is relaxing! Fingers crossed on the uninterrupted sleep, but we’ll see ; )

And so concludes my shopping adventure! Feel free to tell me your favourite make-up brands & favourite bath treats.

Be well,

xoxo

♥ sprouts ♥

Today Wellness WA went shopping & picked up a few handy dandy bits ‘n pieces to keep us glowing & healthy during this silliest of seasons.

♥ Jojoba Oil

This stuff is a delight, but it’s pretty expensive as far as natural oils go. I bought a little 25 ml bottle by the brand Tri Natural which cost about $10, the good thing is that you usually only need a few tiny drops for most of it’s uses!

Gala Darling wrote an article on her experience with Jojoba Oil & it’s benefits, entitled Jojoba Oil is the Elixer of the Gods. She’s probably right.

♥ Sprouts

These little buddies have just been thrown back on my radar by the ever lovely Em of The Raw Kitchen. She grows her own sprouts (cool or what?) and apparently eats them all day long! From the photos I have seen she is a bastion of glowing skin & her energy is amazing.

Because sprouts are in effect still growing when we consume them, they retain a lot of active vitamins, minerals and enzymes – things that are lost during cooking / preservation. This is fabulous for you and your body.

Today I purchased a pack of alfalfa & brocolli sprouts. YUM. I previously made the grave error of buying a ’salad pack’ which comprised of three sprout varieties, one being radish.

I absolutely cannot handle anything hot & spicy so this made me gasp for water repeatedly & randomly whilst eating. Not the best! Learn from my misfortune if you feel you may be the same…

♥ Avocado

One of my top culinary loves. I swear by this for glowing skin if 2 x avocados are eaten weekly. Unfortunately I don’t always get around to doing this, it’s something I’m working on!

Besides this, they are delicious and great for the heart, joints, hair…pretty much everything! If you are watching your weight don’t eat -too- many as they are quite high in (good) fats.

♥ Frozen Mixed Berries

Another favourite of mine. So delicious & so good for you. Most common uses for me are:

- on top of porridge
- in a vanilla or chocolate soy smoothie
- in a green smoothie

I plan to bake a mixed-berry pie one day soon when the heat calms down a bit!

So all this along with going for a nice evening walk tonight and drinking lots of water has put me in a good mood wellness wise.

I’m also reading this great book by the founder of Aveda at the moment.

In the morning I take about 20 minutes to quietly read from it while drinking a cup of green tea, I find it very relaxing; it’s a well written book on the concepts that inspire him & how to incorporate many small wellness ‘rituals’ into your day.

It’s lovely and I really recommend it.

I hope you enjoyed my little shopping list! Let me know if you’d like to read more.

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