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I love trying new skincare and when the chance to try something that claims to be “Nature’s Botox Alternative” I got a little excited. Since turning the big 30 last year I’ve been more attentive to products with anti-ageing ingredients to keep me looking as young as possible!

The Lapurete range is said to target all signs of ageing including; expression lines, sagging skin, age spots, dryness, eye bags, dark circles, enlarged pores and UVA damage. Whilst I certainly don’t have all these skin concerns I figure prevention is better than a cure!

Okuru plant being harvested

The magic ingredient that Lapurete use is Okuru, a plant grown in Africa that has been used for centuries for it’s nutritional and healing benefits. Lapurete’s research has found that the peptides contained in the seeds can minimise expression lines in a similar way to Botox, without the need for injections!

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The Protective Day Crème that I trialed contains the Okuru plus Sweet Pea and Marine extracts to increase firmness and elasticity of the skin. The crème itself is light and pleasantly fragranced. It seemed to moisturise and hydrate my skin well without making me too oily. I would say it’s suitable for most skin types, except really oily. Whilst I don’t have any major skincare concerns such as fine lines and sagging I did find that after using daily it did seem to brighten my complexion, freshen and smooth my skin. The two bonuses for me were that it contained UVA defense (if you’re outside for long periods I would still wear a broad spectrum sunscreen!) and it had no nasty ingredients such as parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, and petrochemicals (a super plus for me!).

The full set of Lapurete prodz

Whether it lived up to it’s claim of being “Natures Botox” I’m still not sure yet. Maybe I need to use it a little longer, or fingers crossed it’s because I don’t need botox yet. But I know that I would rather try a topical cream that costs way less than expensive and invasive needles first.

What would you rather do?

Check out the full Okuru range at www.lapurete.com.au and at major pharmacies.

RRP is $59.95.

Review by Hannah L, smoothie-ing her way to good health!

Be well,

xoxo

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When Annette first contacted me to tell me about Pure Poppet, a range of play make-up for children, I must admit I nearly jumped for joy.

With two young girls under the age of 8, make-up and face-painting are huge in my house and even though I know there are so many harmful chemicals in most over-the-counter cosmetics there are more times than I’d like to admit that I just give in to the “just let them have fun” …

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My girls’ eyes lit up from the moment they unwrapped the parcel, which I must say arrived in record time, especially considering it was the week of Christmas, the packaging is bright, colourful and everything a little girl could want for.

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Obviously they wanted to play around with it straight away and I needed little convincing, so armed with their make-up kit and a room full of dress ups they went to work on turning themselves into beautiful princesses.

The colours included in the kit were 5 little pots of powdered colour, purple, pink, blue, green and yellow – all bright and shimmery, application sponges, 2 lip balms and a floral water spray.

Being mineral make-up the powder was slightly messier than the traditional block make-up but nothing a dustpan and a broom couldn’t take care of.

The best thing about it (from a mum’s point of view) was how easy it was to remove that night, warm water and a facecloth and it was taken care of in less than a minute.

My only regret is that I forgot to take photos of the little princesses.

A week later we decided it was time for the face-painting test. As seasoned face-paintees I was slightly apprehensive that my skills would be mocked, or at the very least elicit looks of disappointment, so I spent the first five minutes explaining to my darling daughters that mummy is NOT a professional face-painter and it’s NOT going to look the way it does when they have their faces done by the proper face-painters. I was also very clear that only simple designs would be accepted.

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Thankfully my 8 year old requested suns and a flower and my four year old a caterpillar on one cheek and the butterfly it turns into on the other.

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With a little bit of water mixed with the powder the face-painting was much easier than I expected and smiles were experienced by all, my husband even asked if I was expanding into a new line of work!

It did wear off a little quicker than traditional face-paint, which in my opinion is actually a good thing. And again, the best part to me was the ease of removal.

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I also really like that the emphasis is on play and fun, rather than needing make-up to be pretty.

Price: The cost for the kit is $39.95 plus postage, which is great as these pots will last for ages. Available from the Pure Poppet website.

I’d love to know how you feel about the chemicals in your child’s play make-up, is it a big concern to you? Or do you think it’s not that big a deal?

Review by Chizelle S Salter, Mother of 3 beautiful girls, Writer and Hostess of Chizelle TV

Be well,

xoxo

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For someone who runs a website like this one, I really am quite abysmal at getting my hair cut and maintained to a pleasing standard. Massages, exercise classes, buying my lunch and restaurant dinners seem to drain the majority of my “extra money”, while my hair gets left being swooped up in a simple high pony tail day after day, only occasionally being privy to a hair straightener.

This year, I’m determined to make an extra effort to have “babe hair” more often than not, so with that in mind I headed down to Element Aveda Concept Salon in Subiaco for a cut, colour, blowdry & style AKA a complete overhaul. I had a 60’s themed night out planned too, so I was especially excited to have my hair styled.

When I phoned up to book the appointment I was a bit nervous, as I always am with hairdressers, but the guy who answered the phone was great and managed to book me in with Bree, the Creative Director for my whole sesh. Note to the uninitiated: seeing the Creative Director usually costs a bit of extra moolah, luckily for me it was worth it in this case!

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With my long scraggly mop in tow, I was greeted with cups of Aveda tea (so yummy once you get used to the unique taste!), hand massages and the signature “blue oil massage”. Bree and I decided to go with a chestnut colour, which has the gentlest of red tints to it, similar to my own hair colour but just a bit more oomph. Love the colour, but next time I think I will be a little more daring!

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For the cut, I wanted quite a bit off, but still a longish side fringe and the ability to make it a lil wavy. Check, check, check. Bree delivered all this and more and was fun to talk to. I ended up with an Alexa Chung-esque long bob with waves which I digged, and she even gave me a mini lesson on how to create GHD waves on my own… which I’ll try soon!

The whole experience was about 2 & 1/2 hours, and everyone was super friendly, I was kept hydrated and…THERE WAS A PUG IN THE SALON!

This certainly was a plus for me as I am wild about pups.

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I purchased the Aveda Brilliant Hair Spray ($39.95) which makes hair super shiny, gives a medium hold & contains black tea, certified organic chamomile, aloe and more! I found it kept my waves in well throughout a night of 60’s dancing!

So without further words…

Tah dah. New hair.

The total cost for my wash, cut, colour, blowdry/style & Brilliant Shine Hairspray was $265.

I will definitely be back!

Element Aveda Concept Salon
17 Rokeby Rd Subiaco WA 6008
(08) 9382 3004

Do you like the short hair or the long hair?! Love to hear your thoughts!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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♥ Joshi’s Holistic Detox

I picked this up randomly when a lovely little bookstore near me was having a 50% off closing down sale. Never one to say no to the possibility of a bargain, I dashed in and came across Dr Joshi’s book which I’d been intrigued by previously but never bought.

While I don’t need to be slimmer, healthier I can always go for. Basically Dr Joshi draws on Ayurvedic wisdom, as well as the principles of alkaline eating to help you feel your best. You will go without a few much loved things for 21 days, incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and veggies (some are out though), gluten-free products, herbal teas, supplements and other good-for-you treats. It’s a really well designed program and leads you through everything with LOADS of information and reviews/testimonials from many of his well known clients, including Gwyneth Paltrow.

The only thing that is personally detrimental is that the majority of recipes call for chicken stock (even the veggie ones), so as a vegetarian it would be hard to follow the supplied detox menu. That said there ARE options, and I’m sure you could use veggie stock, but there’s a lotta chicken in this book – organic, free-range naturally! Which reminds me of THIS wonderful Youtube…

Despite the chicken qualms, I’d totally recommend this book if you’re game for a detox, but want to know all the little details behind how/what/where/why, in an accessible and interesting format. I really enjoyed it, go Joshi! Available on Amazon for about $21 USD.

Have you ever tried a detox or wanted to? If so let us know your experience / reason for wanting to try!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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I’m a lazy, overweight exercise-avoider. I have no excuse beyond a crippling dependence on cake, and in the last year, I’ve been doing my best to try to get on top of this situation. There have been ups, there have been downs, but having recently started attending Tamara Yoga, I’m starting to feel a lot more optimistic about my rocky road to (relative) health and fitness.

Firstly, all credit to my younger sister, who after my unsuccessful week-long attempt at finding a yoga class that worked with my work schedule piped up and suggested I attend Tamara Yoga. It’s obscenely close to where I live, parking is ample and free and their schedule is so insanely varied (7.00am on a Saturday morning, anyone? How about 6.00am on Cottesloe beach?) that you’d have to be truly unlucky to not have something you could attend.

The format is thusly – some classes are fixed, some allow a rock-up-and-pay arrangement. I signed myself up for a six-week beginners course, which locked me in for that amount of time, and meant that each class built on what was learned the week beforehand. They’re wonderfully flexible with this arrangement – I came waltzing in at the week two point, and they altered the fee to reflect the five-week duration. My instructor – the effervescent Carol – quizzed me a bit on my relative level of familiarity and kept an eye on me to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid.

This Buddha greets you in the foyer @ Tamara Yoga

The other option – pay as you go – means that for certain classes you can just turn up and hope it’s not horribly packed (this hasn’t happened – yet). I chose to attend a Vinyasa class at 7.00am on a Saturday morning (yes – this was extremely strange and overeager), which worryingly specified neither all levels or beginners, as many classes do. This instructor (I didn’t catch her name, but the website makes me think Helen), just like Carol, checked on what I knew and what I didn’t and came by to adjust me occasionally. Whilst it was a more advanced class than I strictly speaking should have been attending, every pose and movement had a lesser-powered option, and she was careful to specify easier variations of every motion. It was incredibly inclusive, and very considerate, and impressed the crap out of me.

♥ A class in action

But how are the classes themselves? The key word is relaxed. It’s a very informal, almost chatty format, more educational than you might expect and the wind down, meditation portion at the end (savasana) is complete bliss. The day after my first class I felt less stiff, more limber and more – centred, I suppose? And I don’t resent going at all, like I do gymming, or any other kind of exercise. I actually find myself poring over the schedule and trying to find drop-in classes I can wedge myself into – voluntarily. As in, with no one making me. This is a big deal, kids. As an additional level of awesome they provide everything – mats, blocks, straps, all manner of things. And you can buy rather wonderful yoga equipment there. I’m tempted. Watch this space.

So ultimately I’m really happy with Tamara Yoga. It’s wonderfully informal (which I love) with a great assortment of classes and highly skilled, friendly staff. It is the ultimate in non-intimidating Yoga. Very recommended!

Have you been to Tamara Yoga before? Have a penchant for cake? Lets chat below!

Email: info@tamarayoga.com

Web: https://tamarayoga.com/

Phone: 9385 2242

Tamara Yoga Classes held at The Luck Now Centre
UPSTAIRS 10/24 St Quentin Avenue Claremont Perth Western Australia
Enter via laneway off St Quentin’s Avenue across from Claremont Quarter

Review by Suzanne: she is allergic to exercise, and can only be cured with cake.

Be well,

xoxo