♥

Having just returned from living in London and spending a good few months reorganising my life, it was time to tackle the next job on the list.

I needed to find a new confidant who was good with a wax pot and a spatula. Someone I felt comfortable with for tending to, well you know. I thought it was going to be an arduous task, but luckily I was wrong…

I am not going to hold back on details, it had been a rather long time between drinks if you know what I am saying. Thanks to Scoopon (who doesn’t love a deal?) I bought a voucher for some waxing at Love Bodyworx on Preston street in Como and even before my voucher was valid, toddled along as a full paying customer. I have to admit I was starting to get the cold sweats about the impending pain but knew it had to be done.

I was warmly greeted by the owner Tracey and ushered into a treatment room. I then braced myself for what I thought would be pain only second to childbirth. I clenched my teeth and sweaty palms for the dreaded first rip ……. it didn’t hurt all, nor the second rip, or third, or in fact – any! Yes a relatively pain free brazilian wax and I am telling you there was some serious removal needed, we were lucky there was any wax left in the pot!

Still stunned from the lack of pain, aftercare advice was offered and not the ‘buy this product’ kind, but good honest helpful advice. I left immediately making a follow up appointment (I never do this) and with a new found spring in my step.

Yes it’s a small salon, but the open friendly manner of the owner, the great pricing ($50 and $45 for a repeat visit within 3-6 weeks of initial wax) and the pain free waxing more than make up for it. Love Bodyworx? Yup I do!

Love Bodyworx Beauty Salon is located at:

Shop 2/10 Preston St (on the corner of Mary and Preston)
Como, WA

Ph: (08) 9368 0396

Website | Facebook

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

Be well,

xoxo

Personal Training Diary, Day 1.

I have to be honest with you, I’m a little scared about what I’ve gotten myself into. See, despite running a website dedicated to health & beauty and being a keen yoga goer, my cardio and strength generally resemble that of a sea cucumber.

I found Sarah Devlin on a random trawl through Gumtree, I think I was looking for a cute vintage bike. I clicked through to her website and was greeted by an ultra lovely looking page stating the following:

♥ I want to create long, lean muscles for you, boost your energy levels and make you look and feel fantastic.

♥ I am friendly, personable and motivating and I don’t think a personal trainer has to be shouty or intimidating.

♥ I want you to have fun and be comfortable with me while you are working as hard as you possibly can.

I was won over, so we teed up a time to have my first-ever personal training sesh (eek!).

My strength & cardio capacity resemble that of my good friend here.

We met up at a local lake / park / generally beautiful area, which I surmised would make the pain a little more bearable. There were swans and lots of puppy dogs, so I ended up focusing on them to help get me through!

Sarah listened to my concerns about a high cardio workout, so we mainly worked on strength, with heaps of exercise variations (but still working each area of the body to its limit). I didn’t escape cardio altogether though, damn, but I’m told it’s for the best!

She has a very encouraging training style and is very much focused on making sure you have correct posture / alignment, which is great for a complete novice like me who has little idea of how to hold my body correctly in the exercises.

Another thing I love is the mix of pilates and dance moves in the session, I really feel like Sarah understands women’s bodies and knows how to bring out the best in me, even if I feel like complaining.

Hello new found body part!

Post first workout I make an interesting discovery – I have triceps???! Yes, they’re calling my name for the first time I can probably ever remember and they’re not pleased with me after happily lying dormant for all these years!

The next day I felt surprisingly good, however as the day wore on my muscles grew increasingly weary and the day after that they were rebelling to the point that it was a big effort to move myself around!

No pain no gain right?

Stay tuned for Part Two of my adventures in Perth Personal Training next week! x

Web: Sarah Devlin
E-mail: sarah@sarahdevlin.com
Phone: 0431 365 342

Prices start from $70, depending on session frequency and distance to travel, contact Sarah for more info

Have any questions? If you’re currently seeing or thinking about seeing a Personal Trainer I’d love to hear from you!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥ ♥ ♥

Since my last experience with SPL hair removal, a lot has happened.

I’ve marveled in delight as the hairs seemingly continued to grow, however with daily exfoliation they slowly but surely all popped out and left me with smooth skin. It took quite a white for any semblance of hairs to grow back after this. Keeping in mind that all the hairs are at different growth stages so the areas I had done (upper leg, tummy & bikini) have never yet been a completely ‘smooth canvas’, it’s still been very promising!

My second SPL experience at Hairfree Booragoon was surprisingly a little more painful than the first.

The results after this second treatment have been fantastic, despite the tiny increase in pain. The hairs have really been minimised and it’s really FUN when the hairs start falling out, it feels like an accomplishment!

I think that after 4 treatments the majority of my treated areas will indeed be hair free and I’m looking forward to getting my kit off at the beach and swimming pools this Summer without having to worry about whether I have to shave / wax to feel good about myself in a bikini.

A word of warning though: THIS TREATMENT IS ADDICTIVE!

I’m already planning to get my underarms and the rest of my legs done, it’s totally streamlining my life. I’ve never been the type of girl who can be bothered shaving her legs religiously, it just takes so much darn time, leaning over in the shower, nicks and cuts, missed bits… waxing solved the problem for a while, but it’s expensive and hurts a lot!

Being able to get on with my life without this little extra hassle is totally liberating. Can you tell I’m a fan?!

If you’re keen as well you can head to Hairfree Booragoon and mention Wellness WA for 50% off your first treatment. The offer is only valid until the end of September though so if you’re keen, best to get in while you can.

Hairfree Centre Booragoon

7/135 Riseley St
Booragoon WA 6154

(08) 9316 8402

Web: http://www.hairfreeservices.com

Have you ever had IPL / SPL / Laser?

Has the beach been smiling at you with a twinkle in it’s eye, giving you a knowing nod as you strut your stuff on the sand?

Be well (my loves!),

Annette

xoxo

♥

Head Studio is located in the center of the Perth CBD, on King Street, which is renowned for being home to designer stores including Louis Vuitton, Wheels & Dollybaby and Tiffany… Perth’s own mini version of Rodeo Drive!

It would be easy to feel intimidated heading to a hair salon that rubs shoulders with these big names.

Head Studio proves nothing to worry about however, upon arrival the staff are all smiles and very welcoming. The interior is impressive: high ceilings and gorgeous wooden floors throughout, mixed with antique décor, candles and rose petals make this two-storey salon a contender for hairdresser heaven, accessibly.

There is also a little team of goldfish friends to look at!

It’s not just the visuals that impress either; Head Studio would need an extra salon dedicated to housing all the nominations and awards for excellence they’ve received! Check out the extensive awards list here.

My experience starts with relaxing on a red velvet vintage chair and a yummy T2 tea (Botanical) served in a cute teapot/cup combo with a tiny cookie.

The selection of reading material on display is very impressive, with a personal favourite of mine, Natalie Blooms Beauty in Bloom: A Collection of Beautiful Inspirations, on display, as well as many other lovely books and all the current high-end glossies.

My colourist Rachel meets me upstairs and expertly chooses a mix of two brown shades that she thinks will suit my look. It’s a chilly day, but the temperature is controlled so I’m feeling warm while I bliss out waiting for the colour to make friends with my locks.

When it’s time for the rinse out, a huge LCD screen is positioned in front of the basins and we make the executive decision to put on ‘White Men Can’t Jump’.

For some reason I couldn’t get comfortable in the chair, but I didn’t get any water in my ears which is a notorious problem for me, so overall the colour rinse / wash was positive.

Straight off a plane and back from a competition in Melbourne, my stylist today is Taryn and she has wonderful hair. Tick!

She does what I ask for and is really friendly, giving me plenty of advice and tips about how to style my hair along the way.

My very own hair.

To finish, she uses the GHD to style my hair in a way that is completely new to me, little waves all over (I’m sure there is a technical term for this … help me out!). I’m really happy with it as it looks cute!

Unfortunately I’ve been unable to replicate it at home despite her best teaching efforts. 🙁

Throughout my experience I was really looked after, I think I ended up having 2 cups of tea, an orange juice and a glass of water. Needless to say I needed to use their toilet and even the bathroom is great, with cute pictures and writing all over the walls.

I was recommended some products and purchased L’Oreal Tecniart Spray-Mousse, pre-blowdry application ensures great smooth volume.

I enjoyed my experience at Head Studio and wouldn’t hesitate to return. The atmosphere, service, knowledge and friendliness of the staff, coupled with all the little extras thrown in make this place a gem in the Perth hair & beauty industry.

A must try!

Head Studio Locations:

PERTH SALON

64 King St, Perth CBD 6000

SUCCESS SALON

Shop 20A, Gateway Shopping Centre,
816 Beeliar Drive, Success

ROCKINGHAM SALON

Shop 4/7 Railway Tce
Rockingham Beach WA 6168

All contact, booking & pricing details can be found on their website: http://www.headstudio.com.au

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Being a guy I haven’t really given much thought to “a proper salon” treatment for my quarterly haircut. It’s always been a “whilst I’m here” type thing. But maybe it’s the fact that I’m getting older or that I keep getting condemned for my bad haircuts. (Always relying on the excuse that the apprentice cut my hair, when really the blonde and pink strips should have been a giveaway that this would be a dire haircut). This brings me to the opposite end of the spectrum and a little salon in Fremantle called Nvmen.

It is nestled on the corner with an old blue/red/white striped pole out the front. Obviously a homage to the ol’ days of barber shop standards. With open doors I was told that my stylist would be a moment and to please take a seat. This place was charming with wooden floors and decor that actually matched. These were nice seats too by the way. The coffee table was littered with everything a man desires, to a certain PG rating of course. James May’s rather luscious hair put second thoughts in my head about the trim I was to receive, but regrettably the hippie era is over.

Photo of James May for reference ;)!

I was first taken to the wash basins. I had my hair washed and my head massaged. The head massages are quite superior and with the added bonus of being in a massage chair, I was on my way to tinsel town. After which I just wanted to go back to bed, but that would defeat my Saturday morning trip. The lovely hairdresser led me to an old school looking barber chair. The only thing I can reference here is like the one in Sweeney Todd. Together we conversed on what style I would like and with the American Crew style guide book in front of me I spun around 10 times, closed my eyes and pointed at a picture that would shape peoples opinion of me for the next 6 months.

After conversations about travel to Vietnam and Cambodia we built some common ground, stabilised confidence in our rapport and the hair cut was finished. She then showed me the best way to style it when leaving the crib. All through the hair cut little seeds were planted at the wash, cut and style session – it prompted me to buy some product which I haven’t used in, oh my, at least 7 years and some shampoo. To be fair I had just run out of shampoo so I wasn’t just a sucker for blue eyes and a nice smile.

I guess the greatest confidence I have about the salon is after I finished I was quite surprised at how little the hair cut costs juxtaposed against the likes of some carbon copy salons. Please for the love of god don’t go to these chain built hairdressers, they smell of underpaid workers and pessimism.

All in all a new and good experience from one of WA’s oldest but still remaining modern barber shops. Indeed the NV of men. Gone are my days of taking tickets sitting down and wondering whether the Italian grease ball or the lop sided, multi-coloured rather flamboyant Avril Lavigne will be cutting my hair.

To get your hands on the nvmen brochure, click here!

NV Men Complete Grooming
33 Market Street
Fremantle WA 6160

Tel: (08) 9336 7171

Review by David, feeling the hair grow back by the minute.