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Welcome to April my darlings! To celebrate the changing of the seasons, the impending skin imperfections from copious egg devouring and just to spread some love to our fabulous readers, Wellness WA has teamed up with Ella Express to give away some very special prizes throughout April!

Entering is so easy!

♥ All you need to do, is visit the ELLA EXPRESS website.

♥ Pick your dream treatment from the list that you’d choose to put your $100 voucher towards! (so hard to choose!)

♥ Leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address & your treatment choice!

♥ VOILA! You are in the running to win one of these indulgent vouchers!!

Only one entry per person, winners drawn at random on the 30th of April.

Ella Express has salons in the City, Joondalup, Warwick, Floreat, Whitford City & Dunsborough!

Enter now for your chance to win!!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

Saturday night saw the launch of the WA VIP Card at The George in the CBD.

Wellness WA is working hand in hand with the card, we are in charge of getting all of the excellent beauty, health & wellbeing businesses on board the card so that they can provide a discount to our members! E-mail beauty@wavipcard.com.au for more information if you are interested! Also, mention Wellness WA if you purchase a card and it will help us all out!

So back to the night in question, with nothing to wear I had to run out and pick up a new dress (Cue!) and heels which set me back a bit. And then the make-up and hair, oh dear!

I picked up some Bloom nailpolish in 2 shades: Amber & Edie ($29.95 for two)

“Amber”

This is the one I chose for the evening, the Bloom polish has really stayed on my nails and I’m impressed with the consistency and look of it. There is also a BAJILLION colours to select from, so I do recommend you check em out in Myer!

Post-shopping I ventured over to my monthly massage @ Cove Spa to unwind but I had a dilemma… shonky eyebrows! This just wouldn’t do for the evening ahead so I asked / pleaded nicely and the girls accommodated me easily and I had a tidy up before the massage, which was lovely as usual. Yay!

Then it was time to sort out a wash & blow dry for my dirty, messy hair (charming, I know). I tried 3 places before actually getting in somewhere, Saturday afternoon is big for hair appointments – who knew?! Well, I probably should have!

I wasn’t 100% impressed with the service I received at the particular salon, the woman was very off with the fairies and didn’t seem to be paying that much attention to what she was doing. However it WAS late in the day, they were very busy and I was lucky to actually get an appointment… plus the result turned out okay so I dealt with it, but try not to get myself into a situation where I’d have to go there again!

After that it was time to nap & then get ready. The night was lovely and we drank champagne with strawberries and blueberries to up the “Wellness Factor” ;), watched Bob Evans rock out a little and had prom photos taken!

Today is porridge, watermelon & green tea for breakfast & a yoga class Tonight to help work out the weekends alcoholic sins.

How was your weekend?! Any beauty treats? I’d love to hear about it!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

My feet were feeling very neglected and my little toes were screaming for some attention from all those times strutting in high heels on uneven pavement in the city, gallivanting around Europe and dancing til 5am in the clubs.

Well it was time my feet deserved a treat. After all, I’ve been told many guys have a foot fetish… but that wasn’t the sole reason why I wanted to go for my very first pedicure. (or maybe it was) (no, it really wasn’t) (or was it?)

I wanted my feet to feel confident in a pair of open toed sandals for the next up-and-coming social calendar event!

The location of choice, Serendipity Medi Spa in Riverton Forum.

I stepped into the salon and to my surprise it was a beauty therapist friend of mine who was going to get intimate with my feet that night! I decided upon booking an evening session as there is one thing I dislike about communal pedicure places: the crowds.

At every opportunity when getting a beauty treatment, I enjoy the peaceful “me” time that comes with it. So to my delight, I was seated in a massaging chair with plenty of space all to myself.

While I was catching up on the latest celebrity gossip, my feet were soaking in the warm bubble bath and as I felt the tiny jets on my feet, I was in my happy place. The beauty therapist handed me a basket full of polish colours to choose from. I opted for a french manicure to suit any occasion.

I took my feet out of the water and they were gently massaged with a light exfoliating foot scrub. At this point I should note that the therapist is wearing gloves. Then she removed my old nail polish and trimmed each toe nail with a square edge. Rotating each foot back into the bubble bath when it wasn’t being pedicured. After some more buffing and gentle scrubbing, my pushed-back cuticles revealed toes that were painted on with precision and care.

Voila! After 45 mins of a Goddess experience, I had the perfect ready-to-party nails all set for an upcoming balmy cruise down the river!

Tip: If you can’t pick a colour, a french manicure is always a safe bet, but keep your eye out for the colours that are on trend at the moment which include pinks (instead of your usual vampy red) and taupes.

Zoe Foster Tip: After hearing her extensive knowledge on fashion, a tip is to bring your fave colour to the pedicure place so that when it chips, you can always fix it up at home yourself.

Rating: 4/5 Since my feet were long over-due for a pedicure, I was indeed fascinated by the whole process, and how I had never thought to have one earlier! The service here is without fault and the evening booking was ideal.

$60 will get you the basic pedicure.

Shop 20
Stockland Riverton Shopping Centre
Cnr. Willeri Drive & High Road
Riverton WA 6148

Ph: 08 9354 3370

Article by Kelly-Anne Wong, pedicure cherry popped.

Ilcsi AHA Spicy Organic Facial

The Skin Deep brochure states that this is “The hottest facial in town” and they weren’t kidding! I’ve been looking for a natural facial treatment that will deliver smooth glowing fresh looking skin and I think I have found exactly what I am looking for. This all natural treatment provides fruit acids to smooth the skin and spicy paprika to boost circulation and detoxify your skin.

Ilcsi is a Hungarian based natural skin care company that relies on quality hand picked herb, fruits and vegetables. Ilcsi products contain no synthetic colouring agents, paints or animal-based ingredients. According to the Spa Universe website, Australia’s stockist for Ilsci, the philosophy of the brand is simple and natural: it accommodates to the modern need that prefers natural skincare methods, but still demands results. This is possible due to the high concentration of herbs, fruits and vegetables found in Ilcsi products.

The facial started with a double cleanse of the delicious smelling Rose Petal Cleanser and a light exfoliation. Next AHA fruit pulp is smoothed over the skin, the apple and grape extracts help to smooth and retexturise. A layer of thin Hessian is then placed over the skin and the Paprika herbal treatment applied. This is when it really starts to heat up, you feel hot but not uncomfortable. You can really feel your blood pumping. While this is kicking in to action, my therapist gave me an arm exfoliation. The mask stays on for about 15 minutes or until it dries. Some light fanning by my therapist takes away any last minute tingling. After the spicy mask is removed a lovely cold Rose Hip Gel mask was applied. This instantly took any heat in my face away. Rose Hip Serum and moisturiser were then applied which further cooled and calmed my skin.

Paprika Herbal Treatment

My skin was pinkish for about an hour post treatment, which my therapist did warn me about. The results were amazing- my skin was soft, glowing and radiant. I had someone stop me at the supermarket to ask what I use on my skin! It’s an absolutely great treatment to have pre event and the best thing about it is that you can buy the products and do it all at home; you can even do it a few times a week. As someone who has used microdermabrasion, chemical peels and Omnilux I can say that this is the most effective treatment I have ever had. I can’t wait for my next appointment!

Ilcsi AHA Spicy Organic Facial

Cost: $130 (approx)

Time: Approx 90 mins

Where: Skin Deep Medi Spa Salons (Como, Floreat, Mullaloo and Perth)
http://www.skindeep.net.au

Ilcsi
http://www.spauniverse.com.au

Article by Hannah Lee!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

According to the flyer, the health studio “Bikram Yoga” (or heated yoga) provides a certain type of yoga that is conducted in a room heated to 38 degrees celcius, so that the muscles are warmed and a deeper workout can occur!

To put it simply: you’re gonna sweat.

Bikram Yoga is a 90 minute program of 26 pre-determined poses & postures, plus 2 breathing exercises. The benefits of Bikram include:

♥ Stretching and strengthening muscles, joints & more.
♥ Increased mental clarity & stress reduction.
♥ Stimulation of the organs to cleanse & provide fresh oxygenated blood to the body. This helps restore all systems to optimal working order for total health.

At this stage, the concept sounded so unappealing, what with all the talk about mass sweating.

As I entered the zenly decorated reception area of Bikram Yoga (complete with small fountains), already I could feel a slight rise in humidity. The instructors were extremely friendly as they explained to me the concept and goals of their company and they were extremely open as they answered any questions I had.

Set with a yoga mat, a beach towel and two bottles of water, I stepped into a room that was similar to a sauna minus the steam. During the briefing, the instructor urged us to try our hardest to stay in the room for the whole class, even if it was just lying down on the mat if we felt like we weren’t handling the environment well. The point of this class was to focus solely on yourself without worrying about what other classmates are doing and, contrary to regular yoga, the eyes must be open the whole time.

The class started well enough with some of the typical yoga positions such as the half moon pose. At this stage I was thinking, this isn’t so bad I can totally do this for 90 minutes! However about 30-45 minutes into the class, the room was 10 degrees hotter than when we first started and that’s when the sweating really began.

I was also thanking my mum in my mind as she convinced me to bring a beach towel instead of a tiny face towel. Around this time I started to feel a little light-headed and so I decided to sit the next few poses out, trying to gain some energy back and convincing myself not to step out of the class. A few people decided to rest around this time too, reassuring me that I wasn’t the only one struggling.

After a few minutes of resting I joined the class again, keeping up surprisingly comfortably. Going against the rules, I looked around at the class, and everyone, including myself, was sweating insane amounts! Towards the end of the class the temperature cooled mildly and before I knew it the class was finished.

The poses performed in a Bikram Yoga class.

It may seem that I didn’t enjoy myself in this class but in reality, I loved it! I felt rejuvenated and fresh walking out of the studio and I could breathe easier too. Another benefit was that my skin felt softer (after a good shower).

Overall it was a very intense 90 minutes, very very challenging but incredibly worth it as there are plenty of benefits for your body (as above).

My advice is that you have to listen to your body and take it easy if you’re doing it the first time, especially if you haven’t exercised in a while. The yoga experience combined with the friendly and welcoming instructors has definitely convinced me to come back for more!

They have a special offer for newcomers who are local to Perth, $20 for unlimited Bikram Yoga over 10 days! Unbeatable value and a fantastic way to find out if it suits your lifestyle 🙂

Bikram Yoga – http://www.perthbikramyoga.com.au

Location

NOR

158a Vincent Street, NORTH PERTH
On the corner of Vincent and Fitzgerald Streets

SOR

248 Leach Highway MYAREE
(beneath REBEL Sports)

To find out more, contact Jenny Sterpini, certified Bikram Yoga Instructor on 0403 496 422.

Article by Hanna Baradja

Have you tried Bikram Yoga? Too scared? Want to know more? Leave a comment! xx