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There’s a lotta love to be had for products that have more than one use, not only do you save money and time, but you also save on precious bathroom bench space, something which is worth an increasing amount these days!

Here are my three current favourites:

♥ Jane Iredale Antioxidant Spray

Packed full of antioxidants and smelling like delicious oranges/tangerines, this product has a lot more uses than just pepping up your face on a hot day.

♥ Sets mineral makeup, of which Jane Iredale produce some pretty awesome varieties.
♥ Use to wet brushes to use with eyeshadow and make liquid liner, genius!
♥ Spritz over hair to control static.

The great news is that you can do all of this while smelling like summery citrus fruits. RRP $39.

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♥ Essential Kit Multipurpose Wonder Balm

This stuff beats regular paw paw balm any.day! It’s certified organic, smells absolutely amazing – kinda like a chocolate orange, and 100% of the ingredients are from a natural origin. Plus NO animal testing or animal products and it’s made in Australia! SIGN ME UP 🙂 It even tastes yummy… should you accidentally (or not so accidentally) lick your lips.

Can be used for…

♥ Lip balm, smoothing eyebrows, giving your cheeks a highlighted glow, moisturising nails & cuticles, a thick body moisturiser, smoothing flyaways, soothes dry heels, protecting cuts, shaving… AND under wetsuits on long swims apparently!!!

It’s fast becoming a staple and comes with me everywhere. So much love! RRP $22.95.

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♥ Tisserand Ethically Harvested Lavender Oil

I’ve only just started to really get into essential oils and candles, but have always had a soft spot for lavender. Ah, quell-er of stresses, easer of sleeps! It’s always been good to me, and I’ve recently discovered that it has a lot more uses than I initially thought, lets have a look:

♥ A natural way to take the sting out of burns
♥ Super successful zit zapper – have been hitting this one up a lot lately, and it’s working!
♥ 6 drops on a damp flannel to help a headache
♥ Disinfectant for cuts & to help new skin grow
♥ And of course, a few drops on the pillow to de-stress & help you fall asleep 🙂

What are your favourite multi-tasking beauty & wellness products? Share with us below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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This crushes edition is pretty product-centric because there are just so many amazing things that have flown into my world in the past few weeks, I’m super excited to share ’em with you, so lets get started 🙂

♥ Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser

I’ve been a longtime fan of the regular Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, and probably a little reluctant to venture away from what I know and love! The illuminating version takes it to the next level, while you can wear it on it’s own (it’s SPF 20), my favourite way to use this is mix a dollop with my regular, fairly matte foundation and watch the compliments roll in.

If you want a fresh faced glow, this is going to go a long way towards getting you there! Add plenty of sleep, green tea and exercise in and you’re set. It also comes in 4 shades, I use ‘Bare Radiance’, am a total ghosty-face and I LOVE it. RRP $78 from Adore Beauty.

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♥ Seven Wonders Argan Oil Spray

This stuff makes sleek, shiny hair almost too easy to achieve. Having tested out the rest of the range in a previous crushes post, I was a fan, but I was finding that having to rub the oil on your hands and apply to the hair was putting me off a bit. And then swoops in this guy, all spray-nozzle and thinner consistency.

Through a bit of trial and error, I’ve found the best way to get shiny, but not oily, hair is to spray one pump onto your brush and then run through slightly damp hair. This goes against the key beauty rule of NEVER BRUSH YOUR HAIR WHEN IT IS DAMP EVER EVER EVER, but really, I think we all secretly do. If you don’t, comment below and I will heap some praise on you!

This method has given me a lot more control over rogue flyaway hairs & will also make the bottle last a looooong time. Approx. $32.

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♥ Franc Essential Serum

I’m loving this crazy right now. As a girl who is obsessed with her rosehip oil almost exclusively, this serum took me by surprise. It actually does contain rosehip oil, as well as: macadamia, apricot kernel, avocado, carrot, centella, evening primrose, vitamin e, geranium, lavender, rose & sandalwood oils. Quite a few of which are organic. The vitamins that make my skin react so well to rosehip are in here, as well as a whole party full of other good stuff as you can see.

The smell is also far superior, kind of a musky-candy scent, and a little goes a loooooong way. I’m still testing this out but I can safely say that my skin really enjoys drinking it up at night, and I am thoroughly enjoying the way it looks in the morning. Winnah. RRP $72.

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♥ Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colour in Sweet Nectar

Before Sweet Nectar, I’d never worn a bright lip colour. Reds & multiple shades of pinky nudes yup, anything a bit out there – nup. I adore this, slicking it on gives me that little bit of extra confidence, even on a regular day at the office. It goes on super easily, and when worn with a glowy foundation (as above), some mascara and a little creme blush you’ll have the ultimate easy beauty look. It also contains an SPF of 12 which is handy!

While the RRP is $44, there are some awesome deals available on StrawberryNET with some of the other Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colours from $14.50!!! Worth a look if you’re after some high-quality, but cheap, lippies.

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♥ Detoxing Clay Bath

At the moment I’m reading a detox book (more about that in the next crushes edition) and have become interested in possibly doing a light detox of my own. Nothing too full on, just a lot of healthy eating, green smoothies, yoga, quinoa salads, tofu and veggies, and no junk. The last part is the trickiest! Even though I do eat healthy the majority of the time, I am quite keen on my indulgences too.

When I heard about the detoxing Mojave Green Clay Powder, I thought it would be a good way to ease into a detox. It felt great to have a clay bath, though I didn’t have any symptoms of detoxing such as a headache afterwards, I’m going to keep up with them once a week or so and more frequently when I start my real detox and see how I go! $19.90 for 450 grams.

That’s it for this week, hope you enjoyed! If you have any questions or suggestions about my crushes then feel free to leave a comment below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

I used to think that having a large meal for breakfast would give me the most energy for an enthusiastic and energetic day, but for the last 2 years or so my breakfast has pretty much always been a smoothie. I feel lighter, more focused and full of calm vitality rather than bogged down looking for that caffeine kick which I used to.

If my body isn’t working hard to digest a big, dense meal, then that energy can be put towards living an amazing life. The amount of vitamins and minerals, good quality omega 3 fats, easily absorbable sprouted proteins and just enough low glycemic index carbs in this smoothie keeps me full, yet light and energetic for hours.

I’m not saying I don’t like a delicious meal. I love to eat! But after playing with different ways to start the day, this definitely works best for me. Imagine trying to get all of this goodness in solid food form as you get ready for work in the morning! It would be like having a huge bowl of greens, a hand full of olives, a whole bunch of sprouted seeds and nuts, mushrooms, herbs etc. If you down this smoothie all that goodness is straight into your system.

♥ Stu’s Smoothie

The recipe!

♥ However big you want your smoothie, put that much water in the blender.
♥ A serving of Sunwarrior protein which I get at Prana Healthfoods

Or

♥ A serving of Garden of Life Raw Protein
♥ 1 teaspoon of Spirulina and 1 teaspoon of Chlorella, both which I get at Prana or Organic on Charles.
♥ About 1 teaspoon of Himalayan Crystal Salt, which I get at Prana.
♥ 1 teaspoon of maca root
♥ 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you like a little kick.
** ♥ ½ teaspoon of ashwagandha
** ♥ ½ teaspoon of triphala
** ♥ 1 teaspoon of reishi mushrooms, all of which I often get directly from India or from https://herbsupplies.com.au/ or http://www.indiaabundance.com

** With these herbs, do your research or see an ayurvedic practitioner and/or naturopath to find out if these herbs are suited to you. Every body is different. As for the rest of the herbs they’re suited to most people.

Blend all of this up and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of either agave nectar or honey for sweetness and if you want extra thickness and carbs add a banana.

Next step; enjoy!

Stu’s smoothie will give you enough energy for THIS!

Stuart is a yoga teacher and holistic life coach based in Perth, Western Australia. He is known for his unique, heart-felt self expression and inspirational style of teaching. Stuart’s classes incorporate Vinyasa Flow Asana and Akhanda Yoga with most of the emphasis being on transformation and healing.

He teaches with raw yet compassionate honesty which helps his students and clients bring the qualities practiced on the mat into daily life. 

The combination of the ancient wisdom of yoga coupled with Western approaches to wellness, such as life coaching and fitness training has allowed Stuart to form a highly effective and unique approach to wellness and to life itself.

Pics by http://nkphotographyblog.com/

What do you think of this super smoothie?

Be well,

xoxo

♥

Just whipped up this beautifully yummy, fresh and light summer quinoa salad – it’s full of nutrients and is also quite filling! It’s also super quick and easy!

Ingredients

1 x cup dry quinoa
1 x cup diced cucumber
1 x diced medium sized tomato
1/2 x diced apple
1 x tbsp pepitas
1 x tbsp sultanas
sprinkling of sesame seeds
sprinkling of dried cranberries

Cook the quinoa as per the instructions on the pack (I like to use a rice cooker as it’s very simple and I can do other things while it’s doing -its- thing). Add in the pepitas & sultanas at the very beginning so they plump up.

Once cooked, leave to cool and mix in all the other ingredients. Serve, eat and enjoy.

The best thing about this quinoa salad is that you can make it with whatever’s on hand at the time that you need to use up and the quinoa provides a perfect healthy base. It is also packed with nutrients to give you sustained energy and plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Some other ideas to add in are:

♥ Sweet potato
♥ Cashews/almonds
♥ Pieces of orange
♥ Celery
♥ Absolutely anything you want!

Hope you like it, please share your recipes below, bon appetit 🙂

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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♥ Volcano Foot Mask

I’ve been having a bit of a love-in with Lush recently. Along with hosting our latest competition (check it out!) and featuring the Divine Whale soap, I recently felt my feet needed a little holiday so took them for a leisurely trip to a Volcano, courtesy of Lush.

The Volcano Foot Mask contains clay, fresh papaya, fresh tomato, lemon, anti-fungal essential oils & cinnamon which makes for a pretty gnarly combo on first whiff, but the smell definitely grows on you and my housemate remarked it smelled quite ‘Christmassy’.

After soaking your feet for 5 minutes and then applying, wrap your feet in some leftover plastic wrap or a plastic bag and take it easy for 10 minutes. I have to say that after 5 minutes my feet were feeling pretty spicy hot, and after 10 I was definitely ready to wash/scrub it off!

The tingly heat continued for about 20 minutes afterwards and my feel smelt pretty delightful and VERY smooth! I would definitely recommend this mask for anyone whose feet need a little tough love. Sensitive folk may need to steer clear though! RRP $19.95 for 250gm.

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♥ Chilled Eye Pillows

As we’ve found out over the past week or so, summer is upon us, draping its heat all over our little city like a big, humid blanket. Can you tell I’m a winter-spring kinda girl? In order to survive the season, I’ve got to rely on many cooling tips and tricks. One newie is to put a wheat/rice/yoga eye pillow into the fridge during the day, and then drape it over your eyes when you get home. Pure bliss!

I also like to pop it on my neck too, or anywhere else that needs some chillin.

My favourite is the Pure Joi Eye Pillow ($20), cos it has lavender in it too – double chill out!

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♥ Iced Rosehip Tea

Last night I brewed up my first iced tea of the season! It was awesome. Just brew whatever tea you like in a regular cup, wait til it cools then pour into a large jug, top up with cold water, ice cubes, lemon slices, mint sprigs – whatever takes your fancy. Pop it back in the fridge for a while and soon you will be sippin on sweet iced goodness.

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♥ Lots of new yoga studios opening in Perth next year!

I’ve been hearing many whispers from lots of different sources that a whole bunch of new studios are going to be opening next year! Bikram fans will be happy, as will fans of less intense types of yoga 🙂 Stay tuned…

Link Love

♥ Lush Divine Whale Soap – all profits go to the Sea Shepherds to save the whales!
♥ Mega Christmas Giveaway – Win 10 x Chrissy packs!
♥ Product Review: Bloom Belle de Jour Colour Collection – if you’re keen to see a pic of my mug, go here!
♥ Wellbeing CD Review: Mindfulness Skills – love this CD for chilling out.
♥ Alison Jade Mineral Illuminator – A local alternative to YSL Touche Eclat.
♥ Product Review: Prive Shampoo & Conditioner – a unique article about a unique product, check out the amazing pics!
♥ Beauty and Wellbeing Crushes: My Current Skincare Heroes – the last edition of crushes!

That’s all for now guys, take care!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo