♥ hehe ♥

Roll up, roll up (they were pretty tasty snacks yes? albeit terrible for young teeth!) welcome to my array of interesting beauty & health related links that I have dutifully collected over the past week so that I can share them with you, my loving reader, just in time for the countdown to the weekend!

♥ Beauty Q&A with Annette of Wellness WA – that would be me 😉

♥ OPI’s revolutionary iPhone application! – ever wondered what a particular shade would look like on your nails, but found those plastic nail doo-dads in the beauty section too difficult? ME TOO. With this iPhone application, while it doesn’t use a picture of your actual hand, you can adjust the skin tone and nail of the image & test out every single OPI colour to determine whether or not it’s what you’re looking for, before forking out for it!!! How great is that?! A: Prettydamngreat.

♥ Iz you a salon playa? – musings on the pros & cons of being non-monogamous with your salon.

♥ Healthy Tipping Point– okay, I love this blog. An American 25 year old documents her marathon bike riding adventures & vegetarian cooking. Very inspiring stuff.

♥ Be Genki May Ritual – Be Genki is a wonderful product company / website / blog / inspiration station & this ‘May Ritual’ has some great advice, make sure you check this one.

♥ Warm Sunny Salad – our friend Heather puts together a visually magnificent salad to nourish you & your tastebuds.

♥ Additive Free Kids Parties! – psychotic children no more, calm them down without compromising on taste with this handy cookbook by two local mums.

♥ Blush Day Spa Facebook Page – these guys have been known to give away free treatments and incredible specials on Facebook at random times during the week!! Last week they were offering free massages to the first few commenters!

♥ White Bean Bruschetta – can’t wait to make this yummy variation on a definite favourite.

♥ How much to spend on keeping up appearances? – an interesting look at how much & why we spend on looking good for our careers.

It’s a wrap! Have wonderful Friday’s everyone 🙂

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Acupuncture doesn’t really have great connotations for those who don’t know about it. It contains the word “puncture”, who would willingly put themselves through that?!

I would. This week I visited mi:skn for a complimentary Facial Rejuvenation Treatment. The idea of having needles stuck in my face wasn’t my idea of fun. However, I have to say, I’m converted.

Francesca owns and runs mi:skn, the first Perth clinic to focus purely on cosmetic acupuncture. Other clinics may provide these treatments, but they’re not specialised. Having studied in the UK for four years to get her acupuncture qualification, she then went on to study for another two years to become a specialist in the field.

Forever learning, Francesca has developed her own unique approach and she’s been working in cosmetic acupuncture ever since.

The Facial Rejuvenation Treatment works to break up the natural collagen structures in your face. This process causes the body to try to fix it, and over the course of several treatments, plumps up those “life lines”. Now it won’t be as drastic as Botox, however, it will be more natural and more gradual. Research shows that Botox can cause other areas to become more susceptible to “life lines”.

Now, don’t be mistaken, cosmetic acupuncture doesn’t just work to fill in those lines, it also works with acne, headaches and cellulite. Francesca told me of one young lady who had a rather bad case of acne. The purple colour had reduced in just one session. It can also address headaches for those who are prone to them regularly. There is also a non-acupuncture option for Facial Rejuvenation if you’re not so sure about the needles.

Of course, you don’t have to be older to get these treatments; it’s a preventative approach to aging. It’s natural to age; we’re just slowing it down a little.

Your medical condition will be taken into account and if you have very sensitive skin you can rest assured that only natural essential oils are used in the treatment. If you’re not one for needles, you don’t have to worry, they are very fine and flexible enough to bend without snapping.

The music is relaxing and Francesca talks you through the process. The treatment starts with a hot towel on the face to open pores and extract impurities. A facial massage wakes it up and prepares the skin for the treatment. Jade is used to start smoothing some of those lines and cool the face down.

Francesca took my pulse before starting the acupuncture. She could tell a lot more than just whether or not my heart was beating. On the left, she picked up that I’m susceptible to back pain during my cycle. On the right, she could tell that my body wasn’t processing fluids properly. Correct on both accounts.

Needles are also placed in the lower leg to balance your natural energies and make sure not all your blood and energy rushes to your head.

Everyone is different, but for me, the needles didn’t hurt. I could still move my face and legs while the needles were in, without hurting myself, or even feeling them most of the time.

You’re left for twenty minutes before the needles come out. You can use the time to meditate or just relax. I tried to meditate, but my mind kept wandering, so I just relaxed and had some “me” time. After the treatment, I felt more awake; I could already feel that my face had more tone and it felt a lot fresher. Even if you just want something different to a facial, I would recommend this treatment.

A Facial Rejuvenation Treatment is $120, and for the best results it is good to go once a week for ten weeks. There is a discount for purchasing all ten treatments. They also have a member’s option which is cheaper again.

Mi:skn is located at 307 Lord St, Highgate, on the corner of Court St.
http://www.miskn.com
Ph: 0414 277 761

Review by Liv Bambola, pretty in punctured.

Image from www.popcornboxes.net

Winter is the perfect time to get poppin. Picture this: snuggled up by the heater with a loved one, pet or solo (we don’t judge!), your favourite movie playing & the scent of popcorn wafting around your house like it’s your own private cinema. I’ve sold myself on it and I don’t even have a popcorn maker yet!

I was reminded of this old-fashioned, simple treat by a friend a few nights ago on a particularly frosty night. We made a huge bowl of FRESH fat-free popcorn, none of this microwave packet super oily, super salty business! Granted, we did add a smidgen of butter & a sprinkle of salt to taste, but it was a fairly pure experience. Sweet tooth’s could even use a light dusting of icing sugar, but you didn’t hear it from me! 😉

The great thing about popcorn is that it really satisfies the desire for something crunchy, usually I would be very likely to reach for a packet of chips or biscuits, this is a much healthier alternative!

Here’s what you’re gonna need:

♥ Popcorn Maker

Crazy Popper or other popcorn maker! This one is the cheapest I could find at $49.95 RRP

♥ Popping Corn

This brand can be found at supermarkets, and is about $1.50 for 100 grams. Bargain.

♥ The desire for a healthy, tasty treat.

♥ A couple of minutes.

VOILA. So much better for you than chippies or chocolate!

My popcorn lovin’ girlfriend lamented to me that she wished someone would bottle the scent and sell it: lucky for her, the fragrance company Demeter has got it covered!

Popcorn Fragrance!!!

Get popping the next time a chilly night rolls around, and let me know if you do!

Be well,

Popcorn converted Annette.

xoxo

Note: NouriShe is for ladies only, sorry boys!

This is a hard review for me to write, not because of the quality of massage. No, it was excellent. Not because I’ve sprained my arm playing doubles tennis over the weekend and am having trouble typing. No, I’m not cool enough to play tennis.

This is a hard review for me to write, because I know once the ‘secret is out’ that I’m going to have difficulty booking in for what could possibly be the highest quality cheap massage in Perth.

The only child in me wants to hide this from you all, proclaiming ‘MINE!’ and be smug in my secret knowledge of the best deal in town. My Mum always made me extra cookies to share though, and it’s with that memory that I’m overcoming all of my greedy instincts to share NouriShe Massage with you.

Referred to me by one of my contributors, I was immediately struck by what Helen from NouriShe was offering:

A relaxation massage, that’s up to 90 minutes in duration, for $50. Given that I’ve been paying $105 for an hour massage, it’s safe to say I was more than a little interested especially since it had come to me highly recommended from a friend of a friend.

Ever skeptical however, I recalled my only other experience with a home based masseuse. Eagles vs. Dockers match on the radio, long fake fingernails scratching down my back, awkward overly dark room.

NouriShe is nothing like this.

The massage room is warm and cosy, with small candles, flowers & classical style music playing from an iPod speaker. It’s also perfectly lit, just a little dim. A choice of two herbal teas awaits me as I fill out the consent form. I chose peppermint.

Helen explains everything thoroughly and goes through how the massage is going to unfold, it all sounds fine and I am feeling good.

Due to long hours at the computer & my ‘could be better’ posture, there are a lot of tender spots & knots in my back, shoulders and neck. Helen is proficient in deep tissue / remedial massage as well, so works on these areas for me when she comes across them. While this part of the massage was not the most relaxing, it’s necessary to keep the back/neck healthy and I was given advice to help prevent the problems in the future.

A few of the things that stand out for me about the experience…

♥ Quite a while was spent on massaging the area where the hip meets the lower back on each side, this felt divine and is a spot often skipped over by massage therapists in my experience.

♥ The pressure used was perfect for me, a firm but caring touch.

♥ Despite being located in a home, there were small touches such as a tiny lit candle & flowers in the bathroom that helped create the experience, I really liked this.

Overall I really enjoyed my massage at NouriShe and the price is a dream.

You can leave your love & adoration for sharing this beauty with you below.

Web: http://www.nourishe.com.au
E-mail: helen@nourishe.com.au
Phone: 0437 931 653
Location: NouriShe is located at Helen’s home in Claremont.

Appointments are available Tuesday – Saturday. Last appointment of the day is at 5.30pm.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Look, I know we’ve been banging on about the Luxe Aveda Concept Salon, Booragoon like our lives depend on it, but when you’re onto a good thing… can’t help but share the love, y’know?!

I decided to tame my scruffy brows last week as they were getting very upset with me and threatening to call Eyebrow Protective Services. My underarms were in a similarly dismal state as I’ve been growing them out in order to be able to wax ’em. Hate shaving. Love having smooth underarms for weeks on end.

A friendly phone convo later and I was booked in for that night. Upon arrival I was given an Aveda Comforting Tea, a warm, sweet licorice beverage, and told I’d either love it or hate it due to its strong taste! The jury is still out on this one, while I didn’t hate it, I’m not a big licorice fan.

The tea in question!

Once in the treatment room, which was pleasantly lit (not too bright, not too dark), my amiable therapist asked me how I wanted my brows (just a tidy up, thanks!) and got to work.

This salon uses hot wax for both the eyebrows & the underarms, which is a personal absolute must, my sensitive skin threatens to disown me if strip wax / a wax roller comes within 50 metres.

I’ve previously had my eyebrows burned at many salons and I have to confess I was initially a little worried, as she left the wax on my brows a considerable time longer than is usually appropriate for aforementioned sensitive skin. Not to worry however, the wax they are using must be very gentle as there was no post-wax trauma. Yay!

Plucking to remove any missed hairs is always appreciated and I was pleased with the attention to detail.

A bit of tinted moisturiser was applied to counter any mild redness, always a winner since no-one wants to walk around with their “Hay guys, whats up?! Just been waxed lol!” bare face on show to the world.

To the underarms we go! This was painful as I’d been shaving for a while between waxes, an absolute no-no if you want to minimise teeth gritting & cursing. That said though, I am a wholehearted advocate of underarm waxing. Do it, it will change your life!

My therapist was knowledgeable and answered many questions I had about Aveda products & gave me advice for the pesky beginnings of an ingrown hair that was casually hanging out under my arm (all fixed now thanks to her exfoliation suggestions).

After all this, I was given a scalp, shoulder, back & mini arm aromatherapy massage… I believe this is complimentary with all treatments. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Does your salon offer this type of freebie? If not you should seriously reconsider your loyalty as it ended my experience on a high-note and all I did was get some pretty standard waxing.

Aveda Blue Balancing Oil was inhaled during the mini-massage

When it came time to leave, I had an embarrassing incident where I realised I’d lost my ATM card & had no way of paying. The staff handled it with ease, looking after my purse as I ran to my car to search for it and happily taking a credit card payment over the phone (THANKS MUM) when that search proved fruitless.

I was also given a $20 voucher to use on my next treatment valued over $70 within the next 6-weeks, as a part of signing up as a new customer.

I really enjoyed my time here and my eyebrows & underarms are at peace with me once more.

Aveda products are available for purchase in-store, or online at StrawberryNET!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo