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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

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I hope you had an amazing time with family, friends or yourself, and that your wellbeing hasn’t suffered toooo much over the silly season 🙂

♥ Outdoor Cinema Picnics

Behold above, a little picnic feast that I took to go and see Crazy, Stupid, Love (Ryan Gosling anyone?) at the Moonlight Cinemas in Kings Park.

It’s such a gorgeous setup, all nature-y and very relaxing, hopefully I can get down there again sometime soon. The picnic feast included: pikelets with preservative free jam, pitted kalamata olives, fruit salad, raw apple juice (the BEST!) and my friend brought along banana bread, water crackers and apricots and cream cheese salad. Love me a healthy feast 🙂

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♥ Christmas (and amazing Christmas candles!)

I wish I’d written about this gorgeous festive scented candle prior to Christmas so everyone could have run out and picked one up!

The White Christmas Candle by Palm Beach Collection smells in-cred-ible and I’ve been burning it non-stop since December 1. It’s a soy candle scented with orange, cinnamon and clove, with 80 hours burn-time and is guaranteed to melt the heart of even the most hardened grinch. Pictured above lighting up our $5 tree! The candle retails for $37.95.

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♥ Presents!

While giving presents is better than getting… getting is still pretty good! This Xmas I swooped a lot of awesome goodies, including:

♥ Super-cute brown vegan-leather bag with bow! I’m going to be rocking this hard next year when I go to school, it’s perfect for carrying a few books! From Herbivore Clothing (I don’t think they stock it anymore, but it’s a fantastic website for vegan goods)
♥ The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science – I’ve wanted to read this for a while now, it’s all about neuroplasticity and how the brain can change at any time to overcome previous limitations, such as depression, anxiety, and even strokes.
♥ 12 Month Frankie Magazine Subscription – yay! I will be knowledgeable on all things indie & cute for the next year.
♥ Organic chocolate covered macadamias.
♥ $60 voucher for Bodhi J Day Spa – this will be going towards a much needed massage 🙂
♥ Money towards a term worth of yoga classes.
♥ Oil burner + ‘study’ oil which I’ll need for next year!
♥ Some jewellery with stones that are useful for focusing on study. (not pictured)
♥ 2 different caffeine free teas and a really cute floral mug to drink them from!
♥ An Endota ‘Massage Magic’ value pack (thanks Endota!)
♥ A book on smoothies and juices (not pictured)
♥ A copy of Russh magazine (not pictured)
♥ Kit Cosmetics Cheek & Lip Tint (not pictured)

So I think it’s fair to say I cleaned up! Lots of wellness goodies in there too so I’m very pleased 🙂 I also gave some great gifts which were received with smiles and hugs, which was the best!

What did you get/give for christmas? Share your highlights below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

When was the last time you experienced something truly unique? Something beautiful, unexpected and rare?

For me that was a couple of weeks ago when I was privy to a sound healing session with Julian Silburn at Bodhi J Day Spa.

Julian has an extensive background in using sound for wellness, having been given blessings by aboriginal elders to practice the didjeridu for healing, he has been doing so for over 20 years! Previously working for local favourite Sodashi only cements his natural healing credentials.

If you feel like you’ve experienced it all spa-wise (or life-wise!) and are looking for something powerfully unique and transformative, then you cannot go past sound healing.

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The experience that follows is very powerful and a bit tricky to explain. There’s something a bit mystical about it, but to try and make some sense of how sound can improve wellbeing it’s useful to know that:

♥ Everything has a frequency to which it is naturally tuned, including parts of the body.(Source: Rediscovering the Art of Sound Healing)
♥ Sound can have an impact on the molecular structure of matter.
♥ When we are sick or not at our optimum wellbeing, parts of the body can be resonating at the wrong frequency.
♥ Sound healing can help the body return to the right frequency

If you’d like to read more about the scientific background of sound healing, you can check out this article.

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The 60 minute session begins by lying on a cosy bed in a beautiful dark room, lit with candles and all the sound healing instruments laid out (as above, but with the lights off!).

Throughout the experience, which feels like a sacred dreamtime ritual, an array of instruments including: the didjeridu, Indonesian temple bell, Chilean rainmakers, Mexican rattle, Peruvian flute, Native American hoop drum and more are used to bring my body back into a state of balance, afterwards a feeling of intense relaxation and awareness settles over me.

I feel as though I’ve been born at the very dawn of time and the whole universe is open for me to explore.

I don’t want to give away the ending, as that was the part that impacted me the most – suffice to say that the whole experience seemed so powerful and important that a little part of me felt like I shouldn’t be there, that this ritual should be reserved for someone who has been chosen to go on an amazing journey, or do something spectacular. The whole session was incredible and something that has to be experienced to be fully understood.

Afterwards Julian will answer any questions you may have. The neat thing about sound healing is that the best way to experience it is with someone else, so you and a friend can take part in the journey and it’s only $150 as a 2-for-1 special for 60 minutes, which is a great price to pay to be able to explore the universe! (Please note the cost is $150 for one OR two people, so best to bring a friend!)

I feel that this experience will linger with me for a long time to come.

Available at:

Bodhi J Health + Beauty Spa
42C Grantham St (Cnr Nanson St)
Wembley, Western Australia 6014

ph: (08) 9387 5152
fax: (08) 9387 4548

e: admin@bodhij.com.au
fb: Bodhi J Facebook Page

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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I just had a good eyebrow waxing experience. This may seem like an un-newsworthy point, but for those of you who have ultra-sensitive brow skin, you will understand the rarity of this.

Piping hot wax, multiple waxing over the same spot (sometimes up to three times), burnt red brows that peel for up to two weeks after, and completely disinterested beauty therapists. Just a few of the common pitfalls I’ve experienced while looking for a good brow wax. A friend of mine was even told “girls who take the contraceptive pill are more prone to sensitive skin” when she spoke up about the therapist applying the wax too hot and burning her face. She was not on the pill. This from one of Perth’s most well known beauty salons!

So it can seem that finding somewhere that will give you the brows you want, without burning your face, and without implying that it’s your fault for having sensitive skin can be a rarity, so when I find somewhere good I want to tell the world 🙂

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Fast forward to today. I love shopping at Friendlies Chemist in Subi, they have such a giant range of makeup, skincare, natural medicine, books and all kinds of health & wellness products that I could spend hours in there.

The Beauty Room is Jurlique branded, and my therapist Charmaine is a beacon of glowing skin – a great testament to the biodynamic goodness that Jurlique offer. The room itself is really pretty and quite relaxing.

For the wax, baby powder is gently applied prior (tick), then cool-lukewarm wax is applied (seriously, I’ve never felt such non-hot wax being applied to my brows). Charmaine is all compliments too, mentioning I have a great brow shape already and that I should definitely only have the minimum waxed off, which is fine by me.

What really sealed the deal and elevated the experience to ‘pretty damn awesome’ status, was that as she applied some soothing aloe gel to my tender brows post-wax, she asked if I’d like to take home a little sample of home to keep applying throughout the day. Wow! Yes please. And so I was given a tiny pot of calming green goo. Im-pressed.

The cost for a brow wax is $18, and for a non-burny, non-awkward, relaxing & superior service treatment I’d say that’s a bargain price. My brows look pretty good too.

Web: Friendlies Chemist Beauty Room (includes treatments and prices)
Ph: 08 9381 1468
Email: enquiries@friendlieschemistsubiaco.com.au

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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“Relax, it’s Soy Wax!” Lavender and Geranium Aromatherapy Candle
Lavender & Geranium

I admit I cheated here and bought a kit. Lavender, as we know, kicks butt at making us chill out. Geranium is a floral scent which sooths tension, uplifts moods and reduces stress. I say mix them together for a sensory mood booster after the chaos of Christmas and New Year!

In my 10-candle kit from All Australian Candle Making I got:

♥ 10 little glass candle containers with lids
♥ 1kg soy wax
♥ Wick assemblies (wicks with a metal disc at the bottom)
♥ You’ll also need pegs from the washing line and essential oils

In a double boiler, or in a big metal or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt the soy wax by stirring continuously. When it has all melted, add your essential oils. I kept adding my lavender and geranium until it was strong enough for me.

Tricky bit #1: Getting wax into containers, not all over kitchen bench. I ended up using a ladle to fill them to about 1.5cm from the top.

Now, let them sit for a little but keep your eye on them. You’ll notice the melted wax, which looks similar to egg whites, will start to solidify and turn white.

Tricky bit #2: Setting the wicks. When the bottoms of the containers have about 1cm of white wax, carefully place a wick in the middle and squash the metal disc into the “muddy” wax at the bottom. You can use a wooden skewer to help push the metal disc down, and if you do so it’s easy to see the wax encasing the disc. Once you’ve got the disc in the solid wax, peg the wick so that the peg rests on the edges of the container, keeping the wick straight.

If the wax solidifies at the bottom too much and the wick won’t set, pop the candle (without wick!) into the microwave for a quick blast, or dip it in some hot water.

When the candles are completely white, you can remove the pegs and cut the wicks.

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Make sure you pop a glass plate or coaster under the candle when you burn it. If the aromatherapy doesn’t relax you, surely a candle lit room will!

By Gemma Clark, an 8-hours-a-night sleeper with soft lips whose entire house smells like a lavender bush.

Be well,

xoxo