A Week in the Wellness Life – Juicing, Sweet Treats & Organic Goodies.

I absolutely love a visit to any boutique-y health store, and Organic on Charles is a great find. Heaps of fresh organic fruit & veggies, drinks, skincare, chocolate and snacks, groceries and there is even a smoothie bar too! I picked up some organic red grape juice (packed with antioxidants), Quinitos – quinoa and rice based sweet ‘n crunchy snack, green tea, apples, coconut mylk luvju, strawberries & a free book. Love!

An epic farmer’s market fresh fruit and veg haul for two. We decided that some juicing was on the cards this weekend, and are now stocked up on all the juicy essentials (apples, carrots, cucumbers, ginger, silverbeet, celery), plus lots more produce to keep my housemate and I happy and healthy for the week!

I’ve come to the realisation that these two products make my skin feel better than almost anything else. Sodashi Rejuvenating Concentrate & Sodashi Marine Brightening Mask = total skincare heroes! The concentrate brings my face back to life when it’s looking dull & tired, and the mask amplifies that brightness by about 5 times. I’ve just comleted this little mini ritual and then massaged rosehip oil into my face, so I’m hoping for a glowing complexion in the morning!

And what better to treat myself with than some healthy chocolatey goji berry balls whilst wearing above face mask!! These treats are the second type I’ve tried from the Modern Day Hippie organic snack range, and I’m a fan. Perfect to satisfy a craving for sweets at 3pm or 8pm at night! 🙂 Or anytime really – have them for breakfast if you like, they are packed full of healthy ingredients for guilt free gobbling.

In case you missed out on any of our articles from the past week and a bit, here is a recap:

Exercise Review: Power Plate at the Perth Pilates Studio, North Perth – if you need a little something different to jazz up your exercise routine – Power Plate could be it!

Beauty Product Review: Benefit High Beam Illuminator and High Brow Glow Pencil! – glowing face, found.

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Amy Zempilas, Perth Lifestyle Blogger. – Basil Zempilas’ stunning wife, Amy, shares her beauty routine!

Green Smoothie Inspiration: Glowing Green Smoothie – we road test one of the most famous green smoothies!

Healthy Snack Review: Modern Day Hippie Organic Snack Mixes. – one word, YUM.

Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes: Vegan Chocolate, Organic Muesli, Iridology & Steam Rooms!

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Candice Aiken, Holistic Health & Lifestyle Coach and Local Blogger @ Co-Inside! – A super inspiring interview from wellness blogger Candice – not to be missed.

Fitness Review: Hypoxi at The Urbane Body, Subiaco. – We road-tested Hypoxi to see if it lived up to the hype.

Green Smoothie Recipe: Kiwi Sublime! – another Green July recipe!

Alternative Therapy Review: Kinesis Myofascial Integration with Adrian Boyd. – another bodywork therapy trialled!

Thanks for coming along for the ride this week 🙂

I’d love to hear what wonderful wellness treats you’ve been upto, or if there’s anything new you think we should try out, leave a comment below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Megan Larsen, Founder of Sodashi.

First up, briefly tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’ve always had a passion for natural therapies, particularly aromatherapy. After completing an advanced course in aromatherapy in Provence in the late 90’s I was inspired to create chemical-free skin care products for my own sensitive skin, as I couldn’t find any natural skincare on the market that was effective. Word spread and I was met with such a demand from my products that I started to build a business and Sodashi was born.

Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

I love to do it all, every morning and every night. Starting with cleansing (I use the Clay Cleanser with Sandalwood), followed by compressing with Rejuvenating Concentrate which is amazing for retexturising and balancing the skin, then the Rejuvenating Skin Boost which is very firming and either the Rejuvenating Moisturiser, Samadara Ultimate Age-Defying Crème or Balancing Serum. I always apply Eye Lifting Gel and Eye and Lip Smoother and love to moisturise my body with Vanilla Body Butter.

♥ Spa @ the Four Seasons in Paris… bliss!

What’s the one beauty treatment you can’t live without? And your favourite place to have it done?

The Samadara Ultimate Age-Defying Facial Treatment is my favourite and I make sure I have one monthly. It uses our most powerful anti-ageing product Samadara Crème and a thermal mask that heats to body temperature to infuse the product into your skin. The treatment involves a series of signature Sodashi facial massages with Rose Quartz Crystals to de-stress the skin; it visibly turns back the hands of time and leaves my skin looking radiant. When in Europe I always have a Samadara treatment at the beautiful spa at Four Seasons George V in Paris.

Who do you trust with your hair in Perth, and why?

I’m between hairdressers at the moment. (ED: Maybe check out our hairdressers review section!)

Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

Sleep! While you are asleep your skin is repairing and rejuvenating. To maximize your shut-eye time apply good quality skin care products to nourish your skin with the nutrients and anti-oxidants it needs to renew itself.

Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

Samadara Ultimate Age-Defying Crème, Sodashi Rejuvenating Serum and our new Eye Mask.

♥ Antioxidant rich foods


Do you have any secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?

Using high quality chemical-free skincare! I also believe in a holistic approach when it comes to my overall wellbeing. I eat a healthy balanced diet, exercise, take antioxidants, drink plenty of water and make sure I take time out to relax and unwind.

What beauty treatment/ wellbeing activity would you love to try but haven’t yet? (Due to time, money, scared etc!)

A health retreat!

Describe a typical day of eating for you.

I don’t eat red meats and try to stay away from processed foods. My fridge usually contains fresh organic vegetables, biodynamic eggs, biodynamic tofu, goat and sheep cheese. And I indulge in a bit of dark chocolate every now and then! I always make sure I eat my meals in a quiet settled environment to maximise nutritional uptake.

♥ The Eye of Revelation – the source of the Five Tibetan Rites

Describe your fitness routine.

Every morning I perform the Five Tibetan Rites, a series of exercises for healing, rejuvenation and longevity. I also spend a minimum of 20 minutes on my cross trainer.

Do you take part in any alternative therapies or take supplements? If so, discuss.

I have monthly Bowen Therapy, Reflexology and Acupuncture treatments.

How do you like to relax? What are your favourite ways to de-stress?

I meditate twice a day, every day. It gives me such mental clarity and it is a wonderful tool for managing stressful situations, or stress in general. Its main benefit though is that is makes me feel and be happy.
I’m always most relaxed when I’m with family and friends. It’s my favourite way to unwind!

Thanks so much to Megan for sharing her wellness routine with us, I feel very privileged to have her complete it and very much hope that you all enjoyed reading it! 🙂

If you have any questions or comments for Megan please leave them below!

Be well,

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Rachel Magahy, Blogger @ In Spaces Between.

First up, briefly tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m a 29 year old PR/ Digital Comms Exec by day, and I write about inspiration and living a big, beautiful life on my blog In Spaces Between in my spare time (or “in the spaces between.”)

I’m Sagittarian to the core, adore reading, have an addiction to lip gloss, am always looking for my next adventure and get high on excitable chats with inspiring women. I’m a passionate believer in the power of positivity and creating your own magnificent reality.

Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

In the mornings, I use Nivea Light 30+ sunscreen and the glorious Sodashi Rejuvenating Face and Neck Moisturiser, followed by my make-up.

At night, I cleanse with Sodashi Clay Cleanser with Lime, then give myself a mini face massage with Trilogy Rosehip Oil, and finish it all off with my Sodashi Moisturiser and a dab of Priori Eye Cream.

What’s the one beauty treatment you can’t live without? And your favourite place to have it done?

Getting my hair done! My stylist Alisha from Mods Hair at Circle on Cavill on the Gold Coast is an absolute gem.

Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

Hair masks made from organic coconut oil. YUM!

1. Wash hair and remove moisture with towel.
2. Apply virgin coconut oil (10 cent piece amount) to your hands and rub hands together to melt the coconut oil. If it’s already melted, just use the rubbing motion to heat it up.
3. Rub fingers through hair – I concentrate on the ends, and try and avoid putting too much oil through the top part of my hair.
4. Pop on a shower cap for about and hour, then rinse hair thoroughly and it should feel super soft and silky! If it feels too oily, give it a shampoo to remove excess oil.

Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

I couldn’t live without sunscreen, my Holy Grail mascara – Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill – and NARS Orgasm blush.

Do you have any secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?

Sweating it out! Everything looks better when I exercise regularly – I find my skin looks really dull if I don’t and I feel super sluggish and flat. I’m an early riser so my favourite time of the day to exercise is 5:30/ 6am so I can reap the rewards of high-octane energy all day!

Six Senses Yao Noi

What beauty treatment/ wellbeing activity would you love to try but haven’t yet? (Due to time, money, scared etc!)

I’d love to go to an amazing detox retreat overseas – 7 days of juices, meditation and yoga. I plan on making that happen one day very soon.

Pic from http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/

Describe a typical day of eating for you.

Breakfast: Hard boiled or baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms.

Morning snack: A homemade raw bliss ball, or bowl of mixed berries/chopped up fruit.

Lunch: My gorgeous fiancé makes me a big salad with tuna or chicken most days. He generally throws in lots of random bits and pieces such as leftover roast pumpkin, toasted tamari almonds or low fat fetta to keep it interesting. Failing that, I grab sushi on the run.

Afternoon snack: It used to be something naughty like chocolate, but as part of my 2012 goals, I’m mending my sneaky sugary ways and I’m trying to eat filling snacks like cheese on Rice Thins or fruit with natural yoghurt and nuts.

Dinner: My man has been a vegetarian his whole life so most of our dinners are veggie based, with tofu or a nice piece of Snapper added in for some protein. We eat a lot of Asian-inspired meals so things like lime, chilli, mint and coriander (from our herb garden) feature heavily!

Describe your fitness routine.

I do group training – encompassing everything from hill sprints to resistance exercises and soft sand running – 3 days a week; go to the gym once a week (weights session or Body Attack) and run 2 – 3 times a week. I’ve got a goal to run 500km before 1 June, so I’m definitely ramping up my running at the moment!

♥ Chia seeds

Do you take part in any alternative therapies or take supplements? If so, discuss.

• I take a bunch of vitamins daily (B, Magnesium, Iron, Omega 3’s) and add MOR Life Alkalising Greens to fresh fruit/ vege juices for energy.
• I throw chia seeds into whatever I can (smoothies, date balls and salads).
• When I’m feeling super frazzled, acupuncture always gets me back on track. Love it.

How do you like to relax? What are your favourite ways to de-stress?

I’m not sure I’m familiar with that word? Haha!

I’m sure my loved ones would beg to differ because they don’t think I actually know how to sit still and relax, but snuggling up with a great book on our daybed, stretching out in a pilates class, meditating (before bed so I can drift into a beautiful deep sleep) or spending time with my girlfriends, laughing and chatting for hours is my idea of bliss.

Thanks so much to the lovely Rachel for taking time out from blogging and her busy schedule to share her beautiful routine with us!

If you have any questions for her, please leave them below 🙂

Be well,

xoxo

A Mini Ritual : Sodashi Clay Lime Cleanser & Brightening Face Drops.

I’ve long been a fan of Sodashi, everything about the brand sings to me. From their lack of animal testing & animal ingredients, 100% recyclable packaging, deluxe products and the fact that a little company based in North Freo has made it big the world over – being housed in some of the top spas in New York, Paris & beyond.

A treasure-box of Sodashi goodies made its way to me many months ago and I haven’t stopped using the products since, so today I’m going to share the tiniest of rituals I like to indulge in and also quickly chat about the other bits I received.

Cleanse & Rejuvenate

Sodashi Clay Lime Cleanser

Start with one pump worth of this creamy white cleanser in the palm of your hand, massage into the face with a bit of warm water and focus on any trouble spots as this is a great cleanser for those with acne prone-combination skin (like me!)

Use a muslin cloth or face washer to help get rid of any impurities / gently exfoliate the skin & rinse with warm water. I generally tend to do this step in the shower, but just make sure the water isn’t too hot or it will dry out your skin and irritate any pimples.

Sodashi Brightening Face Drops (RRP $89)

Next up, fill a basin / bowl with warm water and add 10 drops of Brightening Face Drops, this stuff is magic for imparting radiance to the skin & it also helps with scarring and pigmentation! Zoe Foster is also a huge fan, can’t go wrong.

Soak a fresh muslin cloth / face cloth with the solution, squeeze out and apply to the skin. Repeat this step again & you’re ready to go!

So that’s my little ritual 🙂 Depending on your skins current needs, you can then apply moisturiser if you wish, the one that is suitable for me (combination / acne prone skin) is the Balancing Face & Neck Moisturiser (RRP $147) and I really like it, not too heavy, not too sticky. Very nice for day time use!

The last of my goodies is the Blemish Treatment (RRP $105), this stuff is a bit sticky and squirts out of the bottle in a rush, so take care! I find it very calming for my pimples and it’s suitable for use under makeup as well, but I prefer to use it at night before bed so it can do its thing while I rest 🙂

I hope you enjoyed my little write-up! Do let me know if you have any questions about these products & I’ll do my best to help you out!

Be well,

xoxo