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Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes: All the Facial Oils, Mary’s Gone Crackers & Chlorella Supplements.

Welcome back to one of my favourite segments to write – Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes! While I absolutely love doing a deeper review of a fitness class, spa experience or wellness retreat, there’s something super satisfying and fun about sharing the little bits and pieces that are making my dady to day life just that little bit more wellness-y.

Let’s get started!

♥ All the Facial Oils

Do you ever find that sometimes you fall off the wagon with a health or beauty tip that you promised yourself never to skip? Same here. For quite some time I just “totally forgot” that my skin thrives when I’m applying 100% natural oils to it on-the-reg. Pressing some jojoba oil into my skin in the morning before my facial sunscreen gives an all day glow that I wouldn’t otherwise be lucky enough to have, and after cleansing the days makeup & dirt off at night, 4 drops of rosehip oil massaged into my face followed up with a face cream also does WONDERS. I can’t believe I let myself lapse on this for so long, but I’m very happy to back on my oily regime!

Currently I’m using 100% organic jojoba oil from The Jojoba Company in the morning & Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ in the evenings. I also highly recommend Two Drops by Herbs + Heart which is a blend of incredibly lush oils for evening use, I’ll be moving onto this one when the rosehip is done!

Chlorella Supplements

I’ve just jumped back on board with these bright green little beauties. Chlorella, a freshwater algae, is said to be one of nature’s perfect superfoods – it’s high in protein, iron, antioxidants, magnesium and many more vitamins and minerals. It’s also meant to be fantastic for drawing out heavy metals & chemicals from your tissues and helping the body dispose of it. Thanks, chlorella!

Personally I just like the idea of taking a green supplement each day in the hopes that it’s doing something positive – I’ll report back on my findings soon! My favourite brand is Sun Chlorella which you can purchase from iHerb (use this discount code – MZB674 – for 10% off your first order, woo!)

♥ Cheezels vs. Mary’s Gone Crackers

Having low blood pressure (or the blood pressure of a 5 year old child, as a doctor once told me – I’m 35) comes with a few challenges. One of which is an almost constant craving for salty foods. I most definitely have a ‘salt tooth’ rather than a sweet tooth. Because of this I am almost always reaching for something crunchy + salty, and often that takes the form of something less than wellness… cue, Cheezels, Pizza Shapes, or the probably-not-even-that-healthy Honey Dijon Soy Crisps. At a couple of bucks a piece it can be an easy choice to make on a 10 minute rest break at work, but the resulting energy slump and feeling crappy hasn’t been doing me any favours lately.

In my quest to change things up I’ve started purchasing the herb flavoured Mary’s Gone Crackers snacky biscuits and pairing them with Caramelised Onion Hommus and OH LAWD is it goooood! This salty, crunchy, snack with a hint of sweetness really hits the spot, and leaves me feeling fantastic afterwards as well. The only downside is the cost. A packet of MGC will set you back around $8, and the hommus anywhere from $3-4. So it’s the $2 snacks versus the $12 snacks, but the wellness & energy benefits of the latter are well worth it in my opinion. I’d love to hear your favourite healthy, salty snacks in the comments so leave one below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes: My Favourite SPF 50+ Facial Sunscreen, kX Pilates Subiaco & Adalase.

Bonjour! I hope you’re reading this while having a brilliant hair day, feeling super-nourished, and with a cup of tea (or wine) in hand.

I really love sharing my current favourite products, exercise classes & wellness treats with you – so let’s get cracking!

To Save Face SPF 50+ Sunscreen

This facial sunscreen is my go-to every single day of the year – rain, hail or shine. When I was younger I didn’t wear facial sunscreen and as a result I have a little spot of sun damage on my left cheek. Once it started appearing I quickly sprung into action and as such now make sure to pop some of this on under my makeup each day. It doubles as a primer and I love the way my makeup looks with this as a base so much, that I often use it in the evenings as well!

10/10!

♥ Reformer Pilates in Subiaco

kX Pilates Subiaco

I’ve been having a little bit of a love affair with ClassPass lately and have slowly been discovering my favourite places to stretch & sweat, creating ever-changing weekly routines that work for me. I love it!

One of my faves is kX Pilates in Subiaco. This is a reformer studio that offers 50 minute classes and goes the extra mile by incorporating weights, yoga stretches, ball-work and more to create seriously shaking muscles and a toned butt & core. I’ve been to around 4-5 classes so far, and all of the teachers are friendly, helpful if you have any new or ongoing injuries, and will work you to your personal maximum ensuring you leave each class feeling like you’ve had a fantastic workout, but not been pushed past your limit. Which is my favourite way to work out!

Do yourself a favour and check out kX Pilates in Subiaco if you’re looking to tone up in 2018 (and beyond).

Adalase

This one is really new to me – during a delicious gnocchi & wine catch up with my naturopath Marnie Downer (see her, she’s the best!), I mentioned that despite making a number of changes to my diet and supplements, I was still struggling with dairy & sugar based skin breakouts. While I generally try to avoid both of these with varying degrees of success, sometimes there’s cheese and crackers at work or a party and I just can’t help myself… and then instantly regret it when an acne cyst starts popping up within 2 hours.

Cue: Adalase. This is a chewable vegan Vitamin A supplement, somewhat of a miracle, and tastes slightly like liquorice. At first I wasn’t into the taste but grew to really like it! There are 60 tablets in a bottle and for me Marnie recommended I super-dose and take 6 per day (!) and then go down to 1 per day. This proved difficult and I ended up having 2-3 a day, I just broke them in half (they are about the size of a 10 cent piece) and nibbled on them throughout the day. I then went down to 1-2 a day.

Since I have started taking this supplement, around 1-2 months, I can hand on heart say that I have not had ONE new pimple – and I’ve indulged in cheese, icecream, sugar and alcohol. Along with plenty of good things of course 😉 But generally regardless of how much goodness I put in my body, if I stray from the 100% healthy eating path it soon shows up in my skin, and I haven’t gone more than a few weeks without a zit since I was about 13 years old – so that’s 20 years!

I would love, love, love if anyone else with hormonal/cystic/general acne or pimples wanted to try this and let me know how they go with it – it’s been a confidence saver for me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the above, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below so we can have a chat!

Be well,

xoxo

New Perth Beauty Clinic Review: Hydrafacial @ Youth Lab by Dr Kate, West Perth.

What if I told you that there was a way to get your skin in tip-top, glowy shape that only required 1 facial a month for 3 months, and then every 2-3 months after that.

Sound good?

That’s what the signature Hydrafacial offering at Perth’s newest beauty clinic, Youth Lab by Dr Kate, promises – and after just one treatment I’m convinced they can deliver.

To start with, this is no ordinary beauty clinic. Dr Kate is one of Perth’s most highly regarded medical aestheticians and she has the raving, dedicated following to prove it. Kate specialises in dermal fillers & cosmetic injectables, non-surgical beauty treatments and other advanced dermal therapies. Most of these aren’t on my radar as I personally align with a more natural approach to beauty (green smoothies, yoga and saunas come at me!), however I’ve seen her work and if you’re looking for this type of service then she is second to none in Perth.

As I mentioned, I generally stick to yoga, green drinks, sweating it out, green tea, vitamin supplements and trying to get to bed early as my “beauty routine”, however after a busy couple of months and more soft pretzels with chocolate dipping sauce than I care to share with the internet, it was time for some serious measures to get my skin back on track and the opening of Youth Lab came at just the right time.

Located on a relaxed, leafy-green West Perth street, the clinic is set in a spacious building with multiple rooms and a chic but welcoming well-lit interior. There’s free parking out the front and it’s very easy to access via public transport – win win. Upon arrival there’s pomegranate tea, comfy lounges and stacks of books to flick through while you wait.

My therapist Alison has the clearest, most glowing skin I’ve ever seen (actually, everyone who works there does!), and is incredibly knowledgable and welcoming. We have a chat and then get down to serious business – it’s Hydrafacial time!

Key Points

♥ The Hydrafacial deeply cleanses, exfoliates, extracts blackheads/clogged pores, AND intensely hydrates the skin within just one treatment

♥ The machine used has an abrasive tip and vacuum to simultaneously suck up the dead cells and dirt, whilst infusing your skin with antioxidants & hyaluronic acid for gleaming skin!

♥ Glycolic & salicylic acid are used for the pore extractions. These two work together to gently dislodge

♥ You get to check out the dirt/gunk that is removed from your skin afterwards… if you’re brave enough!

♥ This facial is perfect for improving skin congestion, and would particularly suit those with breakouts and blackheads

After my facial, I’m taken into another room to lay under the Healite, which is an LED light (simliar to Omnilux) that promises to help promote skin rejuvenation, as well as targeting acne bacteria. Win win. Laying underneath the Healite is like basking in the sunshine on a warm day, bliss.

Post-treatments I’m feeling a little self-conscious with my totally bare skin on display, but I can see the instant improvement in texture, glow & clarity.

The team at Youth Lab recommend 3 treatments to start with, once a month for three months for the best results. If you really want to ramp up the results & acne and sun damage are your primary concerns, a course of 6 monthly treatments is recommended. Following the initial treatment course you can get away with a facial every 2-3 months – which is music to my ears!

The Nitty Gritty

Cost: $149 for the Hydrafacial, Healite additional $50

Location: Youth Lab by Dr Kate, 1 Richardson Street West Perth WA 6005

Special Offer
: If you’re keen to make a booking and check out this facial, just mention Wellness WA for 20% off your first Hydrafacial before the end of March 2018!

Have you had a Hydrafacial before? Would you try one? Let’s chat in the comments!

Be well,

xoxo

Beauty Treatment Review: The Ultimate Facial by Arbonne!

♥ My facialist Maryanna Lucror

What better way to start a weekend than with a facial? Make that an ‘at home’ facial using one of the finest skin care brands, Arbonne. Now you’re talking!

The lovely Maryanna Lucror treated me to an Ultimate Facial last weekend, and my skincare resolutions for 2013 (to stick to using one brand) are now set in stone. Luckily, Arbonne is a product that my skin knows and loves (I have never had clearer, more glowing skin than when I used to use it), so I’m looking forward to getting that glow back!

♥ The beautiful Arbon, how amazing does it look?!

Hailing from the Swiss village Arbon, the highly regarded, premium skincare brand is inspired by nature and each product contains clinically proven and botanically based ingredients, which, in combination with meticulous research and testing, exceeds industry standards for purity.

My facial began with Arbonne’s FC5 Purifying Cleanser + Toner, a lightweight formula designed to simultaneously cleanse and tone the skin while visibly reducing oiliness. Ingredients include witch hazel and strawberry cells – yum! This was followed by the FC5 Exfoliating New Cell Scrub, a vitamin rich exfoliant with a slightly clay-based texture. The scrub feels warm on application and tingles slightly as it deeply purifies to reveal fresher, brighter skin. I love this scrub, and use it 3 times a week now!

My skin was then treated to the RE9 Cellular Renewal Masque – its key ingredients include pineapple, papaya enzymes and algae extract, which function to improve skin tone and texture and minimise pores. What I loved about this masque was that it didn’t dry and harden, which can be very harsh on the skin, particularly if it is sensitive. This masque is actually equivalent to two dermabrasion sessions (but without the risk) so to replenish the skins moisture, Maryanna applied the FC5 Skin Conditioning Oil. The oil hydrates, conditions and softens without being greasy or heavy on the skin.

I have quite dry skin, so to give it that extra moisture boost, the FC5 Intense Hydration Mask was then applied. This is a lighter, gel based mask containing fresh mango, sunflower seed oil and pomegranate extract. The RE9 Regenerating Toner was spritzed gently on my skin, followed by RE9 Eye Crème and FC5 Oil Absorbing Day Lotion with SPF 15.

♥ My Arbonne goodies!

The Arbonne Ultimate Facial was such a treat. It was relaxing, informative and luxurious and a product I really believe in. Since the facial, I ordered the FC5 Complexion Revitalizing Set and have been using it religiously! My skin loves me for it.

To purchase Arbonne or to find out more, contact Maryanna at lucror2010@hotmail.com

Or check out the Arbonne website https://www.arbonneinternational.com.au/

Do you have a favourite skincare brand that you have always used? Or have you tried Arbonne? I'd love to chat in the comments below!

Review by Lucy, Arbonne convert and preacher!

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Be well,

xoxo

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Day Spa Review: Dermalogica Power Active Facial @ Revive Day Spa, Mount Hawthorn, Perth.

I was recently treated to an ultra-luxe facial by the lovely ladies at Revive Day Spa in Mount Hawthorn, using the crème de la crème of Dermalogica products matched specifically to my skin concerns.

I arrived a bit early and chilled out with a herbal tea in Revive’s lounge area before my therapist, Kelly, came to collect me.

♥ Revive Day Spa Foyer

Revive is super clean and sanitary, without feeling hospital-like. There was just the right amount of pretty scent perfuming the room and the music was at a good volume with a playlist of easy-listening tunes. Hey, first impressions are important!!

I explained to Kelly that I had easily upset combination skin. I also had a ton of breakouts around my chin and cheeks that I wanted to magically erase. She took a closer look at my skin under a magnifying glass and suggested I try Dermalogica’s UltraCalming range along with products from the AGE smart range to gently resurface my skin and balance its pH levels.

♥ Dermalogica Products

My facial started with a gentle steam to open up my pores. The AGE smart MultiVitamin Thermofoliant, a heat-activated exfoliant with salicylic acid, was then applied to gently dissolve dead skin cells. I could feel a bit of tingling around the more sensitive areas of my face, but it wasn’t uncomfortable and if anything, a sure sign the product was doing its thing!

The UltraCalming Cleanser was very gentle and followed by the MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque, which gave my skin a generous helping of antioxidants to boost its tone and re-hydrate the drier areas of my face. I was delighted when Kelly asked me if I would mind if she gave me a hand and foot massage while the masque was on – it was so relaxing that I very nearly fell asleep.

After a spritz of the UltraCalming Mist to calm my redness and sensitivity, Kelly massaged the UltraCalming Serum Concentrate into my skin. The serum is said to work below the surface to help minimise irritation.

Finally, my skin was re-hydrated with the UltraCalming Ultra Sensitive Tint spf30 to protect my skin from the bright sun outside while providing some light coverage. My eye area is quite dry, so Kelly used the very moisturising AGE Smart Multivitamin Power Firm eye cream.

I was left to unwind and come ever-so-close to falling asleep again, before getting ready to face the real world with a brand new, glowing complexion!

Kelly explained that I’d see some more break-outs in the coming days due to the products she’d used drawing out the impurities. She was spot on (pun intended) and my skin did purge for about a week, but I’ve seen a huge improvement since then. This is also thanks to some Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel samples Kelly gave me. The product works wonders in reducing redness and making the recovery process quick when break-outs strike and went straight onto my Christmas wish list after only two uses!

Overall, the facial provided me with a great idea of which Dermalogica products work well with my skin and the team at Revive were incredibly informative about what each product was designed to do. While I haven’t got the budget to overhaul my entire skincare routine with Dermalogica products, the Revive ladies were very helpful in explaining which products would make the most difference in my current routine.

Reviewed by Gemma Clark, a pale, sensitive and fair-haired skincare junkie.

Be well,

xoxo