by Annette @ Wellness WA | Aug 15, 2011 | Organic, Other
27! Flowers c/o my lovely boyfriend and the wrapped gift on the left is actually from Kikki K and called “Be Happy: 170 Ways to Transform Your Day”!
Alright so there is a photo of me on my birthday, I don’t post heaps of them up here because I am a bit shy about doing so.
It’s been a bit quiet here the past few days due to birthday preparation, so I wanted to share with you just what I’d been upto this past weekend of celebration – yep I dragged it out the whole three days to make the most of it! So come join me on a vaguely stalkerish account of my weekend … 😉
Friday
I kicked off the weekend wellness style with an incredibly relaxing bath which seriously felt like any worries were dissolved as soon as I sunk in. I have found the most incredible shower/bath wash which makes me feel like I’m at the day spa every morning and night. It is that good and a teeny tiny bit goes a long way, you’ll get tonnes of bubbles in the bath, and if you use a loofah a tiny pump gets you sudsy in seconds.
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The name of my new love is Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash and its concoction of essential oils including sandalwood, lavender, lemon and eucalyptus manages to both soothe a weary mind and pep you up in the mornings too. It’s a pricey little peanut at $71.50 for a 473ml pump bottle, but if you have the bucks to spare this is incredible for giving you an easy peasy day spa experience whenever you hop in the shower!
After the dream bath, my boy took me to The Curry Tree in Nedlands for an indian feast, the food took a long time, but was yummy when it finally arrived. There was also a fireplace which was a dreamy addition on a chilly night.
Saturday
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Subiaco Farmers Markets ahoy! We did the usual rounds, saw a heap of pups (my favourite part!) and ate some treats.
Breakfast was an innnnncredible combo of muesli, warm stewed apple & natural yoghurt from Food Well Thought, for $5 this is an absolute must in my farmers market experience. TRY IT! You will be amazed.
My other favourite is the 100% organic and preservative free dried apple crisps from the Spring Valley Orchard in Donnybrook!! The crisps are $4 for a generous bag and are absolutely delicious, if you’re looking for a healthy, crunchy snack then seriously look no further. I hadn’t had these before and I’m definitely going back next week to stock up. They also sell a variety of non-dried apples which are equally delicious.
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Next on the b’day agenda was some time with a girlfriend and fellow Wellness WA writer. We hit up Boubar and they kindly let me have an item from the breakfast menu even though it was way past brekky (avocado, tomato, rocket and fetta on sourdough – YUMM) – WINNERS! This, along with a freshly squeezed OJ, a few choice pressies from my friend and some great chats made for the perfect afternoon.
For dinner I rounded up some more friends and headed to Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant in Northbridge, the satay “chicken” sticks (mock meat) with rice have been my long time favourite and it’s all I ever order. If you’re a vegetarian and haven’t been here try it out! The service can be bizarre at times, but it’s cheap and delicious!
Prior to the feast we all headed to the EP launch of local band Mezzanine, which one of my besties plays in, and it was a great night!
Sunday
One of my fav places for brekky lately has been The Pearfect Pantry in Wembley, who have been making some waves recently with promoting their oddly situated little cafe via social media. It’s worth a look, as they have MANY vegan options for brekky and lunch, as well as vegan biscuits & cupcakes at times too! Meat and cheese lovers are not to fear though, as there is a wide selection of other goodies to choose from too.
I had the vegan black bean, avocado and cashew-nut cheese with fired whole wheat tortilla (SO SO SO SO SO GOOD)!
To round off the weekend I had a picnic and invited a bunch of good friends, the food was delicious, the sun shone for a bit and there were two adorable doggies present. Dreamy.
So that’s my weekend 🙂 I hope you had a fabulous one too, and I would love to hear about any wellness activities you got up to if you’d like to share!!!
Be well,
Annette
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Aug 11, 2011 | Other
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Thank you so much to everyone who entered our competition to win both a Benefit ‘They’re Real!’ Mascara & a Bella Bamba 3D Brightening Face Powder.
It was so useful to get feedback about what you want to see more of, so expect to see your ideas scattered throughout our upcoming articles! Yippee!
The luck winner (chosen at random via random.org is:
Naila Mazzucco – comment #6
Even though the winner was chosen at random I’d like to share what Naila wrote 🙂
It would be useful to see more beauty, wellness centre and spa reviews/photojournalist articles of Perth and Margaret River with a star rating system, photos, treatments available etc. Almost like a magazine feature on a restaurant. It is so hard to find a good treatment at a good place with affordable prices. I can barely make recommendations for friends and family visiting as you just don’t know what level of service you are going to get these days!
Thanks Naila! I’ve emailed you to get your details so I can get these great prizes flying out to your mailbox ASAP!
Mwa mwa mwa to you all! x
Best regards,
Annette
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Aug 9, 2011 | Products, Reviews
Winter. It’s clearly here, intruding its way into our lives with the chilliest of mornings and nights. However, I love winter! The smell in the air on rainy days, that glimmer of raindrops off flowers, getting to rug up in clothes that have spent a year in your closet unloved, a close cuddle with someone special and best of all, long, hot showers! Though as much as I love a long hot shower, like 1 in 3 other Australians – I suffer from eczema, where hot showers mean sore, itchy skin. Thankfully I came across the new Eczema Relief Range from Nyal, and decided after years of searching for a decent shower wash and soap, I would give this newcomer a try.
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First up, the Nyal Eczema Relief Shower and Bath Oil
The first thing I notice is the smell, and it is goood. Most shower washes I’ve used that have eczema relief qualities have been ok when it comes to calming the skin, however they smell like a hospital hallway. Not really an appealing feature for something that you are going use all over yourself. No thanks! However with this productl I’m being hit with a very enjoyable buttery/caramel type smell, which is a nice change to say the least. The oil also lathers to a milky texture as applied and mixed with water, which leaves a smooth feeling afterwards on your skin.
I’ve found it a really good change to have a pleasant smell and a smooth, soft feel to my skin. The best thing about this shower and bath oil is that it’s made with colloidal oatmeal, which is basically a whole bunch of oats ground down into powder that is really effective at soothing and comforting itchy, scratchy dry skin. And before you think to yourself, hmmm really oatmeal, like I have for breakfast, yummo! You can’t eat it. I checked…
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Nyal Eczema Relief Soap Wash
The soap wash seems to be more your traditional-styled eczema wash than the shower and bath oil. It’s comes across nice and mild so you can use it every day, and really seems to cleanse the skin well, leaving your hands feeling nice and soft. The soap wash has been great to me since I started using it, as I recently had a terrible run-in with a nasty massage oil that left my hands with a pretty severe rash for a week or so! Since then, most soaps seem to cause dry skin and eczema to hijack parts of my hand. Not fun. However, this new Nyal soap wash has never given me a problem with that, and I have the comfort of knowing that every time I use it I won’t be applying any soothing cream an hour later. I’ve found it a relief and a much loved addition to the bathroom.
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The other good news is, both of these products do not have any parabens in them which makes them even better for you, as these nasties have been linked to the development of breast cancer. They also don’t contain any lanolin, so our cute woollen friends aren’t contributing to our skin care and can remain woolly and warm throughout winter too!
So if you’re looking for a decent relieving soap or shower oil give the new Nyal range a shot as I really enjoyed using these products and will use them in the future, knowing that long hot showers are back on the menu for wintertime. Yes! Though as we know that skin types can differ, I do suggest you try them first if you have eczema or dry skin, and see how its works for you. I know I found them very helpful and good to use. You can find them at your local supermarket or chemist.
Review by Russell, boyfriend extraordinaire.
Be well,
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Aug 8, 2011 | Food, Organic, Products, Reviews
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I love tea. This can be proven by the following fact: currently there is a dodgy kettle in my apartment, every time my housemate or I switch it on it cuts the power to the rest of the house. The tea love is so strong, that it constantly overrides this knowledge of said dodgy kettle and I continue to try and try, failing every time and shutting off the power (which gets annoying after say, one time).
THANKFULLY, a new kettle is on the way. But for now I’m considering taking a step back about 25 years and boiling some water on the stove to make a delish cuppa.
I have been slowly incorporating more organic into my life lately, the idea that I’m putting a few less pesticides into my body is a good one, therefore I’m going to share with you my absolute fave organic teas today, and hopefully inspire some new pesty-free crushes in you too!
♥ Endota Organic Teas
I have a giant crush on Endota, while we haven’t been lucky enough yet to have this day spa chain in Perth (though I am promised it will be here early 2012 in a CBD location!), their organic philosophy and natural, earthy treatments give me a brain buzz when I read about them!
I got to try two of these beautiful tea babes, lavender and rosehip – plus check out the box! Tea with a ribbon? Already got my heart. Having never tried LAVENDER tea before, I was pretty excited to get brewin’ late one winter night after a stressful day. It was a delicious soothing sip, and the rosehip tea? Fannnn-tastique, as always, rosehip is so good for you and really tangy & tasty. There is a generous amount of tea packed into the box as well, but you will need a teapot with strainer or some kind of infuser as it’s loose leaf.
My pick is the T2 Small Mesh Tong, it serves me well.
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♥ Clipper Decaffeinated Green Tea
I’ve previously written about this tea. Lurve lurve lurve! It’s decaf so you can drink it at any time of the day or night. My daily ritual is to turn up to work, boil the kettle, brew a cup of this and then settle into my day. I will usually drink 1-2 cups per day, but if you drink 3+ you will see incredible benefits to your skin.
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♥ T2 Organic Teas
T2 also has a new range of organic teas which I’ve checked out a few times and I think it’s great that they’re expanding their range to incorporate more organic. They have a beaut looking lemongrass & ginger tea that will soon be vying for space on my already overflowing shelf – delicious and purrrfect for keeping sniffles at bay!
In closing: tea is a total babe who can make you feel amazing for minimal bucks, certified organic tea is even better so if you haven’t already got some in your life, I reckon you should jump on the ideas above, or seek out some other varieties and organically warm up with some delish liquids! x
What are your favourite teas?
Do you have any organic? Let me know! I love to chat tea 😀
Be well,
Annette
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Aug 5, 2011 | Products, Reviews
You know those times when all you and your skin crave is just a little nurture and comfort – enter ‘Franc Essential’.
Franc are a West Australian company based in Darlington. They make stunning face and body care products without any chemicals or any other yukky harsh stuff. This is why not only are they treatments for your skin, but also work like aromatherapy and are good for the soul.
I live a very busy life and get up at 4am for my current gig and often go to bed late. My poor face was in need of a bit of TLC, hello ‘Franc Serum’! RRP $72
It’s an intense skin rescue that hydrates and helps to stave off the introduction of those pesky fine lines. Silky and indulgent, it goes a long way so you only need to use the smallest amount. From the first use my skin was glowing and my nerves calmed. In its all consuming aroma I can smell lavender, rose & geranium. It’s calming, healing and just beautiful.
The list of ingredients is like a gorgeous summer menu, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil, carrot & macadamia oils and more! It’s got to be jammed packed of vitamins! However as this product is made of oils if your skin is more on the oily side this is not for you.
Now on to my next point – are times when you feel yourself flagging? Well crumple no more my lovelies! These days I just reach for my ‘Lemongrass Balancing Mist’ RRP $18 and give myself a big ol’ pickup!
Reminiscent of day spa’s I’ve visited in Asia this uplifting spray is best carried around in your handbag or the top drawer of your desk. It would also be a skin life saver when flying, making you the envy of the other passengers! On top of being a great pick me up it also prepares your skin to make your moisturiser more effective – clever little thing!
So give your skin and your soul a lift and support a fabulous West Australian company – Franc Essential.
Review by Kristy Mollica freelance TV and radio presenter, lover of girl power, farmers markets & things that are so totally not beige!
