Posts belonging to Category 'At Home'

6 Ways to Enjoy A 5-Star Wellness Retreat At Home.

If you’ve ever been on a yoga or wellness retreat, you’ll know the wondrous sense of wellbeing, calm, & mental clarity that they can bring to your mind, body & soul.

Yet, for many, taking a week off to retreat remains a luxury that can only happen once in the rarest of blue moons.

For some, overbooked schedules, projects at work, & feeling guilty about taking time off are the culprits. While for others struggle with financial concerns, not knowing what to look for in a retreat, or not wanting to go alone. But whichever category you fall into, we’ve got you covered with the next best thing…

Find your zen with these 6 dreamy, DIY wellness retreat tips & activities that can be incorporated into even the busiest of Google calendars. All you need is the comfort of your own home – you can choose to invite a wellness loving friend along on your soulful journey – or go it alone. And if you’re extremely time poor, why not select just one tip to weave into your week – every little bit counts.

Book It Now!

It’s amazing how quickly the days turn into weeks, and the weeks into months. Time can fly by, and come July all our New Year’s Resolutions have faded from memory.

So instead of procrastinating on self-care, set a date for yourself now!

Pick up your favourite pen and diary (or Google calendar), choose an upcoming weekend you don’t have plans for already, and make time for YOU!

♥ Yoga mat from Wild Mingo

Dust Off Your Yoga Mat

What better way to reinvigorate your spirits than some targeted minutes of yoga & meditation? Meditation helps to relax your body, calm your mind as well as improve your mental health, and yoga will have you feeling relaxed and connected to your body.

We recommend investing in a beautiful mat to make your home practice even more luxurious – our top pick is the stunning, and eco-friendly, Wild Mingo ‘Dot’ Mat (pictured above).

To make your time even more worthwhile, guide yourself with some yoga & meditation apps.

Our favourite recommendations are Insight Timer (meditation), Soul Alive (meditation) & Glo (yoga) – for a virtually unlimited supply of zen-inducing inspiration to help clear and energise your mind.

For some extra inspo – check out our list of the best Aus & NZ yoga and fitness classes!

Turn your Skin Care Into A Ritual

Really taking time with applying your skincare is a great way to get the retreat feels flowing. By using natural face and body products that are sans harmful chemicals and ingredients, you can truly feel & know on a physical & mental level that you’re taking care of yourself in the best possible way.

Find a time where you wont be disturbed, get cosy in a deluxe dressing gown, close your eyes when applying the products and be mindful throughout the process. Pay attention to how the product feels on your skin, inhale the scents, and enjoy this moment you’ve created for yourself.

You can light up some candles and play your favourite tunes in the background to relax. The bottom line is to be mindful when you apply the products, so the application process becomes a form of meditation in itself.

Pop on a face mask to prepare you for the next step…

Take a Warm Bubble Bath

There are so many physical and mental benefits of bathing, especially if you include some luxe epsom salts & essential oils to dial up the experience, so indulging in a warm bath is another must-do relaxing activity during your wellness retreat – why not have a soak morning AND night if you really want to treat yourself?!

Remember – you are not in a hurry, so take the time to slowly prepare the bath, pour in the epsom salts & your preferred amount of oil, make sure the temperature is perfect for you, set the mood with some soy candles, & lay out that cute robe from earlier for when you’re done – our eyes are firmly set on these gorgeous Cactus Green & Muted Clay waffle robes from Kip & Co.

Slide into the blissful oasis you’ve created, keep your glass of wine (organic, natural & vegan, of course) at arm’s reach as you soak up all that loveliness, and listen to a self-love podcast while you wonder to yourself why you don’t do this EVERY weekend.

♥ Soulara Gochujang Goddess Noodles

Wholefoods are a Whole Mood

While we’re taking care of our outer wellbeing with stretching, skin care, bathing & long walks – let’s not forget to treat our inner self to some retreat-y goodness too.

This could be in the form of blitzing up green smoothies, lovingly putting together wholefood & home-cooked meals, or if you’d like to take the hassle out of it all and really feel like you’re on retreat, you could try a pre-prepared healthy vegan meal service, such as Soulara, Plant Made Crew, or a vegan My Foodie Box (if you wanna do a little cooking yourself!). All of their meals will leave you feeling completely nourished & cared for, so you can pretend you have a private chef for the weekend.

Go For a Long, Slow, Walk in Nature

During the hustle and bustle of rushing to get to work on time, we miss out on many of the amazing natural sights around us. Our recommended way to start or end your wellness retreat is to go for a long walk in nature.

Take a 30-90 minute walk around your neighbourhood, local beach or even at Kings Park. Enjoy the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair. Mindfully take notice of birds, local wildlife, flora & anything else that catches your eye. You’ll be amazed at the beauty you’ve been missing, and will definitely feel refreshed and more at peace afterwards.

The importance of having an exclusive ‘me’ time should not be underestimated. You don’t need to save for a whole month before you can enjoy a 5-star wellness retreat.

A day, or even just a few hours here and there can do wonders for your mind and body.

So go ahead and give yourself that much-deserved treat.

Written by Mel Driver & edited by Annette. Mel is an award winning skincare formulator and the founder of Merindah Botanicals, a 100% natural range of face and body care products for busy women who want something quick, easy to apply yet delivers results. Find out more about Merindah Botanicals on Instagram & Facebook.

Be well,

xoxo

The Best Australian (And New Zealand!) Free Youtube Yoga & Fitness Classes!

While luckily here in Perth we are safely out of lock-down and can enjoy going to the gym without masks (thank goodness!), I still love a home workout for those days you can’t be bothered to leave home, but still want to get the body moving. I have put together some of my favourite Aussie fitness YouTubers to help you workout at home, and the best part, for free!

♥ The Jungle Body also sell a range of cute merchandise

The Jungle Body

The Jungle Body is a biz based on dance and cardio-based workout classes that combine fun and fitness with great music. Started by Perth-born Tara Simich, you can find classes all around Perth and in over 20 countries around the world!

But for those times you can’t get to class (*cough* another lockdown *cough*), you can check their Youtube channel for some fitness-inspo. They also have some videos floating around on their website like this one. The best part about The Jungle Body workouts is that you can do them with minimal equipment; all you will need is a yoga mat and 5kg dumbbells. Failing that, you can always get away with a towel and a couple of tins of beans!

♥ Photo of Sjana Earp by Emily Abay.

Sjana Earp

If you use Kayla ItsinesSWEAT app, then you may already know Australian yogi Sjana Elise Earp. What you might not know is that Sjana has a great YouTube channel packed with yoga and guided meditation-videos, perfect for a wide range of abilities, from beginner to experienced yogis.

Sjana’s sunny attitude and encouragement really makes you feel like you are nailing that downward dog, and help to try your best each time you step onto your yoga mat. It’s also nice to move along to an Aussie voice, as most of the popular yoga YouTubers are American (no hate to Yoga with Adrienne of course!) My recommendation is this morning/before bed yoga sequence for beginners. Love any exercise I can do in my PJs without leaving my bed!

♥ Photo of Sam Wood & trainer Sarah Boulazeris


Sam Wood

Yep Sam Wood, former Bachelor, who you may know also now runs an online workout and weight loss program, 28 by Sam Wood. Luckily for us though, he also has a goldmine of free workout video on his Youtube channel. His videos range from short ones that just give you an overview of a routine, to longer work along-with-me type videos. I also love his “live” full-length workout videos that feature some cheeky cameos from family members… oh the joys of working out at home! He also has a playlist of videos using equipment, that are perfect if you have a home gym or if you want to follow the videos at the gym. My favourite is this workout you can do with your dog! The cutest.

♥ Photo of Korrie Gammer

Korrie Gammer

I first came across this radiant being while taking part in onboarding for a new role at lululemon – I’m lucky enough that the company I work for values mental & physical wellbeing very highly, and as such the remote team I was joining took part in a live yoga class with Korrie early one morning, to get us prepped for a day of absorbing information.

And it was incredible. Korrie’s voice, fluid style of teaching, and ease & grace is evident – and it flows effortlessly through the screen and lands softly in the body.

I was excited to learn afterwards that Korrie has a treasure trove of free yoga classes – available on Youtube under her brand, Yoga by Korrie, and she adds a couple of new gems every month. Definitely a new favourite of mine, and someone that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who needs to weave a little bit more relaxation into their day.

So there you have some of the best homegrown and free online workouts to help you get your butt off the couch when stuck at home, or just to help you incorporate some different workouts into your routine.

Who did we miss? We’d love to hear your fave Aussie fitness influencers who are offering up free online classes – leave a comment below or come say hi on Instagram at @wellnesswa.


Leah is a freelance content creator from Perth who loves her dog, trying weird fitness trends, beach days and avocado toast. Follow her Instagram @leahonthedoor

The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Your Beauty Cabinet Organised.

From primers and BB creams, through the latest eyeshadow palettes and vegan lipsticks, to a huge variety of makeup brushes and dewy mists – figuring out how to organize your beauty cabinet can be a difficult, time-consuming, and not-very-fun task.

We’re here to help! There are a few effective ways to limit the beauty product mess to a minimum. Follow our top tips on how to keep your beauty cabinet organised and save a ton of time on your morning routine.

Clean out Your Beauty Collection

The first and most important thing is to clean all of your beauty products and to get rid of the ones that have expired. Take every product you own out of its drawer, cabinet, etc. Yes, that means even the ones you keep in the shower. Spread them out and get rid of all the ones that have expired or have duplicates. After all, you probably don’t need to have five brown mascaras. Also, get rid of everything that you’ve bought impulsively and you’re never going to use. For anything that’s still in date and unused, consider gifting to friends or even your local women’s shelter.

Everyday/Special Occasions

Аfter you’ve gotten rid of everything you don’t need, it’s time to sort everyday items from speciality items. Organise your products into two categories – things that you use daily and items that are a bit more luxe that you save for special occasions.

We recommend storing these top-notch products (think your LA Mer foundation & Rae Morris brushes) which you save for date nights, New Year’s celebrations and special events, in a dedicated makeup pouch and keep it away from all the rest. Gorman have some really cute options. In addition, it’s a good idea to have another pouch for all of your travel toiletries, so the next time you’re going on a trip you won’t spend hours packing!

Evaluate Your Space

Take a hard, honest look at how much space you’ve got. Do you share a small space in the bathroom with your roommates, or have a huge vanity just to yourself? This step is extremely important because you may need to adjust how many products you can keep out in the open (we know, it sucks). If you have a little space, keep only the most important daily items on your shelf. The rest of them you can find some creative ways to organise. For example, you can buy transparent containers from K-Mart, IKEA, or Howards Storage World if you want to get fancy.

Use Containers and Labels

The availability to see your entire collection and easily access it is essential. This will help you keep your beauty cabinet organised since you won’t have to go through the entire assortment to find something. Makeup organizers that have adjustable dividers can be your new best friend. They’ll help you better organise your makeup collection as it grows or shrinks. You can put different labels and decorations on each compartment.

Divide and Conquer

You can use the same organizer for all your beauty products. However, we would recommend you to use separate ones to ensure everything has its own place and stays super easy to find.

For example, you can use one container for your brushes and divide them into the following categories: face, eyes and lips. Another one for all your skin-care products, a third one got your lipstick and lip gloss collection. The main container with your everyday makeup you can keep on top of your beauty cabinet and the other ones inside the cabinet drawers.

Final Steps

It’s time to put everything together. Arrange the containers with your everyday products front and centre. If any of your everyday beauty products comes in an enormous bottle, you can transfer some of it into a pretty little bottle that will look much better of your shelf. The same goes for cotton swabs and cotton balls. They can go into chic, small boxes that can pass as decor.

Following all these tips will get you well & truly on your way to a nicely organised beauty cabinet. It will not only ensure that your countertop won’t become a huge cluttered mess but also it will save you a ton of time when you’re getting ready to go out!


Jane Wilson is a marketing and social manager, a mom and a blogger from Melbourne. Her interests in home improvement come from an earliest age, she loves engaging in different remodeling projects, as well as creating her own natural cleaning solutions. She manages the local brand of Fantastic Cleaners, and she owns a small blog called Modern Housewives, where she shares all kinds of tips and recipes.

My Favourite Skincare Product of 2020 So Far.

♥ Check out that PUMP!

I don’t think I’ve ever been excited about a pump before. A pumpkin spice latte, sure, but a pump on a beauty product? No.

Biossance 100% Squalane Oil is the owner of this much-heralded – by me – pump, and the product itself is a triple threat as it’s an insanely nourishing oil that’s suitable for body, face AND hair, plus is shark-friendly and 100% vegan.

The pump is the perfect size for your finger to press, and delicate enough to allow precise distribution of this nourishing oil. Seriously, this bad boy is ergonomic. I honestly feel like thousands of hours have gone into the creation of this DREAM PUMP. I’m going to stop ranting about it now, because it’s honestly getting a little weird, but suffice to say once this bottle runs out I Will Most Definitely Be using it for any other oils that I have that happen to be housed in inferior packaging.

Pumps aside, the other thing I love about this oil is that there are no preservatives, it’s 100% squalane, and at 100ml it’s extremely generously sized so you can go bananas and not scrimp on slathering your face and body with it.

Many forms of squalane are derived from shark livers, yes really, and as someone who tries to live a cruelty free life to the best of my ability I have absolutely NO interest in that, and hopefully you feel the same way. Biossance claims to save over 2 million sharks per year via their sugarcane-derived method of squalane extraction and frankly I’m here for it.

I like to use this product in the evening post-cleansing and exfoliating. I spend some time slowly massaging it into my face after a warm shower, then massage my breasts, hands, elbows, feet (pop on some socks after for extra benefit) and any other dry spots. Due to how lightweight this oil is a little goes a long way, which makes it even better value for money. And did I mention the glow? How could I not. You’ll wake up in the morning with perfectly plump, hydrated skin – and knowing it’s from a product that’s 100% natural will only make you even happier about it.

For me, this oil is now a must-have in my nightly routine. Find it online at sephora.com.au for $50 AUD.

7 Tips to Wake up to Better Skin

Every new day is like turning the page on life and having a chance to refresh, re-set and start again! So, if we’re refreshing ourself, it makes sense for us to be able to refresh our skin too. Is it even possible to wake up with better skin? Well, I’m hoping my seven top tips might help you do just that!


Always Be a Barefaced Beauty

It’s the absolute golden rule that you should always, always, ALWAYS, remove your makeup before bed, yes, even after a late night out. This is with good reason. Hopping into bed without taking your full face off is a surefire way to clog up your pores and boost free radicals. This speeds up the ageing process , which is certainly NOT what you want if you’re looking for a dewy morning glow.

Pamper Yourself Ready for Beauty Sleep

Although I’ve told you above to be a barefaced beauty when you slip between the sheets, once you take off your makeup, there are a few more layers of the good stuff you should think about popping on to your face, to help you wake up with glowing skin. A nice cleanse, tone and moisturise should do the trick!

Think Smartly About What you Drink

If you do happen to be out socialising ahead of hitting the sack, make sure you’re not crawling into the sheets parched! Try soda water with fresh lime or coconut water as a mixer if you’re having alcohol, to counteract its dehydrating effects. Definitely avoid sugary, caffeinated drinks too, such as cola, fruit juices and energy drinks, as they can unsettle your sleep and leave your skin thirsty.

Nail Your Pillow Position

Did you know, your beauty sleep may actually be contributing to your wrinkles!? No word of a lie, sleep wrinkles can actually form by what is believed to be the result of the skin being pushed and pulled against the pillow, damaging skin-smoothing collagen over time. Future-proof your face by sleeping on your back – lying face down or sideways on your pillow can help cause lines to form.

Slip On a Silky Eye-Mask

Another nifty trick to avoid those dreaded face creases, while you unwittingly catch your zzzzs, is to invest in a silk eye mask! It not only blocks out the light to help you drift off, but it can also help with your skin staying crease-free by helping to prevent the pillow from being pushed into the side of the face. Plus, the silk can also soothe the skin, helping to lock in moisture and prevent visible dehydration. Amazing!

Pile the Pillows Up High

Aim to sleep with your head elevated on two pillows, as if you lie flat during your slumber fluids can pool around your eyes causing you to wake up with puffy peepers! Keeping your head elevated during the night means the fluids don’t have the opportunity to gather up, so you wake bright eyed and beautiful!

Bank Those ZZZZZZ’s

Perhaps the most obvious tip, but certainly the most crucial, is to actually get enough sleep to quantify the phrase beauty sleep in the first place. Go to bed at a decent time to ensure you lock in a good eight hours. Those that get the recommended dose of shut eye wake up with smoother, clearer skin. If you are sleep deprived, there’s a chance you’ll look pale, worn-out, and have bags under your eyes. So get into a relaxing bedtime routine, avoid screens and get ready to reap the rewards when you wake!

Contributor: Katy Rachel Moore is into all things wellness and loves to get her teeth stuck into into the latest health trends.