Posts belonging to Category 'Interstate/International'

Christmas Wellness: Save 20% Off the Ultimate Spa and Wellness Treat at Gwinganna!

Christmas is less than SIX WEEKS away. You heard right, six weeks. How did this happen?! That’s right, with all the hard work, taking care of family & friends, busy social life and keeping up with Wellness WA (;)) the year has absolutely flown by with barely a chance to sit back and take a few centred breaths.

Bliss

That’s where Gwinganna comes in. Imagine waking up on the 25th of December to find a voucher for a 2, 3, 4 or 7 night ultimate spa and wellness retreat at one of Australia’s top spa and healing destinations – Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat. I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to go, this place is seriously the best wellness destination in Australia.

Fancy a little tai chi and yoga in the morning?

The 7 night detox program in particular gets me fired up, it’s described as “the Rolls Royce of lifestyle retreats is one of our most powerful options. Leave with whiter eyes, increased vitality and glowing skin.” Yes! How good would that be?!

Maybe a gorgeous bush walk is more you cup of (organic, fair trade) tea?

Gwinganna are offering a 20% discount off selected retreats in 2013 with their popular Christmas vouchers. Each retreat package at Gwinganna is fully inclusive and provides an opportunity to truly escape and recharge.

Or just relax in the infinity pool

Gwinganna’s packages include all certified organic meals and snacks, movement activities, lifestyle seminars, courtesy transfers from Gold Coast airport at set times and selected spa treatments or spa credit.
The Christmas vouchers are available for purchase until 21 December 2012, valid for stays from 20 January to 27 March 2013 and some conditions apply.

Phone 1800 219 272 or visit www.gwinganna.com for more details. And be sure to let me know if you are thinking of taking a trip over there, so I can live vicariously through you! 🙂

Tell me… would you like an amazing spa retreat for Christmas? Been naughty or nice this year? Leave a comment below!

Be well,

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Jessica Nazarali, Wellness Blogger @ Live Healthy Simply.

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

I am the founder of Live Healthy Simply – A source of inspiration for everything related to food, cooking & healthy living. I started the blog on a bit of a whim last November and I'm very humbled that people aside from my Mum are actually reading it! I'm also in the processes of opening up an online health food store www.shophealthy.com.au & will start studying nutrition next year.

Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

In the morning I cleanse my face using Akin facial cleanser and apply Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Day Cream

In the evening I cleanse my face then apply Antipodes Rosehip Oil to my face and neck and apply Akin Rejuvenating Eye Cream under my eyes. I use Antipodes hand cream on my hands. For a body scrub I love Scented Holistic Skincare's Coconut Sea Salt Scrub – it smells so yummy! I try to remember to exfoliate once a week on my face and body and use my Antipodes Clay Mask. My mum makes her own cosmetics and I use her body butter and exfoliant.

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

I love massages! I couldn’t live without them! I love Thai & Chinese massage the best – I find regular massages in beauty salons are too gentle, I prefer my massages to be firm.

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

I've never been to Perth (I would love to go!) and I'm on the look out for a good hairdresser in Sydney…Any suggestions would be very welcomed!

Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

It would have to be my DIY hair treatment – I use coconut oil to keep the ends of my hair moisturised. It works really well and is much cheaper than buying expensive treatments.

Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

butter LONDON nail polish in red
Adorn Mineral Cosmetics mascara
Arbonne Foundation Powder

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

Eat & drink lots of veggies! I have recently started juicing and the difference it has made to my skin is unbelievable! It's so much more glowy and healthy looking. I also make sure I drink 2 litres of purified water per day.

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

I would love to try a fish pedicure! I'm really ticklish so I'm sure how much I would enjoy it but it certainty would be an experience!

♥ Cacao Powder

Describe a typical day of eating for you.

For breakfast I have a smoothie with pea protein, oat milk, raw cacao powder, carob, chia seeds and acai berry powder.

Lunch is usually a salad of greens, tomato, nuts, chickpeas, kale chips and roasted veggies. Dinner is some kind of stir-fry, curry, pasta, veggie pattie, soup or salad.

I snack on nuts, fresh juices and raw vegan treats that involve lots of raw cacao powder – I LOVE chocolate!

Describe your fitness routine.

I'm getting married in September so like all brides I've significantly stepped it up in the exercise department! At the moment I'm exercising five times per week when before I use to exercise three to four times per week. I do a mixture of yoga, core work, weights and cardio.

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

I take spirulina, B vitamins, chlorophyll and zinc. I try to remember to take them everyday day, but it doesn’t always happen!

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

I love soaking in a bath with Epsom salts and reading a good book, pure bliss!

We hope you enjoyed Jessica's routine! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below! 🙂

Find out more about the great work she is doing…

Webhttp://www.livehealthysimply.com
Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/LiveHealthySimply
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/LiveHealthyJess
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/LiveHealthyJess
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/LiveHealthySimply

Be well,

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes: Purple Kale, Dreamy Yoga Retreats, CNR Cafe & More!

♥ Beautiful Purple Kale!

Hola! So, how ’bout this weather we’ve been having? I’m a big rain fan – so long as I’m warmly tucked up inside, complete with dressing gown, socks and a cup ‘o herbal tea. Venturing out into it is another story.

These past few weeks I’ve been flu-stricken and in the final two weeks of my Public Relations course, as well as having taken on an internship at an agency 2 days a week. Needless to say things have been HECTIC and I haven’t been able to update as much as I’d like. That doesn’t mean we’ve been laying dormant though, we have SO many exciting things in the works… so as always, stay tuned, and check out the wonderful bits and pieces that have been rocking my little wellness world this week! Xo

Purple Kale

Pictured above is the cruciferous vegetable of my eye this week, the delightful purple kale. When I spied this beauty at The Boatshed Market in Cottesloe on the weekend, I could not contain my excitement! Granted, the whole trip to Boatshed was exciting as I’d never been there before and it is just AMAZINGLY well stocked with fresh produce. Pricier than your average store, but I feel like it’s worth it.

This violet vegetable has been on many adventures this week, being mixed into a smoothie one day, gently steamed the next and is about to be made into some delicious kale chips! A+++. Love me some alterna-kale.

CNR Cafe Vegan Breakfast

My new favourite. So many vegan, vegetarian and raw options at CNR that your mind just might explode! The vegan breakfast (above) is in-cred-ible, and it’s available til 3pm all week. Including Sundays. I will be doing a proper review of it shortly, but it is definitely one of my new faves to head to when I have some extra pennies in my pockets. The vegan brekky is $18, so not the cheapest morning eats in town, however it is insanely delicious and filling, features macadamia & pepper nut cheese, house made beans, toasted ciabatta, pan fried mushrooms and tomatoes, caramelised onions AND potato chippy things.

They also do a killer green smoothie, breakfast of vegan champions! Check them out.

Stuart Watkins’ Bali Yoga Retreat

If you’re looking for an incredibly inspiring yoga filled getaway, then look no further. Join Stuart Watkins for 7 days and 6 nights on the north-east coast of Bali at Villa-Boreh with daily yoga, sun drenched relaxation and an array of soul nurturing activities including jungle treks, secret waterfall visits, hot springs and dolphin hangouts! Vegetarian and vegan meals will nourish your body, yoga will nourish your spirit. Find our more details here!

What’s inspiring you this week? Please feel free to share with me and spread the crush-love!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Bali Day Spa Review: Kush Day Spa @ The Yoga Barn, Ubud.

When planning my trip to Bali in November last year, I wanted it to be truly rejuvenating and relaxing, a real treat for the end of the year. Needless to say, this is exactly the experience I encountered at KUSH Day Spa in Ubud.

KUSH is part of the Yoga Barn in Ubud and their treatments are based on Ayurveda – a system of traditional medicine native to India. Ayurveda is based on a life force and the pursuit of balance between the body, mind and nature; its emphasis being on preventing disease and maintaining good health.

I had been recommended the Yoga Barn by a friend and had planned to drop in to a class upon a day trip to Ubud from Seminyak. We ran out of time to attend a Yoga class, so decided on a massage at KUSH – I have been a long sufferer of daily headaches so chose the Ayuverdic Crown Massage.

The Yoga Barn is tucked away off the busy Jalan Hanoman. As we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly reception staff who were able to fit my boyfriend and I in straight away for our massages.

♥ Statues of Ganesha at Kush, known to Hindu’s as “Remover of Obstacles”

We were led upstairs to a beautiful balcony overlooking rice paddies where we were seated for our treatment. After a refreshing cup of iced lemongrass tea and filling in some information about our health history, the massages began. The experience was out of this world – the heat and humidity (and my mind numbing headache) disappeared, as the healing hands of the massage therapist completely melted all my tension away.

My favourite part of the massage was having my hair wrapped in these beautiful, cooling hibiscus leaves, where we were left to relax in the serene setting. After having our hair washed with some delicious smelling products, we were whisked back to our chairs for another cup of tea and the treatment was over. This 60-minute treatment went too quickly, but I felt so rejuvenated and calm afterwards – I may or may not have been in a bliss-induced-coma for the rest of the week!

Ayurvedic Crown Massage (60 Minutes)
180, 000 Rupiah (Approximately $20 AUD – amazing!)
Spa Treatment Menu: Kush Menu.pdf

Web: http://www.theyogabarn.com/kush

Have you had any Ayuverda treatments? Was your experience as heavenly as this?!

Review by Lucy, Wellness WA‘s newest reviewer!

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