Posts belonging to Category 'Products'

Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes – Frenchy Nail Polish, Healthy Grind & Bach Flower Scents!


Hello ma petits! Welcome to another edition of Beauty & Wellbeing Crushes!!! This is going to become a regular feature, because I love to bang on about the healthy and pretty things that are keeping me rockin’ in the free world and there is the slight possibility that you may also be interested! Win-win!

Why don’t we start with my number one current crush? Ok!

1. Ltd Edn “From Paris, With Love” Seasonal Nail Duo from Mecca Cosmetica.

I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it online,
I knew it had to be mine!
I thought it’d make my nails look damn fine.

Alright, average poems aside, this is great. I’m a little bit late on the boat with this one as I believe it was meant to be a Valentine’s day thing (Paris, love, you know the story!) but that didn’t stop me from painting my nails as soon as it arrived post-Valentines.

To me, my fingertips look more like they are channeling Provence more than Paris. The deep, yet pastelly blue gives rise to the feeling that a lavender plant could sprout from my fingertips at any moment!

The packaging when ordering online is gorgeous, arriving at my doorstep tied with a beautiful thick burgundy ribbon (scuse the mess and ‘justgothomefromwork’ camera avoidance).

The red is also a great colour and has been hanging out nicely on my toes. This pack is a good treat or gift for someone special who loves polish or needs a pick-me-up!

It’s available in-store at Mecca Cosmetica, or online, whichever you fancy.

2. Indigo Grinds – Caesars Grind.

My friend from work (and swell singer) Sian, got me onto this stuff after talking about how she liked to sprinkle / grind some onto avocado on toast. The one she uses is ‘Buddha Brew’, and there is a whole variety in the range as you can see from the above image, but the one I decided to go for was the ‘Caesars Grind’ which has: sea salt, garlic, onion, tomato, parsley and thyme.

This stuff is DELICIOUS on avo + toast and sprinkled onto roast tatoes, which is all I’ve used it for so far. You can also use it in pasta, salads, soups, sandwiches, meat (if you so wish!)… pretty much anywhere.

Unfortunately I can’t seem to get the image of Julias Caesar doing the bump & grind out of my head whenever I use this, but that’s a small price to pay for this new found tastiness.

I paid $5.70 at the Subiaco Markets or you can contact Indigo Grinds to find other stockists.

3. Presence de Bach Parfum by Le Fleurs de Bach.

I was recently sent a couple of samples of Le Fleurs de Bach from awesome Perth website Bathing Beauty Organic Apothecary (check them out!). Most of us will have at least heard of Bach flower remedies, or even Rescue Remedy which just so happens to be in our first aid kit where I work!

Dr Bach was a well known physician, bacteriologist (sexy), homeopath and researcher of his time. Through his studies, Dr Bach discovered that our negative mindsets could indeed cause the onset of illness. Intent on finding a cure for the causes of illness, rather than the symptoms, he identified 38 flower remedies to help rebalance the 38 negative mindsets he identified. The flower remedies rebalance by gently kick-starting the positive emotions, and bringing them out of hiding.

Le Fleurs de Bach follow his production methods to a ‘t’. The result is some pretty phenomenal smelling scents, my favourite being ‘Presence(s)’.

Excerpt…

The uplifting, fresh and relaxing scent of Présence(s) de Bach promotes feelings of inner reconciliation and improved communication with those around you. You will enjoy a renewed and positive outlook on your environment, leading to calm and inner peace.

And I really do feel that it is relaxing! I love giving it a sniff throughout the day, I’m not sure if my communication with others is improved (you’d have to ask them!) but I do know that I love the smell so that’s good enough for me – anything else is a bonus! 🙂

You can grab it online at Bathing Beauty Organic Apothecary (available exclusively through them!)

That’s my pick for this week lovely folk, let me know if you have any questions or comments about the above, and hopefully you’ve found something new that you might like to try!

What beauty and health crushes do you have at the moment? Share the love!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Store Review: Bella Hart “Flawless and Minimalist” MakeUp Master Class, Subiaco, Perth.

Let me share some of my New Years Resolutions with you:

♥ Call or catch up with Mum and Dad once a week
♥ Try Omnilux and microdermabrasion
♥ Call my friends on their birthdays
♥ Finally learn, ONCE AND FOR ALL, how to apply makeup with at least a 1% degree of skill!

Last Saturday I turned up at Bella Hart in Subiaco in order to work on that final point. With my notoriously hard to match skin tone and eyes that I was certain just couldn’t ‘do’ eye makeup, the ‘Flawless and Minimalist‘ makeup workshop had found itself a tricky participant, but I was also hopeful my woes would turn out to be no match for the makeup experts.

The start of the class. The cute thing, which you can’t see very well here, is the cups! They have hearts on them 🙂 I thought it was a nice touch.

The workshops go for 2 hours, from 9:30am-11:30am, usually on a Saturday, and there were 6 of us workshop-ees in total, a mixed bunch – all with very different skintones and colourings, as well as one main makeup artist & her model / assistant.

Dani (makeup model / assistant) and Rachael, who ran the event showing us how to achieve an easy day look. I’d also like to note here that Rachael’s makeup was gorgeous, when she came up and greeted me at the start I was very impressed with how good it looked.

Armed with our sheet to write down the products we used and liked, an array of brushes, a personal mirror & our eyes and ears to watch and learn, we worked through each area of the face

As a makeup novice, I feel like I learned a lot!

Some of the highlights include:

♥ Finding a makeup shade that gives a bit more coverage than I would usually use, but looks great in photos. (Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation in Porcelain Ivory (yep, I’m a ghostie!)
♥ Finding out you can apply primer using a foundation brush.
BECCA Fine Loose Finishing Powder in Sesame. Winner.


The BECCA powder in question!

I did struggle with the eye makeup section of the class, as I literally have only the most minimal skill in that department. Another member of staff who wasn’t involved in the workshop came over and helped me by doing a great look on me with eyeshadow – unfortunately it wasn’t the one that everyone else was learning, and I have no idea how to replicate it, so I’m still lacking the basic eyeshadow skills.

Half the group!

The other half. (sorry about the pics!)

Overall I would recommend this master class for sure! It was a bit rushed towards the end so it would be nice if there was an extra half hour or additional staff member on hand to help out with the workshop, but all in all it was a success and I left with some new tools under my beauty belt.

I think the best thing about the workshops are the range of products available to try – because there is a wide range of makeup brands, you’re not going to get forced into a ‘not quite good enough’ shade like you might if you attended a brand-specific event.

I did laugh though, because the minimalist look that we did on ourselves was actually WAY more makeup than I would usually use – even for going out at night as I don’t tend to wear a lot of makeup!

I will be attending and reviewing another three workshops being run by Bella Hart in the coming months, so please stay tuned for more photos and reviews 🙂

I was invited by Bella Hart to attend the workshops.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

New Cult Product: OPI Black Shatter, Limited Edition.

I recently bought a nail polish from a petrol station. The colour was ‘gelati’, I thought it looked ‘fun’ and ‘striking’ so I bought it, got it home, painted away and within about 4 hours it was starting to chip off and by the end of the next day … gone completely. Moral of the story: don’t buy nail polish from a petrol station no matter how ‘striking’ or ‘fun’ you think it might be.

Now if I had used my common sense (woah Adriane, not so fast!) and actually thought about this most impulsive of all buys I would’ve realized my folly. Alas, I did not. In fact the words I used to describe my old mate gelati would best be saved for OPI’s new nail polish out on the market, Black Shatter. Now as the name suggests my gelati and OPI’s Black Shatter are both going to give you a cracked, ‘shattered’ finish on your nails…the difference being gelati’s is unintentional.

The effect of Black Shatter over nail polishes in the ‘Katy Perry for OPI’ range

With OPI’s Black Shatter you simply paint a thin layer of the black varnish over whatever colour your nails happen to be painted and then THROUGH THE MAGICAL PROPERTIES OF NAIL POLISH, watch the black coat shatter and crack as it dries revealing your original nail varnish colour poking through to say hello. And the best news? You obviously get to choose what colour is underneath so you can make the look as individual as you like. Will little bits of nail polish flake off? No you goose, stop thinking ‘cheap, flaky nail polish’ and start thinking ‘cool nail polish effect’. But I guess you could apply a top coat if you were really worried about it.

Still confused? It’s kind of like when as a kid you took a piece of paper, crayoned the whole thing in a bunch of different colours and then coloured black over the top of all that and then took a tooth pick and drew a picture of your family. YEP EXACTLY THE SAME AND JUST AS GOOD (minus the need for a toothpick).

If you want a striking and fun look why not give this a go. OPI are the reference point when it comes to nail polish so you could say they have this pretty well down pat, and my senses tell me that this Black Shatter of theirs is going to be a hit.

Ms. Perry gets her nail on.

Ed’s note: Creates a leopard print look in the blink of an eye, two parts sassy to one part pretty – it’s no wonder K-Perry is the muse for this unique little number!

Available online at Adore Beauty or your best bet to get this seriously limited edition gem in stores will probably be David Jones.

Review by Adriane Daff, not afraid to buy cosmetics at petrol stations. Winner.

Be well,

xoxo

Organic Fruit and Vegetable Boxes in Perth: Organic ‘n Green Review!

Me with ma veggies.

Welcome to the best thing ever for people who want a very easy way to be a LOT healthier! I don’t know about you, but as much as I love going to the supermarket, I feel overwhelmed when I walk into the fresh fruit and veggie section. What should I get? What am I going to need this week? Which is freshest? How many chemicals have been sprayed onto these? Are common questions that attack me…

$45 boxes of organic fruit n veg from Organic n Green (based in Wanneroo) solve all my woes:

1. They deliver! $45 + delivery fee.

2. It’s kinda like your Mum has come round and said “Here dear, this is what is good for you that you should be eating this week”, so I then plan meals accordingly without having to deliberate over what to get at the shops.

3. We’ve ordered three times so far and the variety is huge! They pick the best, freshest stuff each day and send it off to you in a reusable foam box with frozen cooler bottle.

4. Certified organic! No pesticides & chemicals entering your body.

5. Great value. in the last box we got 43 pieces of fruit n veg, which works out to be a little under $1.50 per item. Considering that some of the items are big sweet potatoes, half a pineapple, avocadoes, and bunches of asparagus, this is awesome!

6. With each order, the value just keeps becoming more apparent. The 2nd order we received 48 items, and the most recent was 52! Excellent! Naturally there will be variation depending on what’s been supplied, but I really feel like it’s 300% worth it.

7. You can let them know what stuff you’re not so keen on, and they take it into account when creating your box o goodies.

Veggie box day is better than Christmas for me, I’m a huge dork so I get really excited when opening the carton and seeing what goodies will be entering my world that week.

Photo by Organic n Green.


Here’s what I’ve received in the three orders undertaken
:

♥ Numero Uno ♥ 6 x Silverbeet stalks, 1/2 white cabbage, head of broccoli, 3 x onions, 2 x zucchini, 1 x garlic, 4 x ‘real looking’ carrots, 2 x asparagus bunches, 2 x avocados, 5 x tomatoes (roma + regular), 2 x sweet potato, 3 x kiwi fruit, 2 x mangoes, 2 x bananas, 4 x plums, 1/2 a pineapple.

♥ Two ♥ 1/2 red cabbage, 1 x bag mixed lettuces, 2 x corns, 3 x tomatoes, 3 x small cucumbers, 2 x onions, 4 x carrots, 4 x potatoes, 1 x broccoli, 1 x red capsicum, 3 x beetroot, small bag of green beans, 2 x avocados, 2 x peaches, 2 x kiwi fruit, 4 x plums, 3 x apricots, 2 x mangoes, 2 x oranges.

♥ Three ♥ Bag of baby spinach, 2 x Nashi pears, 2 x plums, 2 x bananas, 1/2 white cabbage, 1 x broccoli, 3 x apples, 5 x tomatoes, 1 x green capsicum, 1 x 250gm strawberries, 1 x mango, 3 x baby eggplants, 1 x zucchini, 1 x large ginger, 1 x large corn, small bag of green beans, 2 x kiwi fruit, 7 x baby carrots, 3 x beetroots, 7 x potatoes, 1 x sweet potato, 5 x onions, 2 x garlic.

PHEW!!!!

Organic n Green also provide a large variety of other organic produce.

This, along with personal training, yoga, massage and a good nights sleep, is one of my TOP TOP TOP tips for making yourself feel great and boosting your wellbeing.

I can’t rave about it highly enough, I’m a very happy customer! I will be trialling other organic fruit and vegetable box providers in Perth so that I can do a ‘comparative study’ 😉 and figure out the best one, but for now I’m loving these guys, their customer service is lovely to boot.

Organic n Green is owned by Tony and Alicia Lopez.

Contact: 0416 02 82 92
E-mail: sales@organicngreen.com.au

Be well,

xoxo

Budget Beauty Review: Napoleon Set Bath Products.

Sultry Shanghai Summer

Hello cash-crafty ladies and coin-savvy gents (yes boys, we hope you’re out there reading too!), budget beauty is back on Wellness WA.

Before I make a start here, a confession. I have never been to Shanghai. The closest I’ve been to making it to Morocco is probably Monaco (does Moroccan Oil count?) and this fiscally-challenged correspondent has certainly never ventured subcontinent. So I’m not sure how well qualified I am to assess these new destination-themed Napoleon Perdis bath products, on shelves in Target since October, but I’m taking on the challenge anyway!

The range includes bath salts, body washes, a spritz and a lotion. I was lucky enough to try three of them: the Shanghai Ginger body wash, Moroccan Citrus body lotion and Jaipur Jasmine bath salts.

Rather than The Orient, the Shanghai Ginger shower gel reminds me of a German gingerbread house. It’s a little bit sweet and spicy and the fragrance is a great warming wake-up . At night-time I’d use something a little more mellow though. It’s suitable for boys as well as girls, if you’re looking to cut cleansing costs in a household with lads too.

The Moroccan Citrus body lotion has a light orange fragrance but is by no means overpowering, and doesn’t clash with the shower gel if you are looking to use the products in conjunction with one another. It absorbs quickly and easily, contains no parabens or sodium lauryl sulfate and is seriously moisturising considering its weight.

Derived from the flowers of the jasmine shrub, the Jaipur Jasmine bath salt is at once delicate, evocative and calming. Believed to have astringent, anti-bacterial and anti-depressant qualities jasmine is a perfect bath ingredient and an excellent choice if you’ve got a half-hour to spare in a hot tub.

Priced between about $10 and $20, the range is a special treat for if you usually stick to the supermarket aisles when you’re shopping for the shower.

Available from Target stores nationally or online at Napoleon Perdis Set Cosmetics.

Review by Athanae Lucev, a freelance journalist and writer with a keen eye for a pretty bargain.

Be well,

xoxo