Am I the only one that craves that kind of hair that you have when you first leave the hairdressers? That hair that just seems to behave so well, sit so damn fine and even sustains the nastiest of weather conditions? That hair that just… well… that just doesn’t seem to be yours? I’m sure I’m not the only one. I think I’m not alone in this quest for this thing that I seek …yes friends… manageability .I’m also pretty sure its got something to do with your hair being a consistent team player and I’m doubly pretty sure that that has got a whole lot to do with keeping it in tip top condition.

Something that I have discovered recently that can really help with this is your humble hair mask (and you thought they were only for your face!) and what better time to take a look at one now that Summer is upon us and the sun, sea and pool are going to try their dandiest to lure your tresses into all out fuzz ball mode. Alchemy has such a hair mask currently on the market, namely a ‘Gingko and Jojoba Intensive Moisture Vitamin Masque’ . While being paraben and sulfate free (this means no irritants that cause the product to foam up) as well as containing protecting ingredients such as avocado oils and white tea, this product is all about giving you that manageability that we all so badly need/want/desire. Who would’ve thought we would go to so much bother for a bunch of dead skins cells…

So the deal with this is:

♥ Wash your hair
♥ Towel dry it
♥ Put this all over your hair and then leave it for anywhere from 5 minutes to overnight.

I didn’t do the overnight option (the thought of rolling around on my pillows and sheets made the clean freak in me, just…freak) but I did try the more manageable 5- 30-minute spell.

Basically, this works. The longer you leave it the better. And why shouldn’t it? Anything as thick as this and filled with as many good things as this AND kept on your hair for longer than you would leave your average conditioner is going to work. It makes sense right? It makes your hair sit better, feel smoother and lighter (not weighed down by too much product) and it smells so lovely. Addictively so! (I used the whole bottle in three weeks because I wanted my hair to smell like this forever). This product can be used as often as you like UNTIL you gain that manageability and then twice a week from then on.

It’s suitable for straight hair, permed hair or coloured hair, its Australian owned, vegan and it’s not tested on animals. Now- if there’s not something that appeals to you out of ALL OF THAT, then have a great time trying to manage that rat bag head of hair of yours until you come to your senses.

Alchemy Gingko and Jojoba Intensive Moisture Vitamin Masque retails for $17.95.

Article by Adriane Daff, I’ve seen her hair. It’s good.

Be well,

xoxo

Jess

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

Perth born and bred, I am a freelance fashion writer and stylist. I fell into the industry quite accidentally, not really knowing what a stylist did, but I seem to get a continuous stream of work, so I must be doing something right! I’ve been doing this for just over five years and really love my job.

♥ Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

I use my holy grail of a cleanser, Neostrata Facial Cleanser every morning in the shower (this is really bad, right?) Then I moisturise with whatever free sample I found in a magazine or goody bag. As I get older, I’ve noticed my skin is much drier so not a day goes by where I don’t moisturise my legs and arms. Sunscreen is also a must, I’m really paranoid about wrinkles and getting older.

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

Without a doubt, I love facials, extra-super-long massage ones. I was pretty fortunate to have the best one ever done at the Bellagio Day Spa in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. Locally, I think Lotus Beauty in Kardinya is consistently the best. The girls don’t babble on when you’re trying to relax, they do a great job and use products that work well on my skin.

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

Julie Dowding at Wisp Salon in North Perth. I like that she is the only one that works in the salon, so I’m never passed onto five different apprentices (I can avoid answering what I’m doing on the weekend five times, excellent). Also, she has a delectable selection of herbal teas and occasionally opens on a Sunday for busy people, like me.

♥ Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

A dance in my bedroom also gets my skin glowing.

♥ Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

Neostrata Facial Cleanser. Pelactiv Deep Cleanse. Vaseline.

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

When I exercise, cut out meat from my diet and am generally happy with how life’s going, I seem to get the most compliments. Funny, I spend so much money on products and I probably don’t really need them!

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

Bikram yoga. Oh no, wait, that sounds like torture! I guess I’ve always wanted to go on one of those weekend detox yoga retreats where you aren’t allowed to speak to anyone or carry a phone. That sounds like a dream to me.

♥ Describe a typical day of eating for you.

I always start off with a healthy breakfast, but kind of go downhill from there.

During Summer, I’ll typically eat greek yoghurt with strawberries, blueberries and bircher muesli for brekkie.

With my job I’m often on the road, so I usually have to pick up lunch on the go. I’ll try to go for a salad or healthy wrap, but if I’m ravenous I won’t hesitate to grab a burger and icecream.

Dinner totally varies. Some days I’ll eat a huge Spanish dish that is force-fed by my mother, other days I’ll just have some grilled fish and vegies.

Throughout the day I’ll eat pretty much anything I crave, and at 3pm it’s usually Cherry Ripe or Spearmint Aero.

♥ Describe your fitness routine.

Recently, I’ve joined a ladies netball team with people that are much more skilled and competitive that I am. They yell at me to tell me I’ve gone the wrong way or am about to step over the line, but I’m grateful that at least I’m working up a sweat.

I also go for an hour walk/job at least twice a week just to clear my brain. Motown is my soundtrack.

I love Reformer Pilates and used to do it twice a week, but have got a bit slack (and poor) lately. I want to start up again really soon!

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

My chiropractor and good friend, Dr Li Chia Cheong, at Nervana is my saviour. She cracks my neck and back every week and I’ve noticed that I’ve been feeling much happier and less lethargic since seeing her.

Thanks Jess!

If you have any questions, please leave them below!

Be well,

xoxo

The sweet, sweet product in question.

So. Summer’s coming. And you know as well as I do that it’s going to get freaking hot. And that sun is going to be beating down on your face like it’s nobody’s business. So let’s talk about what you are going to do to protect yourself…

I don’t really think I should have to say ‘wear sunscreen’ I think if you have any common sense at all you’ve got that bit by now. But, I do probably think it’s worth reminding y’all to wear it everyday. And here’s where things get a little tricky. Because Sunscreen is so thick it can be a bit rough on the skin on your face to wear it everyday, it can be a bit oily and it doesn’t really smell that great either, not to mention if its SPF 30 it can actually make your face look a weird shade of white (right guys?) so I understand if you’d think of skipping out on wearing it everyday.

Enter; Aesop’s Sage and Zinc Facial Hydrating Cream SPF 15 . Ordinarily I would not even seek out a sunscreen product like this (what’s the point?) but I was buying shampoo and they gave me some free samples. And I was really impressed. The texture wasn’t oily and the smell didn’t make me feel like I was at a sports carnival (interestingly enough the sage leaf/sandalwood smell that doesn’t do it for me in the shampoo really works for the sunscreen) and it has micronised zinc oxide in it which means it’s actually forming a barrier between your skin and the sun but it doesn’t cause whitening or clogged pores. Perfect for everyday use all year round. This is one product that moved from sample to staple in my life. And I’m so glad.

It retails for $43 for 40ml, which might seem a bit expensive but if you protect your skin from the sun now then you’ll save a ton later on. Think of it as an investment.

You can buy it from David Jones, Remedy in Fremantle or Leederville or if you like to do the online thing…

Adore Beauty Online Store .

Be well,

Adriane D.

xoxo

Welcome to our BRAND NEW segment, where we will uncover for you all the secret tips & tricks that well-known and upcoming “Perthonalities” employ to keep them looking and feeling on top of the world (or Kings Park)!

If you have any suggestions for Perth based darlings you’d like us to interview, send through an e-mail and we’ll try and get them to shed some light on their health and beauty routines.

First up is Adriane Daff, actress and local pretty Perthie, she has worked in films, television and most recently two plays that received rave reviews, including “The Pride“.

Read on to see how she keeps looking great…

♥

♥ Tell us about your daily beauty routine!

Trying to remember to cleanse, tone and moisturize. Trying to remember to put on sunscreen. Trying not to touch my face throughout the day. Trying to do at least some sort of exercise. Trying to drink as much water as I can. Trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Trying to eat apples. I would describe the whole routine as ‘trying’.

♥ Whats the one beauty treatment you can’t live without? And your favourite place to have it done?

IPL at The Beauty Gallery is pretty damn amazing. Mircrodermabrasion at the same place is also really good. And I like facials.

The best facials I’ve ever had in my life were at a place in the West Village in New York that I went to regularly up until about a year ago when I left America. My therapist was a very stern Eastern European lady (called something like Olga) and told me if I just drank more water and slept more it would make a huge difference. I wish I could go to her regularly. She was so matronly and matter of fact. I miss her.

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

I trust anyone and everyone. I’m not too prescious about my hair (and maybe not too kind) but I feel like it’s the one thing that no matter what you do to it, it’ll always grow back. So you should dye it, cut it, do whatever you like to it because it’s only temporary. In saying that though nine times out of ten when I say to someone I love your hair they tell me they got it done at Head Studio.

♥ Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

Visine eye drops. Eight dollars!

Juicy Tubes!

♥ Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

Lancome juicy tubes, Aesop sunscreen, Dior Diorshow mascara.

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

Sleep and water drinking! Just like Olga said! Boring. But it works, I think.

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

One day I would like to go to a really intense day spa that lasts for maybe a week and is in a really remote part of the world and you do things like immerse yourself in snow/steam in a sauna/roll around in honey/get blasted with a high pressure hose and eat only rice two times a day. Something really harsh, just to see if it works.

♥ Describe a typical day of eating for you?

I’m not so good with routine, I find it really hard to get into good habits. Food both bores me and overwhelms me. I try to eat things that I know are good for me but more often than not I don’t care enough. I’m working on it.

♥

♥ Describe your fitness routine.

Again I’m really bad with routine so I go through phases of exercise but things I always find myself going back to are walking (because it doesn’t feel like you are exercising) swimming and yoga. I recently started Bikram Yoga which I like because its mental and physical. And very challenging.

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

Not really, I’m pretty cynical and ignorant when it comes to alternative therapies (I’m sorry to say). I try to remember to take calcium tablets but that’s about it!

Thanks Adriane!

Do you like our new section?

Who would you most like to have reveal their beauty / health secrets?

Any questions for our actress friend?

Be well,

xoxo

Breaking out is not hard to do.

Especially when kit kats, Vintage Cheddar and Onion Red Rock Deli chips & toasted sandwiches have been flying down your throat at hyper speed.

Whoever said that what you eat is unrelated to the state of your skin must be giving Pinocchio’s nose a run for his money by now.

So I’ve been slipping up, I admit it, I’m far from perfect! But the past week has seen a big effort to get back on track.

RRP $58 AUD, available at Mecca Cosmetica

Yesterday I tried the REN Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Scrub. I’d previously been using a cheap and cheerful teenage staple, Aapri (which is a bit rough for my skin), and felt like I finally graduated when the thousands of tiny smooth REN jojoba beads glided easily across my face and got down to work.

The scent of this product is really mild too, despite having peppermint and juniper oils doing their dance in there, which is nice.

Post-exfoliating, my skin felt VERY smooth and even a tiny bit tight, but the tightness soon passed. It really felt like a breath of fresh air and if my cells could smile, they probably would. I now realise that temporarily forgetting about the wonders of exfoliation was a grave error.

DEAD SKIN CELLS: BE GONE!

My skin still feels smooth and more glowy today!

In addition to re-discovering a great exfoliant, I’ve been smashing frozen berries in smoothies (bought a 1kg bag of blueberries – so excellent!), eating lots of avocado, drinking 2+ cups of decaff green tea a day plus heaps of water and generally trying to clean up my diet by eating more wholefoods and cutting out dairy / chippies (weaknesses!).

My skins been on the naughty mat for a while now, hopefully these changes will get it behaving again!

Do you change your diet when your skin plays up?

What’s your favourite exfoliant?

Be well!

Annette

xoxo