♥

Hello! Did we all enjoy the past week? I hope so 🙂 I’m finding that beauty & wellbeing crushes keep flying at me from all angles… which I guess can only be a good thing, lets jump into this weeks loves shall we?

1. Wonderful Makeup Artists

I find it can be a bit intimidating going up to a gorgeous looking makeup artist in a department store, when you’ve just been working all day, not a speck of makeup left on your face and a fresh zit popping out to say hello to the world. Not to mention the hard sell. Lately I’ve had two fantastic experiences that I’d love to share.

♥ MAC Makeup Counter, David Jones Perth City – I went in here looking for a red lippy that I’d seen my friend pull off beautifully the weekend prior, a lovely girl happily tried on a few colours on me to find the most suitable one and then when I mentioned I was looking for a new foundation too, she tested those and then provided me with two generous sized samples (each lasted about 5 full face applications!). I will DEFINITELY be going back and picking up my new best-match liquid foundation (MAC Studio Sculpt NW 15).

♥ Jane Iredale Makeup, Skin Resus Floreat – a mineral makeup virgin, I went in not sure what to expect. I had such a great experience which you can read more about here! It’s so nice when you find one place you love, let alone two!

2. Hairfree Centre

Having IPL/SPL is definitely one of the best things I’ve done to lower the amount of time I spend on grooming maintenance. While so far I’ve only had my abdomen, bikini line & underarms intense pulse light-ed, I would love to have my upper legs done too! It’s just so convenient! Tell me, have you had it done? I have a bunch of $50 off for your first session vouchers to giveaway for Hairfree Centre in Subiaco, so email me with your address if you’d like one sent out to you, I’d love to share the joy!

♥

3. The Jojoba Company Prods

I lurve jojoba! I think I have been quite vocal about this in the past. Most nights after a shower I will massage a few drops into my face and wake up with supple skin, however if I use too much, suppleness quickly becomes oiliness. The great thing about these products is the gorgeous packaging design, besides looking like a little like a giant pear drop, the pump is such that you can really control how much product comes out and therefore tread the tender line between glowing and greasy. A big fav of mine!

♥

4. Benefit Positetint

Alright, I almost can’t rave about this one enough. This is one of the most excellent cheek tint products I’ve come across to suit pale skins, aka, moi. The container/application technique is initially bizarre, you paint a couple of thin lines of fluoro pink nailpolish-esque liquid onto each cheek, then blend.

Unique application aside, this baby has earned itself a position in my “must always own” list due to it’s ability to last all day without reapplication. Even if you only apply a little like I do, one line, the subtle pink will be there when you come home at night, even when the rest of your makeup has long since packed up and left home (your face).

♥

5. Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm

I have been loving these sweet slicks of colour which contain an abundance of fab ingredients, including olive oil, coconut oil & vege oil. They come in the dreamiest range of shades, my current faves are hibiscus and rose (pictured above) and they are perfecto for everyday use, when you don’t want something TOO over the top, but you still want a lil sumin sumin on your lips. My only qualm with this crush is that it unfortunately contains lanolin (fat from sheeps wool) which I personally prefer to avoid due to lamb love, so Burt’s Bees, you lose a couple of points there – nix the lanolin and you’ll have me as a lifetime devotee of this product!

Be well my cuties!

Annette

xoxo

♥

Another budget beauty product that I have read about on the Vogue Forum is the microfibre cloth. According to my research (read: Google and Vogue Forum), microfibre cloths are able to eliminate oil, cleanse makeup with just water, exfoliate skin and deep clean pores. Plus, the household microfibre cleaning cloths are a LOT cheaper than the beauty specific ones and still get the job done. Needless to say, I was hooked! I just had to try them out.

As I have mentioned in my previous article, my skin isn’t the greatest. Unfortunately, I am not one those girls blessed with naturally perfect, glowing skin – mine is oily, prone to break outs unless I am very disciplined in my cleansing regime, with large pores and rough patches.

So, I toddled down to my local supermarket and found a microfibre cloth in the household cleaning aisle. That night, I decided to try it out. I wet my face, wet a corner of the cloth and massaged it over my face in soft, circular motions. Let me tell you right now, the cloth really delivers! It managed to clean ALL of my makeup off (moisturiser, primer, foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara and concealer) with just water. No harsh rubbing and it took barely any time at all. After, I toned with witch hazel and there was no makeup residue on the cotton pad – none! At all! Even when I cleanse with Cetaphil, there is still usually a bit left. The cloth managed to get right down into my pores and sweep everything off.

In addition to removing all my makeup, the cloth also eliminated the oil from my face (not long term – it was back the next day) and my skin was left feeling very soft and smooth. The cloth acted as a very gentle exfoliant. In fact, it is so gentle that I feel comfortable using it everyday – there is no redness, rubbing or scratching. As the cloth is quite large, I have been using various corners of it so far, but once I have run out of clean patches I will just chuck it in the washing machine and voila! Good as new. Love it.

Cloth in packaging (so you can spot it in the shops!)

The Nitty Gritty

Cost:
$4.72 for Chux All Purpose Microfibre Cloth (pack of one)

Pros:
cheap as chips!
instant results
feels great during and after
re-useable

Cons:
results aren’t AMAZING OH MY GOD THIS IS A MIRACLE, but still really good

Recommended Usage:
I think that it would be totally fine to use the cloth everyday – I certainly am and haven’t noticed any adverse effects so far.

Rating:
4.5 / 5

Review by Cassandra, beauty lover on a student budget and Pilbara correspondent!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

I remember my first pimple fondly. Year 7, it was time for our yearly school picture and my best friend at the time had also broken out with one on the day of the photo. We both laughed, unaware of the imminent cascade of hormones about to wreak their havoc on our bodies (and skin).

Throughout high school I suffered from moderate-severe acne that would serve to crush most of my confidence. Although hormones played a large part, I failed to realise that eating mini pizzas, a bag of chips, 5 packets of wizz fizz and 3 glasses of soft drink each day was not doing my skin any favours. Not to mention my non-existant exercise routine and penchant for spending hours in front of the computer completing Dawson’s Creek quizzes.

Fast forward to now (10 years later!) and my skin has mostly settled down. However I have some persistant mild acne on the chin that almost never goes away, and any zit that pops up takes forever to heal. No amount of products have been able to get rid of it.

WHATS A GAL TO DO? In my quest for clear skin, I decided to look inside for the answers and see a naturopath who specialises in the treatment of acne, Brooke from mi:skn.

♥ ♥ ♥

The consultation starts with an extremely comprehensive question/discussion session incorporating many aspects of your current/past health and lifestyle. Things such as diet, stress levels, skin type, menstrual cycle (for the ladies!) and many more are examined, all of which can help paint a picture of your internal health and point towards some corrective remedies.

The most interesting part of the session was a zinc test (zinc is super important for pimple/wound healing and general health!), which involves swirling some clear liquid around in your mouth for 10 seconds. If it tastes absolutely horrible – you’re in luck! Your zinc levels are adequate. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t taste anything, which means… you guessed it, very zinc deficient.

Brooke prescribed me some vitamin c and zinc powder which should help to remedy this, and we’ll test my levels again in a few weeks time.

I was also prescribed a couple of other natural medicines to take that should help my skin on its way to being pimple free.

It’s not just about supplements though, personal lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise also play a huge role. I’ve been advised to cut down on sugars, carbs and grains, which is VERY hard for me, and dose up on vegetarian proteins and fresh veggies.

I will keep you all updated on my hopefully successful journey to clearer skin! Oh and I forgot to mention, Brooke has wonderful skin and she says that wasn’t always the case, which makes it very easy to believe that she knows what she’s talking about.

mi:skin is located in Highgate.

For bookings and extra information call: 0414 277 761 or Email: clinic@miskn.com

Tell me, have you ever seen a naturopath for your skin or a naturopath in general?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Disclaimer: My initial consultation was provided to me for review, however any supplements and additional consults are coming out of my own pocket. The complementary nature of the consult in no way affects my review. 🙂

Be well,

xoxo

♥

I’ve been experimenting a bit with smoothies lately, which is loads of fun! Tonight I came across one that is incredible and that I think I’ll stick with for quite some time.

My naturopath recently told me that eating more protein rich foods is excellent for the skin and that consuming more avocados and quinoa (along with some other dietary swaps) will go a long way in clearing up some of the stubborn blemishes that just wont seem to leave me alone!

But how to get more avos in the diet? Answer: SMOOTHIES!

While it may sound ridiculous to the uninitiated, and even I of spinach smoothie raving background was sceptical, the creaminess and mild taste that avocados are famous for go exceptionally well in smoothies.

Here’s my current favourite recipe, if you have one please share it with me!

Avocado, Apple & Berry Smoothie

1.5 x cups of water
1/4-1/2 x avocado
1 x small apple
1 x cup of frozen berries (I used mixed)
1 x tsp of flaxseed oil
1/2 x tsp Super Sprout 100% Strawberry Powder (I was sent this for review, so am currently trying it in all sorts of ways!)

Blend on high for about a minute, or until everything has been processed.

The result is a gorgeously creamy, healthy and delicious smoothie. I just got to the bottom of my cup and am peering sadly into it wishing for more!

It is quite filling on account of the good fats in the avocado and flaxseed oil, so would be perfect for an energising breakfast or post-workout recovery drink.

Love to hear your thoughts!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥

Being Spanish, and suitably hairy (as my lineage implies) I am always on the look out for new and less painful forms of hair removal, and ever since I first heard about the exotic art of Threading, it has intrigued me. So whilst browsing through the Browne’s Every Woman Expo in Perth last weekend I took full advantage of the free demonstration being offered by Zubia’s Threading!

Now, before I start my review I have a little confession. This is hard to admit on a beauty and wellness website, but it’s vital to showcase just how good this treatment is. *deep breath* I haven’t waxed, plucked or touched by eyebrows for six months. *shudder* This was not a pretty sight.  

Being in the middle of an expo and in a line of about five other ladies, the environment was not really conducive to a soothing and relaxing mood that one normally expects from salons. However, I assume this would be very different when having an appointment in store. 

Sitting down in the chair, my technician went straight to work on cleaning up the tops of my brows, this I barely felt and was over in less than 2 mins. The next bit was a tad odd. In order to thread the arches, you’re required to place one hand above the top of your brow and one hand over your eye and pull the skin tight while your unwanted hairs are removed, just as quick and almost as painless as the tops!  

I was up out of the chair less than ten minutes later and completely overjoyed with my new brows, the technician not only removed all unwanted hair but completely reshaped them and opened my eyes up. There was absolutely no redness and I was ready to go! This was the most quick and pleasant hair removal experience I have ever had!

My new threaded brows!

“Threading uses a pure cotton thread that is twisted and skilfully manipulated to gently lift the hair off the follicle. The pain is far less than waxing and provides a more accurate shape. Unlike waxing, where you often find Houdini hair that dodge elimination, not a stray hair remains and you are left with a perfectly shaped brow.” – Scoop Magazine.

The main Pro’s I found with Threading as opposed to waxing and plucking are;

♥ Much, much, much, much, much less pain – the best I can describe is it’s like a light scratching/tickling
♥ Very, very, very, very, very minimal to no redness – YAY NO REDNESS!!!
♥ Superior lines and smoother contours – I’m guessing this is due to the thread being able to create a smoother line and more accurate shape 
♥ Super quick – I hadn’t had my brows done in 6 months and it still took less than 10 mins!
♥ The $19 price tag is pretty attractive too. 

Zubia’s Threading is located all over Perth and both walk-in and appointments are welcome, head to their website for all locations.

Review by L, your ultimate style icon and resident cat lady.

Be well,

xoxo