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If the pomegranate was a woman she would be beautiful, mysterious, extremely healthy and a whole lotta people would ask her to repeat the spelling of her name! So when I was asked to explore the qualities of the elusive Pomegranate I was puzzled and intrigued as to what I would discover.

However after trialling the Wei Pomegranate Buffing Beads, sipping POM Wonderful juice and using pomegranate in my recipes, I feel as though I have met a new exotic, exciting woman who I plan to add to my group of fruit bowl friends (and whose name I will have to practice spelling!)

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Pomegranates are the supermodels of the fruit world, envied by all other fruits for having far too many amazing qualities. And not only beautiful are they on the outside but they are beautiful for your insides too.

The red fruit is laden with seeds encased in a vibrant red pulp and bursting with antioxidants, eating the fresh seeds or drinking pomegranate juice boasts the benefits of:

♥ helping keep wrinkles at bay
♥ lowering cholesterol and blood pressure
♥ good for diabetics
♥ keeping teeth and bones strong
♥ helpful for fertility and menopause
♥ flavoursome and colourful in smoothies and salads
♥ being a rather delicious snack!

This is why I’ve created a ritual around my new and beautiful friend, the Pomegranate.

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For so long whilst perusing the fruit and veg section of the supermarket I would notice the oddly shaped POM Wonderful bottle sitting amongst the fresh dates and containers of chocolate dipping sauce for fruit (which by being placed next to strawberries makes it feel oddly healthy I find, what about you?).

I finally decided to purchase a bottle the other day and may have formed a slight addiction to the liquid ever since. POM Wonderful is a peculiar mixture of sweet and sour but makes you want to take sip after sip. It’s made up of 100% Pomegranate Juice and has all-natural ingredients, no added sugar or artificial additives. I’ve found it to be a perfect post-beach drink to banish the cringe worthy taste of beach water and to help rehydrate my exhausted body.

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Next in my pomegranate ritual is the Wei Pomegranate Buffing Beads. To add to the beach discussion, exfoliating with the Wei pomegranate buffing beads is like taking a swim in the ocean. You finish feeling clean and refreshed. The product is made up of finely milled pomegranate peels and round delicate beads that “buff away dead skin to encourage the growth of fresh new cells and reveal the brighter, younger skin trapped underneath”.

By adding the buffing beads to my everyday cleanser I found I received the feeling of a beneficial sand exfoliating away all of my day’s unwanted nasties and excess skin cells (which is vital in this current ongoing heat!).

Last but not least the pomegranate in its’ purest form. Whilst the fruit as declared previously has so many positive qualities the only negative I found was it’s popularity, I couldn’t find them in stock anywhere! Finally the lovely Annette heard through the grapevine that the pomegranates were hiding out in Jacks Wholefoods and Groceries in Claremont Quarter so I got down there quickly and finally purchased a few (along with a coconut water and goji berries, plus mixed nuts from liquorice on my way out!).

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I cut the fruit in half, squeezed both halves into a bowl (you may have to use your muscles for this part) and proceeded to try with a teaspoon. Like the POM juice they are sweet but tart but also have the extra crunch from the seeds.

When considering how to introduce pomegranate into a home-cooked recipe a foodie friend told me she had a bruschetta with mushrooms, ricotta and topped with pomegranates at The Garden in Leederville however I decided to take the sweet route for my first pomegranate inspired meal.

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Pomegranate Breakfast Sundae

Method: In a glass I dripped honey down the sides for colour (and not because I could eat honey all day every day!) and then layered Margaret River creamy pot set vanilla yogurt (but you can use your yogurt of choice, the rich and delicious yogurt from the stall in the Subiaco Markets would work perfectly too) with pomegranate seeds, before topping the glass of goodness with the excess seeds and juice.

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This recipe is so versatile and so many other delicious treats can be added! If I was wanting a more filling breakfast I would add my favourite muesli between the layers, you could also add peach or banana between the layers, or for a special treat substitute the yogurt for a thickened cream sweetened with honey, agave syrup or a touch of cinnamon and mix through some crushed up meringue (I know what I’ll be craving for dessert tonight!).

Written by Jade and inspired by her new best friend the Pomegranate.

Be well,

xoxo

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

I’m the Sales and Marketing Coordinator for the chemical-free luxury skin care brand Sodashi. I studied Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations at Curtin University, Bentley and I was very lucky to be offered an opportunity with such a great company. I am also the editor for Creatures of Commonplace, a website devoted to current fashion and beauty trends.

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♥ Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

My beauty routine is a definite highlight for me because I use some of the most amazing products. Here goes:

1. Cleanser: I use the Sodashi Clay Cleanser with Sandalwood first thing in the morning. The cleanser is great to clean away any leftover residue from night products.

2. Exfoliate: I like to use Sodashi’s Rejuvenating Concentrate which is a liquid exfoliant made up of plant essences. You basically add 10 drops to a bowl of warm water, immerse your face cloth, rinse, and compress to the face. I love that it is so aromatic, almost like a mini aromatherapy session in your bathroom.

3. Boost: Next I apply my Sodashi Calming Skin Boost which is basically a leave on gel mask with amazing nutritional benefits for the skin. I leave it to deeply penetrate my skin while I brush my teeth. It also makes for a great primer before makeup!

4. Eye Lifting Gel: At the same time as the boost I apply my Sodashi Eye Lifting Gel which is great to reduce puffiness and dark circles around the eye area. A life saver in the morning!

5. Moisturiser: Finally I apply my Calming Face and Neck Moisturiser by gently massaging it into my skin in an uplifting motion – it’s never too early to start practicing these anti-ageing techniques!

During the day at the office I have a bottle of Sodashi Calming Rose Mist and Burt’s Bees Lip Balm to keep my skin and lips hydrated.

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

I love going to Annasha Day Spa in Gooseberry Hill for a Sodashi Pure Radiance Facial or the Thermal Infusing Facial Treatment. It is such a beautiful getaway just 40 minutes outside Perth CBD.

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

I am absolutely in love with Lee Preston Hair in South Perth. They do an amazing job and I can always trust them to try new styles or colours. I have had major trust issues with hairdressers in the past, so going to Lee Preston makes it a very pleasant and stress free experience!

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♥ Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

I always do my own manicure and pedicure. My favourite colours at the moment are the Butter London ‘The Full Monty’ and Chanel ‘Peridot.’

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

Only three!?

♥ Sodashi Clay Cleanser with Sandalwood
♥ Rejuvenating Concentrate
♥ Calming Face and Neck Moisturiser (and Eye Lifting Gel).

ED: That’s 4! 😉

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

I always find that I feel my best when I go to the gym regularly, drink lots of water and meditate daily.

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

It would be amazing to go on a wellness retreat.

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♥ Describe a typical day of eating for you.

Breakfast: A regular day would be a banana smoothie or All Bran with Almond and Honey.

Lunch: I usually take a boiled egg, crackers, a carrot and fruit, or if I manage to be organised in the morning a chicken wrap with avocado and cucumber. I LOVE Nudies and Emma and Toms juice and drink several cups of English Breakfast Tea a day.

Night time: I can be a little slack when it comes to nutritional value but we usually cook marinated chicken or roast chicken with vegetables. We also rarely have sweet biscuits, chocolate or icecream anywhere in the house otherwise it is too tempting! We always indulge in a once a week burger or Indian dinner (usually on the weekends).

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♥ Describe your fitness routine.

I usually try to get to the gym 3 times a week for an hour workout; 10mins warm up on the elliptical followed by 20mins of squats and weights and I usually finish with 20mins cardio (10mins on the bike and 10mins on the elliptical). I wind down with 10mins of stretching. I also like to get outside for a beach walk with friends.

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

I take 3 x a day HGC+ (horseradish, garlic and vitamin C), Olive Leaf and Elderberry and Pau D’arco (for cleansing and strengthening) and once a day Fish Oil.

At work we are very lucky to receive Bowen, Reflexology and Indian Head Massage’s once a month.

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

I love to read, right now I am absorbed in Jessica Rudd’s books (Kevin Rudd’s daughter) and I occasionally go to my holiday house in Ledge Point to relax. We also meditate every day at work which is a great way to de-stress.

Thanks to lovely Ali for sharing her beauty & wellbeing routine with us!

If you have any questions or comments for Ali, share em below 🙂

Be well,

xoxo

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Bonjour! I’ve recently become the happy owner of an iPhone, so you will be seeing a lot more piccies on Wellness WA which should make things much more colourful and visual. I hope you enjoy 🙂

I’ve had this smoothie the last two mornings and it’s definitely pepped me up and gotten the day off to a great start…

Magnificent Morning Smoothie!

♥ 1-2 x cup of chilled, filtered water
♥ 1 x frozen banana
♥ 1 x cup of frozen blueberries
♥ 1 x small (organic) apple
♥ 2 x cups of spinach
♥ 1 x tbsp Grants Liquid B Vitamins (love, love, love this stuff in helping to manage stress)
♥ 1 x tbsp Pepitas

Optional

♥ 2 x tsp pea protein powder

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Whiz this all up for 1-2 minutes and you’ll have a vitamin packed, cooling breakfast treat that is sure to make your toast eating housemate jealous!

I like to add the protein powder to give a more sustained energy boost, and I’m trying to gain a little weight at the moment!

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Tah dah! Final smoothie + messy bench top & gratuitous organic fruits and veggies for good measure.

What do you think of this smoothie recipe?

Let me know if you end up trying it 🙂

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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I want to share with you two inspirational documentaries that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the past couple of weeks. I would recommend them to anyone who is interested in wellbeing and living a healthy lifestyle (that should be most of you!)

♥ Yogawoman – The Film

This documentary follows the female journey of yoga throughout the world, and focuses on the ‘global good’ that yoga can foster. From cancer survivors, imprisoned women, those in poverty and those with a variety of health conditions, yoga can bring about the capacity for change and healing.

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With an all star cast including Shiva Rea and Sean Corne, plus many other highly regarded practitioners, Yogawoman is a unique look at the practice that so many of us are a part of. Recommended to anyone interested in yoga! Available from the Yogawoman website.

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♥ Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

Now here’s one I haven’t been able to stop raving about since watching it a week ago. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead follows the 60-day juicing journey of soon-to-be-household-name Joe Cross. Starting out with obesity, a poor lifestyle and with chronic urticaria (persistant skin lesions), Joe decided to quit processed food altogether and only drink freshly pressed juice for 60 days while he drove across America, spreading the word about healing through green juice.

Not surprisingly his health increased exponentially, his lesions completely disappeared and he became fitter than ever before. All this while inspiring many others to make positive lifestyle choices as well.

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Never fear though! You wont just be drinking juice for the rest of your life, it’s just a ‘Reboot’ to your system, afterwards you’ll be able to continue eating (hopefully healthy food!)

While I don’t need to lose weight, I’ve experienced amazing levels of wellbeing from green smoothies (little different to juice) and would heartily recommend anyone give either juicing or smoothies a go! Find out more about Joe Cross here!

Have you ever done a juice cleanse? Would you like to? Lets chat about this!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥ No beaches like this in London!

When a chance meeting on holiday in Perth led to a surprise job offer, I found myself packing my bags and taking the plunge into a brand new life. And, I hoped, a much healthier one. Years spent in the hustle-bustle of London, with a stressful job and too many after-work drinks had taken their toll. Turns out that the City of Lights was just what I needed to revive my weary body and soul. So I wanted to share a little of my journey to wellness since arriving in Perth…

♥ Jacobs Ladder

♥ Kings Park

My first home in Perth was nestled at the foot of Kings Park and I was soon blown away by its beauty. I eagerly ventured out for a run, feeling a touch smug that I was out exercising at 7am…..this soon evaporated when I realised how many people had already run the gauntlet of Jacob’s Ladder by that time!

Since that first visit, magical Kings Park has been a consistent source of joy. One of my all time favourite things is a swim in the rooftop pool in the park, gazing out onto the trees…bliss.

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♥ Subi Farmers Market

A stroll round Subi Farmers Market for a fresh juice and organic veggies is my treasured Saturday morning ritual. It never fails to restore me after the working week, awakening my senses with all the yummy tastes on offer, from the healthy to decadent – with my favourite raw chocolate stall combining both elements beautifully.

The buzz of people easing into their weekend is wonderful and I love connecting with local producers with a real passion for what they do. Gorgeous!

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♥ Innate Wisdom Wellness Centre

One thing that struck me as a Perth newbie was how many people here see a chiropractor. Intrigued, and spurred on by my tense ‘desk jockey’ shoulders, I ventured into Innate Wisdom. They use a very gentle technique called Network Spinal Analysis – no cracking!

It’s been truly amazing. The long held tensions in my body are melting away, but it’s the emotional release that’s been totally mind blowing. I can’t thank the team enough for their skill and care.

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♥ ‘Down South’

Oh my! When I had my first taste of the Margaret River region I thought I’d stumbled on paradise. Since then I’ve been ‘down south’ at every opportunity and it always uplifts me.
The relaxed vibe is so appealing, as well as the many opportunities for pampering – manna for a spa addict like me! Favourites are Empire with its Sodashi spa and Merribrook which has beautiful grounds and a lovely swimming pool.

Of course there’s the obvious pull towards gluttony, with edible and quaffable temptations at every turn, but a little of what you fancy is good for you, non? Especially if it’s from the fabulous Cullens biodynamic winery…

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♥ Kitty Campion at the Perth Natural Medical Clinic

As with chiro, naturopathy seems more prevalent over here, so after seeing Kitty Campion give a talk on the mind-body connection I decided to give it a go. Kitty is an experienced medical herbalist and practices many other therapies including iridology, sound and light healing, bioresonance, and Reiki. Put simply, she’s an all round natural health superstar.
It’s fair to say that when I first saw Kitty I was more than a little ‘toxic’. But no more! My eyes sparkle, my skin glows and I have a definite spring in my step. We are very lucky to have Kitty in Perth!

What would your top 5 wellness tips for Perth newbies be? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Article by Karen Miller, Perth newbie & loving it!

Be well,

xoxo