♥

My plan up until recently to do my bit for the environment and Climate Change, was to buy an electric car. When I had enough money. Oh, and when they were available to be bought. That was the plan. But recently, I’ve had the feeling that this probably wasn’t going to be enough and that I was probably going to have to rethink this plan, even though it was brilliant and foolproof (right?)

So what could I do? Get a worm farm? Make a compost bin? Live in a teepee? Probably. But it’s not really my style. I’m more of an electric car kind of gal. So what if I could take a small, little baby step towards doing something for the planet AND have this little step make me look lov-ver-ly. TELL. ME. MORE.

Enter the growing market of ‘green’ beauty products. Organic ingredients, recycled plastics all that jazz. Now, I’m not going to pretend like this area of the market is new, not by any stretch, but it is an area of the market that I have avoided up until recently. The idea of organic beauty products had me thinking of sandalwood and hemp and facemasks made out of porridge and dreadlocks and hippies and Fremantle (sorry!) I guess you could say I was a little biased and a lot not interested. So when I first started using Dr Bronner’s line of beauty products these poor, poor items were really starting on the back foot. I’m not saying I didn’t want them to work, I just didn’t expect them to. For the purposes of this review I road tested Dr Bronner’s Liquid Soap, Dr Bronner’s Shaving Gel, Dr Bronner’s Organic Lotion and Dr Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm.

Shaving Gel.

Let’s start with the shaving gel because this had the biggest hurdle to jump- if any of you reading this are related to/the friend of a beauty therapist (in my case my sister) you would have probably had it drummed into you that shaving your legs is EVIL and should be stopped at once. Now, if my sister is reading this I’M SORRY, but sometimes you are in a rush and you just need to shave your legs so you just do it and ok you feel bad about it 3 days after but those first two days the rush you get from that smoothness wow is there anything like it? So even though I am a waxer, I totally shaved my legs for this review. PUTTING MY BODY ON THE LINE. And this product- totally great. Smells amazing (not like shaving cream which I think doesn’t smell so great), is nice and thick so it creates a good barrier that wont make you cut the hell out of your legs, leaves them feeling great afterwards (and the next day) and seriously if you do shave your legs all the time, you have to have something like this. Don’t just think shower gel or shampoo/conditioner will do. It won’t. It doesn’t. Stop doing it. Get this stuff. The lemon lime smell was really nice. I highly recommend.

Peppermint Lotion

Now, the lotion. The plus was that it was quite light so you didn’t feel all sticky afterwards and rubs in really well (and those are two really big ticks in my book) the minus was that the peppermint fragrance got a bit too sickly for me (the good news though is that it comes in Lavender Coconut, Orange Lavender and Patchouli Lime something for every nose.)

Castille Soap

However, I also tried the Liquid Soap in Peppermint and that was just perfect. The peppermint gives your skin a real zing after you use it to wash your face so that’s one product where I think I would definitely prefer the peppermint preference. Now, while we are speaking of this soap- allow me to spend a second on it. This soap has EIGHTEEN uses. 1-8. I couldn’t even get through them all, and I tried. The face cleaning properties were enough for me (I’m not green enough yet to use it to wash my house or clothes), but knowing it has eighteen different uses makes me kind of impressed while I am using it.

Orange Ginger Lip Balm

And last, but certainly not least, the lip balm. Ah…lip balm. How I love thee. I don’t think I am lying when I say that I have tried nearly every single lip balm on the market. I just love them so. The Dr Bronner’s version I tried was the Orange Ginger flavour and it smelt really nice (not too sweet) so nice in fact it kind of made me feel like I was eating carrot cake every time I put it on. This was another bonus and surprise, surprise it did the job. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it is just as good as Lucas papaw ointment. It doesn’t make your lips irritated and itchy afterwards like Carmex does to me or Lip Smackers (yeah ok I own ONE alright so don’t tease me it’s just one and I’m 90% sure it was a gift) and it doesn’t smell medical like Blistex. Tick tick and tick.

The last thing I need to bring up about all these products is the PRICE. The lip balm $2,99, Liquid soap $2.49, Lotion $9.99 and shaving gel $7.99!!! You guys, it’s so cheap!

I seriously am wondering how Dr Bronner even makes any money.

Ok so it doesn’t have the fanciest, sexiest packaging (although there’s something serious about it which I like) but does it matter when you can have these basic products for dirt-cheap and you can know exactly what is in them AND you can know you are helping the environment out a little?

Get yourselves to this website stat because you can get everything online (the company is American): I seriously can’t recommend the lip balm and the shaving gel enough. Don’t wait around for the electric car.

http://www.drbronner.com

NOTE: All these prices are in US dollars, but the exchange rate is so good at the moment, 0.911 as of today 03/08/2010 so you’re still getting a way good deal.

By Adriane, dream babe extraordinaire

♥ ♥ ♥

We’re pretty used to paying to keep ourselves looking and feeling great. Gym memberships, massages, yoga classes, personal trainers, haircuts, dancing, waxing, boot camps… the list goes on! It seems keeping fit and polished automatically comes at a price, and over time you could find your wallet mourning the loss of yet another $17 for an hours worth of movement or $100+ to be hair free for just a month.

Fear not my loves, while staying in shape, looking great and working towards optimum wellbeing are ENTIRELY worthwhile endeavours, they don’t have to be expensive if you don’t want them to be!

We’re here to shine some coin-saving lights in our new segment ‘Cheap / Free’! We’ll be highlighting fantastic places in Perth to participate in all things wellbeing related.

As always though, we’ll only be focusing on places that we think are high-quality and would personally recommend.

Stay tuned for our first article on a nifty little late night exercise spot in the Western Suburbs that just happens to be completely free… well I never!

Please share your tips for cheap / free health & beauty in Perth!

Be well

xoxo

Getting your eyebrows professionally shaped is like an instant eyelift. The eyebrows are such an important and dramatic feature of your face, and so, should always be well groomed and shaped. Unfortunately I’ve been somewhat unblessed with straight eyebrows that sprout out like spiders legs in the middle. They aren’t very neat and I have black hair, so they are a prominent feature. I decided to try Total Brow in Inglewood to see if they could help my cause.

From the unassuming entrance on Beaufort St, the foyer is decorated in gold and white, giving it a royal feel. The sell Napoleon Perdis products, so I had fun looking and sampling all the new range before Amy, an eyebrow stylist, called me in. Amy, like all the girls that worked there had perfect shaped brows – and this was a great relief to me.

Amy guided me into the room and I lay down on the table under quite bright lights. I explained the predicament of my wayward brows and she didn’t seem too worried as she went to work.

Total Brow use a combination of warm wax and plucking on the brows. Its relatively painless and quick. Amy also started to pencil in my brows. I confessed I’d never used an eyebrow pencil before so she kindly gave me a lesson. Even though I had dark hair, she suggested using a blonde pencil on my brows – and they looked great.

I left there with slightly thinner, much neater and better shaped brows. I was extremely happy with the result and I will be definitely be back. On the Total Brow website it says: “Come and see us at Total Brow – We’re the best Waxers in Perth!” and, when it comes to eyebrows, I would have to agree with them.

Address:
826b Beaufort Street
Inglewood
Western Australia 6052

Ph. 9371 6057
Fax. 93716072

Web: http://www.totalbrow.com.au

Review by Yvette.

Working from home, I usually prescribe to the same daily uniform: yoga pants and an oversized, el-cheapo fleece hoody. Not exactly glamour. But the kind folk at The Facial Company approached Wellness WA to review their Skype live video consultation service, sending me into a panic because, my god, I may have to brush my hair and slap on a decent top.

However, there was no need to work myself into such a frenzy as founder and beauty expert Darren Clark instantly made me feel at ease via Skype video. After a couple of technical issues, Darren proceeded with the 20 minute consultation, asking me my skin concerns. I have combination skin and no major breakouts and just wanted to look at preventing future breakouts and wrinkles.

Darren also asked me what skin care I was using. My answer: not much, other than a basic pharmacy cleanser and whatever moisturiser sample I find at the bottom of my drawer. I half-expected the hard sell on products stocked on The Facial Company’s web store, but instead was given honest feedback – that the glycolic acid in my current cleanser is an excellent choice in preventing wrinkles (woohoo!). He also suggested a couple of moisturiser options to hydrate my skin and gave informative advice based on what he could see through the video, darkness under the eyes, most likely caused from sitting in front of a computer all day.

This could be you! Lying in bed, getting your skin assessed. You may have to turn on the light though!

Darren also told me about a success story – an older customer who was fed up with her skin woes, testing a heap of products over the years that never seemed to work. In a last bid attempt, she contacted The Facial Company for a 20 minute consultation. Taking Darren’s advice, she tried a few different products and was so impressed with the results that she booked another consultation. She is now truly on the quest for skin perfection that she never thought was possible.

Obviously the great advantage to this system is that you don’t even have to get out of your pjs to receive solid, professional advice. I can see this as a perfect solution to those beauty lovers out there that live in rural areas, or people that may not have access to a big range of skin care products. Also, it’s perfect for guys that want to get into a skin regime without feeling intimidated.

To book a Skype live video consultation, the process is very simple:

♥ Visit the website facialcompany.com.au and click on the Skype live consultations link.
♥ Fill out the form, selecting the date that suits you best and submit.
♥ Pay your $10 (redeemable for any online purchase).
♥ And voila! A team member from The Facial Company will confirm your appointment with you.

You’ll also need to make sure you have a microphone, a web cam, sound, internet access and Skype (which can be downloaded for free). Too easy.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the service but I was really impressed with Darren’s feedback and he’s a lovely guy to boot.

Review by Jess – a chocolate doughnut loving, fashion stylist extraordinaire with an extreme penchant for olives.

Be well,

xoxo

Dear readers: this may well be the Mecca for acrylics! Could this be where my search for the perfect nails ends?

Studio One

U2, 1004A Beaufort St, BEDFORD, WA, 6052

Ph: 9370 2000

What: Permanent French acrylic refills, after 6 weeks’ growth.

This salon came recommended by a friend who has other beauty treatments done here. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and found one of my very first nail techs, who’s now running her own salon. I’d been somewhat lax about booking in to have my refills so by the time I actually went to Studio One, my nails were looking the worse for wear. Emma, ever the consummate professional, was very diplomatic and made a lot of sympathetic noises, like how hard it must have been to wash my hair. (Other acrylic-lovers will know what that’s like when your nails start to lift. They catch in everything!). I felt right at ease.

Service

Between us we had managed to mix up our first appointment but Emma quickly found an alternative spot on what must have been a busy Saturday. The salon itself is comfortable, sunny and faces out onto Beaufort St. (If you’re peckish, there’s a fantastic Indian restaurant next door!). Emma is charming and personable, so there’s no shortage of conversation!

Nail form

The shape was spot on – square without sharp edges. The nails look like a sheet of glass – thin and flat. The proportion of pink to white was also exactly right; that is, about two-thirds pink to a third white. The curve of the crescent is oval – which takes some getting used to, if you’re used to a more round shape – but nevertheless effective.

Technique

The application of the acrylic and creation of the shape is all done with a brush. Electric drills and emery boards are used (your own board is kept in a separate envelope for hygiene). Gel was applied to create a glossy look.

Time

1 hour.

Cost

$70.00 for refills. That’s double the price of some salons. However the products are high quality and non-toxic. (If you haven’t already done so, it’s worth researching the various health risks of the cheaper products. Ultimately, you pay for what you get).

Overall Rating

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ + 1/2 a heart! (4.5)

Review by Bron, whittling down the nail salons til she finds the pinnacle of acrylics.

Be well,

xoxo