♥

Having just returned from living in London and spending a good few months reorganising my life, it was time to tackle the next job on the list.

I needed to find a new confidant who was good with a wax pot and a spatula. Someone I felt comfortable with for tending to, well you know. I thought it was going to be an arduous task, but luckily I was wrong…

I am not going to hold back on details, it had been a rather long time between drinks if you know what I am saying. Thanks to Scoopon (who doesn’t love a deal?) I bought a voucher for some waxing at Love Bodyworx on Preston street in Como and even before my voucher was valid, toddled along as a full paying customer. I have to admit I was starting to get the cold sweats about the impending pain but knew it had to be done.

I was warmly greeted by the owner Tracey and ushered into a treatment room. I then braced myself for what I thought would be pain only second to childbirth. I clenched my teeth and sweaty palms for the dreaded first rip ……. it didn’t hurt all, nor the second rip, or third, or in fact – any! Yes a relatively pain free brazilian wax and I am telling you there was some serious removal needed, we were lucky there was any wax left in the pot!

Still stunned from the lack of pain, aftercare advice was offered and not the ‘buy this product’ kind, but good honest helpful advice. I left immediately making a follow up appointment (I never do this) and with a new found spring in my step.

Yes it’s a small salon, but the open friendly manner of the owner, the great pricing ($50 and $45 for a repeat visit within 3-6 weeks of initial wax) and the pain free waxing more than make up for it. Love Bodyworx? Yup I do!

Love Bodyworx Beauty Salon is located at:

Shop 2/10 Preston St (on the corner of Mary and Preston)
Como, WA

Ph: (08) 9368 0396

Website | Facebook

Review by Kristy Mollica freelance TV and radio presenter, lover of girl power & things that are so totally not beige!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

Fed up with the way many products and brands in the beauty world were either overpriced, poorly formulated, marketed in a misleading way or all three, Perth chemist, businesswoman and mother Bridget Black decided to take matters into her own hands.

Her chemistry background provided the foundation for her to create her own range of beauty products. Her absolute commitment to ethical practice means no ingredients used by the business are tested on animals and she tracks carbon footprint for everything from manufacture to distribution, as well as crediting $2 for the return of every piece of BB packaging.

I was lucky enough to be treated to a deluxe facial at Bridget’s flagship Mt Lawley boutique.

Reception / store area.

The fit-out is gorgeous. Considering the namesake of the business, black is the obvious choice, but it’s complemented with lots of bright white, chandeliers and make-up style light-bulbs around the mirrors.

I don’t know about you, but the moment I always fear most with a new beautician is the one where that lamp with the all-knowing light hangs over your face and tells of the multitude of sins: drinking too much alcohol and too little water, smoking (not that I do), spending too much time in the sun (driving a soft-top in summer doesn’t help); eating poorly or whatever other vice you have or temptation you give in to. Luckily, it appears all that drinking water and diligent application of sunscreen paid off and my skin, is, happily, free of premature aging and sun damage.

Temily, the therapist I had on the day, was an absolute professional.

After leaving me to tuck myself into the plush (black) blankets, she ran through my own skincare routine with me, having read the client details I had filled in on arrival.

The lush treatment room.

One of my pet hates is pushy therapists who try to sell you products while you’re having a treatment. Ditto for hairdressers trying to upsell serums, conditioners etc at the till.
I’m all for being informed, knowing what the therapist is using and the features and benefits, but it’s a fine line between informing a client and peddling products and Temily straddled it perfectly. It was an incredibly relaxing and soothing treatment, but also one where I felt informed and safe every step of the way, also another really important factor with a new therapist. Temily made me feel like just for that hour, there was no more important place to be than right where I was.

The jojoba buffing beads were one of my favourite products. I’ve used them since I had the facial, and have really never felt my skin so clean and clear of debris and dead skin cells.

Bridget Black Eye Gel, 30ml – RRP $35

The eye gel also felt beautiful on my skin and appeared to really make the skin around my eyes tighter and more soft and supple. The moisturiser for normal to oily skin, which is what I’ve got, was the perfect weight and I wasn’t left feeling at all greasy on a hot Perth summer morning.

One of the most delightful parts of the facial was the arm and leg exfoliation. Having a choice of scents added a personal touch, and vanilla, which is my all-time favourite, was one of them. Being able to select, when filling in client info, what level of massage you like is just one of the services that makes the Bridget Black experience more personal and far better than the average beauty salon encounter.

I left the salon feeling pampered, spoiled and like I’d been treated with products that had truly done my skin good.

The deluxe facial goes for 1 hour and costs $75.

Bridget runs a second store on St George’s Terrace in the CBD.
 
Follow Bridget’s movements on Facebook or on her website.

Have you tried Bridget Black, or any other local Perth brands before? Let us know in the comments!

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

Be well,

xoxo

Today I whirled into this little salon (open Sunday so a big plus!) which is located South of the River @ the Farrington Road shops in Leeming.

My mission Today was to become less hairy, something which I have been REALLY lax about lately (much to my boy friends dismay @ my prickly legs, I find shaving a very sub-optimal form of hair removal) due to being unemployed for a while & sans-dollars. The torture areas of choice were eyebrows, lip & underarms (the legs will have to wait a few more days!!).

The salon itself is quite small, but it feels nice and clean inside. The therapist seemed young and wasn’t particularly talkative, which I don’t mind.

The brows were the first to go, she tidied them up with strip wax in one little rip for each brow. At other salons I’ve been to they do it incrementally, it turned out okay though so I’m not sure which I prefer.

The worst part was that a tiny bit of wax got on my eyelid so it hurt when she was taking it off, luckily it didn’t seem to have an effect on the lid but I was concerned it might.

The lip was definitely the worst! Afterwards it turned quite red and the therapist laughed when I asked if it was red, which I didn’t think was very professional, but she went and got some i.d Bare Escentuals make-up to conceal it.

The underarms were fine, I was asked a preference between hot / strip wax & I chose hot. In my experience hot wax is always the way to go for underarms! It hurts a lot more otherwise!

So now I’m free from having to worry when wearing dresses and singlets for about a month, I’m such a big advocate for underarm waxing – shaving is so messy & non lasting on me.

It cost $40 for those 3 treatments, which is a pretty standard cost.

PROS: Open on Sunday, average price, concealed post-wax redness with make-up

CONS: Therapist lacked professionality, lip was very red from strip wax, bit of wax on eyelid.

Overall I’m not sure if I’d heartily recommend it yet, definitely for a leg wax it’d be fine & being open on Sunday is a huge plus. If I went again I’d hope for a different therapist or just get legs / underarms done. They do IPL there which I am really interested in for my bikini line, but I might look around a bit more for a salon I feel a little more confident in going to.

6.5/10

♥ Photo by autumn_leaf

Hola! Welcome to Wellness WA, the only website/blog that is dedicated to all the big & little ways that us folk who live in Perth can keep ourselves looking lovely and feeling even better!

A little background on me.. I’ve always been very interested in health, well being and doing as many things as possible to keep myself feeling good. These have included weekly massages (when I was in a position to afford it!), yoga, facials and other spa treatments, dancing etc. and other small things such as drinking tea and having relaxing baths regularly. I love reading reviews of other peoples spa, beauty and treatment experiences, but find ones that are relevant to Perth very few and far between, so I figured if -I- want to find out more information about local places, maybe some other people do too?

That’s what this blog is about. I’m going to be writing up honest reviews of beauty salons and spas in Perth as well as providing my opinion and information on other services and activities such as reiki, reflexology, yoga, pilates and more! Please feel free to contact me if you have any enquiries, suggestions or ideas of places to try out!

Be well! x

info@wellnesswa.com.au