Weekly Wellness Wrap-Up!

Kit nails! ♥

Today I’d like to share with you the beauty and wellbeing bits n pieces that have made my week – hopefully you like them, please share your wellness wrap-up too if you like!

1. Got ma nails did for FREE at the Kit event in Enex100.

And I swear it’s one of the best manicures I’ve ever had! The new season free spirits edition colour is called ‘Play Down‘ (shown above). The girls at this event were the sweetest things and I hope that Kit run something like this again soon, it was great!


2. Raw Comedy State Final @ His Majesty’s Theatre.

16 comedians did battle last night with words and wit as their weapons, the winner (Tien Tran) is headed off to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to vie for the national title! Let me tell you, this event was fantastic. There were so many highlights I can’t even remember some of them, but I would go again in a heartbeat, laughing is also AMAZING for your wellbeing, didyaknow?

3. Super mild sunscreen for the face in the form of QV Moisturising Day Cream with SPF 30+.

I’m having a bit of a love affair with this guy, after being told off by my beauty therapist for not wearing sunscreen on my face each day. My skin is a bit sensitive and prone to breaking out, so I needed something mild, non-clogging but effective, I also didn’t want that whole white-mask business that some sunscreens try and get away with.

This stuff RULZ! It has almost no smell, is non-greasy, non-sticky, is a great base for make up and ticks all of the above boxes as well. Best of all it is only $15.99 from pharmacies/Priceline!!! It has moved swiftly up the ranks to must have product in my bathroom.

4. Retreat for one at Bodhi J Day Spa.

Last Monday I treated myself to a spa day. It was fantastic. Review to come in the next few days!

5. T2 Spi Chai Tea!

I avoid caffeine where I can (but I do love my choccy!) and as a huge lover of chai tea have been searching for a decaff alternative for a while now. In T2 the other day, I stumbled upon Spi Chai, which is exactly what I’ve been wishing for!

Ingredients: Star anise, cardamon seeds/pods, liquorice root, cinnamon, ginger, jasmine, cloves, rose petals.

It’s a beautiful blend which is soothing & mildly warming, perfect as we’re waving goodbye to Summer (finally). I have mine with Vitasoy soy milk & a squeeze ‘o honey. It doesn’t make the water really dark (coz there’s no actual tea in it unlike regular chai) but the flavour is still strong and delicious. Do try it!

What have you been doing this week to up your wellness quotient?

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Breaking News: Endota Spas Coming to Perth in 2011!

♥ ♥ ♥

Woah woah woah! I literally just let out a “YES!” and clapped my hands with glee! You see, I’ve heard so much about these little pockets of bliss that are available to my Sydney, Melbourne & even Adelaide mates…tiny spa wonderlands where divine organic ingredients envelop you and you leave a changed person.

Okay okay, I haven’t tried it myself but this is what I’ve heard through my extensive reading of spa & beauty blogs from other states!

SO, the biggg news is (as I’m sure you can guess from the title) is that these bliss havens called Endota Spa’s will FINALLY be making their way to our West coast home!

David Jones city store will be the location of the first spa… and there will be more to come, they are currently offering franchising opportunities in these areas:

Territories available in greater Perth:

– Cannington
– Cottesloe
– Daglish
– Fremantle
– Innaloo
– Joondalup
– Mt Hawthorn
– Mt Lawley
– North Perth
– Perth CBD
– Scarborough
– Subiaco
– Warwick

territories available in regional WA:
– Mandurah
– Margaret River

I’ve also had the privilege of using the Endota Organic Rose Hip Oil and Honey & Rosehip mask of late and by golly, my skin is glowing! It’s like it just eats it up! There will be a proper review later, but I just wanted to give a bit of an idea as to why I’m excitedly raving like a lunatic.

So, to recap.

Endota Spas. Perth. 2011. Organic / Natural. Completely amazing. I will be first in line!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Adriane Daff, Actress.

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

Event: Sodashi Night at Bodhi J Day Spa, Wembley.

Megan Larsen, Sodashi Founder

The lovely people from Sodashi invited me along to their day spa meet and greet event at Bodhi J with Megan Larsen (founder) two weeks ago and I want to do a little re-cap because it was a gorgeous night!

Tickets to the event were $50, redeemable on product purchase, and included an array of mini-treatments, personal consultations with Megan herself, delicious snacks in the form of mini quiches and pumpkin soup shots, obligatory champers & juices, the chance to win a facial AND the best part of all… GOODIE BAGS!!!

I was lucky enough to experience two of the three mini-treatments on offer.

First up, in one of the most relaxing feeling spa rooms I’ve had the delight of experiencing, I had my chakras balanced!

Chakras

The purpose of it is to balance out the energy centers in the body, apparently my heart chakra was out and I’m a bit lonely at the moment, oh no! After the balancing was done (which involved special oils and much ushering of bad energy away from my body), I instantly felt like bursting into tears!

It was really strange, I’ve had similar experiences before with energy therapy too so I think there is some weight to it, just need to experiment some more with it and see how I go!

Sodashi Chakra Balancing Kit RRP $330

The second treat I received was a lush mini foot-facial, which is a facial for the feet, not a facial done with feet! I’ve never actually had a pedicure (quelle horreur) and this was absolutely DIVINE! My feet felt so soft and relaxed afterwards, I’ve been missing out all these years!

From my mingling and chatting to the guests, it’s safe to say that the people who use Sodashi are in fact as lovely as the people that work there!

The prize was drawn and we all received our exciting Goodie Bags, which consisted of:

♥ 1 x full size Rejuvenating Face Mist – I love this product, it smells divine and feels so fresh on the skin, I have to say that sometimes I spritz it around my apartment because it smells so good!

♥ Travel size Eye & Lip Cleanser

♥ Travel size Enlivening Body Lotion

♥ $20 Bodhi J Spa Voucher.

Loved them all!

I left with balanced chakras, soft feet, a swag full of loot & a head full of knowledge about the brand. A very successful evening! I would recommend everyone to check out day spa events, as they are super informative and you usually recoup any cost in the form of samples, nibbles, drinks & treatments, so it’s totally worth it!

Have you ever been to a day spa event?

Had your chakras balanced?

Had a pumpkin soup shot? (T’was delish!)

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Spa Review: My First Time! Facial @Beauty Cove Day Spa.

So for my first review, I thought it would be appropriate to share my first experience with a Day Spa! This was in 2007 and after ruthlessly researching online I decided upon the ‘Beauty Cove Day Spa’ in South Perth for a facial treatment… little did I know I was opening the door for an overwhelming love affair of massages, facials and everything pampering. Here goes!

(Note: This review is written in fairly simple terms as it was my first!)

http://www.beautycove.com.au

Upon entering I immediately noticed a small water feature in the corner which provided a soothing atmosphere, the girls were all friendly, gentle music playing and a very good feel overall to the entrance area.

They made me fill out a form all about my skin type, what I hoped to get out of my session, previous treatments I had used, drink preferences etc etc, which I thought was really nice! they offered me a drink and i waited 5-10 mins to go in.

I went and put my belongings in a little locker, was given a cute robe i was to put on & it had a little flower on top when it was resting in the cupboard which i thought was cute! The room i was in was really clean and dimly lit – very relaxing.

The facial I chose:

“USPA FACIALS
CONCEPT FACIALS

The facial begins with a ritual footbath, the relaxation continues with a back massage. Then your face is pampered with deep cleansing, exfoliation and warm towels to deeply infuse rich botanical ingredients. The facial is completed with a foot and scalp massage. Allow 90 mins”

It was DIVINE! the woman doing it was really professional, it felt great, at no point was I uncomfortable..she applied the hot towels to my face so well, it was my fav part 😀 face was cleansed, exfoliated, (maybe toned), massaged, steamed, hot towelled, masqued, cooling eye pads applied. the massage was excellent too. i left feeling sooooooooo relaxed and pampered which i would hope from what i paid!!!

The only con is that the BT tried to make me buy a few products at the end which i felt a bit awkward saying no to.

so overall……..8-9/10. very recommended and they have some cheaper facials/treatments too.

So as you can see, my younger self was very impressed with this new world that I had discovered! Beauty Cove is still one of my favourite places to get a treat, the massages there are amazing (ask for Kate), I’m dreaming of one right now… unfortunately I’ve just returned from a crazy holiday & am in no position to do so. But when I am I will pop down there again!

This place is highly recommended!