If the idea of doing yoga in a natural setting, be it in a park or by the ocean, takes you to your happy place then you’ll want to get involved with this.

Holistic personal trainer / nutritionist / meditation & yoga practitioner Stuart Watkins will be running classes in Kings Park, Cott and City Beach throughout the 2010-2011 Summer!

I’ve recently had a personal meditation / yoga sesh with Stuart (more on that to come later) and can vouch for his knowledge, calming voice & positive / healing vibes that seem to emanate from him in droves.

Make sure you get in touch with him by the listed methods to ensure a spot. The classes are by donation, so you pay what you feel, which is a really harmonious way of doing things.

Namaste!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Ze lovely Sarah Devlin!

A little over a month ago I started on my journey to fitness once and for all, by enlisting the help of the lovely Sarah to help me navigate the jungle known as “Doing More Exercise Than Just Walking to the Bus Stop Each Day“.

It was an unknown world to me, full of strange creatures such as the wild lunge squat, the dreaded tricep dip, which tend to travel in packs of ten…(at this stage, I hear they get more prevalent the further into the jungle we go), the gentle plie (plee-yay) and the common press up. There are also some ultra rare beasts known as ‘rest periods’, but we haven’t seen too many of those during our travels.

Dreaded tricep dip, for reference!

So what have I learned so far on my trip? Here are a few of my discoveries.

♥ I am capable of so, so, SO much more than I ever thought possible. Despite being in the early stages of training, I had very low expectations of how much exercise my body could cope with. The great thing about this style of training is that we work on so many different areas (eg. not just cardio, although there is some) that most muscle groups are nicely exhausted by the end of the session.

♥ I was scared at first. In the past I’ve heard of trainers who make you work out until you can’t see / throw up / emotionally break down. My training sessions are not like this! By no means will Sarah let me slack off, but she’s not there to make me cry or be sick.

♥ My bum, thighs & tummy are getting tighter and stronger all the time. How do I know this? Well first up it’s the aches and pains that come the day / two days after training!! This has got to be the worst part, but I’m told it will get better in time. It just means I’m working muscles that have been taking it easy for WAY too long!!

Secondly, I can visibly see / feel that these areas are getting firmer and it’s such a great feeling. As a reminder, I’m pretty small already and not trying to lose weight, but I’m very happy to be getting firmer and more toned as that was my goal 🙂

A pic of me at the beach after some workouts… oh wait. Maybe one day?

♥ Better posture – as you can imagine, running a website requires a fair bit of computer time. My ‘real job’ also involves a hefty amount of staring at screens also, so partially rounded shoulders tend to come with the territory.

We’ve been working on my posture, strengthening up the back / shoulder / chest muscles and even the work on the core helps too! I’ve definitely noticed an improvement which makes me super happy! My spine is beginning to ♥ me again.

So overall starting personal training is definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health & wellbeing and I’m only just beginning to see the results.

I can’t wait to see what happens as I continue with it!

If you want to find out more about Sarah see her website!

Tell me your personal training stories of joy / woe!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

When Skatt first opened a couple of years ago, I am sure I’m not alone when I say that I thought it was a bit of a gimmick. The bright pink, imposing building on a seemingly quiet, conservative Mount Hawthorn street screamed “different”.

However, I put my opinion on their choice of décor aside and went along to get the “Refresh Facial” which is $65 – on the cheaper side for a facial – which was the first positive.

When I arrived, I was taken through to a treatment room by the therapist. Unfortunately she didn’t tell me her name, and I forgot to ask at the end…must always remember to do this in future!

The treatment rooms at Skatt are located at the back of the building, the hair salon is at the front and is the first thing you see as you walk in.

The treatment room was fairly small but heated to a pleasant temperature and they had some ‘chillout’ music playing over the speakers which added to the atmosphere nicely.

The therapist began with a skin analysis which involved a magnifying light-dealy that she shone onto my skin. She talked me through some positive and negative points about my skin which I really liked, and she recommended ways in which I can improve the appearance of my skin.

The very best bit about all this was that she did not try to sell me anything! Skatt use Dermalogica products which I think is great – and even better that they don’t try to push them onto the clients as I believe that is the first way to turn off any clients from potentially returning in future. Other salons could do to take notice of this.

Next, my skin was cleansed twice, exfoliated, masqued and moisturised. On the website it states that extractions are included, but this was not part of my treatment – I suppose I just didn’t have anything to extract that day!

The entire facial took about 45 minutes and was of extremely high quality. I was so impressed by my therapist and her manner throughout the entire treatment, she had a slightly firm touch which I think is good in a facial and her hands were warm too which is always a plus!

The “Skattwalk”: a focal point of the salons

I have nothing but praise for Skatt and the team, in such a competitive market it is difficult to be outstanding however I believe this is exactly what they have achieved. I will definitely return and encourage anyone looking for a new beauty salon to do the same.

To add to the praise – a couple of weeks later I got a letter in the mail from Skatt containing a card for $40 off my next treatment! Fantastic – I’ll be heading back this week.

Skatt are located:

Mt. Hawthorn at 165 Scarborough Beach Road

Ph: (9443 6500)

Claremont at 52e Old Theatre Lane, Bayview Terrace

Ph: (9385 3123).

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

By Amy – 20 year old face care novice who is now addicted to facials.

♥

Head Studio is located in the center of the Perth CBD, on King Street, which is renowned for being home to designer stores including Louis Vuitton, Wheels & Dollybaby and Tiffany… Perth’s own mini version of Rodeo Drive!

It would be easy to feel intimidated heading to a hair salon that rubs shoulders with these big names.

Head Studio proves nothing to worry about however, upon arrival the staff are all smiles and very welcoming. The interior is impressive: high ceilings and gorgeous wooden floors throughout, mixed with antique décor, candles and rose petals make this two-storey salon a contender for hairdresser heaven, accessibly.

There is also a little team of goldfish friends to look at!

It’s not just the visuals that impress either; Head Studio would need an extra salon dedicated to housing all the nominations and awards for excellence they’ve received! Check out the extensive awards list here.

My experience starts with relaxing on a red velvet vintage chair and a yummy T2 tea (Botanical) served in a cute teapot/cup combo with a tiny cookie.

The selection of reading material on display is very impressive, with a personal favourite of mine, Natalie Blooms Beauty in Bloom: A Collection of Beautiful Inspirations, on display, as well as many other lovely books and all the current high-end glossies.

My colourist Rachel meets me upstairs and expertly chooses a mix of two brown shades that she thinks will suit my look. It’s a chilly day, but the temperature is controlled so I’m feeling warm while I bliss out waiting for the colour to make friends with my locks.

When it’s time for the rinse out, a huge LCD screen is positioned in front of the basins and we make the executive decision to put on ‘White Men Can’t Jump’.

For some reason I couldn’t get comfortable in the chair, but I didn’t get any water in my ears which is a notorious problem for me, so overall the colour rinse / wash was positive.

Straight off a plane and back from a competition in Melbourne, my stylist today is Taryn and she has wonderful hair. Tick!

She does what I ask for and is really friendly, giving me plenty of advice and tips about how to style my hair along the way.

My very own hair.

To finish, she uses the GHD to style my hair in a way that is completely new to me, little waves all over (I’m sure there is a technical term for this … help me out!). I’m really happy with it as it looks cute!

Unfortunately I’ve been unable to replicate it at home despite her best teaching efforts. 🙁

Throughout my experience I was really looked after, I think I ended up having 2 cups of tea, an orange juice and a glass of water. Needless to say I needed to use their toilet and even the bathroom is great, with cute pictures and writing all over the walls.

I was recommended some products and purchased L’Oreal Tecniart Spray-Mousse, pre-blowdry application ensures great smooth volume.

I enjoyed my experience at Head Studio and wouldn’t hesitate to return. The atmosphere, service, knowledge and friendliness of the staff, coupled with all the little extras thrown in make this place a gem in the Perth hair & beauty industry.

A must try!

Head Studio Locations:

PERTH SALON

64 King St, Perth CBD 6000

SUCCESS SALON

Shop 20A, Gateway Shopping Centre,
816 Beeliar Drive, Success

ROCKINGHAM SALON

Shop 4/7 Railway Tce
Rockingham Beach WA 6168

All contact, booking & pricing details can be found on their website: http://www.headstudio.com.au

Be well,

Annette

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.