5 Aussie Music Favourites

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Music taste is such a subjective thing but it’s so satisfying to discover new artists and tracks that you love. Some people find that their preferences fall into just one or two genres whereas others enjoy music from a wide variety of genres – I am definitely in the latter category! I think sometimes it can be a bit daunting discovering new music outside of the top 40 charts because there’s just so much out there! This post is a compilation of a number of perhaps lesser known Australian artists and songs that I have discovered over the past couple of years whose work I want to share with you (if you haven’t already come across some of them)! For each I have picked my favourite track and I hope that you will enjoy them too!Read More »

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What’s All The Fuss About Barre?

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I’ve been planning to write about barre for a while now (I’ve had a draft of this post for about a year) and after having had a 3 month break and trying out a couple of different styles of exercise classes and corporate gym group fitness classes, I’ve come crawling back.

I first started barre 2 years ago, about the time that it exploded as the “it” exercise class in every fitness magazine. However, unlike every other fitness class I have taken in the past, I still love barre two years on – it has well and truly passed the fad stage. It’s never a chore for me to go to a class in my lunch break and I always feel great afterwards. Basically, the jackpot when it comes to exercise!Read More »

Walking v Running?

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Most people seem to have a strong preference for whether walking or running is better for you in terms of health, fitness and weight loss and which one they prefer to take part in, if either. But does it really make a difference which activity you do and is one better than the other?

Personally I am more of a walking person. I find it a nice way to clear your head and take in some fresh air and scenery (the picture for this post is one of my favourite walks in Sydney, the Bondi-Coogee coastal walk). While I also go for a run once a week to have a bit of extra high intensity cardio in my life, I don’t love running (although I always feel good afterwards). When it comes down to it, it’s a personal preference. I think both are effective forms of exercise although interestingly the benefits derived from each can be quite different.Read More »

5 Skin Tips For Flying

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I am so excited to go on my first big holiday this year to the West coast of the U.S.!! So much so that I have thoroughly annoyed everyone at work by voicing my excitement on a daily basis for the past month (I know – I’m that person!). The only hurdle is the 14 hour flight to get there from Melbourne. I don’t think there are many people who genuinely enjoy long-haul flights. I don’t mind flying but 14 hours is a long time in one seat, breathing recycled air that slowly sucks moisture out of your skin. However, there are a few things you can do to combat the dehydration and help your skin recover quickly after!
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Chai Body Scrub

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Exfoliation can do wonders for your skin and this chai scrub is amazing! It’s also super easy (and quick) to make and is full of ingredients that you will probably already have in the kitchen! Exfoliation helps to maintain clear, soft skin. This is because our skin cells are regenerating all the time with the dead ones falling away. But sometimes the dead cells cling on and this can lead to blocked pores and and pimples as well as a feeling of rough skin.

Sugar is one of the best natural exfoliants as it it much gentler on the skin than salt or other gritty things used in exfoliators. It is also a natural humectant which means it draws moisture in and contains glycolic acid which encourages cell turnover, generating fresh skin. However, while you should exfoliate regularly to maintain soft, clear skin, you shouldn’t exfoliate more than 2 – 3 times a week as this can lead to damaging healthy skin cells.Read More »

Why Singing is Good for You

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We all have our favourite singers and styles of music that we enjoy listening to and occasionally singing along to, but did you know that the minute you open your mouth and take part it’s good for you both mentally and physically? Singing provides similar benefits to practising meditation and yoga – it’s good for clearing the mind, breathing and even your core strength! What’s more, this is the case regardless of whether you are a trained opera singer or a tone deaf shower singer!

I used to have singing lessons in primary school and I loved them but stopped when I moved to high school because I didn’t think it was “cool” anymore – so silly! However a bit over a year ago (now I’ve finished university), I began having lessons again and it has made a huge impact on my life, balancing out other activities such as work and challenging my brain in a different way as I improve my skill level! I absolutely love it – singing has had a huge positive impact on my life! So I thought I’d share with you why this might be based on some brief research and hopefully I’ll convince you to sing more too!Read More »

Khloris Botanical

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Natural beauty products are becoming increasingly popular as people are beginning to question and value what they put on their skin as well as what they put inside of their bodies. However, it can be very difficult to make informed decisions as a consumer about which products are the best when the ingredient lists still contain 20 odd substances which are completely incomprehensible to the average person! However, there are some (mostly smaller) companies who are creating beautiful products that are exceptions, setting a new standard in natural skincare. Khloris Botanical is one such example. It is my newest beauty discovery and is everything I aspire to in a beauty product both quality-wise and ethically.

Khloris Botanical is a small Melbourne-based business founded by Suzanne Walker that creates beautiful facial sprays (or tonics as she calls them). Khloris differs from most commercial beauty products in that it isn’t just natural ingredients, it is made up entirely of fresh hydrosols (also called floral water or herbal water) which are sourced directly from the distillers – nothing else!Read More »

What’s Wrong With Microbeads?

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I’ve been reading a bit about microbeads lately as there has been a move to ban them from being used in products in Australia following recent US legislation, including two of Australia’s biggest companies promising to phase them out by 2018. However, as someone who uses 100% natural beauty products most of the time, I hadn’t given them much thought and didn’t really know a lot about them. So here’s a quick overview.Read More »