Giveaway: Toxin Free Mani & Pedi at Biotyspa

Remember I raved about my favourite facialist and spa , Deborah from BIOTYSPA, before?

The fact that this place exists makes me already so happy.
A toxin-free, cruelty-free, vegan beauty salon with the most professional treatments and products...and all that just a few steps from my house in Bondi Beach.

French therapist Deborah just opened up a brand-new, beautiful Salon and of course, I had to go to the opening party.|
The treatment menu has also been updated and besides her signature treatments (which you HAVE TO try), clients can now also treat themselves to a toxin-free (five free) Mani & Pedi with the beautiful products and colours from Australia cult nail brand Kester Black.

Being pregnant I have been avoiding professional mani- and pedicures lately, as I want to avoid the toxin as well as the fumes in the conventional salons.
I had to try the Bioty Mani&Pedi , which besides using all five-free products is also done in in this beautiful large room with fresh-air and no fumes circulating around. 

What can I say? It is a completely different experience to your average nail salon.
Treatments with Deborah are always soooo relaxing and fun, so I really enjoyed my pamper time, especially when being pregnant. The result was flawless, my hands and feet are feeling moisturised.
There were so many beautiful colours, yet I decided to match fingers and toes and picked out colour "Lilac" for both. This is not the place to request funky nail art but rather have a relaxing & healthy experience.
I also got some extra tips on how to look after my rather dry poor pregnant feet, including more foot rubs from husband ;)

GIVEAWAY COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

The Prize
One appointment for a toxin-free Mani&Pedi Combo at Biotyspa in Bondi.
Discover the pleasure of qualitative and relaxing manicure and pedicure, made with toxin-free products.
We use all natural creams, gels, nail polish and removers, certified cruelty-free, vegan and eco-friendly.

Enter Now!
To enter please leave a comment below and tell me what your favourite nail polish colours are this Summer. Do you love summerly coral, timeless nude, or stylish dark tones?
 

Terms & Conditions:
The Toxin Free Mani&Pedi At Biotyspa competition will be judged on skill. The competition opens, Thursday December 8 at 7pm EST and closes on Sunday, December 18th at 12noon EST. One entry per person. Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. Australian entries only, sorry. There is one prize to be won. Winners will be notified via email and published here at the end of this blog post by the end of Monday the 19th of December.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LUCKY WINNER KARA! WE WILL CONTACT YOU VIA EMAIL.
 

Summer Glow Moisturiser

One of my favourite lines, Edible Beauty, has just launched a new product:

No 4+ Tinted Vanilla Silk Hydrating Lotion

It's a tinted moisturiser in the truest sense of the word. It's a moisturiser that has a hint of a sunkissed tint to it.
Unlike many tinted moisturisers on the market, which are actual foundations just marketed under a different name, this product is first and foremost skincare.

Do not expect coverage from this, but if you just want that sunkissed glow and enhance your beautiful Summer skin this is perfect.

I feel it works best for normal to dry or dry skin. The tint is really suited to medium complexions but can also warm up fair skin or blend into deeper skin tones, as it is so sheer.
It gives a radiant dewy finish and nourishes the skin all day long. It

This is really what I am after in Summer day-to-day when I have a tan and my skin is even and in good condition. I would only add a little concealer on the occasional breakout or redness.
Just apply this with fingers instead of your usual moisturiser in the morning and you are good to glow!

Like all products in this range, it comes in a luxurious glass bottle with a pump dispenser.

I also recommend this as a tinted primer underneath your foundation for days or occasions that you want more coverage. Makeup sits really well over the top, as this is very hydrating and smoothing. It goes on soooo silky smooth...

Don't expect this to be makeup and you will love it! Perfect for all the foundation haters out there too. Of course, it's all vegan and packed with only the best natural ingredients.

Bump Update: Favourite Books & Prenatal Excercise

This second trimester is so much fun. I am feeling great and my energy is back.
 While I am still working my normal and pretty busy schedule, every free minute is spent with baby/pregnancy related things.

I am making smoothies every morning, eating heaps of fresh organic fruits & veggies and I am back to my lively self.

We will probably only do this once, so I am enjoying taking it all in and making the most out of this special time. Every week this little bump is growing...it all seems to happen so fast.

I have been reading a great deal about pregnancy, birth and parenting. My favourites so far are:

Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful by Gurmukh
Simplicity Parenting
You Are Your Child's First Teacher
Ina May's Guide To Childbirth
Gentle Birth , Gentle Mothering

It's all so exciting and I am so hungry for Information right now.

And while have been doing my Kundalini Yoga Meditations (many great ones are also in Gurmukhs Book above) I was craving a little more Aerobic exercise than just my usual yoga to replace my running.

I have never been to a gym in my life and I am not usually into funky workouts but I really started enjoying my "Expecting More" prenatal home videos by Sarah Hayley. There are dance style cardio workouts, strength & sculpt classes and combined workouts. They all have a great intensity and really make me sweat, yet they are gentle and safe enough for pregnancy. I have been following the suggested schedule of 5 workouts a week and two days off.I replace her "Salutations" with actual prenatal Yoga but stick to the other workouts. It has given me so much energy and really perked me up.
The real downside is the music in those videos, but after I learned all the moves I can now play my own music with it and just keep the video on silent.

I also went for my first swim of the season this week and hope to get to the beach a lot in the coming months, the cool water felt amazing!

If you are pregnant, planning to be or have a friend that is, I hope this was somewhat helpful.

I am by no means an expert and the above are just my personal opinions and experiences.

My favourite Stretch Mark Tummy Oils

Good thing I already had a very clean, toxin-free beauty routine before I was pregnant, so I was able to continue most of my favourite skin care (e.g. Edible Beauty) , body care and makeup.

My skin has become much drier though all over the body and of course I am also trying my best to avoid any stretch marks and keep my growing skin firm and elastic and hydrated. It's also a nice ritual to celebrate this changing and growing body and honour all this hard work it's doing.

I really enjoy my daily oiling sessions :)

Truth to be told, no matter how much oil and moisturiser you use depending on your individual skin, hereditary conditions and how quick you are growing stretch marks can not always be prevented.

Because I am a bit of a beauty nerd, I have tried and used quite a few different all natural and organic tummy oils. Here are my favourites:

Divine Mum's Tummy & Body Oil
Beautiful bottle, luxurious feel and a very pleasant and super subtle scent.
I was able to tolerate this even when I had morning sickness.
This gem can be used by Mum's AND babies of all ages including newborns.
It's very hydrating yet absorbs the fastest from all the oils I have tried, which makes the use even more practical. The bottle comes with a pump, which makes my life so much easier, no mess or oil spills here It's a real favourite, yet the most expensive out of my selection.

DnA Elements Mama Belly Oil
It has a light citrus scent and goes on very rich, which makes it great for massage. And the evening, however, it takes a little longer to be fully absorbed.
The bottle is sleek and beautiful, yet it has a big opening which makes the dosage a little tricky.
It comes at an affordable price in a sleek stylish glass bottle. (not pictured)

Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil
This one just exudes wellness & relaxing! The scent is very soothing and beautiful to me. It absorbs into the skin beautifully and is a really great choice for a pampering body treatment. It can be used before, during and after pregnancy and has been developed with midwives and doctors. I really enjoy using this one and enjoy the scent now in my second trimester. I think it will remain a favourite for my belly and breasts after birth as well. If you are particularly sensitive to scents in the beginning of your pregnancy simply wait a few weeks.

Last but not least

Edible Bubba Vanilla Dream Oil
The Baby massage oil is a real treat gourmand lovers. Created for babies it's too good not to use on pregnant grown-up bellies and bodies. I have always had a weakness for a good natural vanilla fragrance. With it's extremely gentle and hydrating ingredients this one is a real winner to be used on Babies skin (including newborns) and works as a perfect body oil for breastfeeding mamas, (as it's all edible your bubba will be safe to suckle on your skin!) It's the perfect massage oil with it's rich texture and doubles as bath oil (when you add it to the bath with a little of the Orange Blossom Baby Hair & Body wash or your regular shower gel. I like that this one is a real multi-purpose oil and is perfect to use on the baby as well. I will keep stocking up on this one!

As this is my first pregnancy I am researching and trying out a lot, but for a beauty lover like myself, that's kind of fun. I hope this was helpful to you.

If you have any favourite cruelty-free pregnancy products, please share in the commentsI would love to hear from you! And of course, I keep you up to date with my most discoveries.

Jane Iredale Summer Campaign

In September I flew up to Noosa to create one minute makeup looks for Jane Iredales latest Summer campaign. It was such good fun and an amazing team on set.

All the looks are wearable and very natural and subtle. I liked how all models were different ages and colouring really showing a variety of looks that suit pretty much everyone.
They are all created with real women in mind that only have a few minutes to do their makeup and are far from the usual complicated & ultra detailed Youtube makeup looks.

It's fun to see the final clips and I thought I share them here with you.

If you like the videos above check out all looks in the Jane Iredale Austalia Youtube playlist here

I really love working with the Jane Iredale products, they live up to my professional standards, are kind to the skin and are all PETA certified cruelty-free. Most of the range is vegan too!
My pro kit contains quite a few items of this brand and my collection continues to grow.

I hope you enjoyed some quick,simple, practical & natural makeup ideas for Summer!