Spahhh time: Red Carpet Face Spa

Wander behind the black curtains

I burst off the tram and ran a block, I was ten minutes late. "Great," I thought, "way to make a first impression" -- huffed, beet red, and slightly sweaty from an unexpectedly warm Fall day. Despite my tardiness Neelu (Neelu Ameen, Owner of Red Carpet Face Spa located in Armadale) was super welcoming, she even opened her arms to give me a hug; I took this as a no judgement, I'm ready to bring my A game. Prior to getting me settled into one of the beds tucked in the back of the salon, Neelu sat me down for a chat to find out what I wanted to get out of my visit, and asked me to express my skin concerns. This mini getting to you know you put me at ease and excited me all at once. I was ready for glowing skin.

With facials I like to chat and ask questions throughout the whole process; I realise my yammering on makes it difficult to remain in relaxation station, but I find if I don't talk or ask then I'll always wonder. My mind is overactive and curious in that regard, and thankfully Neelu happily obliged by figuratively holding my hand. During the 60+ minute facial my skin was treated to a cocktail of cosmeceuticals from Medik8 and natural Aryuvedic products, and an introductory treatment to microdermabrasion (no ouch/redness factor whatsoever) was thrown in for good measure.

Overall the experience felt personal, informative, and precious thanks to Neelu's care, knowledge, and fastidious touch. If I can entice you to visit her at least once, I can promise you won't be disappointed -- fresh skin (the kind you want to touch again and again, but shouldn't), and glorious head massages (the snore inducing sort) await.

For more information be sure to visit Red Carpet Face Spa.

*This facial was kindly provided as a complimentary service in preparation for this review. Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Kookai does Vegas for AW15

Sneaky snap of Siobhan touching up her makeup

Last week I found myself amidst the backstage mayhem prior to the start of Kookai's fashion show. It wasn't really mayhem of course, more like organised chaos - everyone had a station, a role, and a pretty model to paint. I'm still pinching myself about it all, but the highlight of the evening was meeting Napoleon Perdis' Director of Makeup, Siobhan Kelly.

Watch on to see how this fashion show came to life..

And, be sure to check out these links for a bit more information:

• Music by Geowulf - a local, and very talented Aussie.
• Napoleon Perdis' DeVine Goddess Lipstick in Electra (currently sold out).
• Napoleon Perdi's Auto Pilot Lip Service
• Kookai's latest collection for AW 15 - dying to try on the Placid Funnel Neck Top, and The Architect Top!

Thanks for watching!

Special thanks to Two Birds Talking for providing backstage access, as well as allowing me to hang out for the show.

A hair journey

A lot can change in a year, including your hair

What's that?

I've been super indecisive with my hair as you can tell and the only things that have remained consistent is the location of my part and the halo of baby hairs. I know my hair intimately, the ins and outs of its texture, its behaviour, its whims and the fact that I get bored with it very quickly. After chopping off more than six inches back in January, I quickly realised the error of my ways and longed for my security blanket to envelop my shoulders, to tickle the backs of my arms, to fall in my face and obscure my vision.

Short hair requires attention, time, heat, product and a bit of magic. While I don't possess magical abilities, nor do I have a wand conveniently tucked away in my back pocket. I have, however, been biding my time by making the most of my hair while it grows out to a yet to be determined length.

After the hair journey

It's been a few weeks since my hair was last trimmed* and while I was a bit nervous about the shorter layers, I now understand their function -- to give my thin, fine hair a touch of fullness and bounce. 

Impatience and boredom is a dangerous cocktail, whence shaken and served can lead to a nasty hangover filled with regret. Now that I've sobered up, I'm making amends with my hasty decision. Don't circle the drain only to get swallowed in.

This metaphor merely serves as a cautionary tale: I wasn't ready to cut my hair. Do me a favour and buy one of these if you're experiencing a moment of weakness. 

Can you tell short hair isn't for me, then again Nicole Warne makes it look so good.

What's your hair journey been like?

*The wickedly generous team over at Rakis Salon recently invited me over to experience a hair journey with a little help from Kerastase's latest release, Discipline. My hair was cut and styled by David, a hair genie with a golden smile.

Currently wearing: Essie's Exposure

Essie's Exposure

For that fruit punch kick without having the Kool-Aid Man bust down my wall.

Oh yeah!