*Originally published in the beauty section of the fabulous Onya Magazine*
As a self-confessed, organic-obsessed health nut (unsalted, of course), I was beyond excited to be invited to an intimate, informative lunch with Miranda Kerr’s mum, Therese, and chef to the stars, Kate McAloon.
The lunch was held at the beautiful Colour Lab in Prahran, Melbourne – a perfectly uplifting setting for a perfectly uplifting afternoon. This radiant café and store, located next to the Victoria Gardens on High St, exudes positivity and energy. From the interior design, to the nourishing food, this environment is sure to revitalise even the weariest of souls. Upon entering the space, one can sense that the staff genuinely want their customers to feel energised, nurtured, and…happy! They set about this, however, in a gentle, and non-obtrusive way (unlike some sales assistants who pounce on you as soon as you enter the door with a fake smile and forced pleasantries).
You’re probably willing me to get to the bit where I spill some Kerr family beauty and health secrets, but I feel it necessary to elaborate, just a bit more, on what The Colour Lab has to offer. Mrs. Kerr chose it, out of all of the venues in Melbourne, to host such a luncheon, after all.
“The core aesthetic and focus of the business is colour, energy and emotion, collectively creating a powerful and dynamic space,” says Roz Mackay, creator and owner of The Colour Lab. Mackay believes that “colour is energy,” and by simply inhabiting the café for a morning juice, coffee, or to pick up some healthy food supplies, customers are experiencing “colour therapy.”
The Colour Lab also makes up picnic hampers so that their food can be enjoyed next door in the gardens, offers personal training sessions in the gardens (followed by fresh juice, of course), hold ‘energy treatment’ sessions, and host guest therapists from lifestyle retreats such as Gwinganna, Camp Eden and Golden Door.
Therese Kerr and Chef Kate at The Colour Lab
So, into The Colour Lab I walked, and was greeted by the beautiful Therese Kerr, who lovingly took my hand and proudly showed me a photo of baby Flynn on her iPhone, who was dressed in a not-so-scary Halloween costume.
I was then offered a glass of certified organic bubbly made by Frank Bonic’s‘Organic One Wines’. It is the only wine that Miranda Kerr drinks, as it – in her words – has a “life-force energy second to none.” Yes, this wine is actually good for you! Bonic’s certified biodynamic vineyard, located in southern NSW, uses no artificial fertilisers, no hormones, no preservatives, and to top it off, the grapes are harvested by the moon. Over the course of the afternoon, I sampled the sparkling wine, chardonnay and Shiraz – all utterly divine.
Waiting at my place setting was a shot glass full of Tahitian Noni Juice – Miranda’s secret weapon since the age of twelve. I had a feeling it would be make an appearance during the lunch, and to be honest, I was dreading it. I had heard horrid things about the brown liquid – gag reflexes, references to damp socks, and suchlike. But, I actually (kind of) enjoyed it. Tahitian Noni Juice is said to boost immune function, lift energy and improve skin condition. More about this wonder-juice later, though.
Chef Kate, the co-host of the afternoon, along with the chefs of The Colour Lab, cooked up a certified organic storm. With each course, Therese and Chef Kate taught us more and more about nutrition and how to properly nurture our bodies. They placed particular emphasis on digestive health – saying that one cannot have good health without good digestive function. As such, we learnt about ferments and probiotics, and how to create a good tummy environment. We were even told how to make our own yoghurt.
All of the dishes that were served can be found on theKora blog, as well as all of the nutritional information provided throughout the afternoon.
But here are some quick tips to get you started:
Coconut oil is fabulous. It is the best oil to cook with, as it’s very heat stable. Coconut oil can also be put in the fridge and used as a spread instead of the dreaded margarine. Whilst we’re talking about oils, Therese and Chef Kate passionately advocate against canola oil. And whilst we’re talking about things that these wise ladies passionately advocate against, they said that “white sugar = white death”, table salt is bad bad bad, as is soymilk, because of its high estrogen levels. They suggest that good alternatives to white sugar are coconut sugar or honey, and good alternatives to table salt are Himalayan salt, sea salt or Herbamare.
Therese stressed the importance of a healthy amount of exposure to the sun’s rays. She suggests that sun baking (naked) for thirty minutes per day is great for one’s health.
Therese also suggested that if one has an oily or acne-prone skin type, tomatoes should be avoided.
Now, let’s move on to skin care, shall we?
Did you know that Kora is the only skincare that Miranda Kerr uses? She’s not just the face behind the brand, but the brains, heart and soul behind it, too. Miranda designed the range around what she wanted for her own skin, but couldn’t find on the market. All of the ingredients that she has selected are certified organic (in accordance with Eco-Cert’s and OFC’s certification guidelines) and “work synergistically in a layering effect to nourish, revitalise and replenish the skin.”
And this is where we return to Noni Juice. Kora skincare is the only skincare to contain this powerful ingredient. The products are also infused with other ingredients high in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, herbal extracts, essential oils and vitamins A, C and E. The best part of Kora, in my opinion, is that none of the products containparabens, synthetic fragrance, silicones, and all of those other skin-haters that tend to sneak into most products on the skincare and makeup market today. Therese emphasised that 70-80% of what we put on our skin makes its way into our systems. In light of this, she believes that skincare should be treated as food for the skin – we must nourish our skin by putting the right stuff on it.
We were given samples of the Kora range to take home, and although I have only been using them for a few days now, my skin is thanking me – big time! It already feels softer, spots are fading, and it looks brighter. And let me just say: bye-bye foundation, hello certified organic tinted day cream with sunscreen. Best tinted moisturiser I’ve come across thus far.
I’m sure I could type for hours about my lunch with Mrs. Kerr and Chef Kate at the beautiful Colour Lab, but I think I’ll love you and leave you now. Again, additional information, tips and recipes can be found on theKora blog.
I confess: I cannot straighten my bow tie, pompously dust my shoulder pads, correct my posture and announce: ‘Look What Katie Found’ this time. My dear friend, miss Madeleine Ryan, is entirely to thank for the introduction of coconut water into my (and possibly your) life.
Hey, look! A photo of the stunning Miss Ryan! Wait, did I see this photo in The Age Life and Style a while ago? YES? To read the article, clickHERE!
Madeleine has been a coconut water fiend for quite some time now. She also sports luminous skin that rivals Miranda Kerr’s (believe it, baby). But I – being the highly observant and on-the-ball gal that I am – didn’t put two and two together until very recently. One could, perhaps, liken this to a Joey Tribbiani ‘get there faster’ moment:
…Maybe Madeleine’s amazing skin and beaming energy has something to do with her regular consumption of coconut water?!
Well, I jumped onto the Cocobella website to get some information for you, and was AMAZED at how much fun I had on there! I, of course, opted for the ‘full screen’ experience (who wouldn’t?) and didn’t want to leave the cyber tropical getaway!
I’d relay all the information on the site to you, but, I think you’d feel a lot more joy if you saw this website for yourself! I will, however, offer you an enticing screen shot:
When Apivita says ‘Express Beauty’, my oh my, do they mean it!
Last night, whilst working away in my floral dressing gown and inappropriately high ponytail, I lathered on a coat of this bad boy:
RRP $4.65 for 2 80ml sachets
I must admit, when the (incredibly wise) Apivita lady gave me the‘mask for young oily skin with propolis’instead of the ‘mask for already flawless and glowing skin with red rose petals’ (there is no hyperlink because, duh, this doesn’t exist), I did feel slightly deflated. However, I guess I AM young, and I guess my T-zone IS slightly on the shiny side of town most days. So, being the humble soul that I am, I accepted the mask, and went straight to the bathroom to powder my apparently oily nose.
Although the 8ml sachets may look quite stingy, they go a long, long way. Below is a oh-so flattering photo of myself post mask application:
When I first applied it, I thought “yup, this looks like a mud mask” and continued typing away at my computer. I then got up to get some soup, sat back down and started eating it. After a while, I looked into the bowl and thought, “gosh, there seems to be a lot of cracked pepper in this soup, but I can’t really taste it!”, and then I realised that little black chunks of my face mask were falling from my face and landing in my bowl of soup. Luckily for my insides, Apivita use 92% natural ingredients, and stay well away from Parabens, Silicones, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oils, PEG, Ethanolamine and all of those nasty, skin (and tummy) haters. The point of this story is to warn you that your mask WILL flake as it dries, so maybe stay in your bathroom whilst it’s on. And another warning, it does get significantly darker, so don’t get a fright when you see yourself in the mirror after the 10 minutes are up.
Below is another highly flattering photo of myself sporting the dry, ready-to-be-washed-off mask. Notice the little bare spots on my chin – those bits ended up in my soup, and henceforth in my tummy. Mmmm.
Within this beautiful brown sludge, hides some pretty amazing ingredients:
Propolis, a mixture that bees use in their hives to cover cracks (read about it in more detailhere), acts to balance the natural oils on your face and thus prevents breakouts caused by congested pores.
Helichrysum (a type of plant family) and lemon extracts work with the Propolis to balance sebum production, and to even out skin texture.
A lot of people with oily skin tackle the problem by avoiding moisturisers and by applying skin-drying products. In doing so, our (highly intelligent) skin will sense a lack of oil on its surface, and feel the need to produce MORE. This excess oil production inevitably leads to clogged pores, which leads to breakouts. Knowing this, some may think “that’s okay, I’ll pile LOTS of moisturising products onto my skin, so as to trick it into producing LESS oil”. Well, it doesn’t quite work that way. In doing that, you will most likely clog your poor pores with excess product, and end up with breakouts anyway. Also, excess product on your face will make you look more shiny, and your makeup will lift off quite easily.
Instead, go for products that include ingredients that aim to BALANCE oil production, such as this fabulous Apivita mask.
I will most definitely be adding this mask to my weekly beauty regime (or even bi-weekly if I feel so inclined), as the results were a-s-t-o-n-i-s-h-i-n-g! (That word is ASTONISHING, in case the hyphens impeded your vision). (Astonishing – in case you find capitals hard to read also).
Tonight, whilst nibbling on my magical Goji Berries, I decided to put an end to my blogging hiatus.
Over the past decade (or however long it has been since my last post), I have discovered so many amazing products, so it seems bizarre that I haven’t been screaming “LOOK WHAT KATIE FOUND!” down the long corridors of the Internet every second day.
Well, let’s just say that those Goji Berries must not have that many antioxidants in them, because they seem to be pretty jam-packed with inspiration instead!
I included this photo partly to emphasise that everyone should jump aboad the Goji Berry train, and partly to see whether I still remember how to upload a photo into a blog post. Evidently, I do! Snaps for me!
To sum up: I’m back from the never-never, and ready to show you all the things I’ve Found of late!
x
PS visit the Morlife website for more info on ze berries! (YES! I remember how to add a hyperlink!).
As the days get darker, shorter and crisper, our motivation and zest for life may wane. Ergo, Katie has Found some inspirational words for you to pepper about your abode.
Almond Tree Designs is a Melbourne based business that I have recently fallen in love with. Their artwork is inspirational, quirky, and is sure to put a smile on even the saddest winter face. You can read more about them here.
Below are a few of my favourite prints. They are all 11 by 16.5 inches in size (meaning that they fit perfectly within a standard A3 frame), and are all $29.95.
To peruse the rest of the collection, find out store locations, or to order a print, visit the Almond Tree Designs website.
Did you ever think that achieving healthy skin could be as easy as sipping on a cup of tea? And no, I don’t mean your daily Lipton’s Earl Grey with 2 sugars and too much milk, I mean Byron Bay Tea Company’s SKIN tea!
Sarita Merlo, a naturopath and herbalist, founded Byron Bay Tea Company in 2004. Acknowledging the remedial benefits of teas and herbs, Merlo was inspired to create a range that targets modern day people, with modern day health issues.
The blend that appealed to me the most (apart from the obvious ‘calming’ and ‘energy’) was the newest addition to BBTC – Skin tea.
Prices range from $7.95 to $41.95, depending on the size.
Merlo understands that in order to achieve outer beauty, we must achieve inner beauty. So, when concocting the Skin blend, she included ingredients that would “promote the elimination of toxins from the body” and “improve the health and nourishment of the skin”.
Below, Merlo walks us through her choice of ingredients for BBTC Skin tea.
Certified Organic Lemongrass: a general cleansing herb that helps remove toxins from the blood and has antibacterial and antifungal properties which may assist in infection-induced skin conditions.
Certified Organic Echinacea: helps to cleanse and purify the blood and lymph by increasing the number of white blood cells that help to ‘mop up’ toxins and prevent them from coming out on the skin.
Certified Organic Peppermint: commonly used to ensure the proper digestion of food and elimination of wastes via the bowel.
Certified Organic Nettle: used extensively for its blood-cleansing action due to its high chlorophyll content, high in vitamin C, iron, silica and other minerals, making it a perfect skin tonic.
Certified Organic Ginger: has a circulatory stimulant action, which helps to increase blood flow to peripheral areas, such as the skin.
Certified Organic Gotu Kola: improves the blood flow while strengthening the veins and capillaries; cleanses the blood to treat skin impurities; may assist in cases of minor burns, scars, scleroderma, skin ulcers and wound healing.
Rosebuds: a sprinkling of rose buds, just because they are pretty!
Cradling a warm cup of natural tea sounds so much more appealing than chemical peels and medical-grade facials, right?!
Aw did you make a wish? “@MollyMaquillage: Just saw a shooting star for the first time! Is that a lame tweet? Lol it was such a cool moment” 12 hours ago
