Sew Is Life

2013 has started off with some scorcher days with the Christmas/New Year week having 40 plus degrees temperatures for seven days straight! I’m all for Summer, because I am a warm weather lover, but this was just way too HOT! Looks like the rest of the country has finally caught up with the West, Australia why are you such a hottie?

Sitting in my car to go somewhere was like stepping into a furnace. So my family and I hid away inside majority of the time, closed all the curtains, kept ourselves in darkness with the air conditioner on for the whole week. Crap…now to await the power bill!

Lately I have been running from one place to the next mainly because I have been a multitasking mummy. Lil Miss S started swimming vacation lessons, so we have been busy rushing about and I have been looking a little weary from the heat.

Cue in my favourite Summer ‘SOS’ products…

Have you tried any of these yet?

1. Clear ‘Ice Cool Menthol’ Shampoo (I bought this in Jakarta whilst on holidays). This shampoo has been such a treat after a hot and sweaty day. Rinsing this through my hair immediately makes my scalp feel ‘cool’, it is a refreshing feeling and kinda sends shivers down my spine because I am cold for a moment. Such an awesome product, I wish I had bought more because I am almost out! And I can’t seem to find a similar replacement in Australia. I love Clear hair products, they really nourish my scalp and hair from root to tip.

2. Toni & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo I bought this from Priceline a while back, whilst I was having my confinement period. That was during Winter time when I just gave birth to Luna. However I only pulled it out of my bathroom cabinet this week and gave it a whirl. The smell is clean and sweet, and it doesn’t leave any white residue like other dry shampoos. It is a large can, so it should last me all Summer. I use it every second day when I can’t be bothered washing my long locks and it soaks up all the grease and sweat, so it feels ‘clean’ again!

3. OFF! Insect repellent with Tropical Strength. I bought this just before I left for Jakarta and lucky I did. Those Jakarta mozzies are ruthless! They can smell me like a blood hound… thankfully after a spray I avoided an attack and my legs (which are usually the #1 target) were protected. I have learnt my lesson, because previous holidays at a tropical destination, I return with legs ‘bruised’ with mozzie scars. 

4. Buche De Noel facial scrub masque from Lush. I picked this one up at the Boxing Day sales when Lush was having 50% off Christmas items. I simply adore Lush bath and beauty products but simply forgot about them all year because well…they are kinda pricey. I only buy them as a treat and that is even rare! This one is made of ground almonds, kaolin clay, dried cranberries, cocoa butter, brandy, almond essential oil, cedarwood oil and more. Funnt how my kids wanted to eat my face after I had washed it, it smelt delicious!

Had to show you guys a close up of this masks, looks edible huh?

5. Lime Crime ‘Cosmopop’ Lipstick, an light coloured orange opaque lipstick which is so much fun when you are in the Sun. The shade makes me feel bright, bubbly and ready to go. Team it with an aqua eyeliner and you are Summer-ready.

6. And lastly, Skin Doctor’s ‘No More Pores’. I apply this every second or third day at night after I have cleansed my face. With all the sweat and grime pushing out from those pores, no wonder they appear enlarged and in a bumpy state like an orange peel! I close them up with this wonder cream and my skin looks soft and taught the morning after. It has a slight tingling sensation when applied, but this tells me it is working.

And as much as I love cooking I have had to retire in the past week. I avoided the kitchen stove…because after a cook up I feel like I have just done a hard RPM training session at the gym. It’s pretty icky and gross…I don’t want to be smelling myself all up in my dinner! So it has been cheese and crackers, lots of salad and ice chips for me. What a great way to lose those extra pounds I gained over Christmas :)

What do you enjoy most about Summer? What are some of your tips for staying cool? 

Have a great week All!

E x

You may be interested in reading these blog posts too:

Jet-setting must-haves

Spring Fling Beauty Faves

How to get ultra sexy skin for Summer

*These items have been purchase by myself and written in accordance to this site’s disclosure policy.

You may have noticed the sudden influx of healthy food images taken by my Instagram and shared on my Tumblr. I have decided to go crazy with my diet and start eating as many raw foods as possible. That means more green smoothies, salads and fruits. This is one part of my master plan to get my body and mind ready for the crazy Summer season. If I can train my body and mind to be strong now, taking on the Christmas/New Year temptations will be a cinch! 

Photos are a great motivational tool to help you to stay on track to stick to your health goals!

So the first part of the master ‘Summer Body’ Challenge is to eat healthy and exercise, but how about having healthy, glowing skin? Exercise and diet play a big part in achieving that overall natural illumination. But what else could you do?

1. Dry brush your skin - Get a natural bristled brush with soft-medium bristles and gently brush the surface of your skin, stroking the brush towards the direction of  your heart. E.g. brush from your feet upwards to your thigh. Brush from your shoulders down to your hands. Dry brushing is a great way of improving the blood circulation and getting rid of dead skin cells. And hopefully it will reduce that ‘cottage cheese’ look to your thighs, cellulite be gone!!

2. Drink more water and herbal teas - Hydration is essential to maintaining moisturised skin, it helps to reduce the appearance of fatigue and to help smoothe out fine lines. Herbal teas are a great booster filled with antioxidants to help improve and clear the skin.

3. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! - Use a natural or organic skin cream to moisturise the skin after a shower. This is the best time for the skin to absorb all the goodness from the cream ,leaving your skin hydrated. 

Rasasara Moisturising Body Milk available from The Organic Beauty Shop

4. After waxing care - It is time to flaunt those sexy legs with a pretty dress or skirt and show off your arms with those sleeveless tops, displaying your cleanly shaven pits! But what about those unsightly ingrown hairs? Use a lotion to smooth out those bumps and blemishes to get flawless skin in all areas! 

La Clinica Ingrown Hair Lotion available from The Organic Beauty Shop

5. Stay out of the sun - The skin number one worst enemy would be UV rays. So make sure all your daily moisturisers have SPF protection. Wear a wide-brimmed hat or even use a parsol (umbrella) to avoid sun-damaged skin, where it can result in fine lines, sun spots, pigmentation, moles and worse…skin cancer.

6. Feed your skin with vitamins - Use topical creams that contains Vitamin C and E. Vitamin C is vital in the production of collagen, which helps your skin stay supple and taut. Vitamin E helps to protect the skin against free-radicals and it is a powerful antioxidant that can also help fight against UV rays.

La Mav Daily Vitamin-C Brightening Serum available from The Organic Beauty Shop

7. Use a fake-tan - If a ‘bronzed goddess’ look is more your style, use a fake-tan rather than basking in the sun. Make sure you exfoliate your skin with a scrub or dry brush before applying to get that even bronze.

Eco Tan Invisible Tan available from The Organic Beauty Shop

8. Sweat Baby Sweat - As I said before, exercise is key to having that beautiful skin. Sweating is one of the best ways to get rid of all those toxins from within the body and cleanse the pores! The more you sweat, the more shinier your complexion becomes because of the natural oils that help to nourish the skin are released. Just make sure you wash off that sweat…or instead of beautiful skin you will get pesky pimples!

Have you tried any of the tips above? What other ways do you take care of your skin?

Have a great week lovelies!!

E x

I’ve never been a fan of the chilly temperatures, always a Summer girl at heart. So I have been stocking up on some accessories to pair with my Spring/Summer mood. Some of these items can also be teamed together with a Winter wardrobe, so it makes it more economical whilst enhancing your look all together.

The new season pieces at Lovisa range from pastel geometrics to metallic golds and dramatic blacks. You will also notice edgier pieces with spikes, big colourful stones and statement cuffs. The heavier the stack on your wrists, the better!

Here are a few items I picked up in the Perth city store last week, just because…

Pastel geometrics mixed with gold, it screams ‘Spring Fling’!

This is a spike & crystal necklace, beautiful and edgy at the same time

These came in a pack of three, they are plastic dress rings. I like to wear a different colour combination on my digits each day.

I really hope they will open an online store soon because I so happened to be in the city that day, and it is a very rare trip for me! Little presents in the mail are so much nicer :)

If you can’t get yourself into a Lovisa store right now, you can find some Lovisa items at The Iconic. The Iconic is currently offering $10 off minimum spend of $50 using the codeCFAF10M at the checkout (promotion ends 9th August 2012). They also offer free overnight shipping, so you will get a visit from the postie pretty much the next day if you place your order before 10pm (Sydney-siders) or 2pm (rest of Australia).

Do you like any of the new season trends? What accessories will you be wearing?

E x

One of the advantages of being in Australia (depends how you see it…) is that we are always one season behind the big cities. That’s in terms of fashion, technology, new movies, new musics, inventions etc. Ok…I guess saying it that way you may not agree with me. But even though we complain about being ‘backward’ or ‘slow’ you have to see it from the positive angle that we get to take full advantage of their sales! With the billions of dollars that were lost due to share market volatility I am surprised that the Australia Dollar has managed to pull through relatively unscathed! Even though there was a drop, the AUD still remains at USD 1.04.

Financial talk aside, Summer is on its way in the Southern Hemisphere and Cath Kidston is having 30% off her Summer range. This is making me excited for picnics in the park, playing in the sunshine and barbeques with friends.

Provence Rose Flask ~ Was: £15.00  Now: £10.00  (AUD$15.65)

4 person Dotty Picnic Hamper ~ Was: £145.00  Now: £99.00 (AUD$154.90)

Cowboy Teepee Tent ~  £75.00 (AUD$117.35)

Clear Daisy Acrylic Jug ~ Was: £15.00  Now: £10.00 (AUD$15.65)

Check out more Summer items for sale at the Cath Kidston online shop to brighten the upcoming season.

What are you most looking forward to this Spring/Summer 2011/2012?

Picnic on the 4th July by Sewislife 

Hey guys, check out my first mock-up with Polyvore! So much girly fun making your own lookbooks and magazine-like spreads with fashion and artsy items. Create your very own with thousands of combinations! I have created one specifically for the 4th of July, Polyvore is running a competition based on this particular theme. Inspiration is of course drawn from the flag of the U.S.A, red, blues, whites with a drizzling of gold hardware to rock a cute outfit on a Summery day. I was thinking about Northern hemisphere type weather so this ensemble would be perfect for a warm afternoon picnic in the park.

Does this make me a bored person? 

I bought a coral japanese print cotton fabric a few months ago when it was Summer and I had planned to make something just in time before the warmer weather disappeared. Sadly the year has been flying past and my sewing resolutions have not been fulfilled! So the other day I was inspired to making the basic A-line skirt, a pattern I took from Christine Haynes Book ‘Chic and Simple Sewing’.

This is a fantastic book for the beginner seamstress, because it has step by step instructions and even paper patterns you can cut out for Small, Medium or Large sizes. The projects are listed by season, so you can make things for Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. You could create a whole hand-made wardrobe by yourself if you wish. Some examples are ‘The Sundress’ , ‘The LBD’ (Little black dress’, ‘The Cape’, ‘The Wrap Top’ and ‘The Opera Dress’ and heaps more. I bought my copy from The Nile who does free shipping to Australia residents. It is my favourite online bookstore at the moment because of it’s extensive range of literature!

Here is the final result! What do you think? I had to make a lining for the skirt, because the material was quite light and almost see-through! I wouldn’t want to go around walking against the sunlight without a lining! My mission is to make hand made products that don’t look like they were hand-made…or to make it as good as those manufacturing robots just with a touch of ‘heart’.

There is nothing like the sound of rain on your roof when you are tucked up snug in bed in the morning. The sound of rain on my roof is a not only comforting because of its lullaby-like rhythm, but because Perth has had a very dry couple of years so any water that the heavens send is a miracle right now.

But with nippy mornings, big puddles on the drive way and the numbness of my toes, I dream of a warmer place. I hear the Summer festivals are now happening in the northern hemisphere (UK and US) and I am really loving the fashion that has ladies in billowy maxi skirts, pleats, 70s flare trousers and vintage lace. Not to mention my whole household has the sniffles, so it is normal to day dream of sunshine to pull through this depressing mood.

From top left: cream victoriana blouse, cream pleat belted dress, rust pintuck cupro shorts

I really like the limited edition ‘Festival’ range from Miss Selfridge with lace, scalloped edges and pleats adding a touch of vintage glam and prettiness to the modern girl wardrobe. I am currently a sucker vintage pieces, things that look a little worn and ‘loved’.

From Left: Sequined poncho and Light wash stud denim shorts

Miss Selfridge is currently on sale and they offer international shipping! It takes 5-8 working days to reach Australia at a flat rate of £9.00! Summer couldn’t come quick enough…