What are your favourite things to do to keep well during the hot months?

I feel like most people would say ‘GO TO THE BEACH!’ during this question, but since I grew up about 4.5 hours inland, I rarely had the luxury of doing so!

I make sure I drink a lot of water, and I tend to ramp up my fresh juices and smoothies in this time too. One of my favourite things to do is spray a facial mist all over my face and body and stand in front of a fan. Blisssss. I like the Echolife Lavender mist, the Sodashi Balancing face mist and the Be Genki Serenity Mist.

A healthy and balanced summer recipe you’re loving?

I’m a real creature of habit, so green smoothies of course. I’ve been cooking up some quinoa with pumpkin seeds and having that with blueberries and strawberries. The great thing is you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. It’s really yummy and versatile, I’ve had it at all times of the day!

Have you changed around your skincare routine to cope with the heat?

Hmmm not a lot! I’ve just made sure to use sunscreen, drink heaps of water and eat more antioxidant rich foods (which help prevent skin damage from the sun – true story!)

What products are you loving for your skin in summer?

The mists as mentioned, Serenade Organic Restore eye cream – I’ve just started doing some work for this company and the eye cream is amazing. It’s 100% certified organic and I’m loving it.

My daily morning skincare routine at the moment consists of:

• Floradix liquid iron supplement
• Vitamin c and zinc powder
• Oil cleansing (either Dermalogica or Bloom)
• Clay based cleanser (Ren, from Mecca Cosmetica)
• Clarisonic – best skin cleansing device… EVER
• Rosehip oil pressed onto skin afterwards

And it’s working quite well for me

Thanks so much Annette! Have you tried any of the products Annette mentioned? What works for you in the hot months?

(Image from here)

Annette is the gorgeous energetic creator/editor of Wellness WA. She practices extreme yoga, is a regular green-smoothie drinker and her enthusiasm for well-being and healthy living is contagious. Wellness WA is a regular read of ours for product reviews and healthful tips – and the reviews of spa treatments have made us want to head west to Perth more than once! You can also connect with Wellness WA on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

Some foods on her list seem common sense – the kind of watery fruit or veg your would happily turn to on a hot summer day. Some are a little more surprising (carrot!):

• Watermelon
• Cucumber
• Carrot
• Cabbage
• Berries
• Lettuce

See the whole list on Kimberly’s blog, including a run-down of why each food is so brilliant when the heat hits. Try saying that fast!

And for those of you who struggle drinking plain water, have you tried:

• Lemon water with stevia?
• Cucumber water?
• Water with slices of Granny Smith apple?
• Water with mint leaves?

What’s your favourite way to stay hydrated in summer? Do you struggle to drink water or does it come easy to you? Do you add anything to your water? We’d love to know!

(Image from here)

We thought we’d ask Annette where to start if you’re looking for some products to add to your next soak – read on!

‘There’s not much I love more than a good bath, and I make it a priority to get at least two long soaks in each week to keep me relaxed and happy.

When I was younger I loved baths too, but would use products filled with heaps of chemicals to get mounds and mounds of bubbles (think Mr. Matey and even shampoo sometimes!).

These days I’m happy to forego the bubbles in order to have a more therapeutic and healing experience, so today I’d like to share with you some of my favourite bath treats, and maybe inspire you to put in the plug, turn on the tap and bliss out for half an hour… or more.

1. Echolife Magnesium Bath Crystals

If you’ve never had a magnesium crystal bath, you’re in for a treat. Pour a cup into your bath while it’s filling, sink in and feel the waves of relaxation wash over you as your body soaks in the magnesium. Before I came across the Echolife crystals (100% natural), I used to use the trusty old blue box of Epsom Salts that you can pick up at almost any supermarket or chemist. While this was good and I still got the relaxing benefits, Epsom Salts are a by-product of chemical industry and as such aren’t naturally occurring. In the interest of being as natural and safe as possible I much prefer the Echolife crystals – plus they’re prettier!

2. Weleda Relaxing Lavender Bath Milk*

This soothing blue bottle is filled with almost medicinal-strength lavender liquid. Upon opening the lid and taking a sniff, you may be surprised by how strong it smells, never fear though! You only need a couple of capfuls and it lasts for AGES. If I’m having trouble sleeping I make sure to schedule one of these in, you will feel like you’re dissolving into a field of lavender, and emerge from the bath a lot less stressed. Love it!

3. Be Genki Tranquility Bath & Shower Oil

This one has a similar effect to the lavender bath milk, but with a bunch of other delicious scents mixed in to provide an array of benefits from the different essential oils. Lavender, roman chamomile, sweet orange and sandalwood will all get to work on your senses and leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to join the human race again.

4. Lush: The Comforter Bubble Bar

While not as 100% natural as some of the other products mentioned, this one IS vegan, and smells damn good.

Described as “being hugged by a jolly blackcurrant”, this bubble bar lives up to it’s name, producing heapppppppps of fluffy pink clouds in your tub if you crumble it under the right pressure water. It smells so fruity and sweet and yummy, though I do tend to find it a little drying on my skin, so make sure you moisturise afterwards! A real treat when you need a bit of extra sweetness in your life.

5. Echolife Mojave Green Clay Powder

I’ve had three baths so far with this clay powder, and have really enjoyed them all. It’s too early to say whether I’ve noticed and signs of ‘detoxing’, but I quite like relaxing in the slightly murky water and thinking about what possible good things it’s doing for me. I found it easiest to sprinkle the powder into the empty bath, then turn on the water and stir it up with your hands or feet once there’s a bit of water in there.

Hopefully you enjoyed my top 5 bath products right now, I’m sure they will chop and change as I discover new products, but for now… go forth and try these out for yourself, I’m off back to the bath!’

Annette xo

*Annette has reviewed the Weleda Relaxing Lavender Bath Milk here.

Annette is the gorgeous energetic creator/editor of Wellness WA. She practices extreme yoga, is a regular green-smoothie drinker and her enthusiasm for well-being and healthy living is contagious. Wellness WA is a regular read of ours for product reviews and healthful tips – and the reviews of spa treatments have made us want to head west to Perth more than once! You can also connect with Wellness WA on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

We’re in Day 7 of the 21 Day Green Smoothie Challenge, and by gosh everyone is doing so amazingly well… Some of you are even going for 2 smoothies a day – in another 14 days we forecast sparkly eyes, glowing skin and bouncy energy aplenty.

Because you are all fantastic you’ve been sharing pictures and recipes for your green concoctions – especially helpful since to get maximum benefit out of the green drinks, we should be rotating our ingredients and greens daily. So behold a compendium of everyone’s recipes thus far, and a few other bonus links for inspiration!

From Me my Best and I (who has some serious food styling skills):

• Pineapple, carrot, celery, beetroot, ginger
• Cucumber, kale, apple, mint, lemon, ginger
• Orange, carrot, kale, ginger, fennel leaves
• Beetroot, parsley, kale, carrot, apple
• Kale, almond milk, banana, raw cacao
• Spinach, cucumber, apple, mint, lemon
• Raw cacao, frozen banana, spinach, almond milk
• Berries, banana, spinach, soy milk, honey

From Jade Musing (who gets the bravery award for throwing some cabbage in!):

• Cocoa, chia seeds, baby spinach, strawberries, vanilla protein powder, ice, water
• Baby spinach, mixed berries, vanilla protein powder, yogurt, milk, water, ice, almond butter, ginger
• Apple, carrot, ginger, celery, cinnamon, water, ice
• Red cabbage, lettuce, carrot, strawberries, ice, water
• Coriander, mint, watermelon, greens

From Miss Lexi (who deserves a medal for suggesting kiwi fruit and drinks her smoothies from the most photogenic places!):

• Baby spinach, orange, lime, ginger, cucumber
• English spinach, kiwi, cucumber, mint
• Spinach, cucumber, mint, kiwi, celery
• English spinach, LSA, celery, broccoli, carrot, ginger
• Baby spinach, kiwi, carrot, ginger, celery, broccoli, apple, mango, banana

From Dee (who makes the smoothest looking smoothies and has a nice Hershey glass):

• Soy milk, yoghurt, banana, butter lettuce, parsley, flaxmeal, wheatgrass powder, spirulina, ice
• Soy milk, flaxmeal, banana, lettuce, wheatgrass powder, spirulina
• Soy milk, yoghurt, banana, chia seeds, flaxmeal, parsley, English spinach
• Apple, lettuce, cucumber, water and ice
• Soy milk, yoghurt, flaxmeal, banana, ice, spinach and parsley
• organic soy milk, plain yoghurt, chia seeds, flax meal, banana, frozen blueberries, baby spinach, vanilla extract

From Mira’s Hand (who knows what’s good and must have amazing hair, skin and nails!):

• Kale, cucumber, spinach, ginger
• Kale, cucumber, spinach, coconut oil, chia seeds

From yours truly (put to shame by Dee for how bravely she embraced the green smoothie):

• Banana, melon, kiwi fruit, maca powder, cucumber, barley grass, coconut oil and teeny bit of peanut butter, water
• Banana, spinach, kale, celery, brazil nuts, water
• Frozen banana, silver beet, cucumber, spinach, date, peanut butter, coconut oil, maca powder, barley grass, water
• Banana, lettuce, mint, barley grass, strawberry, teeny bit peanut butter, chia seeds, water
• Lettuce, spinach, 1 small cucumber, almonds, 1 date, coconut oil, teeny bit of peanut butter, chia seeds, water
• Silver beet, 1 small cucumber, chia seeds, brazil nuts, coconut oil, barley grass, dash strawberry powder, water

Annette also contributed this recipe a while ago (when we attempted 5 green smoothies in 1 week - so scary back then!!):

Organic green apple, handful of baby spinach, filtered water, flaxseed oil, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, the frozen fruit of your choice (blueberries, mango, raspberries, strawberries)

And bonus links from She Knows, and (where else!) Wellness WA (one, and two).

Come and join the fun, we’re also talking about our green smoothies over on Twitter (search for the #greensmoothie tag)! And remember, there’s prizes to be won if you drink 10 smoothies or more over the course of the 21 days!

(Image credits from She Knows and the lovely Me, my Best and I, Jade Musing, Miss Lexi and Dee)

No matter your skin type, you should be misting your face – it’s refreshing for one, and very good for your skin. Think of what it has to endure in the hot months… a confusing yo-yo of alternating air conditioning and sweltering heat! A natural face mist contains one or more plant extracts blended to look after your skin by giving it nutrients and keeping it balanced. So beat the summer heat and pick from our favourite mists below!

Echolife Lavender Calming Facial Mist: all the goodness of lavender in a bottle! Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties and is ideal for skin that doesn’t handle the heat well and turns a beetroot colour quite easily.

Botáni Soothing Face Mist: one smart product formulated for all skin types, but very nurturing to the most sensitive and irritated skin. It contains rose, chamomile and aloe vera, giving your skin plenty of replenishing nutrients. Jessica guest-reviewed it for us, you can read her thoughts here (spoiler, she liked it).

Weleda Refining Toner: containing lemon juice, witch hazel and rose hip extract, this is your go-to if you want to tamper your skin’s overzealous oil production and refine your pores. Dilute half half with distilled or filtered water in a spray bottle*, and mist your face liberally throughout the day.

Echolife Tea-tree Purifying Facial Mist (pictured up top): an absolute summer favourite of ours, we spray it generously after a run to refresh our skin – bonus, it banishes bacteria with its antiseptic properties.

Do you have a favourite natural face mist for summer?

* Recipe from the Weleda blog!

As we’re bracing ourselves for the hot season and wondering how we will survive, Jessica kindly agreed to answer a few questions – lucky us!

Can you describe your current summer routine, and how it may be different from other seasons?

When it comes to skin care, in summer I try to keep things as simple as possible. It takes a while for my skin to adjust to the warmer temperature, but once it settles down it is happiest with a steady routine. At the moment, I am using Dermalogica Precleanser, Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, Echolife Floral Facial Mist* and Dermalogica Active Moist as a daily moisturiser. I also use the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 1-2 times a week, the Busby Pure Tissue Oil as an occasional night treatment. I also use a face mask once a week, currently I’m using the Astara Blue Flame Mask, which is one of Liv Tyler’s favourite products.

As for hair care, I switch it up in the warmer months and wash my hair at night so that I can let it air-dry naturally. This means heat styling is kept to a minimum, because there is nothing worse than having to blow dry your hair when it’s already warming up at 7 oclock in the morning! I don’t have a set routine for hair care during the summer, but lately I’ve been loving Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Flexible Hold Hairspray to tame my newly cut side fringe. I also use a couple of drops of the Original & Mineral Frizzy Logic Shine Serum in my hair at night to help tame the tangled mess that my hair can become in humid weather.

I use different body products throughout the year and don’t really have any firm favourites, but in Spring and Summer I opt for lighter, and fruitier scents than the ones that I lean towards in the cold weather months. I do have a soft spot for Bath + Body Works Exotic Coconut range, and my go-to Summer fragrance this year has been Flourish Bath + Body’s Sugar Perfume Oil.

Is there one product you can’t be without at the moment?

I recently purchased a bottle of the Mario Badescu drying lotion, and I now understand what all the fuss is about. Amazing!

Any tips on how to help your skin survive the heat graciously?

Keep it simple! There is nothing worse than piling product after product on your skin in hot weather, only to have it all melt off.  I also keep my facial mist in the fridge for a nice cool skin-treat on a hot afternoon. And of course, slip-slop-slap! There is no such thing as a ‘healthy tan’.

Thank you so much to Jessica for sharing her routine and some fantastic summer survival tips – and don’t forget to enter her current Burt’s Bees hand cream giveaway!

*We’re thrilled to bits Jessica currently uses Echolife’s Rose Floral Facial Mist, and you can see it here.

Jessica is the fair-skinned beauty behind the Belle Lumière. She cannot live without Kosmea Organic Rose Hip Oil and her deep-seated love and interest in skin care started with sound moisturising advice from her great-grandmother. A favourite of ours, the Belle Lumière is full of informative, witty and honest product reviews and other thoroughly enjoyable snippets from Jessica’s life. You can also follow Jessica on Twitter.

(Image credits: The Belle Lumière)

Admittedly, it gets a bit boring and tedious to dry brush EVERY SINGLE DAY – so to change it up a bit, you can add 2 or 3 drops of essential oil to your body brush. Neat, sweet-smelling and invigorating. But more to the point, you’ll be making your dry brushing even better for you!

Choose a diuretic essential oil to stimulate and detox, a cellulite-buster like geranium, or simply tailor the blend to your mood: relaxing, energising,…

And how about this amazing-looking recipe for a dry massage powder*? Applied to the skin before dry brushing, it nourishes, tones and can help draw toxins out.

We’ll be trying our hand and making our own on the weekend – from a blend of ground almonds and oats, a tiny bit of organic brown sugar, a dollop of yoghurt and a drop or two of geranium (cellulite, be gone!). Our skin should be nicely silky and deliciously fragrant after – at least that’s the plan.

Care to join us? Have you tried a dry massage powder before?

*Take care not to use on irritated, cut or sunburnt skin, or skin suffering from eczema or another inflammatory condition. Other than that, go for it!

(Image credit Reveal Beauty Lounge)

We tend to average two to three of the green drinks per week these days – because we’re short on time, and they’re a little time consuming and require some planning and prep. But it’s January, we’re full of optimism and what better way to start the year than with a massive 21 day green-smoothie drinking extravaganza? The fun! Who’s in?

And did we mention there will be some prizes at the end of the 21 days? Because when you do something awesome for yourself, your health and your wellbeing, we believe you should be rewarded…

The rules:

The challenge starts on Friday 13th – that’s tomorrow – and runs for 21 days straight (ending on 2nd Feb). That’s 1 green smoothie per day, even week-ends!
At the end of the 21 days, leave a comment below to tell us how many you’ve achieved to drink – anyone who’s drank more than 10 will be entered into a draw* to win a little Echolife shopping spree (there’ll be two winners: 1 x $100 and 1 x $50 in Echolife store credit). Sounds good?

As to us, we’ll be posting a daily pic and recipe on Twitter (we’re @Echolife_Aus, do say hi!) – the more of you join in and do the same, the more inspiration and support for everyone!

Just remember: if you’re new to green smoothies, start slowly – you don’t want too much raw food in your diet in one go. A little bit everyday is better than a boat-load once and never again!

Need recipe inspiration? Check our previous Green Smoothie 7 Day Wellbeing Challenge – and there’s plenty of recipes out there. Whatever recipe you follow, a tiny bit of raw organic coconut oil will really sweeten the deal and take some of the ‘green’ taste away (in case you’re worried about that). You’re welcome

And finally: eternal gratitude to Annette for putting us onto green smoothies last year and her endless words of encouragement when we were feeling a bit chicken about drinking some raw spinach – we wouldn’t be here today and loving them if it wasn’t for you!

*Winners will be drawn at Random.org

(Image credit She Knows Food & Recipes)

Thank you to all our Echolife customers, thanks to you who come here and read our blog – thank you to the wonderful ladies who gave us guest reviews… It’s been a wonderful and busy year and we’ve already got plans to make next one even better!

A bit of housekeeping before we go:

• Ever the trooper, the Echolife online store will obviously stay open 24/7 over the break, as per usual – so you can shop away for all things natural health and natural beauty whenever you wish!
• The Echolife office will be closed on the Public Holidays, but we will be checking our email every day – so if you want to get in touch, we’ll get back to you within 24 hours as normal.
• Over the holidays we will be shipping out orders on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th (the days Australia Post is open for business), and daily despatch of orders will resume on Tuesday 3rd of January.

And with this out of the way, cheers (in moderation) and see you all next year!

(Image credit)

Kosmea is natural, simple skincare at its best and that’s why we love it. The range offers products for different skin types and caters to every step of your routine.

From cleansing to moisturising, your skin will be gently nurtured and nourished with antioxidant-rich Australian native botanical extracts, essential oils, and plant waxes and butters. Want to see?

Kosmea Purifying Cream Cleanser: for all skin types, even the most sensitive – one smart cleanser with a sulphate-free formula, full of replenishing plant oils and even capable of removing make-up.

Kosmea Daily Facial Exfoliant: who doesn’t like a bit of choice? If you prefer your cleanser with a bit of scrubbing power, this one’s for you: crushed rose hips and chamomile flowers polish your skin and kaolin deep-cleanses to boot. Add organic rose hip oil and soothing calendula and you’re left with plump, lovely refreshed skin.

Kosmea Skin Clinic Organic Rose Hip Oil (handsomely pictured up top): a few daily drops of organic rose hip oil and our skin is at peace with the world… dewy, soft and comfortable on the surface, deeply nourished and repaired below. Kosmea rose hip oil deserves its fame and is a staple in one of our favourite bloggers’ routine.

Kosmea Eighth Natural Wonder Revitalising Serum: clinically-proven rejuvenating hibiscus extract, organic rose hip oil, essential oils and green tea join forces to give your skin a magnificent dose of vital nutrients and anti-oxidants. Vibrant youthful skin ahoy!

Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream: descrowed as a multi-vitamin for your skin, it’s not hard to see where this cream gets its reputation. A deeply nourishing base of jojoba, olive, organic rose hip and shea butter enriched with aloe vera, rose, carrot, green tea and chamomile… We’ll take it.

There’s plenty more where this came from: you can browse our full range of Kosmea skincare on the Echolife webstore – we’ve even got handy kits to kick premature skin ageing to the curb or take all your favourite Kosmea products with you in your travels… To dewy skin, and beyond!