Natural Skincare & Conscious Cosmetics

As you know I inspire to live a greener and healthier life but that doesn't mean I should look like a hippie! There is nothing wrong with looking like a hippie, don't get me wrong, just that I am more of a girly girl! Maman is a real lady (she doesn't go out of the house without wearing makeup and a pair of heels) so I most likely got it from her! I made the switch to natural skincare 2 years ago after reading about the toxicity of many chemical and synthetic ingredients used in everyday makeup products. From time to time I like to feature here some of my favourite eco-friendly and natural skin care products as I discover them (Mokosh, Milk, Lavera, Weleda, Perfect Potion etc.)

Why natural skincare is better

Skin is our largest organ and when you think that the average woman uses up to 12 personal care products a day, it is scary to realise how many toxic ingredients we are injecting ourselves without even realising it! Products containing petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances and preservatives are particularly at risk. Toxic might be cheaper for the manufacturers but it is definitely not better for the end consumer.

Where can you buy the best natural skincare products?   

I find there is a large range of natural skincare & cosmetics available in Australia, however not all products available for purchase have been assessed for public health and safety. Unlike some of their competitors, Conscious Cosmetics stocks a diversity of natural and safe product ranges from hair care to lipsticks, men’s products and baby care products that have all been previously screened for safety and any signs of toxicity.  

The lovely Loretta from Conscious Cosmetics kindly gifted to me some winter essentials products to try including A'kin facial mask, Sukin Hydration Booster, Botani Makeup Remover and Inika Concelear. I had never tried these products before and I love them already! They all contain pure active botanic ingredients, are cruelty free, safe and affordable.

If you too are looking to switch to non-toxic personal care, I recommend you check their website. They stock a wide variety of alternatives to mainstream cosmetics. Their product base is added to every month as they discover more and more safer cosmetics on the market.  

What is your favourite winter skincare product?

Go Red For Women 2013: When Did You Get Heart Checked Last?

You may have read in my Heart Week post last month that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Australian women. Yes, really - scary, isn't it?! In order to encourage women to make healthier choices and reduce their risk of heart disease, The National Heart Foundation of Australia organises every year the Go Red for Women campaign. 

With heart disease, there are some risk factors that you can’t change, such as getting older, your gender and having a family history of heart disease, but there are also other factors that you can control, such as smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol.

To make sure I was on track I decided to visit my local GP for a heart check. The appointment lasted about 15 minutes. We first talked about my family history. I explained to the doctor my concerns about heart disease given that my maternal grand-mother passed away at 60 from a fatal stroke. Dad is also suffering from high cholesterol and clogged arteries (arterial plaque). He had surgery last year. 

During the second part of the visit, the doctor asked questions about my lifestyle habits. I used to be a smoker but I quit over 5 years ago, which is a good thing especially because I'm using an oral contraceptive (the combination of the two increases risk of heart, stroke and blood vessel disease). I exercise a couple of times a week, my BMI is in the normal range and I eat healthy (most of the time). I drink alcohol only on occasions and watch how much salt I eat by avoiding processed foods.

The doctor then measured my blood pressure which was 110/70. He said it was good. We also looked back at the results from a routine blood test I did about 6 months ago and the GP explained how cholesterol increases the risks of heart disease. There are often no symptoms associated with cholesterol and you don’t need to be overweight to have high cholesterol levels, hence the importance to get your level checked regularly. 

The GP concluded that my risk of getting cardiovascular disease in the next five years was low. Relief! He however insisted on the importance of exercising more regularly, especially as I'm getting older and given my family history.  

To find out more about the Go Red for Women initiative, 

visit the Heart Foundation's website

Have you ever had a heart check? 

What do you do to reduce your risk of heart disease?



This post was sponsored by The Heart Foundation who asked me to share my thoughts and experience - all words are entirely my own.

Amour: A Touching Award Winning French Movie (+ DVD Giveaway)

I'm so pleased to share more and more with you my passion for French cinema. I have had several opportunities over the last few months to giveaway some movie tickets to award-winning French movies. I can tell that some of you are still hesitant with watching French movies, and I believe (tell me if I'm wrong) it may be due to the fact the entire movie is in a foreign language so in order to follow the story you have to read subtitles! Please don't be afraid and give it a go if you can! Foreign cinema is one of the best ways to  emerge yourself in a different culture for the space of an hour, it's an unique occasion to learn about a country and its people.  

The latest French movie I watched is called Amour (litt. 'love'). Amour is a 2012 French-language drama film written and directed by the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke. The film was screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or. It also won the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. It is the more touching story I've watched in a long time. 

Amour follows Georges (legendary French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva, in her Academy Award nominated role) who are cultivated, retired music teachers in their 80s, living in Paris. Their daughter (Isabelle Huppert) is also a musician who lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne suffers an attack and, as a consequence, the couple's bond of love is severely tested and their lives are never the same. That incident begins Anne's harrowingly steep physical and mental decline as Georges attempts to care for her at home as she wishes. Even as the fruits of their lives and career remain bright, the couple's hopes for some dignity prove a dispiriting struggle even as their daughter enters the conflict. In the end, George, with his love fighting against his own weariness and diminished future on top of Anne's, is driven to make some critical decisions for them both.

Giveaway
I would like to reward my francophile readers with a chance to win 1 of 3 DVD copies of this wonderfully unique French movie. 

To enter: To be eligible, you must be a Mademoiselle Slimalicious Facebook Page Liker

AND leave a comment here telling me

"Are you afraid of growing old? What scares you most about it?"

Additional entries: (leave a comment for each additional entry)

• Tweet this Merci @MSlimalicious and @EuropeBox for giving us a chance to win 1 of 3 AMOUR dvd! Visit www.mslimalicious.com 
• Like Europe in a Box facebook page  
• Follow @EuropeBox on Twitter
• Share this post with your friends on FB and/or Twitter using the buttons below the post
• Google + (G+) this post using the button at the bottom of the post

Note, if you are an anonymous entrant, please make sure you include your name in the comment so I can contact you via Facebook if you win.

Giveaway is open to readers in Australia. The giveaway closes on June 30th, 9 pm. Three winners will be chosen at random with the help of random.org. The winners will be notified by email (if available) or on Mademoiselle Slimalicious Facebook page shortly after the end of the competition. If a reply email containing the winner’s name and postal address is not received by July 3rd, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to another entrant. The prize pack was kindly donated by Transmission Films. Total prize pool value is of $75. 

I did not receive financial or material compensation for writing this feature. I simply fully support French cinema in Australia. 

For a chance to WIN more fantastic prizes,

visit my Competition page!

The Biggest Loser Club Membership Giveaway

Looking at Robyn and Katie Dyke, the winners of The Biggest Loser 2013, in the media makes me smile. I can only imagine how proud and happy these two courageous women may feel right now! Robyn and Katie Dyke have lost an astonishing 39kg and 47.6kg and look absolutely gorgeous, healthy and confident. 

Once again, the show has demonstrated that weight-loss and fitness buddies can be a great source of support as you work toward your goals. What better person could provide that accountability and encouragement than someone from your own family? 

Robyn and Katie have not only lost a very impressive amount of weight, but also become closer than ever! The mother daughter team were a relationship in crisis but their journey on the show was invaluable because the pair won another significant battle.  

"We achieved what we set out to do weight-wise. But we’ve also done so much more. We’ve repaired a relationship that I thought was beyond repair," says Robyn.

Giveaway

You too can start your transformation like Robyn and Katie by entering for a chance to win 1 of 3 Three Months Membership to The Biggest Loser Club, one of Australia’s leading online weight loss programs. Each membership is valued at $99 so here is your chance to try it out! 

The Club provides all the weight loss tools and diet tips you need to achieve your goals, including an interactive food diary, delicious and easy to follow menu plans and easy-start workouts and exercise videos. 

To enter: To be eligible, you must be a Mademoiselle Slimalicious' Facebook Page Liker

AND leave a comment here telling me

"Why do you want to win this prize?"

*** You can enter once a day! ***

Additional entries: (leave a comment for each additional entry)

• Tweet this Thank you @MSlimalicious for giving us a chance to win a 3 month membership to The Biggest Loser Club. Visit www.mslimalicious.com #giveaway #healthy
• Share this post with your friends on FB and/or Twitter using the buttons below the post
• Google + (G+) this post using the button at the bottom of the post
• Follow me by email or RSS feeds
• Share the link to this post on your own blog

Note, if you are an anonymous entrant, please make sure you include your name in the comment so I can contact you if you win.

Giveaway is open to readers in Australia, and closes on 30th June 2013 at 9 pm (EAST). Three winners will be chosen at random with the help of random.org. The winners will be notified by email (if available) or on Mademoiselle Slimalicious Facebook page shortly after the end of the competition. If a reply email containing the winner’s postal address is not received by 3rd July 2013, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to another entrant. The prizes were kindly donated by The Biggest Loser Club. The total prize pool value is $297. I received financial compensation for the time I spend editing this post and coordinating the giveaway. 

For a chance to WIN more fantastic prizes,

visit my Competition page!

Saucepans that really stack up! Wiltshire® SmartStack® Review

I moved home a few months ago. One of the main reasons we moved is because we had ran out of storage space in our one bedroom apartment rental! Saving valuable storage space and reducing kitchen clutter (and clatter!) is a priority for people like me, living in apartments.

I did review a couple of Wiltshire® products before (knife, cookie cutters) and have been impressed with their quality, so when I heard about the new Wiltshire® SmartStack® three-piece saucepan set I immediately put my hand up to trial the product! The particularity of Wiltshire SmartStack pans is that they fit neatly into each other, nestling compactly, thanks to their unique, patent pending design which was developed in Australia. Even their vented, toughened glass lids stack ‘level’. This means valuable space is freed-up in the pots and pans drawer with no more teetering, angled, crash-bang piles of pot paraphernalia!

The Wiltshire SmartStack set comprises of 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepans with lids - kitchen essentials for a cook like me! Did you know the more chrome in a stainless steel, the better the product will be with rust resistance? And the more nickel included in the formulation, the better acid resistance.  

Why I love Wiltshire® SmartStack® three-piece saucepan set

♥ Save valuable storage space 

♥ Made with the highest grade stainless steel (18/10 - top level of quality in stainless steel, with 18 percent chrome, 10 percent nickel content)

♥ Suitable for all cooktops including induction

♥ Dishwasher safe

♥ Toughened glass lids are vented for steam control

♥ The riveted cool-to-touch handles are oven-safe to 180°C

♥ Heavy gauge aluminium bases, completely encapsulated in stainless steel, provide excellent heat conductivity

♥ A thoughtful addition is the measurement markings that run up the inside of each pan

♥ Three year guarantee 

The Wiltshire SmartStack three-piece saucepan set is available exclusively from Big W, RRP $99.95*. 

What is your favourite item in the kitchen?

* I was generously gifted a saucepan set for the purpose of this review. This did not, in any way, influence my opinion on the product. Please refer to my disclaimer for more information.

The Power of Anti-Oxidants (+ AntiOx® Review & Giveaway)

We hear a lot  about anti-oxidants but do you really know what they are? Anti-oxidants are molecules that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Anti-oxidants help defend against free radicals and help slow the ageing process. 

Source: two-enjoy-life.com

Fruits, vegetables, grains and green tea are all natural rich sources of antioxidants. But let's be honest not all of us eat enough of those. The good news is that dark chocolate, the one with a high percentage of cocoa (the higher the better), is also a food rich in antioxidants! Of course it is not a reason to indulge on chocolate everyday, remember everything with moderation! 

AntiOx® Review

Last week, I taste tested AntiOx® Chocolates which, in addition to be a sugar-free 70% dark chocolate, contains superfoods to make its anti-oxidant properties even stronger! 

What I like about AntiOx

♥ High in antioxidants

♥ 70% cocoa dark chocolate

♥ Sugar Free Dark Chocolate – sweetened with Stevia, natural plant based sweetener

♥ No artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners

♥ Available in Acai, Goji and Chia & Quinoa flavours

♥ Made in Australia

Giveaway

I have a Winter Booster prize pack to giveaway to one lucky readers. The prize is worth $49.95 and includes:

• 2x AntiOx Pack with all the products 
• Chillax 5 days of better sleep (5 bottles) 
• Well Naturally 3 Chocolate Bars

To enter: To be eligible, you must be a Mademoiselle Slimalicious Facebook Page Liker

AND leave a comment here telling me

"How often do you read/visit this blog and what do you like most about it?"

Additional entries: (leave a comment for each additional entry)

• Tweet this Merci @MSlimalicious and @EuropeBox for giving us a chance to win a Winter Booster hamper! Visit www.mslimalicious.com 
• Like Europe in a Box facebook page  
• Follow @EuropeBox on Twitter
• Share this post with your friends on FB and/or Twitter using the buttons below the post
• Google + (G+) this post using the button at the bottom of the post

Note, if you are an anonymous entrant, please make sure you include your name in the comment so I can contact you via Facebook if you win.

Giveaway is open to readers in Australia. The giveaway close on June 26th, 9 pm. One winner will be chosen at random with the help of random.org. The winner will be notified by email (if available) or on Mademoiselle Slimalicious Facebook page shortly after the end of the competition. If a reply email containing the winner’s name and postal address is not received by June 29th, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to another entrant. The prize pack was kindly donated by Vitality Foods. Total prize pool value is of $49.95. I receive a few samples from the AntiOx chocolate and snack bars range for the purpose of this review. 

For a chance to WIN more fantastic prizes,

visit my Competition page!