CONFIRMED: Topshop is coming to Australia!

Words cannot describe my excitement for the impending opening of Australia's first Topshop, in my very own city of Melbourne! It seems they have chosen to open in the Jam Factory complex, in Chapel Street, apparently in the location that Borders occupied before they closed.

Surprisingly, earlier this year I was not as excited about the opening of Zara. The Melbourne opening was delayed a few times, and the Sydney store ended up opening first. After a few weeks of the opening, I went and had a look, but was slightly underwhelmed. Many of the clothes were lovely, it was just many of them were similar to what we already had here, and at similar prices, too. As they are in the Bourke Street mall, it was very full of tourists, many who looked like they didn't want to be there (fathers, brothers, parents following their daughters/girlfriends/families around). Another time I had a look it was quieter, but they seem to run out of smaller sizes very quickly. I'm also disappointed that Zara has not yet extended their online shopping website to Australia.

With an expected opening date of December 2011, I hope that they will reflect their website to accurately reflect the availability of stock and prices of their Australian store. It seems the store will be fairly large (1300m2 exactly), and will be a nice change from venturing into the CBD for shopping! I also think Topshop fits the aesthetic of Chapel Street very well. I hope their pricing will be competitive and accurately reflect the quality of their stock, and not be inflated as many other brands are here in Australia.

Sydneysiders, there is a rumour that they are also looking at a site at Chatswood Chase for their next store.. so it mightn't be too far away either!

Things I'm currently eyeing off from the website -

Are you excited for Topshop's opening?

Guest Post!

Just a quick entry to say that I've been a guest poster on CClarebear's blog. I was lucky enough to receive some products from her, and after trying them, I reviewed them! Check it out!

Watching your portion sizes? You have to watch this..

Something a little different, I came accross this video and had to post it. When I'm watching my portion sizes (especially for calorie dense things, or when I'm cooking, things like peanut butter, desserts, sugar), I, like everyone else, uses measuring cups/spoons. I'm now going out to buy a kitchen scale.

Video from youtube, originally I found this at http://www.maximumfitnessconsulting.com/blog/?p=518

A small update

A few things have gone down recently in my life -


1) I have fractured my foot. I slipped down one step, and walked around on it for two days before an xray confirmed a fracture. It happened exactly four weeks before I go to Bali, and will take four weeks to heal, in which I need to wear a big moon boot. I've been working out hard and eating well for months to have the ultimate bikini body for my holiday, and now I feel like my hard work is going to go down the drain since I can't do anywhere near as much exercise as I've been dong, and I'm CRAVING the endorphins! Potentially receiving compensation, my head is spinning with all the info and requirements to do that!

2) I received some lovely items from CClarebear's giveaway! A 125ml bottle of Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser, a 40ml bottle of Kiehl's Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, and a sample sized tube of Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque. I'm so excited to try all these products! She's invited me to do a guest review, which I shall definitely to after a couple of weeks of using these products. Thanks CClarebear!

3) I've become obsessed with the recently opened Daiso. Daiso is a Japanese shop where everything costs $2.80. I've bought some face mask sheets, a neck massager, some cute stationery, a mini camera tripod, some storage boxes, a heart shaped cookie cutter (my plan for my next romantic home cooked breakfast for the bf - heart shaped fried eggs!), some peach and kiwi flavoured lollies (SO GOOD), and an iphone case. I can spend ages looking at every product on every shelf, it's been so busy and squashed each time I've been though, and it's cash only at busier times.


A new (and better!) post will be uploaded soon, I've fallen behind with blogging it seems.

Heaven is.. Coconut M&Ms

I've just been to heaven.

COCONUT M&Ms.

They are amazing. Wow. With the new flavours of M&Ms hitting shelves such as dark chocolate, pretzel, almond, and coconut, I'm certain to gain a few kilos trying them..

I'm not sure if they are actually 'new', or just american ones being released in some stores in Australia. I bought mine from Sweet Bee, a lolly shop at my local shopping centre, and I've only seen the almond and dark chocoalate varieties at Coles.

Too bad they are artifically flavoured.. but you can't really expect natural ingredients in something as naughty as M&Ms.

Yum. That is all.

It is quite a slow blogging week, if you can't tell already.

Foam Rolling - Self Massage

Foam rolling is an excellent form of recovery post workout. It is a form of stretching (just like you'd do normally after a workout), and gets tightness and knots out of muscles that have been worked out, or are just generally tight. Like a good massage, it can really HURT, but in a good way, and when you finish you feel instantly looser and more aligned. It releases knots and tightness by rolling over the muscle, and in a way, stretching it out, and forcing it out. (Think about a rolling pin rolling some dough).

You can stretch most muscles with the foam roller, but the best I've found are the back, glutes and legs. My quads, calves, glutes and hamstrings get EXTREMELY tight because of all the exercise I do, and I sometimes get knee or hip tightness/pain as a result. I find after a quick foam rolling session, this pain lessens dramatically.

Your IT band runs down the outside of each thigh from your hip to your knee. You probably won't feel the tightness there until you get the right pressure on it, but when it is loosened, it feels AMAZING.


Quads:

Calves:

IT Band:

 

 Back:

Glutes:

A couple of things to remember -

Do not roll your neck, or directly on your spine.

Get a personal trainer, physio or osteo to show you how to get the correct amount of pressure for you.

It will hurt, but if it is a severe pain, or lasts after the pressure is removed, seek medical advice and stop immediately.

Do Foam Rolling along with traditional stretching.

If you can't get enough pressure to 'feel it' (I can't anymore, on my calves), get someone else to help you.



There are some excellent youtube videos that demonstrate rolling techniques, and you can buy foam rollers from sports shops, and cheaply online.


Have you had any experience in foam rolling, and has it changed your life like it has mine?

Pharmacy Brands - Avène Skincare

Winter has made me break out with a terrible rash on my cheeks/jawline. It started last week when I sat right in front of a heater for far too long. It was made worse by my current state of stress as I write my final essays as the uni semester comes to an end. I do have quite sensitive skin when the weather gets a bit extreme, at other times it is quite dry.

In the past I've used DermAid Cream for the occasional skin irritation/eczema I get. I use the sensitive version, and it works well.

Yesterday I went to the pharmacy, and wanted to get something light that would keep my skin hydrated, but not further irritate it. The pharmacicst quickly went over to the Avene stand, and couldn't reccommend the range highly enough. I had heard good things about it, but had never tried any of it.

Avene is a french company who have been recognised by dermatologists for helping all types of skin problems. Their Avene Hydrotherapy centre in France caters for over 4,000 people, and is reimbursed by the French Government under their Health Insurance. Over 3,000 studies have been done on Avene, with all their products containing their Thermal Spring Water.

They have products for skin with three levels of sensitivity:

First Degree: Sensitive

Characteristics: Skin occasionally experiences unpleasant feelings such as tingling, itching, and/or tightness. Sensitive skin usually results from a mild reaction to aggressions like the wind, cold, sun and/or over-zealous cleansing which are tolerated by normal skin.

Second Degree: Intolerant

Characteristics: Skin experiences tingling and tightness, but also shows signs of redness, scaling and/or burning. Intolerant skin is easily traumatised by external factors and often reacts to the application of skincare products that are not suited to that skin type. Minimal ingredients reduce the chances of reaction.

Third Degree: Atopic

Characteristics: Skin is allergic and experiences reactions characterised by eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis, indications include dryness, itchiness and redness.

(taken from the Avene website).

I purchased the Thermal Spring Water, which was roughly $10 for the small 50ml can. It has a low mineral content and contains silica, and has a PH of 7.5. When spraying it my skin felt instantly cooled and soothed, and looked more hydrated at once. It's important to remember not to shake the can, which is a hard habit to break!


I would love to try a few more of their products.


Soothing Moisture Mask - $36.95

Lip Balm with Cold Cream - $19.95

Gentle Eye Makeup Remover - $21.95

I really have gotten to like pharmacy brands in recent months, as they don't have a lot of added ingredients, or expensive marketing behind them. Do you like pharmacy brand skincare?