Reviews and Features - Inspired Living SA

Be Inspired, Beauty, Beauty Spa, Cape Town Lifestyle, Fashion, Lifestyle, Reviews and Features

Equinox Spa Cape Royale

On Tuesday morning I was treated to a wonderful spa experience at the Equinox Spa Cape Royale, in Green Point Cape Town. The timing could not have been more perfect as the girls went back to school on Tuesday as well, so it was indeed a bit of much-needed, rather self indulgent “me-time”.

The Cape Royale is situated in Green Point overlooking the grandiose Green Point Stadium and is perfectly positioned just outside the Cape Town CBD and the V&A Waterfront making it perfect for businesses and leisure travellers.

Upon arrival at the hotel I was greeted by a door man adorned in a top hat and tails and escorted through the elegant reception area, to the elevators which take you up to the Equinox Spa. The decor in the spa is magnificent, luxurious with a hint of drama. A monochromatic colour scheme is punctuated with bursts of colour. Black and white damask wallpaper adorns the walls and a beautiful ornate chandelier in the reception area gives the spa an almost ethereal feeling.

I was greeted by the friendly staff who showed me to the changing area, fully equipped with lockers and showers for guests to use. I was asked to change into a crisp white robe and shown to a waiting area, here I was offered cucumber flavoured water and a selection of healthy nibbles. My therapist Zama then took me to the treatment room which was warm and inviting. I was then treated to an hour-long hot candle massage, which is not a treatment that I have had before so I was very intrigued to experience it for the first time.

The oil that collects at the top of the burning candle, is used for the massage, it felt sublime on my skin. The hot oil is said to relieve muscle pain and stimulate blood circulation in the body. Needless to say the treatment was amazing, from the beautifully scented candle, raspberry and lavender I believe, to the gloriously warm and soothing oil the candle produces – I was in heaven! The massage itself was wonderful, with just the necessary amount of pressure, I tend to carry my stress in my neck and shoulders so there were lots of knots to work out.

Equinox is a realm of indulgence, offering individualized professional therapies with a touch of couture elegance

I would definitely recommend a visit to the Equinox Spa and I will definitely be back there in the future to experience more of their world-class treatments. To find out more about the spa and other treatments they offer, visit their website here.

I loved the experience so much that I would like to treat one of my lucky readers to a Nimue Facial!

Here is what you need to do:

Show some love by liking Super Mom Blogs Facebook page and Cape Royale Hotel & Spa Facebook Page
Leave a comment below this post telling me why you deserve to win this treatment

Please shout out and tell your friends about this awesome competition by tweeting the following – win with @supermomsablog & @Equinox_Spa @Cape_Royale

Competition Details:

This giveaway will run from Thursday 19th July 2012, until the 26th July 2012. The winner will then be randomly selected and announced on my blog on the 27th July. The winners will also be notified via email that they have won.
The winner will receive a 1 Hour Nimue Facial at the Equinox Spa at the Cape Royale Hotel in Green Point Cape Town.
Please leave a comment on this blog, below the post, stating that you have completed the above; along with your details in the comment section below this post (please include your email address). If you do not complete this step your entry will not be valid.
Conditions of entry: Anyone may enter this giveaway but please advised that the Equinox Spa at the Cape Royale Hotel is in Cape Town and the prize does not include travel costs, therefore the winner will need to be in Cape Town to redeem their prize. The prize may not be exchanged for cash.

Be Inspired, Beauty, Beauty Products, Fashion, Reviews and Features, Video Reviews

Dove Intensive Repair

Today I am reviewing Dove Intensive Repair from the Dove Damage Therapy range, sent to me from the lovely ladies at the Beauty Bulletin. Dove Intensive Repair for hair, is a daily treatment conditioner. It is a new generation conditioner which also contains a treatment. The treatment contains Fibre Actives™ which penetrate deep inside the hair to repair damaged proteins and the conditioner contains a Micro Moisture Serum which intensely nourishes and seals lifted cuticles, to prevent future damage.

I really enjoyed using this product! It has a lovely fresh fragrance and is extremely easy to use. Plus it comes in a handy container perfect for storing in the shower. After shampooing your hair, apply Dove Intensive Repair to wet hair and leave on for 1 minute. Rinse out and you are done – it is as easy as that! Style as you normally would. My hair was super easy to comb through afterwards and I had a lovely silky finish after styling. My hair is fine and naturally oily, so personally I would probably only use the product every second day.

I also used the Dove Intensive Repair on my daughter’s hair which although fine, is very curly and difficult to manage and it worked extremely well. Her hair was also easy to comb through and not fly away on the ends, as it usually is after washing.

I would definitely recommend Dove Intensive Repair and I feel that it is suitable for all hair types. I feel that it will work particularly well on dry or damaged hair.

Below you can see my video review of the product:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/THxnnTPdMGw[/youtube]

Be Inspired, Books, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Reviews and Features

Summer Daydreams – Book Review

Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews

Do you ever feel the need to change your life or have aspirations to be something more? Well then this is just the book for you….

It was my first occasion reading a Carole Matthews book and I was pleasantly surprised. She has a wonderful ability to create true to life characters, which you as the reader can really relate to.

The main character, Nell McNamara, is someone who I instantly warmed to and found myself identifying with, even though our lives could not be more different. Nell is a young British mom, essentially doing everything in her power to survive the economic crunch while at the same time trying to provide a loving home for her four-year old daughter Petal, and long-term boyfriend Olly. She holds down a job at a local chip shop, but has aspirations for a more creative and fulfilling career.

Just to maintain their basic existence, Olly holds down two jobs of his own, and the fact that they both works shifts, does not allow for much family time. Despite the challenges, they seem to make do with what they have. That is until Nell displays some form of artistic flare while revamping the chip shop, with astounding results. Thus begins her journey to reinvent herself and build a “better” life for her family.

After a short-lived course at a local design college, Nell feels the despair that most working moms often do, when trying to juggle work, studies and a family. Even though college does not work out, Nell still feels the need to pursue a more creative path, this leads her to follow her dream of owning her own handbag boutique. Nell has somewhat of a fetish for handbags (a trait passed down from her mother) and finds that she is a natural when it comes to designing them.

Without giving too much of the story away, this is when it all begins to go a bit awry and her dream threatens to become more of a nightmare. Can Nell handle the emotional and financial pressure of a business, without losing her family, and will it all be worth it in the end?

Summer Daydreams is full of fun and many laugh-out-loud moments, as well as nail-biting, real-life drama! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is definitely a book to take on holiday with you, when time is not of the essence, as I could not put it down.

{Published by Little Brown, RRP R215.00 available at all good book stores}

Source: Penguin Books

Summer Daydreams – Book Review Disclaimer: Book provided by Penguin Books for review purposes

Be Inspired, Children, Family, Food, Healthy Eating, Kids Food, Reviews and Features

Fruit Pack

Today I am reviewing a great product for kids called Fruit Pack. As moms it can be a struggle to always have a healthy snack on hand where ever you go and Fruit Pack provides a solution to this dilemma. Fruit Pack is a new healthy fruit snack for children on-the-go, conveniently packaged in a fun, easy-to-use squeezable and resealable pouch. Made from 100% natural fruit with no added sugar, Fruit Pack contains no colourants, no flavourants and no preservatives.

Whether you’re travelling or at home, Fruit Pack’s healthy and delicious flavours can be enjoyed anywhere and make it easier for us parents to feed our kids better food when we’re out and about. Pouches are strong enough to be tossed into a handbag and compact enough to fit inside a pocket or lunchbox. Just twist off the cap and squeeze!

The packs are suitable for kids from the age of 10 months and there are three flavours to choose from. Each flavour has it very own personalised animal character, so not only are the packs nutritious but they are also fun. The flavours are Awesome Apple {Gina the Giraffe}, Strawberry & Banana {Mani the Monkey} and Apple & Pear {Eli the Elephant}.

So if you are looking for a convenient healthy alternative snack to pack in your bag for the little ones, for those unexpected moments or something extra to add to your kids lunch box, Fruit Pack is definitely something you should try. A great suggestion was to place the packs in the freezer, especially in summer so the contents will remain chilled and be a great refreshing alternative to Ice Lollies {less messy too} or fruit juice. Or my husbands idea was to use them when he goes on long cycles to replace electrolytes! Who said you needed to be a kid to enjoy Fruit Pack!

Competitions, Desserts, Eating Out, Food, Markets, Reviews and Features

The Creamery

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting the creative minds, Kate and Marianne, behind the delicious ice cream at The Creamery; needless to say I was truly inspired! Oh and I got to taste more of their decadent ice cream! Yum! The Creamery ice cream is an artisanal product in the truest sense of the word, from the care and attention to detail in the sourcing of ingredients, to the creative flare that is at the heart of developing different flavours.

Kate & Marianne

The owner Kate Schrire is a slow food advocate. She received a diploma from the SA Chef Academy and went on to head up operations at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosh. Here began Kate’s dream to create a product that was both hand-crafted and sustainable. The Creamery was officially founded in November 2011.

To maintain sustainability they try to source the majority of their ingredients from local farmers and suppliers who are passionate about both sustainability and biodiversity. This often means using only products that are in season.

As I mentioned to Kate and Marianne (“the creative team”) while doing my tasting, their ice cream is more than “just ice cream” – it is more of a stand-alone desert, with original flavours like lemon curd swirl, chocolate orange curd swirl and roasted pear and cardamom. Of the flavours that I tasted, my two favourites would have to be the lemon ice cream and the coffee. They also scoop the usual crowd favourites like chocolate and vanilla, but I think you need to step out there and be a bit more adventurous when eating The Creamery ice creams and try something new!

The team at The Creamery are constantly evolving their flavours and spend a lot of time developing new products. As part of their ongoing development process, they are creating their own version of an ice cream sundae, which promises to provide us with yet another dreamy ice cream experience. The sundae will consist of their amazing ice cream (of course!), a sauce (preferably warm), and a textural component, like a cookie or brownie, nut, fruit or candy (all made by them). You can find out more about their amazing creation on their blog – here.

The most exciting news is that you can be a part of the development of their sundae flavours and at the same time, stand a chance of winning two 500ml pints of The Creamery’s stunning ice cream! Here is what you need to do:

Have a look at The Creamery blog and tell us what your favourite choice of Sundae flavour combinations would be.
“Like” Super Mom Blogs Facebook page (This way you can keep up to date with future giveaways & awesome posts!)

and

You can give The Creamery and extra shout out on Twitter saying It’s all about the Sundae with @thecreamerysa and @Supermomblog

Please leave a comment on this blog, below the post, telling me what your favourite Sundae flavour combination is; along with your details in the comment section below this post (please include your email address). If you do not complete this step your entry will not be valid.

Competition Details:

This giveaway will run from the 13th June 2012, until the 19th June 2012. The winner will then be randomly selected and announced on my blog on the 20th June. The winner will also be notified by email that they have won.
Conditions of entry: Anyone may enter this giveaway, but please note that The Creamery is based in Cape Town and the winner will need to collect their prize directly from The Creamery or from a market of their choice.
The prize may not be exchanged for cash.

To find out more about where you can buy The Creamery ice cream you can click here