Village Blog
The Best Clean Beauty Spots in Melbourne
1. Endota Spa Various Melbourne Locations Yes, I know, a classic that you are all very well aware of. Some may say it’s a cult-fave as each client just keeps going back. With locations dotted all over Melbourne, there will be a salon right near you. From massages, to microdermabrasion, they’ve got you covered. Our personal favourite, you may ask? The Organic Facial - here to pick your skin up and bounce back into shape before you know it. 2. Willow Urban Retreat Armadale Looking for something a little holistic? Tread no further. This retreat will keep you saying 'ohmm' well and truly after your treatment of choice. With an on-site café run by their nutritionist and their stunning luxe spaces, you could spend an easy day there resetting yourself for the new week. Weekend well spent, I’d say. 3. Jacqueline Evans Skin Care Moorabbin "First do no harm, heal with the power of nature, identify and treat the cause, heal the whole person, physician as the teacher, prevention is the best cure" - to be honest with you, nough said. With no nasties, they treat all beauty concerns from the inside out with a qualified naturopath and clinical nutritionist. Their programs are modern-science formulated, sustainable, cruelty free and are designed to get some serious results. This is where our largest organ came to be transformed, whist the rest of us got an internal makeover. 4. Missy Lui Armadale After heading out from Willow Urban retreat, head down the road to the most wholesome, scandi-styled nail bar we could get our ratty hands on. Their philosophy though? Healthy hands. Fantastic service, classical manicures using natural products, and the least amount of nasty toxins they can - even better, they stock local nail polish brands like Kester Black. 5. Belinda Hughes Skin Clinic South Yarra The treasure-trove of all things beauty, Belinda-Hughes is Australia's leading natural beauty therapist. From eminence fire and ice detox peels, to lash lifts and tints to blackhead lifting facials, this is where we came for our face to be reborn. There is no treatment they truly do not do. 6. Little Company Cremorne Just as the name describes, the Little Company is an intimate beauty salon that incorporates the notion of the inside out. Whether that’s through their cabin-like interiors with added greenery, to their small, extremely knowledgeable team, there will be a little nature and a whole-lot of love. Sometimes, you just need a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. They believe, with a little bit of education, guidance and 'a little bit of' treatment of choice, you'll be back on track in no time. From "a little bit of prep" to "a whole lot of everything", to LED Light Therapy rooms to anti-ageing treatments, check out this mini Melbourne wilderness, with no trace of cabin fever. Published on 21/06/19 by Leonie Henzell CEO of beauty's got soul.
Read moreThe best podcasts to get you through your morning commute
Need a little extra hit of inspiration this morning? Here are our FAVOURITE, highly recommended podcasts to make it a little bit easier to get out of bed tomorrow morning... 1. The Cut On Tuesdays Run by Molly Fischer, this weekly podcast expresses women's voices on politics, culture, style, people. It will have you absolutely addicted from the get-go, with more relatable content than ever through reflection, obsessions and a few arguments here and there. You'll be sure to be sneaking an airpod in one ear during your next Monday morning meeting. 2. Offline The Podcast with Alison Rice My personal fave- when I hear Alison Rice's soothing voice, I feel like I'm talking to my best friend. This award-winning journalist has honest conversations with the women behind our favourite Instagram accounts. With a grow-together attitude, Rice gets real on what goes on behind the camera and how these inspiring women overcame the challenges that are often glossed over through the filters of the gram'. Exploring the everchanging concept of true-self, this podcast is integral in increasing ones self-awareness and personal growth. 3. Glow Journal with Gemma Watts Melbourne-based beauty guru Gem K Watts picks the brains out of the worlds greatest beauty pioneers, and chats about the products you would all have in your top shelf. From international make-up artist turned founder (known for her INCREDIBLE Invisible Powder) Rae Morris, to James Read, founder of James Read Tan - this podcast has all the big names and inspiring stories in the one place. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on this one. Another noteworthy, she's probably the most transparent content creator you can come across. Ever. 4. Make it Work with Phoebe Lovatt Founder and Creator of the Working Women's Club and author of The Workings Women's handbook - Phoebe Lovatt knows how to hustle, grind, shimmy and shake her way to create any opportunity. From finding your businesses voice, to how to publish your own book - these are raw conversations with inspiring women on how to make it work. 5. The Call with Erica Williams Simon An extension off the infamous ManRepeller run by Leandra Medine Cohen, Erica Williams Simon is the uplifting spirit we need on those days where we are feeling a little down. Her introduction "hey guys, its ya girl E" makes you feel like you're in safe hands, and talking to one of your girlfriends. These conversations revolve around finding your ultimate call, what gets you buzzing, and how to take that leap of faith. This is the ultimate podcast if you need an extra dose of inspiration, with a sprinkle of imagination. Published on 04/04/2019 by Leonie Henzell CEO beauty's got soul
Read moreSimon Rowe - Sleepbus
beauty's got soul interview Simon Rowe of sleepbus Although there is a constant visual reminder of the amount of people sleeping on our streets, the average person tends to walk over them. Former rough sleeper turned entrepreneur decided to talk to that struggling somebody, and was so taken aback by his circumstances that Australian registered charity sleepbus was formed. Here at Beauty's Got Soul, we were all personally moved by Simon's story, his humbled- willpower, and how his background in business has got buses on the road, and the homeless having safe sleeps. His sheer direct nature to getting things done will inspire all - it does not need to be complicated. Hence, we are using a percentage of our sales, not profits, to directly support the sleepbus community. The walking billboard filled with Japanese style pods, housing twenty-two rough sleepers per night comes and goes before you get to work, and is prepped, primed and in position well and truly after you’ve left the office. Ultimately it’s the service "they're happy to know its happening but they don’t want to see it". It’s a process and not a destination, nor is it a Band-Aid solution to Australia's serious problem, with "6,314 people that were sleeping rough and now it's 8,500 people so two years on and its increased", yet the government is still supporting the top organisations with huge funds. sleepbus is a one stop shop. A simple bus, gutted and installed with lockable, secure sleeping pods, one care-taker on board and video cameras down the isles for deployment of security if need be, it cannot get more simple and straightforward than this, it addresses the exact problem, getting these vulnerable people a safe sleep. Fitted with a Digital TV, a DVD is played through a loop of services which they can refer back to throughout the night, it’s a list of services for a pathway out of homelessness within a 2kms of radius where the bus is parked. Maps, distances, icons and accommodation all clearly laid out. If you want the help, it is there, but its their choice. Ultimately, "don’t get comfortable, figure out what your next steps are, get a good sleep in for sure, but figure out how to get out of this place". That being said, these pods are extremely comfortable and more spacious than you may think. With memory foam mattresses and Sheridan sheets, there is no reason not to have some shut eye. "You can't keep everyone off the street. But if I can scale quickly enough, I can. I can help you. Wouldn’t you prefer to deal with someone who's had a good night's sleep? That’s healthy. That’s as happy as they can be?" Rowe made it clear, he is in no way an advocate for homelessness, but the advocate for change. His response, enlightening, as "it's one of these things where this charity shouldn't exist, and my happiest day won't be that we've ended people sleeping rough in Australia and we have 300 buses around the country. My happiest day will be when it's not needed and it's closed down. Some charities need to be around all the time, but there's other charities that really should have a shelf life and I hope that sleepbus is one of those". sleepbus follows the 100% model, which keeps your donation money completely transparent to you. In fact, this year Sleepbus LIVE will be launched, showing where your money is, how many safe sleeps each bus has provided, how many women versus men, age as well as tracking locations. 100% of your donation goes directly to maintaining and providing the sleep bus, and as most people assume, it isn't going to pay for head offices salaries - that is donated privately from corporate sponsors and other individuals. Rowe explains that "there's only so many times you can ask the public to donate to things so if you do a fundraiser to build a bus they jump on board, but in terms of running a bus not so much, that’s when I go to corporate sponsors and that’s why there's the mobile billboard model because they can get a little money and so can we". What is next, you may ask for sleepbus? A Pink bus dedicated to women and children, with a smaller amount of pods, it is more safe with no climbing, contained, and can rest easy as their family. Currently, there is a GoFundMe page where you can donate. By winter, Rowe hopes to have three buses on the road, including the Pink Bus. Additionally, sleepbusLIVE to track your donations. A large V-Line bus, holding twenty-two people's belongings, cages for animals, toilets, caretakers, and full security footage. This may sound expensive. It costs $176,000 to run, per year. Want to help out? sleepbus need cash donations and corporate sponsorships. If you too are personally moved by the work that Simon and his team are doing, please click here to donate. Published on the 01/03/2019 by Leonie Henzell CEO of beauty's got soul
Read moreJessica Wall - Commissioned Artist
Ever wondered how our packaging for your pretty little shelfies came along? Meet Melbourne based artist, Jessica Wall. The creator behind our musings. This is how our oh so insta-worthy packaging came about and how a simple #melbourneartist hashtag had us all drooling overnight ... We all met up in her Aunt's Chocolate Shop in Carnegie, after Founder and CEO of Beauty's Got Soul, Leonie Henzell was scrolling through the 'gram #MelbourneArtist when she first came across Jessica Wall's abstract fluid art. What stands out about Jess in an agglomeration of Melbourne creatives? Someone who lets her work speak for itself. Don’t be mistaken , these creations are not 'extra' looking bath bombs. Firstly, starting in the living room "near the window just because obviously when you're filming it you want as much light to come so it’s the best quality and then when I started up my Instagram pages people were taking to it and friends and family wanted to buy it I started to up it to a full lighting kit which I got for my birthday and its been so good. Now I can do it wherever". No Cleopatra styled milk-filled baths over here, just a palm-sized bowl with detergent , lemon, and other top secret formulations to create these preen packaged pieces, ultimately, inspired by Buzzfeed science experimentation videos for a university elective "science photography" - spurring into the ultimate at home experiment turned business and passion. Ultimately she "just wanted to do something different …. I was very interested in resin art but its very expensive but I thought this was cool and something to try out and I experimented with just paint - I have so much at home so I did it that way to start". Wall's practise comes about in an organic matter, and her humbled attitude seeps into her work fluidly as "I'd go to bigger places but at the moment I'm happy doing what I'm doing [...] I change between the two [mediums] all the time. Like, right now I'm really into filming so I'll push this and all the different forms I'm feeling at the time". Admitting that everyone has tough days, creative constraints are a well accepted challenge as "I feel like when I just do an experiment and I don’t like any of it, I just move past that and try again so I don’t mind it because it pushes me to work harder and do more and then eventually. I know that some experiments will be nothing and I'll get so annoyed but then the next day it'll be something awesome", a change in attitude and mindset ultimately changes everything. "I think I just love [that] you never know how [the experiments are] going to turn out and I love watching the videos of how they make it because you just never know and that’s the same with mine". Although Jess has a multitude of prospects set on her horizon in her creative field, the key to maintaining her audience in the ever-changing digital landscape "is consistent content, they followed me for the bubble, the fluid artwork, and I didn’t think it was right to start throwing video stuff in it there and mix it up." No chopping and changing and ultimately working to her strengths. "You can only do one or the other unless you have two cameras. So, you have to decide one or the other - literally. Sometimes I get videos of things and it'll be really cool and then it'll change in two seconds and I'm like damn it, it would've been a good photo - that’s how it's going to be". In terms of Instagram's algorithms taking over our feeds, the university graduate says "it really is a whole other world… [its] like learning a whole new course just to run your Instagram". Although the flexibility in presentation is broader on Facebook, "there's not much traction for that there", and she quickly learned that "Instagram let me build my businesses faster" as seen through J Wall Photography and J Wall Visual for videography. Absorbing content from YouTube, her videography is documentary style "I realised once I left uni that I liked that more documentary style and I was looking for jobs and didn’t really get anything and realised what I liked and what I really wanted to try my hand in was wedding videography … and I thought I could just do it myself - people do it by themselves all the time". You might be wonderings what's on for 2019? New print surfaces such as wood, metal, glass, and some more printed works up for sale. To keep in the loop of Jess's new works, gallery pieces and much more, you can find her here. Published on 07/03/2019 by Leonie Henzell CEO beauty's got soul
Read moreThe Story of the Puzzle Desk
From adversity to opportunity - how two local business have joined forces to meet a crucial need in today’s market… The story of the Puzzle Desk. What happens when you pair the owner of a design savvy construction and shop fitting company, with a couple of design obsessed retailers whose businesses have both been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis? A tonne of ideas and innovation born out of the necessity to survive! When Sarah Ryding, owner of i4 Design & Construction approached Nat Wheeler and Kristy Sadlier from norsu Interiors late last week to share a prototype of a product she had just designed with her clever team, the girls literally squealed with excitement at the knowledge that this was the item every home needs right now. The announcement of Term 2 remote learning in Victoria had just delivered a big reality check for these three families with young children. “Running a business from home while simultaneously home schooling my son was somehow manageable when I believed it would only be for a matter of weeks” says single-Mum and norsu co-founder Kristy Sadlier. “However, when the news hit that remote learning was going to be extended for an entire other term, it completely tipped me over the edge! I was doing ok until this point - despite the general iso challenges and wearing a few more hats than normal, I held the belief that it was only temporary and once my son was back at school (initially scheduled for 20 April), life would return to ‘normal’.” With the news also came the panic that dedicated at-home work stations were suddenly a necessity. “I couldn’t handle the takeover of my dining room table any longer. Fighting for space to eat meals between my computer and paper work and my son’s half completed puzzles, drawings and board games, it became very apparent that a desk was needed for both of us to keep some of our sanity in check” claims Sadlier. After jumping on line to find several major retailers were virtually sold out of desks, with lengthy restock delays, the panic set in even more… This story seemed to be all too familiar amongst other households. Enter Ryding and her brilliant idea for the Puzzle Desk! After Coronavirus shut down her booming shopfitting business i4 Design & Construction, leaving her 100 shop fitting and factory employees out of work, she was at a true loss. After a period of grieving, she turned to the one thing she does best - designing fit for purpose and practical furniture! "The creativity still flows. We've got a full manufacturing facility here in Melbourne and we've got skilled staff that were eager to continue working," Ryding says. She saw the need for affordable desks that can be used at home along with the spike in popularity of puzzles. She then rallied together with her talented team, harnessing their combined skills to design a desk that slots together like a puzzle. "Kids can use the desks for home schooling or adults if they are working from home. It slides together with no need for tools or screws. And when you are done, it pulls apart and can be stored under a bed." Enter to WIN your very own Puzzle Desk. This gorgeous desk is valued at $299. You will also win 2 Soul Baby Suitcases valued at $95 and a beauty's got soul gift valued at $100. Total prize pool is $514. Sign up to our newsletter for your chance to win. The winner will be drawn randomly on Friday 8th May at 5pm AEST and the winner will be notified by email & posted on Instagram. After a meeting through the Business Chicks, Ryding approached the ladies at norsu believing they would be a good fit to sell the product. norsu, who have also been hit by COVID-19 after closing the doors to their Malvern East concept store several weeks ago, instantly jumped at the opportunity. "I've partnered with norsu to exclusively sell our desks. I'm harnessing their skills to complement my own. It's no longer about end-to-end production, it's about working together," she says. Within 24 hours, the team had tested, styled and photographed the desks, and pushed the product to market on social media and www.norsu.com.au - all while still remaining isolated in their own homes. “This is the beauty of small business in a crisis. We have the ability to think and act fast! We were in overdrive, spending every moment of that 24 hour period brainstorming and strategising over What’s app and late night calls once the kiddies were in bed” states norsu co-founder Nat Wheeler. The trio had a strong belief in the product, but nothing could have prepared them for the response they received. “We launched on Friday evening with an affordable price tag of $279, and had sold out of our first production run by Saturday morning! The manner in which our community has embraced this product has been truly overwhelming. There’s such a strong desire to support local business right now, which has certainly helped, along with our ability to supply stock quickly thanks to local manufacturing” claims Wheeler. After smashing their initial target in only 12 hours, the team kicked into gear to secure more materials over the Easter weekend to manufacture at scale. They are now poised to deliver hundreds of units by Friday this week. “We are so proud to partner with our friend to meet an immediate need in the market, but the sweetest thing of all is knowing we are helping provide an opportunity to keep her factory staff employed during this challenging time” Wheeler and Sadlier both admit. About the product:Cut from sheet MDF using CNC machinery in the Thomastown factory of i4 Design & Construction, the Puzzle Desk consists of seven individual pieces that fit together like a puzzle in just two minutes without the use of tools. It can be easily assembled and packed away as required for effortless storage under a bed. Its sturdy, yet lightweight design means it can be moved around the house as needed, and enjoyed by all members of the home. It’s available in two finishes, white laminate MDF and raw MDF (to customise with your own DIY painting project), and above all, it looks great! Visit www.norsu.com.au for more information on the Puzzle Desk. Published by Leonie Henzell CEO of Soul Baby Gifts on 23/04/2020.
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