INFUSED M A G A Z I N E T he
High Tea Party
A GORGEOUS EXCUSE TO CATCH UP WITH THE GIRLS
Love Your Sister’s
SAMUEL
JOHNSON A DANCE QUEST
LOVE YOUR SISTER - THE CHARITY MADE UP OF A NATION-WIDE VILLAGE WHICH ALL STARTED WITH A BROTHER’S LOVE FOR HIS SISTER.
W
e are so proud to partner with Love Your Sister. Join us in the fight against cancer. We have a special Ticket Offer of $59 to The High Tea Party + from every ticket, $5 will go to the Love Your Sister charity. SHOP HERE
USE PROMO CODE: LOVE
March WOW Award Winner!
This month we celebrate Elle Fredricksen.
Elle has been nominated by her friend Maria Weninger. Elle has faced personal hardships over the past few years but has set an amazing example to her three daughters by not giving up and continuing to help others on a professional and personal basis. Elle and her daughters fundraise for the Jodie O’Shea House orphanage in Indonesia and they regularly donate their time to the Ferntree Gully Community Kitchen. Congratulations, Elle! Your friend Maria describes you as an amazing woman with a huge heart. We hope you enjoy your pamper pack. We love hearing your stories! We are taking nominations for the WOW of the month for April! Nominating the special woman in your life is simple, email us at admin@thepeppermintgroup.com.au and tell us what makes this woman so special and why she deserves to win. Nominations close on the 3rd Sunday of every month. We’ll contact you for further details if your nomination is successful.
*gift package shown is a true reflection of products that can be included in a WOW award. Products used can vary. Packaging may differ.
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L IFESTYLE
B EAU TY
MAR/2019 6/ BEAUTY
10/ ENTERTAINMENT
Editor Sarah experiences a HydraFacial for the first time.
Samuel Johnson’s dance quest.
8/ HEALTH & WELLBEING What is “wellbeing”, anyways?
12/ ETIQUETTE How to help (with food) when catastrophe strikes.
14/ FOOD & BEVERAGE Trends in coffee.
16/ LIFESTYLE Flourishing in the face of technology.
Dear Reader, Welcome to the March issue of Infused. Thank you everyone who nominated a special person for our Woman of Worth Award. This month, we have chosen Elle Fredricksen to receive a special pamper pack. You can read more about Elle’s story and her inspiring attitude to life on page 3. Don’t forget to nominate the woman of worth in your life for her chance to win a pamper pack in April. This month we catch up with actor, Gold Logie Awardwinner and co-founder of the Love Your Sister charity, Samuel Johnson. Go to page 10 to read all about Sam’s latest dancing journey and how he’s going with the Love Your Sister mission to raise $10 million to help scientists eradicate all cancers. You can also find out how you can support Love Your Sister, which is The High Tea Party’s new charity partner. We’ll also look at old-fashioned ideas that never went out of style, new trends in coffee-drinking, try to understand the concept of “wellness” and I will let you know what it’s like to get a HydraFacial (spoiler: it feels amazing). Our etiquette column is back and this month we tackle something a little more serious than being a good person on a train: how to help a friend in a crisis. As always, we’d love to hear from you if you’d like to see something in our e-magazine or if you have something you’d like to share, so get in touch at admin@thepeppermintgroup.com.au Best wishes, Sarah
Want to say hello, have a question or feedback? Drop us an email at admin@thepeppermintgroup.com.au
BEAUTY
my experience Our editor Sarah put on a brave face for her first facial, the HydraFacial experience.
Here's a confession: I've never been to a beautician before. That's right: no facials, no treatments, no nothing. I'm a complete novice. This is partly because I have supersensitive skin and I'm nervous about using new creams or chemicals on a face that can turn bright red at the drop of a hat. So when I had the opportunity to try a HydraFacial, I felt nervous. It was only the reassuring line on the website: "Suitable for sensitive skin" that gave me a little comfort. When I met with Michael from HydraFacial, pretty much the first thing I told him was about my issue with sensitivity. He was reassuringly calm and confident. "In that case," he told me, "This treatment is perfect for you." Michael explained that HydraFacial, while it delivers an advanced cleanse, exfoliation, and moisturising system, is actually very gentle on skin. So I decided to give it a go. Michael started with a cleanse and exfoliation. The HydraFacial machine (a surprisingly heavy, wheeled contraption with a touch screen for all its functions and levels) uses a wand with disposable tips that he ran over my face, giving it a gentle but thorough cleanse and exfoliation. It was a quick procedure that felt a little bit tingly but nothing uncomfortable. The second step used the same wand with a different tip. It was a treatment with salicylic and glycolic acids and gave me a really thorough exfoliation, getting rid of deep-pore dirt, while the wand softened the pores on my skin to prepare for the next step. The third step was like a vacuum cleaner for my skin, extracting all the dirt that the first and second steps had uncovered and loosened. Apparently some brave
customers like to see all the gunk that is removed (#gunkie trends on Twitter!), which sounds satisfying but probably isn't for me. This was the step that was a little uncomfortable, but we had the option of turning the vacuum levels down. (This is what makes the treatment good for all different kinds of skin – it is easily customisable.) Finally, I got the good stuff: a moisturiser with peptides and hyaluronic acid. I had to lie down for a few minutes to let all that sink right in. It's hard to describe how my skin felt after the treatment, because I've never had that feeling before. The word that came to mind was "light". My face felt really light and agile, and sort of more relaxed. "Like you've had a work-out. For your skin," said Michael. And, just like after a work-out, my face was quite red. But the redness disappeared after about half-an-hour, and people experience no redness at all. And, as Michael pointed out, if I were to get a microdermabrasion the redness would stay for days, instead of minutes. And after the redness? My skin tone looked more even, the fine lines were definitely finer, and it really felt fantastic. My husband said I was glowing. So that was nice. A HydraFacial can be experienced at selected salons and cosmetic surgeries. You can expect to pay around $200 per session, and the whole intensive treatment only takes around 20-30 minutes. The results are immediate. Find a salon near you at www.hydrafacial.com.au/hydrafacialfind-a-clinic.php
HEALTH & WELLBEING
What is "wellbeing", anyway?
When I first considered the word "wellbeing" – and I mean really considered, because it is one of those words I've said a million times without thinking about it properly – I thought it sounded a bit 2000s, a bit made-up, and more than a little bit self-indulgent. But, actually, the word was first coined in the 17th Century. Some politicians think we should measure a country's wellbeing. It's an important measure of your quality of life, so what is it? Why is it so important? And how do we improve it?
Wellbeing - A brief definition According to Psychology Today, wellbeing is "the experience of health, happiness and prosperity". And the Victorian State Government's Better Health Channel describes it as "a complex combination of a person's physical, mental, emotional and social health factors". It's really how you feel about your life when you take into account your physical and mental health, your relationships, the work that you do and your outlook on life.
Sounds great – Where can I get some? Can you buy wellbeing? Well, only up to a point. If you can't afford to pay your electricity bill and then you suddenly get a pay rise and then you can afford the lights, your wellbeing will increase because you aren't stressing about money so much. However, many studies have shown that being rich does not contribute to overall wellbeing. The thing that contributes the most is having strong, meaningful social ties.
What can I do to improve my wellbeing? • Eating well is considered to be very important. A healthy diet with lots of grains and vegies will improve your physical health which has a positive effect on your overall wellbeing. • Similarly, regular exercise is helpful. This has been shown to improve both your physical and mental health. • It can be hard to find time to see your friends, but it is very valuable for your quality of life. Similarly, make a regular date with your partner to enjoy each other's company and cultivate a strong, loving relationship. • Gratitude is strongly associated with feelings of contentment and happiness. See this research from Harvard Medical School for more information. • Wellbeing at work is important, too. Not all of us have the luxury of finding the perfect job, but maybe it's time to think about switching jobs or figuring out how you can live with your less-than-perfect job. • Your mental health is crucial to your wellbeing. If you feel depressed or anxious a lot of the time, speak to your GP about seeing a psychologist. Call Lifeline if you need immediate help (13 11 14). Or check out The Black Dog Institute for more information on mental health.
ENTERTAINMENT
Samuel’s Dance Quest Infused interviewed Samuel Johnson about his crazy ride on
Dancing With The Stars, his journey to find grace and his mission to vanquish all cancers.
When beloved Aussie actor Samuel Johnson’s sister was diagnosed with a life-limiting form of cancer, after battling various cancers for 30 years, she dared her brother to unicycle around Australia to raise money for cancer research and remind women to check their breasts. It was the start of the Love Your Sister charity, which is now a huge community of fundraisers with one aim: raise money to support scientific research into cancer eradication. Samuel’s latest gambit is taking part in the Dancing With The Stars competition – continuing to keep Love Your Sister in the spotlight and maintain his mission to raise 10 million dollars to give to cancer research.
Infused: What has your time on DWTS been like?
March 4, you can find the episode on the tenplay app) and it’s really special.
Sam: It is up there with the craziest experiences I’ve ever had in my life – and that’s even compared with a 365-day uni-cycling odyssey. There have been intense highs and lows. It has been like surfing a wild rainbow. My dance schedule is 9am to 4.30pm, six days a week.
Infused: How would Connie have felt about you being on DWTS?
Infused: Wow, that’s a huge commitment! Is everyone doing that? Sam: No, we’re only required to rehearse 20 hours per week, but, hey. I only get to do this once and I’m a “make the most of it” kind of guy. Plus, I’m in a position to be able to do it. I’ve cleared my schedule and I don’t have little kids. Jimmy Rees, the children’s entertainer, he’s just had twins, so he can’t give that commitment. Same for Constance Hall, Miguel Maestre – a lot of the others have families but I’m in a fortunate position that I can give it my all, so I am. Infused: Which has been your favourite dance so far? Sam: Each one that comes up is my new favourite. Right now that’s the Samba. But I have to mention a stand-out dance that is coming up this week – a contemporary dance in memory of my late sister. I helped choreograph it and we packed 40 years into 1 minute. It will be airing this coming Monday night (aired
Sam: She’d be immensely proud and a little bit envious. She was more the dancer than me – she loved dancing. I’ll always remember her wedding dance – she absolutely shone as every bride would dream to. I always say she was screaming at me from the grave to do the show. But I was very scared, I oscillated about it for a long time. In the end it was Connie’s voice from the grave and also a conversation I had with Grant Denyer that tipped me over. Grant told me to do it for my sister, to do it for myself and to do it for my body. And he’s won the thing, so he should know. As soon as I hung up the phone from him I knew I had to do it. Infused: What has surprised you about yourself while doing this? Sam: Everything. I’ve been dealing with my fears a lot over the years. I’m as terrified of everything as the next person. But I’ve dealt with this fear better than I would have hoped. I’ve always been very physically awkward. I’ve never had confidence in my own body. But I overcame my fear of spiders by swallowing a live huntsman, I overcame my fear of heights by jumping from various high places. I believe that familiarisation is the best weapon when it comes to fears.
Infused: Speaking of your personality, your enthusiasm is just so inspiring and you also seem to have so much grace. Are these positive attributes hard to maintain all the time? Sam: The enthusiasm is innate. I’ve always been enthusiastic. My grace was taught, and it’s something I’m still a beginner at. My dad never saw any grace in me, and I didn’t find any until after he died. I’m on a journey to be more graceful in life, because in my early life I was so disgraceful. My enthusiasm will not abate and it comes naturally. I believe that if you have curiosity, combine it with enthusiasm and work hard to be graceful then life will be good and you can enjoy the spoils. Like all good philosophies, though, that one requires lots of hard work. Infused: How are you going with your ten million dollar fundraising goal?
Sam: We’re now over nine million. I’m working really hard to hit ten million this year. I feel that I’m going to be able to keep my promise to the country and to my sister. I’m happy to say we’ll be continuing our support of the Connie Johnson Breast Cancer Lab at the Garvan Institute, and I’m about to announce support for the Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Centre. It’s important that we support research into cancer – we’re trying to vanquish all cancers. We’re about to make some investment in Brain Cancer research and of course will continue to support research into rare cancers. As Connie said, cancer is a myriad of diseases and we’re after all of them. The High Tea Party is supporting Love Your Sister at our events in 2019. We have a special Ticket Offer of $59 to The High Tea Party + from every ticket, $5 will go to the Love Your Sister charity. Visit www. thehighteaparty.com.au/tickets and use promo code LOVE.
ETIQUETTE
How to be helpful (with food) in a crisis
W
hen our friends face grief or catastrophe we very often don't know what to say. In my experience the best thing to do is let them know you love them and reach out in some way, be it a phone call, a text message or a card in the mail. It won't matter if you don't get the words exactly right – your friend will remember that you were there for them. On a practical level, there's nothing like food to show your love. We all have to eat, and cooking or thinking about feeding a family or guests can be the last thing a person wants to think about when they are facing more pressing concerns. Here are some ideas for cooking for people who need a bit of extra help: 1. Chicken Schnitzel – If there are fussy children who need to be fed, a family will welcome pre-cooked schnitzel. They can heat it up and serve with bread and frozen vegies (or just bread!) And it works for lunch or dinner. A lovely option. 2. Lasagne/Casserole – these favourites, brought in a disposable container, or foil tray, can be put in the freezer for those nights in the not-too-distant future when the other food runs out. Or they can be refrigerated and heated up for dinner very soon. 3. A tray of sandwiches – this is perfect for people with visitors dropping in all the time, like a grieving family or even a family with a new baby. Also, sandwiches are a great supper option for families who don’t have much appetite. 4. Slices/cookies – another great idea for people who have a lot of visitors descending upon them. I’ve found that a freshly baked loaf of banana bread is always been gratefully received. 5. Cheese – A selection of cheese and crackers can be saved up for a light dinner or served to visitors. It’s a great option if you want to offer practical help but you’re not much of a cook. 6. Soup – if you know a family struck down with flu they’ll be grateful for your soup. This is another option that can be re-heated or devoured immediately.
7. Groceries – sometimes it’s hard to get to the shops for the basics like bread, milk, cheese or fruit. A bag or two of groceries is a lovely, thoughtful option for people going through tough times.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
What’s new in
coffee trends?
Last week my husband announced that he’d had a beetroot coffee. This was largely to annoy our daughter who hates beetroot so much she doesn’t even like to hear the word. But I was intrigued. Beetroot coffee? Why? And what next? Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a few surprising coffee trends that the hipsters all know about. Here are five.
The AeroPress. This is one that we’re in on, after a close friend gave one to us for Christmas last year. An AeroPress makes coffee using the same principles as a french press (or coffee plunger as we Aussies like to call them) but it’s quick, easy to clean and many say gives a superior brew. Coffee fantatics say you can only use freshly ground coffee so you’ll need a grinder as well if you are that way inclined. I’m fine with using a vacuum bag of ground coffee. Cold Press Coffee. This is where the coffee is made with cold, filtered water in a coffee plunger. Then the coffee is served chilled. Apparently the chemical process that happens when you make hot coffee can result in a bitter flavour when drunk cold.
Beetroot, turmeric, lavender lattes. Apparently this has been going on for a few years. Infusing different herbs and vegetables into your coffee for flavour and health benefits. My husband recommends beet coffee. Bulletproof coffee. Has this crazy trend ended yet? I guess not. This is where you add oil and butter to your morning brew. Apparently it makes you into a Silicon Valley-style genius. Rainbow lattes. Instagram has helped make coffee into an art form and the introduction of colourful food dyes into the milk makes for very pretty brews.
LIFESTYLE
OLD-FASHIONED
ways of living
It’s funny how we can never predict how technology will change our lives. Like any good parent, and generations before me, I love to drone on to my children about how different life was before smartphones and the internet. But I also think it’s fascinating that old fashioned things are still present in our lives, from candles to snail-mail. We once thought that they’d be cast to the dust-bin of history, but they are stronger than ever. Here are some things that flourished in the face of technology: 1. Who’d have thought that Kikki.K, Smiggle and Typo would be so huge? Who’d have thought that a generation of people would go back to a pen and notebook for keeping track of their lives, goals and calendars when they could do it all so easily on a smartphone? When it comes down to it, we still love to write things down. I use a combination of smartphone calendar and spiral-bound notebook for keeping track of the family life and it’s a great system. 2. When the car was invented there was a prediction that the bicycle would become obsolete. Instead, thanks to the environmental benefits and ride-sharing concepts, bikes are stronger than ever. 3. The letterbox. Did you once think that Hotmail would replace snail mail? The revolution of online shopping certainly gave Australia Post a boost, and I find it fascinating how lots of companies have gone away from emails and back to hard copy letters to avoid customers being tricked by phishing or scams. Also, there’s nothing better than getting a card in the mail.
4. We went past a candle shop the other day and my mother said, “It’s amazing that people still buy candles!” It is, given we’ve got lots of no-mess, no-risk ways of lighting a room with electricity, but there’s nothing like a candle for a bit of ambience or aromatherapy. And they make such nice gifts. I received a beautiful one just last week that I’m going to put in my bathroom. 5. Despite claims that we’d all be reading everything on tablets by now, some of us can’t go past the old-fashioned feel and look of a book with pages (guilty, Your Honour). I’m actually, again, a lover of both versions. Sometimes I need to see and hold a book and sometimes I’m grateful for the e-version. But you’ve got to admit, they’re still with us and they’re probably here to stay, at least in certain genres.
Join us at The High Tea Party in 2019 Special Ticket Oer
$59
Use promo code LOVE shop here
Oer available for a limited time. $5 from every ticket goes to Love Your Sister.