Monthly Archives: February 2013

What do I wear to the Polo?

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

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What do I wear to the Polo?

It’s almost time for the annual sojourn to the BMW NZ Polo Open at the Auckland Polo Club in Clevedon. As a regular on the event circuit in my previous professional life, I attended many a day at the Polo and also helped judge the best dressed filly of the two-legged type.

However it was always more of a challenge than it should have been with much confusion over the dress code.. and one of the questions I was most often asked was ‘What do I wear to the Polo!?’ So here are a few tips:

1. There may be horses on the field, but you shouldn’t dress for a race day. No fascinators, heels or party dresses. Instead wear something chic and appropriate for a long, hot day in a sunny country field.

2. Summery dresses, elegant shorts or casual trousers. Whatever fashion option you go for, the key is to make sure the fabric is natural – and breathable – otherwise you’ll swelter in the steaming heat.

3. Footwear should also be ‘field friendly’ – so opt for glam flats or wedges (no stilettos!) The stomping of the divots is a long held tradition and as everyone heads out to stomp, all eyes are on your feet so opt for beautiful sandals or colourful wedges – no jandals!

4. Sunglasses, a good sunhat and some long sleeves to throw on for added sun protection as the day goes on are also essential.

The key to dressing for the Polo is to look elegant whilst still being somewhat practical about the function of what you’re wearing!

As far as the event itself, the best advice I can offer is to watch how many drinks you down! Most of the invitations will see you hosted in a marquee with the alcohol flowing and it’s very hard to keep on top of how many refills you’ve had over the course of a long and usually very hot afternoon. The heat, combined with the socialising also results in you downing far more alcohol than you had intended – so be warned!

Enjoy x

Say goodbye to shampoo …

18 Monday Feb 2013

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In my last blog I posted a quick suggestion for using baking soda as a deodorant. I try to be as chemical free as possible – and one of the most useful additions to my beauty bag is baking soda. My top five uses for it are:

As a deodorant
Toothpaste
Shampoo alternative
Stain remover
All purpose household cleaner

See my last blog for details on how to use as a deodorant and quick tips below for how to replace chemical laden household products with baking soda …

To use as a shampoo, mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a cup or container. Then when you are in the shower, add 1/3 of a cup of warm water. Mix it round and pour on your hair, working it through to the roots like you usually would with your usual shampoo. Depending on your hair, you may need a little more baking soda or you may choose to do an additional rinse with vinegar at the end to clarify your hair. However it’s easiest once you’ve made up the above recipe to amend to suit your hair type. When you first use the baking soda/vinegar mix, it will take a little while for your hair to adjust but it’s worth it in the long run. Personally I find the vinegar a little strong so I only tend to use it occasionally at the end of a wash. The baking soda and vinegar combination is all you need to keep your hair fresh and clean, however if you miss the fragrance of shampoo, you can always blend your own oils and spray them in afterward check out my recipe for lavender linen water in an earlier blog. That makes for a great fragrance! I did go for two months using only a baking soda wash for my hair and it worked really well, however my preference is to alternate with my ecostore shampoo from time to time. I usually do one ecostore shampoo wash once a week or once a fortnight. Some will say this defeats the purpose, but for me it’s the perfect balance – keeping my hair in great condition with practically zero use of nasty chemicals. I definitely feel better for it!

To use as toothpaste, simply sprinkle the dry powder onto your toothbrush and then add a little water, scrub your teeth as usual, rinse and repeat if necessary. The baking soda is magic as a toothpaste – not only cleaning your teeth, but also deodorising your breath and it whitens as well!

To use as a stain remover: place clothing item over a bucket in your laundry tub. Wet the stain with water from the tap – make sure the fabric is sodden. Carefully sprinkle the baking soda over the stain, leaving a small pile of baking soda (maybe 3 millimeters high). Leave to dry, rinse off and review the stain. It can take several applications to remove entirely, however it’s worth persisting as it tends to lift the stain altogether with a little time and patience.

As a household cleaner: I am a big tea drinker and I tend to leave the tea bags in the sink after I’ve made my cuppa, by the time I come back to clear up and put everything away, the tea has stained my ‘stainless’ steel tub. So a quick fix it to sprinkle baking soda on your sink, leave for five minutes, then use a dish brush or sponge to scrub the tub and viola – it’s super clean and shiny. Baking soda definitely does a better job here than chemical laden cleaners.

As with everything it’s good to test the recipes to see what works best for you.

Enjoy!
x

The joy of …. baking soda!

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

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While most of you will be familiar with baking soda as an indispensable addition to your pantry, I think it’s one of life’s little magic powders with so much more to do than assist with your baking. I’m a bit of a hippy at the end of the day. I grew up in a family of scientists including my father who was an industrial chemist. He spent his days working with big corporates as well as running his own business, working up chemical compositions for everything from household bleach to instant soup. As a result we were all very aware of the chemicals and poisons in everyday products – even back in the 70’s – and as such avoided them as much as possible.

Most of my friends have a ‘wonder product’ – it might be mascara, anti-wrinkle serum or magic hair product but for me it’s baking soda! Yes – good old baking soda – it costs a couple of dollars and I use it to wash my hair, as a deodorant, stain remover, household cleaner and more. The wonder of it is that it does all these things, without costing a penny by comparison with the lineup of products you’d otherwise use – but most importantly for me – without adding a toxic overload of chemicals to the household.

In the coming weeks I’ll share some of my recipes and tips for using it – so hopefully you can substitute baking soda for a chemical alternative you may be currently using.

Here’s a really simple way to use it as a deodorant:

Get a damp facecloth, sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda onto the cloth and run under your arms. There – done! A chemical free, cheap alternative to supermarket products, that works just as well. As with anything new you want to put on your skin, always patch test the baking soda to ensure you won’t have a reaction to it though!

More baking soda recipes to come. …
x