BEAUTIFUL LENGTHS LAUNCHES NATIONAL DONATE YOUR HAIR WEEK

This is such a worthy cause....unfortunately I'm not a good candidate, but I thought I'd share this in case you are, or you know someone who is and would be willing to share their locks for a woman undergoing cancer treatment.

 Hair donation event in Sydney CBD on Monday 12th  November 2012

Monday 12th  November will mark the launch of the inaugural Beautiful Lengths National Donate Your Hair Week in Australia kicking off with a hair donation event at Martin Place in Sydney CBD with Pantene ambassadors Barney Martin and Zoe Foster.

Beautiful Lengths is the first program of its kind in Australia to inspire women to grow, cut and donate their hair to be turned into real-hair wigs for women undergoing cancer treatment.

Zoe Foster
photo by Paul Suesse

Alongside its charity partner Look Good...Feel Better, Pantene will be offering free haircuts with leading hairstylist and Beautiful Lengths ambassador, Barney Martin, and his team of expert hairdressers to the first 100 women who donate their hair.

Barney’s fellow Pantene ambassador, beauty expert, Zoe Foster, will be on hand to offer advice to the women donating their hair on styles and treatments.

A gift bag packed full of haircare products will be presented to every woman who makes the kindest cut and pledges her ponytail, and all donors will be in with a chance to meet Beautiful Lengths ambassador, Naomi Watts, when she arrives in Sydney on 15th November. 

In order to participate, hair donors must be able to travel to Martin Place for 8am on 12th November and have at least 20cm of hair to donate. 

To take part, please visit https://rougemag.com.au/pantenendyhw and complete the registration form.

Hair must also be less than 5% grey, and free from chemical treatments, hair extensions and permanent dye. A detailed list of donation requirements can be found at www.beautifullengths.com.au

Barney comments: “Some of my clients are currently undergoing cancer treatments and I have styled their wig for them. I have seen the effect losing hair has on a woman and it can be heartbreaking to watch them go through that.

20cm of hair may seem like a lot to cut off, but this summer short sleek styles are in and I can’t think of a better reason to update your look.

Beautiful Lengths is a way to help women with cancer feel like themselves again and it’s such a simple way to help – just pledge your ponytail!”

Anyone who wishes to donate their hair but cannot get to Sydney for the event on 12th November can find out how to hold their own donation party by downloading a party host pack from the Beautiful Lengths website.

The best salad in the world....ever.

Yes, it's a big claim, but this truly is

THE BEST SALAD IN THE WORLD.....EVER!

just ask me.......

I have been addicted to this salad since I was pregnant with pickle #2 and he just turned 7.

 Trust me, once you try this, you'll be addicted too.

I'm not claiming this to be my recipe, as it's a very basic salad that many people would have already made, but, it IS my favourite of all time.

It couldn't be simpler to make.

Here's how:

Lightly toast some pine nuts in a dry frying pan (be careful as they can burn very quickly)

Wash and spin dry as much baby rocket as you can want for your salad.

Dress salad with splashes of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (go easy on the vinegar)

Throw in your pine nuts & shaved parmesan.

Give it a toss and serve.

See, told you it was easy.

Would love to know if you make this, what you think.

Oh, and BTW, I've finally gotten an iPhone and joined the instagram community. I'm still working it all out, but if you'd like to follow me (promise to follow you back, of course) my little follow button is in the sidebar.

See you soon with some more yumminess.

Here's 7

Here's 7 things I'm loving this week.

I am so enamoured of this foundation at the moment. I've been wearing it everyday (and night). It lasts and lasts and has been giving me the fuller coverage I like without being all heavy and cakey. My colour is #55. I got this at the Heat Group warehouse sale a little while ago, but you can pick it up from Priceline.

Wow, what a tan! Perfect colour. Just remember to NOT do the dishes straight after applying a tan!!
Yep, I'll never learn. Maybe I should just quit the dishes altogether...just to be sure. I got this at Target for around $11 (close to it).

I didn't think this would actually work, but I got it anyway.
I will never be without it.....little gem ;)

**
Luxury dental products from Swissdent. I actually look forward to brushing my teeth. The toothbrush is the perfect size & I can feel and see a real difference. Looks great in my new bathroom too!
New to Australia, here's the website...check em out http://www.swissdent.com.au/

A sweet gift from a good friend. So pretty.

A long time favourite...I wear this a lot in Spring.

Finally, we have blooms again. This velvety rose has a very strong fragrance that wafts through the house. I have no idea what type of rose this is. Can anyone enlighten me?

I hope you enjoyed my faves this week. I may make this a regular thing.

Happy Monday!

Products marked with ** were provided for editorial consideration. 3pickles has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has receives no remuneration for posting reviews. All of my opinions are honest and are only influenced by the awesomeness of a product or service. No bullshitting on this blog.

Winner of TAFT hair styling pack

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway.

The winner is: twitter.com/Angels3 

Can you email me at threepickles@optusnet.com.au with you postal deets, thanks.

How to DIY with hot rollers {and a GIVEAWAYT

Crikey, I'm freaking out about this post. 

You see, I'm usually the one behind the camera and not overly comfy in front of it, but I decided if I was going to blog about this stuff then I'd better do it on my own mug....at least I'm available when I need me for a picture.

 I recently purchased a cable/trigger thingy for my camera (originally for longer exposure stuff, like waterfalls etc) but I've found it makes it a hell of a lot easier to take a self portrait........crap...no excuses now.

So, if you'd like to see how easy it is to bung in some hot rollers for a bit of a glam night out (or for grocery shopping...what ever floats your boat)...then scroll on down.

Here's the scary before and after pics.
This post was supposed to be the start of a YouTube series, but unfortunately, my video camera has gone to heaven, so it will have to be still shots for a while. Sorry to anyone who was expecting a video. Hopefully Santa will be nice to me this year.

Check out the grumpy looking woman in this pic.... This is what my hair looks like if I blast the crap out of it with my hairdryer after washing it. Normally it would be 10 times frizzier than this but I used an anti-frizz lotion (Taft Full On- Smooth Operator) I used it this morning too, and blow dried it "nicely"...I didn't even have to straighten it...sweet town.

So, next...once the hair is dry and you've heated up your hot rollers, take sections and spritz with a heat protecting spray. I used Taft's Guardian Angel Straightening Iron Spray, which gives you 220C heat protection and a gloss finish.

Grab a section of hair  from the middle section of your hairline and roll down (roll back towards your head). The beauty of this style is that it's a bit of a messy bombshell kinda look, so it doesn't have to be perfect...in fact, it shouldn't look too structured. Which is why it's perfect for me...I can yell at children AND curl my hair at the same time!

Like I said, not perfect...just random curls. Make sure to roll under, not over and all will be sweet.

At least I look a little happier here. And I've straightened my fringe (bangs).

OK, so after the rollers have completely cooled,  you can carefully remove them. Try not to straighten them out as you take the rollers out. Let them sit for a minute and give them a light spritz with a flexible hairspray.

Good ship lolly pop anyone?

I'm giving a pack of these products away, so scroll to the bottom of this post to see how you can enter.

All you need to do now is tousle your hair with your fingers (whatever you do, DO NOT use a brush or comb or you'll end up a frizz ball) My hair holds a curl really well, so I need to pull the curl out a fair bit.

I've fiddled around and pinned it back at the top. If you need height, then just gently tease the roots and give them another spritz with hair spray.

I didn't need to wash my hair for 4 days after doing this style and the curls stayed in. (I pony tailed the last day...which looked pretty nice, if I do say so myself)

BTW, if your wondering what make-up I used.
Dior Airflash Foundation
Oh, and I did use professional lighting and photo shop on some of the after pics, but ONLY on the whites of my eyes and to lighten my iris, cos I look really tired (that's what 3 kids will do to ya) 

Dior Eyeshadow in Tender Chic

So, if your in Australia and would like to win the 4 Taft products that I used (pictured above), then just jump on Twitter and follow 3pickles and tell me what you plan to do to your "do" for your next night out.

One winner will be announced (here on the blog) on Monday, October 29th, 2012.

This giveaway has now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated.

See you soon.

Disclosure: The taft hairstyling products were provided for editorial consideration and as a prize pack. 3pickles has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has received no remuneration for posting this review. All opinions are those of the author.

I can't believe it's not cheesecake! {recipe}

Yep,

this is low fat, low carb and high in protein.

And it tastes DIVINE!!!!

I think it tastes like cheesecake.

I love that it doesn't wreck my weight loss efforts.

It's simple to make too.

Just put some tinned (or fresh) peach slices in a bowl.

Dollop on some low fat ricotta.

Drizzle over a little honey (just a tiny amount, or skip it)

Dust with a touch of cinnamon.

Sprinkle on some chopped walnuts.

 I have this after dinner instead of my afternoon fruit. I don't eat it often as I don't want to get into the regular dessert habit again, but I think it's OK, now & then.

More healthy, yummy recipes coming soon.

Eco Store Fragrance Free {Product Review}

 It's so nice to be able to use products that are plant based and have no nasty chemicals. 

All of my boys have had eczema. 

• The first one had it as a 6 month old and it stopped appearing when he was about 2 ish. 
• Pickle #2 started to shows signs of it at about 4 years old and it lasted till he was around 6 and a half.
• Now my littlest pickle has it on his face! He is 4 years old and has thankfully not shown signs of it anywhere else. 

His cheeks have been very red for about 3 weeks (I think the change of season has made it flare) and it's just starting to fade. I really don't like putting anything on it (like creams) in case of a reaction, so it's important to use really gentle products in the bath.....he still needs to wash! 

I was sent some bath & body products from the Eco Store and I knew they would be perfect for him. 

The new Ultra Sensitive, Fragrance Free Body Wash is what I'm using for him and it has gotten him clean AND the rash is almost gone. It no longer looks sore and I've noticed that he's not scratching at it anymore...so that's great! If I had used traditional soap or bubble baths etc, we'd be forced to use something from the chemist to heal it! No thanks, not if there's a more gentle and safer option.

Still a little flakey, but almost gone.

The fragrance free body wash is plant based. It's nice and thick and contains conditioners so your skin feels really soft without that tight feeling.

The Extra Moisturising Body Lotion contains shea butter, jojoba, coconut and olive oil extract. Very creamy, but absorbs quickly...a little goes a long way.
Lightly fragranced (perhaps rose?)  Smells fresh and summery and doesn't clash with my perfume, but equally nice on it's own...so I like that too.
 I should have used it on my hands as well (notice how dry they look in the first pic?). I've been using this to prolong a fake tan (I'll have to review that soon too...it's a really good colour).

Eco store avoid using anything unnecessary in their formulations..no bulking agents or fillers. The formulations are so concentrated that you only need to use a little...which of course means saving $$.

I could go on and on about this coconut soap, but I won't....all I'll say is, it's yummy, creamy and leaves my skin soft. Just get this...trust.


I've been an Eco Store customer before and will continue to buy and try their products so I was rapt to be able to do this review.

If you'd like to know more about Eco Store products, where to buy etc, you can check out their website here.

www.ecostoreaustralia.com.au


FOOD ALERT: yummy low-fat dessert coming to this blog sometime this week..

laters.........

Disclosure: This product was provided for editorial consideration. 3pickles has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has received no remuneration for posting this review. All opinions are those of the author.

Chicken Schnitzel Wrap

Wraps are now a favourite in our house. They're so easy to make and you can put just about anything in them. This chicken schnitzel wrap is delicious and works well if you make it the night before and keep it the fridge for lunch the next day. You could toast this too, just like my pizza wrap (recipe here).
This probably won't be the last wrap you'll see here on this blog. 


Ingredients:

• Wrap/Flatbread. I used Spinach & Herb from the Mission brand that I got from Coles.
• Pre-made chicken schnitzel from the deli department
• Baby spinach leaves
• grated carrot
• grated tasty cheese
• cucumber slices
• sweet chilli sauce

I panfried the schnitzel on glad bake paper and then cut into thin slices.

I then arranged all of the ingredients down the middle of the bread, tucked in the ends and tightly rolled together. I wrapped in cling wrap and put in the fridge to chill.

*If storing overnight, make sure the sweet chilli sauce is in the middle layer, in between other ingredients, to avoid bread getting soggy.

I'd love to hear what combos you make.