Bestow Beauty Oil is the first skincare product of its kind and is designed to treat the deepest layers of your skin to leave it feeling soft, smooth and velvety.

One tablespoon of Bestow Beauty Oil a day will deliver the perfect balance of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) to your skin. As these deep skin cells move up through the layers towards the surface, they carry moisturising, protective qualities with them. Cell walls then become more permeable, allowing nutrients to be absorbed and waste removed, so your skin looks more radiant than ever.

These Essential Fatty Acids will also strengthen your hair and nails, improve cardiovascular health, brain function, increase your energy levels and help you loose weight by encouraging your body to burn fat rather than glucose.

Bestow has been created by leading New Zealand beauty entrepreneur Janine Tait, an expert in derma-nutrition who wanted a product designed specially to boost our inner health and outer beauty.

“One of the best ways of treating your skin’s deepest layers is from the inside,” she explains. “Getting anti-aging active ingredients to penetrate deeply enough into the skin when applied to its surface is very difficult because your skin is naturally designed to keep things out.”

Tait has successfully used Essential Fatty Acids to treat a vast range of skin conditions over the years, including acne, increased sensitivity, oiliness and excessive dryness.  She now shares her expertise on derma-nutrition by providing extensive training to therapists throughout New Zealand.

Bestow Beauty Oil contains a blend of organic, unrefined, extra virgin seed oils cold-pressed from flax and golden flax to provide you with these Essential Fatty Acids, which our bodies cannot produce on their own.

It is designed to be eaten raw, or mixed with other foods, to ensure the nutrients are more easily digested and absorbed into the skin than if they were taken in tablet form. It contains more Essential Fatty Acids than fish oil and also tastes much better. It has a very mild nutty flavour and is suitable for use in both sweet and savoury dishes.

A daily dose of Bestow Beauty Oil can be added to yoghurt, smoothies, cereals, or mixed with mashed or stir-fried vegetables, porridge or soup (once it is cool enough to eat).  It can also be used to replace other oils in salad dressings, mayonnaises or pesto sauces.

Tait has developed a range of delicious recipe ideas and food wisdom information sheets to accompany each purchase of Bestow Beauty Oil, to help people look after their skin from the inside out.

Bestow Beauty Oil can now be purchased from more than 100 beauty professionals nationwide and has a RRP of $33.50 for 500ml.

The fast-paced nature of this role is off-set by the beautiful surroundings of Village PR & Marketing’s Mount Maunganui location.

The ideal candidate for this role must have a relevant degree qualification and at least 18 months of consumer public relations experience (preferably agency work) and a passion for achieving the very best results for clients.

We are seeking a person who takes professional pride in their work, is a team player and a consistent performer.

If you have journalistic writing skills, this would be an advantage.

This role will offer you:

• A career path
• Professional development
• A strong and supportive team culture
• Fantastic clients
• The opportunity to do what you love, in paradise!

Please apply on-line http://www.qjumpers.co.nz/browse-jobs/senior-pr-account-executive-5929/ before January 30^th.   Salary based on experience.

Enjoy Lighting’s candles use LED technology rather than traditional wicks to create a seductive ambience both indoors and outdoors without any mess, fire risk, or chance of the flame blowing out in the wind.

Enjoy Lighting proudly accepted the award for “Best New Product” at the 2011 REED Gift Fair in Sydney recently and have quickly become a firm favourite of Hermon & Hermon, Orson and Blake, Donna Hay for Oprah Winfrey, Dannii and Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John and Carrie Bickmore, amongst others.

Le Monde Inspired Homewares has now secured distribution rights for Enjoy Lighting in New Zealand and owner Noelle Davies says the range is the perfect addition to her business’ stylish range of unique, quality products.

“We are always looking for furnishings and accessories that radiate a style and atmosphere that blends into our New Zealand lifestyle and we love introducing new products to our retailers which offer a real point of difference.”

The range of pillars, votives and tealights are so realistic people cannot tell them apart from their traditional flame counterparts.

They are made from 100 per cent paraffin wax and each candle features a hand finished melted top so no two candles look the same.

Enjoy candles throw light to the top of the candle while the bottom two-thirds of the candle remains solid, Noelle explains. “Ten years of investing in research and development ensures Enjoy candles are the most realistic, authentic flameless wax candles on the market.”

These astonishing candles all have a multi timer ‘set and forget’ function, which allows you to programme each one to light up and switch off at the same time every day. This makes them ideal for use in retail stores, window displays, at home, outdoors while entertaining or even as a child’s night light.

“There is no risk of the flame going out or anything catching on fire so they’re great for boating or camping and completely safe around children and pets.”

The stunning wax candles combine meticulous craftsmanship with chameleon-like qualities. They are available in an extensive range of colours and delicate fragrances such as vanilla, coconut, sweet basil or pomegranate passionfruit.

As well as bringing an elegant, romantic touch to any setting, Enjoy Lighting candles will also save consumers up to 80 per cent of their average candle spend. “The AA Energizer batteries will last for 300 hours, and if using the four hour timer every day, you will only need to change your batteries five times a year,” Noelle says.

Le Monde is delighted to share these three candles with you to help create an instant ambience wherever you choose. The trio will form an excellent candlescape in any room and also provide the perfect backdrop for outdoor entertaining this summer.

The style of Christmas trees changes with fashion and interior trends alike. This year the trees appear to have a ‘softer’ look. Teals and blues are popular and just as you would change cushions in your room to renew your look, changing just a few of your Christmas decorations will really freshen things up.

It may be that we’re still living in challenging economic times that there’s also a renewed desire to get back to the true significance of the day. This is borne out by the fact that more than ever, hand and homemade decorations are important this year.

When thinking about what kind of Christmas theme you want to create, ask yourself if you prefer the traditional Christmas feel (think boughs of pine, reds, golds and green and the magnificent table of turkey, ham and Christmas pudding), or do you lean towards celebrating in a Kiwiana way (think shellfish on the barbecue to a backdrop of Pohutukawa trees and blue waters).

Fabrics and wallpapers offer endless, simple and heartfelt options for gifts and decorations. They can be easily and very effectively utilised to create new decorations to suit your theme for 2011. Bows, small shapes and stars all look fabulous and can match your interior décor for this year. Ribbons and bows can also be personalised to each glass of champagne – a great way of also identifying whose is whose.

Shells tied to ribbons that have been calligraphically labelled with each individual’s name are also a pretty reminder of your party for your guests to take home. The more handmade the better – blanket and tacking stitch is often all you will need. Traditional stockings of red and green felt – or gorgeous classical fabrics, delicately embroidered – could adorn your fireplace. Think about making pillowcase-style sacks for Santa to leave his prezzies in, which can then be savoured for generations to come.

Hemmed (or frayed edged) table runners will add colour to the Christmas table (and for those long overdue ‘catch-up’s’ that we squeeze in prior to the big day!). Fabric table napkins make the day feel truly special too, otherwise coordinate fabulous paper napkins to the theme.

Like the penchant for handmade decorations, it seems we all want to share more presents made with love. Fabrics and wallpapers make this easy to achieve. What about fabulous chutneys with rubber band or ribbon-wrapped fabric tops?  Handmade ‘ham bags’ (make sure the fabric has been prewashed as most will have finishing agents that may be toxic – natural fibres are best) are also another thoughtful and useful gift idea.

Line a practical Tupperware container with pretty fabric or tissue, before baking delicious Xmas ‘yummies’ to put in there. Gifts wrapped in fabric, or with a small tie of frayed fabric as a bow look great too – especially when you incorporate raffia or good old fashioned brown string or rope. The traditional Christmas pudding wrapped in tartan is perfect for those that yearn for the more Northern style Christmas. Sometimes a fabric that you simply love can become a gift of art when you wrap it around a canvas and secure it at the back in readiness for the wall.

One of the most atmospheric and ambient elements you can add to your Christmas day and events is a scented candle. Softly burning, they make us all slow down and appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone – remember the mess of Christmas, the abandoned present wrappings and the vestiges of toys and gifts simply add to the décor and will become treasured memories.

EVIE’S Inflatable Rashies are a huge hit in Australia and are expected to become a ‘must have’ summer item in New Zealand.  They combine the sun protection afforded by a rash shirt with the safety features of a life-jacket. They are ideal for playing in the surf, in swimming pools or out on boats, and are a cost-effective, less bulky option than traditional Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs).   

EVIE New Zealand distributor Joanne Percy says EVIE is the world’s first PFD-rated sun smart inflatable rash shirt.

“They fit like a normal rash shirt, but contain a concealed chamber, both front and back which inflates either orally, manually or automatically depending on what style of Rashie is purchased.”

EVIE’S Inflatable Rashies are available in a variety of colours and come in both long and short sleeves. They’re made from 50+ UV protection material and are suitable for use by   adults and children aged 4 and over.

There are three Rashie options:

1. The self-inflating Rashie is perfect for adults and children who want a little more  confidence while playing or   exercising in the water.  Simply blow air into the inflator tube found on the top left-hand side of the shirt. This Rashie is also great for people undertaking water therapy or rehabilitation.

2. The rip cord manual Rashie is activated by pulling on a toggle. Co2 gas fills the chamber hidden inside the shirt.  This is perfect for boaties and fishermen (particularly for rock fishing) who love being near the water but don’t plan to get in unless it’s an emergency. A self-inflating tube is also attached to this shirt as a secondary option.

3. The automatic Rashie will inflate as soon as it’s submerged in water and is available in a child’s size 4-6. The shirt will inflate within one second of being submerged, and has both a manual toggle and self inflator attached for ultimate protection.

“These unique Rashies are much cheaper than buying a child or adult sized life jacket. They all meet the New Zealand/Australian PFD (Personal Floatation Device) Standards for use in all water activities such as boating, fishing, kayaking, multi-sport, stand up paddling, snorkelling, waka ama, surf life saving and swimming.
“Many children don’t like wearing bulky life jackets, especially when trying to move about on boats. While New Zealanders love water pursuits, our drowning toll is appallingly high and we need to take water safety very seriously,” says Percy.

For younger swimmers, EVIE’S Inflatable Swim Shirts are a great alternative. These are suitable for 4-6 year-olds and combine a sun smart shirt with a self inflation tube. “These swim shirts are great for water confidence when children are first starting out and will provide parents with that extra peace of mind when at the beach or pool this summer,” says Percy.  The Inflatable Swim Shirts are not PFD-rated.

All EVIE products are available online at www.inflatablerashie.co.nz.

Prices are:
$65 for an Inflatable Swim Shirt;

$79.50 Child / $99.50 Adult for a Self-Inflating Rashie;

$95.50 Child / $109.50 Adult for a Manual Inflating Rashie;

$124.50 for an Automatic Inflating Rashie.

The Australian inventor of EVIE the Inflatable Rashie has worked closely with the world’s best athletes, safety advisors, manufacturers and therapists to produce an affordable, comfortable, safety-rated product. The Rashies are endorsed by Olympic and Commonwealth gold medallist swimmer Meagen Nay.

The giant puffball (Calvatia Gigantea) is found on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua and is said to rival the world’s best truffles.

It naturally fruits from January until March each year and is not found anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, this large edible species of fungi is native to North America and some parts of Europe but Mokoia Island’s unique microclimate has seen it flourish.

Mokoia Restaurant chief executive Bryan Hughes says the giant puffball typically spans 30cm in diameter, is white in colour and has a marshmallow texture inside when it’s split open. Occasionally, they can grow as big as 150cm wide and weigh 20 kilograms.

“It has a distinct and delicate flavour similar to a truffle,” Hughes explains. “Local Maori call it the Pukerau, and our restaurant will be serving a wonderful array of Pukerau-inspired dishes over the coming months.”

Once harvested from beneath the plentiful native bush canopy found on Mokoia Island, these giant puffballs will be incorporated into Mokoia Restaurant’s award-winning beef and vegetarian dishes.

“All of our dishes also incorporate the unique flavours of other indigenous herbs and spices, which is what Mokoia Restaurant is famous for.”

Hughes says the puffball will only feature on the menu for a short period of time. “When the Pukerau is young, it’s white and fleshy and ready to be eaten. But once this large mushroom starts to mature, it creates spores and changes to a yellow / brown colour.

“Once it’s reached this stage of decomposition it is dangerous to eat. So this makes our exclusive menu over the next few months all the more special.”

In previous years, countries such as Germany have imported Mokoia Island’s giant puffballs to use in their top culinary creations.

Mokoia Restaurant offers a fine dining experience on the shores of Lake Rotorua at Holdens Bay. It specialises in Pacific Rim cuisine and is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and high tea.

“We certainly hope people will take this opportunity to visit Mokoia Restaurant in early 2012 and enjoy a truly unique culinary experience,” Hughes says.

“Rotorua is certainly a short journey for all New Zealand food lovers who want to try these giant puffballs. The only other option is to travel to the other side of the world!”

Herrmann International is a global company that promotes the concept of Whole Brain® thinking, used to help companies, organisations and individuals leverage their mental resources to enhance creative thinking, problem solving and improve communication.

Herrmann-Nehdi says the internationally-acclaimed system is now used by successful organisations around the world including 9 out of 10 of the top 100 Fortune 500 companies.

“As a recipient of the Herrmann International Learning Award, Telecom New Zealand joins an elite group of award winners.  Only two other companies have ever received this global award – IBM and Microsoft.

“Telecom has broken new ground by embedding Whole Brain® methodology into its contact centres and retail business in a system-wide way,” says Herrmann-Nehdi.

Previously the identification of a customer’s thinking preference required the person or their literature (email) to be available. Telecom has developed an application of ‘Whole Brain®  technology’ to identify a customer’s thinking preference without the person being present. They are able to do this by identifying an individual’s thinking preference by listening carefully to their voice, the language and the tonality, which can give clues within the first 20-30 seconds of a conversation.

Herrmann-Nehdi noted that Telecom’s work represents a significant contribution, not just as an application of the Whole Brain® concept, but as a model for increasing the value and efficiency of the customer service function in a highly competitive business environment.

“By applying the Whole Brain® framework across learning initiatives, processes and customer interactions, Telecom has shown how you can use better thinking to turn customer service into loyalty and revenue generators.”

Herrmann International was founded by Herrmann-Nehdi’s father, Ned Herrmann, while working as a Manager of General Electric Corporation.  “We have worked with thousands of global companies and we’ve only ever awarded three companies the Herrmann International Learning Award,” she says.

IBM was recognised for its application of the Whole Brain® approach to global leadership development, while Microsoft Game Studios used a Whole Brain® framework to develop the ‘Kinect Adventures’ game for Kinect for Xbox 360.

In Microsoft’s case, the studio used Whole Brain® thinking to develop a game that appeals to their customer base. Telecom New Zealand is using similar techniques to look for ‘clues’ about their customers’ thinking preferences so they can tailor their conversations for the best outcomes.

Many people are familiar with the terms ‘left brain’ and ‘right brain’ thinking, but Whole Brain® thinking takes this one step further by dividing the brain into four quadrants.

Herrmann International has developed a tool known as the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®) to help figure out what degree of preference individuals have for thinking in each of their four brain quadrants.

The upper left ‘blue’ quadrant specialises in logical, analytical, quantitative, fact-based thinking. The lower left ‘green’ quadrant focuses on details and specialises in planning, organising and sequencing information. The lower right ‘red’ quadrant places a priority on feelings and the interpersonal, emotional and kinaesthetic aspects of a situation. The upper right ‘yellow’ quadrant synthesises and integrates information and is more intuitive and holistic in its thinking.

Research has shown that everyone is capable of using their less-preferred thinking styles and can be taught to recognise the thinking preferences of others and act accordingly. “Being aware of such factors makes a big difference to how we see the world around us,” says Herrmann-Nehdi.

New Zealand companies using Herrmann International’s approach include: Air New Zealand, Nestle, Fonterra, Telecom, Ministry of Education, Auckland Council, Westpac, Zespri, Cerebos Greggs and others.

]]> http://www.villagenz.com/2011/11/telecom-becomes-third-only-recipient-of-an-elite-international-learning-award/feed/ 0 http://www.villagenz.com/2011/11/young-imaginations-sparked-as-the-add-an-avocado-campaign-goes-to-kidicorp-education-centres/ http://www.villagenz.com/2011/11/young-imaginations-sparked-as-the-add-an-avocado-campaign-goes-to-kidicorp-education-centres/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:24:38 +0000 bridgette http://www.villagenz.com/?p=1322

Hundreds of children will be treated to avocado-themed days at four Kidicorp education centres at the end of the month to raise awareness among the young and their parents about the goodness of avocados.

Four centres belonging to the Kidicorp group will be holding ‘avocado days’ where children will learn about the nutritious fruit and enjoy it in their lunch.

“It’s a great opportunity to have a fun-filled themed day at our participating centres, where the children can learn valuable information about a nutritious and versatile fruit,” says Quality and Compliance Manager at Kidicorp, Sandra Croker.

Communications Manager at NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. (NZAGA), Midge Munro, will be delivering an avocado tree to three of the centres on their avocado days so that the children can plant them.

Munro will also be talking to the children about where an avocado comes from and sharing simple avocado facts with them. One of the centres involved is even going to encourage children to dress up in green for the day.

“We have provided avocados to the centres for the childrens’ lunches, as well as recipe booklets for parents full of interesting suggestions for adding the nutritious avocado to meals for children.

“Avocados are especially suited to the diets of babies just going onto solids because they can be quickly mashed up into a creamy consistency to provide food in a flash. Equally, they are great energy food for toddlers on the go and full of essential vitamins and minerals,” says Munro.

“Our research has found that although Kiwis enjoy avocados, they’re sometimes still unsure how to cook with them because their grandmothers didn’t have them in the kitchen. For the same reason there are misconceptions about how to choose avocados, how to tell when they are ripe and how to ripen them.”

The avocado days are being held in conjunction with the nationwide Add An Avocado campaign and also coincides with a bumper season of avocados in New Zealand – in fact it’s the biggest ever. This means plenty of avocados at affordable prices.

These natural wonders are one of the most nutritionally complete fruits on earth. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, making them great for your little one’s health. They contain more than 14 essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B (B6, niacin and riboflavin), plus C, E, copper and potassium.

An excellent source of folate, avocados are also perfect for pregnant women. It is recommended folate intake should be increased before conception and in the first three months of pregnancy to reduce the risk of abnormalities in your baby, such as spina bifida.

Participating centres and dates:

First Steps Ponsonby Wednesday 23^rd November at 10.30am

Edukids Montel Thursday 24^th November at 11am

Mainly Kids Vermont Friday 25^th November at 11am

Mainly Kids Remuera Wednesday 30^th November at 11.30am

Cranberry Jelly Trifle

Serves 6

•  3 cups of Old Mout Cranberry & Cider
• 20g gelatine mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water
• 2 tsp of sugar
• 500g frozen mixed berries
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 250g mascarpone
• 500g fresh cream
• 225 g unfilled sponge cake, ripped into pieces ( alternatively you can use lady finger biscuits)
• Fresh or frozen berries to top the trifle

Add the boiling water to the gelatine powder and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add gelatine/water/sugar mixture to the cider. Whisk gently.

Pour the jelly mixture into a dish lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.  Add half the berries and 2 tbsp icing sugar to a saucepan and heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to break down the berries and produce a sauce.  Put the other half of the berries into a bowl to defrost.

Whisk the fresh cream with the mascarpone. You want a thick consistency but be careful not to over mix. Once the jelly has set, cut it into small cubes.

To assemble the trifle, first add a couple of scoops of the cream mixture to your trifle bowl. Cover the bottom of bowl with sponge cake soaked in the berry sauce. Soak for just a minute as you do not want the sponge to be soggy. Layer these on the cream.

Spoon a few of the defrosted berries on top of the sponge. Next add a couple of the jelly squares to the bowl.  Repeat until your trifle bowl is full!

Garnish with the defrosted berries or fresh berries and serve.  Alternatively you can cover with plastic wrap and garnish and serve the next day.

Nimue is launching two luxurious Christmas gift packs which are guaranteed to bring a smile to every woman’s face this festive season.

The leading skin care company has packaged together their ultimate range of treats – one for the body and one for the face – inside a stylish white Nimue toiletries bag.

The Festive Face Kit contains Cleansing Gel Refill 140ml; Conditioner Refill 140ml; Alpha Lipoic Activator 30ml; FREE Exfoliating Enzyme 60ml; FREE Silver Hydro Lip Therapy and a FREE luxury Nimue bag. RRP $237.

The Festive Body Kit contains Body Wash 200ml; Body Lotion 200ml; Cell Hydrating Complex 10ml; FREE Active Hand Repair 100ml; FREE Silver Hydro Lip Therapy and a FREE luxury Nimue bag. RRP $162.