Club Diaries

Pure Planet Club presents the ultimate gift guide for all things it-girl this holiday season. Whether you're shopping for your girlfriend, sister, bestie, daughter or looking to spoil yourself, we’ve got you covered. These three curated lists are filled with an assortment of gifts that help nourish your loved one on their wellness journey, no matter how flamboyant or reserved their personality. 

The cool girl gift guide. This is for the style icon. The girl whose perfectly assembled outfits you always admire. She looks great dolled up or dressed down, and loves a statement piece. A fan of gold jewellery, she has a collection she loves expanding with unique pieces. 

The wellness girl gift guide. This girl has it all worked out. She wakes up early for her morning yoga or pilates classes and loves a hot girl walking in her matching activewear set. She thrives in routines. Her skincare game is unmatched, and uses this time to practice her self love affirmations. While she may not have it all figured out, but she’s loving the journey. 

Let’s go back to the basics. It’s hard to find clarity through the noise of health and wellness gurus, podcasts and social media. In which, wellness and wellbeing are terms that are often used interchangeably. But what do they really mean, and are they the same thing? While both concepts are connected to living a fulfilling and healthy life, they differ in scope and focus. Understanding these differences can help us make more informed choices about how we approach our health, happiness, and quality of life.

What is Wellness? 

Wellness is a proactive process of making intentional choices to improve and maintain one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. It often revolves around practices, habits, and activities designed to enhance specific areas of health. The concept of wellness is often structured around dimensions, such as: physical, emotional, social, intellectually and spiritual wellness. 

Wellness is often seen as a journey, involving deliberate actions like adopting healthier diets, committing to a workout routine, or practising mindfulness. The focus is on optimising health and avoiding illness. It’s a long and slow process defined by small steps and actions towards a greater goal. 

What is Wellbeing? 

Wellbeing, on the other hand, is a holistic state of being that encompasses not just health, but overall satisfaction and contentment in life. It reflects how we perceive our lives and how well we’re functioning emotionally, socially, and psychologically. While wellness focuses on specific dimensions, wellbeing is broader and encompasses: happiness and life satisfaction, quality of relationships, sense of purpose, work life balance and emotional resilience. 

Unlike wellness, which focuses on actions, wellbeing is often the outcome of those actions combined with external factors like environment, culture, and economic conditions.

The key differences lie in their focus, scope, progress vs outcome orientation and measurement. 

How Wellness and Wellbeing Work Together

While wellness and wellbeing are distinct, they are deeply interconnected. Practising wellness can significantly enhance your overall wellbeing. For example, physical wellness through exercise can boost energy levels, which enhances overall happiness. While emotional wellness through stress management can lead to greater resilience and satisfaction.

Conversely, a high sense of wellbeing can encourage healthier behaviours. If you feel happy and purposeful, you’re more likely to engage in activities that support wellness, like cooking nutritious meals or staying active.

 

Practical Tips to Cultivate Both

1. Set Wellness Goals: Start small with specific habits like drinking more water or meditating for 10 minutes daily.
2. Prioritise Mental Health: Recognize the link between emotional wellness and wellbeing. Seek support when needed.
3. Cultivate Gratitude: Reflect on what’s going well in your life to enhance life satisfaction.
4. Balance Work and Leisure: Protect your downtime and invest in activities that bring joy and meaning.
5. Connect with Others: Build relationships that nurture your sense of belonging and fulfilment.
   
   

Wellness and wellbeing are two sides of the same coin, each playing a vital role in living a balanced and meaningful life. While wellness focuses on specific actions to improve health, wellbeing reflects the broader picture of life satisfaction and contentment. By understanding and nurturing both, you can create a more vibrant, fulfilling, and joyful existence.

If you’re anything like me, your recent Google history might look something like “how to push through burnout”, “how to stop being burnt out” or “how to get over burnout fast”. This time of year, while so close to much-needed holiday restoration, can still feel incredibly challenging. Whether it’s exams, work, managing mental health, or balancing family responsibilities, it’s normal to feel like our plates are overflowing and our energy tanks are running on empty. Burnout doesn’t discriminate. Understanding its causes, recognizing its signs, and knowing how to recover can make a significant difference in your well-being.

In the realm of wellness and self-care, we often hear the term *highest self* tossed around like some transcendent mythical being, always just out of reach. Spiritual guides often talk to us as if becoming our *highest self* will solve all our problems—the missing link in our journey to self-fulfillment. However, it’s through conversations with friends that I’ve started to realize that as much as we long to be our perfect selves, this very longing can be a trap. Connecting with your highest self is less about perfectionism and more about the journey, strengthening the parts of ourselves that bring fulfillment—our creativity, our ambition—and taking steps to slowly improve the parts of ourselves that need it.

But what is our highest self? In many ways, it can feel like a dream. It’s an imagined, idyllic life. Draw out the things you want for yourself—from the values you hold dearest, the way you speak, the clothes you wear, to how you see yourself in the mirror. Defining this version of yourself in detail allows you to hold tighter to the future you want, even if it changes over time. In philosophy, we talk about how with each moment of self-reflection, we change and grow, making it impossible to truly know ourselves. It’s a daunting thought. Yet, it brings us back to the core theme—the cliché that it’s not about the destination but the journey. It’s about the process of learning and growing, not who we end up being in the end.

The Sudsy Showdown: Natural Soap vs. Commercial Soap and the Planet’s Favorite Pick

When it comes to soap, what’s really going down the drain? Beyond bubbles and lather, every bar has an impact—but some are gentler on the planet than others. Today, we're diving into the (sometimes dirty) details of natural vs. commercial soap in an eco-friendly showdown.

What’s Lurking in Your Lather?

Commercial Soap:
Commercial soap is like that friend who always looks way too perfect. It’s loaded with synthetic ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and mystery fragrances. These added chemicals make the soap foam up and last forever, but they’re often petroleum-based, a non-renewable resource that’s tough on the planet. Plus, these synthetic fragrances and additives tend to stick around after washing, heading straight into our waterways where they can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems.

Natural Soap:
Natural soaps skip the plastic microbeads. Instead, they’re made with ingredients you can actually pronounce—olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and essential oils. These plant-based ingredients are kind to your skin and the planet, breaking down easily to keep oceans and rivers safe from weird chemical build-ups. And forget fake fragrances—just pure essential oils for a fresh, non-toxic scent.

Is Your Soap Sapping Your (and the Planet’s) Energy?

Commercial Soap:
Making commercial soap is a big, factory-scale production that’s all about efficiency—but not necessarily energy conservation. These soaps require high-energy processes and a lot of synthetic ingredients to get that uniform, shiny look. And don’t even get us started on plastic packaging—those brightly-colored bottles and wrappers aren’t winning any eco-points.

Natural Soap:
Natural soap production is more like a cottage industry—think small batches, artisanal care, and minimal energy use. Many natural soaps are cold-processed, meaning they’re made with oils and lye at low temperatures without heavy machinery. And since natural brands are usually smaller, their packaging tends to be eco-friendly, often using recycled or biodegradable materials.

Soap has long been a symbol of cleanliness, self care and often luxury, but few of us know much about its deep-rooted history. Originating from simple, earthy ingredients, soap has evolved over thousands of years into the fragrant, colourful bars and liquids we recognise today. 1. Ancient Beginnings. The earliest records of soap-making date back to ancient Babylon, around 2800 BC. Babylonian tablets reveal that early soap was made by mixing animal fats with wood ash. Initially, it wasn’t used for bathing as much as it was for cleaning textiles and wool before weaving. The Egyptians, known for their elaborate hygiene rituals, were also early adopters of soap. Around 1500 BC, they developed a paste of animal and vegetable oils combined with alkaline salts for both medicinal and cleaning purposes, hinting at an early understanding of soap’s role in fighting disease.

1 - Social Activities. Plan time to connect with friends or family, and try to reach out to a friend every day. Engage in a hobby or group activity like a spin class or pilates class, pottery or dance

2 - Nature Time. Spend time in nature, go for a hike or grab a coffee and visit a park. 

3 - Rest & Relaxation. Have a self-care day or time block for relaxation. Check out our guides on self-care days here. Listen to music, podcasts, or read for enjoyment, try to turn your screens off an hour before bed and fall asleep to an audiobook or meditation.

Bar soap has been around for centuries, yet a lot of myths continue to swirl around this humble hygiene staple. Let’s see if we can bust these myths and misconceptions. 

Myth 1: Bar Soaps Are Unsanitary 

One of the most persistent myths is that bar soap is less sanitary than liquid soap. The idea is that germs linger on the surface of the soap after each use. However, studies have shown that while bar soap may collect some bacteria, the transfer of these microbes onto your skin is incredibly unlikely.

The act of washing your hands with bar soap creates friction, which lifts and washes away dirt and bacteria. In fact, it’s the process of washing—whether with liquid or bar soap—that’s key to hygiene, not necessarily the medium. Simply store your bar soap in a well-drained dish to prevent it from sitting in water, and you’re good to go!

Myth 2: Liquid Soap is Better For Your Skin 

Liquid soaps often advertise added moisturisers, which has led many people to believe they’re better for your skin. However, bar soaps can be just as hydrating if not better for your skin. Those like Elliqua Cleansing Body Bars which are made with natural coconut oils, shea butter and alive vera. If you have sensitive skin, opting for natural, fragrance-free bar soap can even reduce irritation compared to heavily perfumed liquid soaps.

The compliment 'You smell amazing' is one of the best you can receive. On the flip side, there's nothing worse than feeling self-conscious about your scent. That’s where scent layering comes in—a simple yet luxurious way to ensure you smell incredible all day.

Scent layering is the art of creating a unique, personalised fragrance by combining multiple scents. As a Coconut + Vanilla lover, I start my routine with the Elliqua No. 2 Cleansing Body Bar, which leaves my skin soft and ready for layering. I love incorporating essential oils into my shower routine, especially calming scents like vanilla and lavender. Throughout the day, I’ll freshen up with my favourite vanilla-based perfumes to keep the warm, sweet fragrance going strong.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with rose as well. For this, I begin with Elliqua's No. 0 Unscented Cleansing Body Bar, followed by a rich moisturiser and rose essential oils in my diffuser. My go-to fragrance is Wonder Rose by Zara, a beautifully sweet rose scent. To stay refreshed, I always carry a roll-on rose essential oil for an instant moment of zen.

By Brooke 

The step by step guide for keeping your elliqua bars and skin feeling fresh. 

Step 1: Wet Your Skin. Whether you love your showers piping hot or love an icy plunge - make sure your skin is wet before applying the cleansing body bar.This helps the soap lather up and spread more easily. 

Step 2: Lather It Up. Use a washcloth or your hands to easily create a creamy luxurious lather and gently massage in circular motions.