COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our lifestyles – we’re staying in (and we implore you to, as well). Life has changed. Drastically. While it’s not permanent, it’s a big shift, and we’re all feeling it. While you’re doing the right thing (spatial and social distancing + self isolating), we’re updating you with what you need to know about all the things you love. How you can still eat, drink, consume, watch and buy the things that bring you joy. How you can continue to support Australian businesses, artists, creators, makers and more. How you can stay amused, active, educated and entertained at home. How we can all stay connected to the things that make us us.
Here’s Sandi Sieger’s guide to what’s hot and happy(ning) this week. Eat, drink, buy, try, visit, be merry – iso style.
EAT: Neptune Provisions & Liquor
Windsor’s popular local wine bar, Neptune, is now a fully fledged provisions and liquor store – Neptune Provisions & Liquor. Recreate your favourite 3181 drinking and dining experience at home by heading online or in-store to shop its new takeaway offerings.
These include:
- The much loved Nduja Jaffles and Tiramisu (for collection in-store only);
- Heat & Eat options – house made pastas and sauces, vegan cannelloni, meatballs, osso bucco;
- and an extensive list of wines, spirits and ready made bottled cocktails.
Patrons can also host their own aperitivo hour by making selections from the ‘Neptune Aperitivo Hour Deli’, featuring cured meats and cheeses, antipasti focaccia and premium tinned seafood.
Find the online store here.
DRINK: Local Drops Direct To Your Door From Pubble
Pubble is a mobile delivery service connecting local wineries and breweries to local drinkers in Melbourne. They’re not your typical warehouse or liquor store. Born out of the COVID-19 crisis, Pubble pivoted their existing business into servicing locals who miss being able to hit up their favourite bar, pub and restaurant. Powered by good will, they’re bringing a banging list of our favourite bevs from breweries, distilleries and wineries (many of whom are still reeling from the after effects of a horror bushfire season). Pubble ensures you can enjoy everything from your favourite local, and support your community, from the comfort of your own home.
Shop the range at pubble.shop.
TRY: Vegetalment Provence
The brand statement says it all – superorganic haircare and skincare, made with plants, rich with actives, added with an expertise in green chemistry, made for all. Impressive, non?
Christina and Didier Nahum have launched the brand Vegetalement Provence in Australia through the national concept store and hair and beauty salon located in Redfern, Sydney. Innovation and sustainable development are two cornerstones of the brand, born in native Provence, and based in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which Vincent Van Gogh and many others artists and famous people fell in love with.
Vegetalement Provence is rich in therapeutic assets and makes for a wonderful, nourishing, soothing choice for hair, skin and the soul. All the products are no paraben, no ammonia, no synthetic perfume, no sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), no SLES, no formaldehyde, no synthetic preservatives. And, of course, no mineral oil and products are not tested on animals.
BUY: Pandoo’s Bamboo Beauty Essentials
Nadia Eizadi, conscious beauty guru and owner of Bat Your Lash, an eco and sustainable beauty salon, has taken her next steps in challenging wastage in today’s beauty industry with the launch of Pandoo, a one-stop-shop for sustainable beauty tools. Say hello to bamboo-based tools that can break down within the soil of your own backyard.
Encouraging consumers, makeup-artists, salons, and beauticians to replace their plastic tools with a more eco-friendly, sustainable solution, Pandoo provides an alternative to the often-overlooked plastics in our beauty routines. Pandoo launched with three key products; Ear-Buds, Lip Applicators, and Mascara Wands, all made from the super-powered plant, bamboo; a biodegradable, durable and naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal material that can break down within three months.
Plastic has been a staple in today’s climate concerns, with plastic taking over 1000 years to fully decompose and the constant rise of plastic washing up in our oceans every year (7 BILLION KILOGRAMS TO BE EXACT)! It’s no exaggeration when they say that something needs to change, and that change starts in the form of three simple tools from Pandoo.
VISIT: The Best Of Memphis’ Museums
Memphis is home to a range of remarkable museums and whilst we unable to travel during this time, this southern city has come together to implement a range of virtual programs to keep spirits high and a few to help keep the kids entertained at home! The Pink Palace Museum in particular has launched a Museum To Go digital program, which is perfect for the whole family, allowing those at home to learn, discover and create together.
There’s a variety of different options to choose from in the Museum To Go program, including the Activities at Home category. Here, families will have the chance to learn about physics, science and nature, and can also get involved in the easy to follow home experiments. Another option, highlighting the Museum curator’s favourite artefacts and specimens, is the Curator’s Choice section.
Without stopping there, the family can then settle in and enjoy a movie with the Pink Palace Museum providing a free movie streaming link to documentaries such as America’s Musical Journey, or The Sun, Our Living planetarium show that reveals never before seen images of the sun’s violet surface.
All year round the Pink Palace Museum offers a collection of historical, educational and technological programs that are great for all ages. Whilst we’re at home and unable to visit, the Museum will be adding more shows, colouring books, a fun educational podcast and much more.
