With time comes experience and with experience comes wisdom. Now in my late sixties, I’m grateful to reflect on the many truths I’ve learned about what makes someone beautiful. Here are five things I wish I’d known about beauty in my youth that I hope will resonate with you, regardless of your age.

1. You recognize your own beauty more and more as you grow into your own skin.

Looking back now, I can see from my modeling photos how beautiful I was in my youth. But, I wish I had known it then! It’s so easy to compare ourselves to others, but our trademarks are rarely found in others. With time we learn to place more value on these unique features no one else has.

I make sure to tell my own daughter how beautiful she is whenever I get the chance, and I make sure to tell all my grown up friends just how beautiful they are as well. We all deserve to recognize that which makes us special. There’s no product that can deliver the equivalent of beauty earned through self acceptance.

2. Looking after yourself is worth the trouble.

Did I look after myself well in my youth? Truthfully, no, not really. I’ve become better and better at the good habits that keep you healthy, happy and vibrant. Eating nourishing food, keeping good company, walking in nature, all that good stuff. Investing time into treating ourselves well reminds us that we are worthy of fulfillment.

3. Beauty doesn’t need to be complicated. 

In your youth it is harder to discriminate wisdom amongst all the advertising, magazine articles, products on the shelf, and all the rest of it. I don’t know how many different creams for this and lotions for that I must have tried on my skin at one time or another.

It was such a blessing for me to work with Aida Grey at her Beverly Hills salon in my 30s, and to start learning from a true master about the simplicity of good skin care.

4. Other people see that you’re beautiful even when you don’t.

You may spend half your time outside the house wondering whether other people think you look OK: whether your hair has flicked over to one side, or whether you made up your eyes just so this morning. But really no-one else is paying attention to that because they are so busy with worrying about those things for themselves.

What your friends, family, co-workers, and the lady in the deli do notice is not when you ARE having a great hair day, or have chosen a pretty lipstick color , but that you gave them a great smile or a warm compliment. Because…

5. Beauty is the whole package .

I’m a real evangelist for great skin care, and I can hardly stop myself talking about radiant skin from dawn till dusk, but of course beauty is so much broader and so much deeper than just that. Sitting here and writing this I feel moved to rest my mind briefly on so many individual friends and family members, and women who inspire me out in public life, and the qualities that make each of them beautiful. Warmth, joy, humor, cheekiness, knowing just what to say at the right moment, being there just when you need them. The whole package.

I’m all about putting great skincare first, rather than trying to rectify things with makeup.

Don’t get me wrong, makeup can be a lot of fun – to help your eyes and lips pop, to look snazzy for a party, or to enjoy experimenting with novel looks.

But:

1. Ultimately, in the real world, outside of the glossy magazines and Photoshop, makeup looks like … makeup.
2. Foundation is aging. So many women I see add years to their appearance with foundation.
3. If your skin is sensitive, it can be really hard to find facial makeup that doesn’t irritate it or cause breakouts. Before you know it, you’re using even more makeup to cover those problems.
4. If you want to brighten up your skin, or lighten up dark spots, a great quality serum is the way to fix that, rather than trying to cover it up.
5. So often you hear men say that they don’t like makeup. On the other hand, I’m not sure they’re always that good at spotting some mascara or a flattering color of sheer lipstick. I can’t remember hearing a man say, “ I love your makeup!” I have heard “I love your beautiful skin!”
6. In Chinese Medicine they talk about the the root and the branches. If you don’t fix the root, no amount of work in the branches will resolve issues. Beautiful skin comes from good diet and lifestyle, supported by fine organic products – and it shows through!
7. Putting on makeup every day can become a real bore, whereas the smell and feel of organic skin care products, feels like a treat, rather than a daily chore – not to mention seeing the results.
8. Great skin looks great even when you get out of bed. You don’t need to wait to show the world your radiant face.
9. Looking after your face, and looking after the rest of you, is all about you. It’s the least you deserve. It’s the way for the beauty of who you are to just simply shine through and say, “here I am!”

Exfoliants based on salts ground to a fine powder were what worked for me back when I had acne, and I now I know that exfoliating twice a week makes a huge difference to my skin…

RESTORE YOUR GLOW

Dead cells naturally build up on the surface of your skin, and your complexion may start to look dull and lifeless, or even start to flake. Using a well formulated, gentle exfoliant softly removes these dead skin cells, restoring your natural glow.

CLEANSE DEEPLY

Exfoliating gets deep into your pores and cleans them out. Jojoba oil is another idealingredient to have in your exfoliant, because it dissolves any other oils that may be clogging your pores.

SMOOTHE YOUR SKIN

Regular exfoliation reduces the appearance of any fine lines, and stimulates the circulation to keep your skin healthy and even-looking.

CLEANSE WITHOUT DRYING

Overly harsh exfoliation can be irritating or drying for your skin. Using an exfoliant like our organic Exfoliant Supérieure Refining Treatment , which is rich in deeply emollient natural oils, cleanses, smoothes and moisturizes all at the same time.

EMPOWER YOUR MOISTURIZER

Dead skin cells can form a significant barrier to any wonderful skincare ingredients you are using, and inhibit their anti-aging impact on your skin. Removing these, and stimulating your circulation, allows your skin to absorb your moisturizer much more effectively.

POLISH YOUR LOOK

Natural salts like French Grey Sea Salt and pink salt from the Bolivian Andes have their own unique composition of minerals. French spas have used air-dried and finely milled salt for centuries to refresh and revitalize dull skin, and it’s a treat to do the same at home. Giving your skin a gentle spa-style polish lets your vibrancy shine back through.

LOOK ‘FACIAL’ FRESH

A short exfoliating treatment using these natural salts folded into rich emollients, will leave your face as radiant as if you’d just had lengthy facial.

IT’S QUICK AND EASY

The ideal for most skins is to exfoliate twice a week. Spend only about 30 seconds gently stimulating your skin with the exfoliant.

You can get started this week, with some sumptuous Exfoliant Supérieure .

A 30-second exfoliating session, twice a week, is a cornerstone of good skincare – and mature skin can benefit from more frequent sessions. In fact, our  Exfoliant Supérieure Refining Treament is one of my very favorite items in our line of skincare products.

It’s made from rich natural salts and botanical willow bark extract packed with natural ß-hydroxy acid , blended with luscious organic emollients to nourish as it exfoliates.

But there are times when you should NOT exfoliate

SUNBURN

Never exfoliate while you have sunburn. Your skin will be too raw. Let it heal first. And be more careful in the sun next time!

CHAPPED SKIN

And if your skin manages to get chapped, from wind or cold, and is red, sore or peeling, it will also be too raw for exfoliation. Let it heal first. Do not exfoliate stressed skin.

ON THE SAME DAY AS A FACIAL

On days when you’re having a spa treatment, or giving yourself a facial – something outside your normal skincare routine – don’t choose this day for your regular exfoliation as well. Your skin will have enough going on, and you need to give it a chance to rebalance itself.

IF EXFOLIATION IRRITATES YOUR SKIN

Some exfoliants contain harsh ingredients – granular agents, alcohols, acids, other chemicals – that may irritate your skin. If your skin feels tight or dry after exfoliating, or looks red or irritated, then it’s not something your skin is enjoying.

Our gentle, natural formulation reduces these risks, but only you know your skin.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE EXFOLIATING TOO MUCH

If you are exfoliating too frequently, or scrubbing too vigorously, for your skin, exfoliation may irritate your skin, causing it to become more sensitive.

Other signs of excessive exfoliation are redness, irritation, tightness and itchiness.

Gentle exfoliation is what your skin needs. Enjoy.

From time to time, someone tells me they’re not sure if they want to try our products because they’ve tried organic skincare before and not had a great experience with it. Or, they’re not so keen to let go of magical ingredient X or Y in the chemical-based regime they are using at the moment.

And I understand where they are coming from. The bottom line for your skincare has got to be that it really works.

ALCOHOL FREE

One problem can be alcohol, which is harsh and overly drying for a lot of people’s skin.

Organic skincare brands often rely on high levels of alcohol in their products as a preservative. This is good news for product safety, but not always so great for your skin.

The good news is that our organic skincare is alcohol free – with the exception of a trace level of alcohol in one of the ingredients of our Serum Supérieure Bio-Active Complex . Instead we use a food-grade preservative, in tiny quantities, in line with Ecocert’s stringent organic cosmetic standard .

USING BIO-ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN EFFECTIVE QUANTITIES

Some brands seem to use bio-active botanicals quite sparingly, with a relatively high proportion of cheaper ingredients.

We are all about the quality of the products we bring to you. When an ingredient does good things for your skin, we source it from the best suppliers, and use it generously. We want your skin to truly feel the benefit.

WHOLE PLANTS BEAT CHEMICALS

I sigh a little when I read descriptions of the latest miracle chemical for your skin.

We are just beginning to understand the complex chemistry of plants, and quite often the bit that gets isolated in a lab as a cost-effective “active” ingredient, and then synthesized into a product, is a pale imitation of the real thing.

Each natural plant ingredient is a rich little universe, containing an interactive plethora of beneficial substances. Products derived from natural, whole plant material, give your skin ALL of that benefit.

Nature provides nourishment for our skin so abundantly, that artifice is rarely an improvement.

WITHOUT IRRITANTS

It’s worth mentioning too that some chemical ingredients are ultimately irritating to your skin.

If your skin is not doing well, there is a chance that it is the products you are using that are not helping.

EFFECTIVE AND NATURAL

It’s no surprise to me at all that once people try our  super-effective organic skincare, and see the results for themselves, they often just don’t look back!

If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll join them in falling in love with our products, because of the results they give for your skin.

Getting a good night’s sleep is a basic necessity if you want radiant skin.

WHY SLEEP MATTERS TO YOUR BEAUTY

Sleep deprivation causes stress hormones to proliferate. They cause collagen loss, reducing elasticity and setting the stage for the formation of lines and loose skin. Blood vessels under the eyes can dilate, showing as dark circles.

Your night’s sleep is the time your body and mind get a chance to repair themselves. Your skin’s temperature rises, its blood flow increases, and hormonal and metabolic processes shift into a different gear. Your sleep is a glorious daily process of renewal.

WHY SLEEP MATTERS TO YOUR HEALTH

Not getting enough sleep accelerates your overall aging process.

Tissues are damaged through inflammation, and growth hormones are adversely affected. The effects on your wellbeing are as diverse as mood swings, impaired decision-making, weight gain, and increased risks of diabetes and heart attacks.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta says that given a choice between exercise and a nap to catch up on sleep, he recommends the nap. Not a choice I hope you are forced to make, but a clear sign of the importance of enough sleep.

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP FOR YOUR BEAUTY?

If you wake up feeling refreshed, and without needing an alarm, you’re giving your body just what it needs.

A good starting point is a great bedtime routine. Start by winding down a couple of hours before bedtime, avoiding bright lights, computer screens and television. A cup of chamomile tea, relaxing music, and meditative thoughts will help give you a restful seven to eight hours of sleep.

Getting enough sleep is fundamental to any anti-aging regimen. It’s a form of loving self-care that we all need.

Sweet dreams.