A blog dedicated to natural skin care, chemical facts, home made DIY recipes, product information & reviews and other interesting, healthy, good for you, tidbits. Enjoy!
I love indoor trees... Well I love outdoor trees so it stands to reason I also love indoor trees.
Trees have such a majesty about them. So huge and big and long standing. They're like wise old people who've stood around watching the world go by - oh the stories they could tell.
When my son requested a tree on his bedroom wall I jumped at the chance.
First I drew an outline in chalk.
Then I began colouring in the tree working out which branches worked and which ones didn't.
Then the first layer was finished. The tree still needs another layer and I'm contemplating adding some glow in the dark outline... not sure yet.
Either way we're happy with how it turned out. Looks amazing!! What do you think?
After more than 10 years in the skin care beauty industry I've had my fair share of (attempted) cons and scams, such as:
1) False trademark companies telling me my trademark has ended and I need to pay up.
Scam trademark letter
2) Bridal scam emails where some supposed 'groom' wants to make a booking on behalf of the bridal party for hours worth of beauty services and pay by check. Usually they pay too much and want to be reimbursed before their false check has cleared. What made me think this was unusual (and thus googled scams of this sort) is the man listing the types of services he wanted plus how long they take. Very few men I know, know such details including my husband - and I'm a beauty technician.
3) Emails supposedly on behalf of Kevin Harrington (the first US Shark Tank) wanting to interview me regarding a media campaign they're running... but the company is As Seen On TV - a home shopping channel. I don't ship internationally and cannot see what use I am to them or them to me.
4) Bogus invoices from companies I've never dealt with.
5) Bogus product enquiries (see below image). At first glance this email seems harmless. They're simply asking questions about minimum order, delivery time, payment terms and warranty (all information that is available on our site), and if they checked our site they know I'm no a sir and JOLI don't delivery to the US. Note: Dr Dean's email address is Wilson Stevens at hotmail.com; the To: section is left blank which indicates multiple recipients. Upon further investigation I could find no record of Dr Nicolas Dean, of the address given or of the company Metrolinks.
email scam from Dr Nicolas Dean
Research anything you think maybe a scam and don't trust all things that come to you via email or in the mail. According to one source 45,511 people were scammed in Australia in 2016 with a loss of 9.2 million dollars. That is far too many people being too trusting and far too many companies getting away with theft. Even if it seems legit, research, look for feedback and reviews on companies, check and recheck emails and letters and if in doubt ask someone.
How about you? What do you do to protect yourself from scams? Have you been scammed? Share your story with us and comment below.
My nails have moments of growing and looking lovely, all longish and even, then one by one they'll break (usually from cleaning and gardening). I've noticed breakage usually happens as the menstrual cycle approaches as well. Does this happen to you? And
breakage begins on my dominant hand first then the other hand until all but
one or two long nails remain. Admittedly I am very rough and tough on my nails
(gardening, exercise, cleaning).
When they break it is mostly
likely at the base of the nail edge, near the nail bed. A painful break
if the nail peels back. Ouch!
To repair a nail you will need:
A tea bag
A quality nail file
A quality nail glue
Scissors
Wooden cuticle stick or toothpicks
Tweezers
To
begin remove any nail polish. Empty the tea bag contents into a bowl,
you can drink these leaves later or make a cup of tea and drink while
you repair your nail. Cut a small piece of fabric from the tea bag,
around 2-3mm square or rectangle. You don't need much and can cut
several small pieces in case you think you will require more (it's
always good to have a few small pieces ready to go).
Applying in small
batches works best because tea bags aren't very flexible and tend not to
curve around the nail, but set firm and straight. Large pieces do NOT stick to the nail well so stick to small pieces.
If you already have a previous nail repair file this down gently first with a white block file.
Apply
a tiny dab of glue to the broken area, then using tweezers pick up the
small piece of tea bag paper and place over the glue. Blow for a few
seconds and use the toothpicks, wooden cuticle or tweezers to press the
paper in place along the edges. Press down and hold for a second or two
then release, continuing to do so until the glue is dry and the paper is
set in place. Don't hold too long or the glue will stick to the items
used to hold the paper down.
File down lightly with a white block file then apply cuticle oil and varnish.
step 1: nail break
step 2: smooth area with soft file
step 3: apply glue
step 4: prepared bits of tea bag cut into small millimeter pieces
step 5: apply small piece of tea bag to glued area
Rose-Leah
★★★★★
I love the way they make my skin feel - fresh and moisturised. And that's just the face moisturiser and eye cream. Then there's the Lolly Musk lip balm - I probably use it too much lol because of the flavour, it's the best lip balm I've ever used. The massage oil is wonderful. Thank you for making such great all-natural, chemical-free products
Rebecca ★★★★★
Joli makes beautiful bath soaks, body creams/lotions, soaps, lip balms and heaps more. The lip balms come in many flavours, and Joli is even willing to blend the flavours to suit your 'tastes', eg chocolate-vanilla, caramel-coffee etc etc. Also, Joli is extremely friendly and offers super quick service. I love Joli Natural!
Jacqui ★★★★★ Lovely personalised service, received my order quickly, beautifully wrapped and with a free gift! :) It's the FIRST time ever I have put a moisturiser on my face at night and not woken up with greasy skin!!! I love the texture of the Fluffy Lime Eye Cream and the Wrinkle Buster [product no longer available] is soooooo luxurious... look forward to adding to this review as I try more products, but I'm off to a GREAT start. Thanks Jodi! :)
Added: Day 3 of the Fluffy Lime Eye Cream and my dark circles (which I have had for as long as I can remember) have started to lighten (I should have taken a 'Before & After' - LOL) and the whole eye area is much plumper. AWESOME!!!
Added: Loving my products! Have added to my collection with the deodorant - the only natural one that I have tried that actually works, the hair wax - also works beautifully and smells good enough to eat, and the face wash - leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped! Can't get enough of your products... my face is healthy and glowing and NO breakouts this month. What can I try next??? :)
★★★★★ OMG your herbal shampoo bar = divine! I found it hard to believe you didn't have to use a conditioner, but you really don't (I'm still rather excited by all that!!!) Also, my son's eczema (after only 2 days!!) is calming down for the first time in 2 YEARS!! (I really should of taken before and after shots, as I am SO amazed!) He can bath in stuff OTHER then pinetarsol now! NEITHER the soap or bubble bath affect his skin AT ALL! AND finally, he smells nicer!! (rather then smelling like pinetarsol!!) Mixed in with the eczema salve which we use daily, his eczema is really on the mend! I shall be shopping again AND I've been calling my friends telling them about all this! I'm just so AMAZED! Thanks Joli xoxoxoxo
★★★★★ Heavenly Bath Milk:
I love the Heavenly Bath Milk. It is nice and soft, and gives your bath a lovely subtle scent. You don't need very much - I only use about half a lid full, and that's probably a bit too much! I like this bath milk better than a leading world-known brand (which I won't mention) readily available by mass-production in their stores and on-line store. Joli's is a far superior product, at an extremely reasonable price. Thanks Joli!
★★★★★ LipBalm:
I absolutely love these lip balm. I have tried them in many flavours, including caramel, strawberry, coconut, vanilla,french vanilla and lastly my favourite, lolly musk. These lip balms are easy to apply and non-greasy. Jodi is even kind enough to blend flavours if you like eg strawberry-vanilla - I can't get enough of Joli's lip balms, and would recommend them to absolutely everyone!
★★★★★ Enliven Facial & Body Scrub:
I love the texture and aroma of this product! The lemon myrtle scent is really zingy and fresh. The crushed walnut exfoliates well and my skin is left feeling smooth but not dry or sore. Another great product :)
★★★★★ 'After sun' Tea Tree Moisturiser [product no longer available]:
This is the first moisturiser that I have ever used at night that hasn't left me with greasy skin in the morning! It has a lovely light feel, is soothing and sinks right in! Very happy, thanks :)
★★★★★ Fluffy Lime Eye Cream:
After using for 3 days I noticed a real difference to the hydration of my eye area, it's general plumpness and the unexpected bonus of lightening of dark under-eye circles that I have had forYEARS! The texture is lovely and I am very happy. Thanks! :)
★★★★★ Light Moisturiser:
I loved the sample pot that Joli sent me - it will definately be added to my next order. I have quite sensitive skin and it was lovely to be able to apply lavishly. Non greasy and perfect for the hot humid weather that we experience here in Central Queensland.
★★★★★ Facial & Body Wash:
I have dry flaky skin... yet I get so many blackheads on my chin (I know horrible!) every face wash that could get rid of the blackheads dried my skin even more and felt like it was burning (sensitive skin). Yet this face wash I can use daily, does not burn and leaves my skin hydrated and no blackheads. :) Yay
★★★★★ Rich Cream Facial Moisturiser:
Within one week of using this cream my face was soooo soft - and I have dry flaky skin normally. I am loving it.
★★★★★ Light Moisturiser:
I love the Light Moisturiser. I have it in Rose Geranium scent, which is absolutely devine. I mostly use this as a hand cream, but I do also occasionally use it as a light face cream. I would thoroughly recommend this to everyone!
★★★★★ Moisturising Lip Balm:
I love this lip balm, especially without the tint. I have a french vanila lime one, and it is devine and lives in my pocket all day long. Thanks Joli!
★★★★★ Light Moisturiser:
This is my favourite moisturiser for the Qld summer - I love the way it lightly moisturises without clogging up the pores and making me perspire in the humidity. I have the most sensitive skin of anyone I know and natural products are extremely important to me - Joli has a definite winner with this moisturiser!
★★★★★ Rich Cream Facial Moisturiser:
I have dry, very sensitive skin and I use this wonderful moisturiser for everything - face, feet, legs, arms, hands,elbows! I love having a versatile natural product that I can quickly grab after my shower - saves time and works fabulously!
★★★★★ Facial & Body Wash:
I have VERY sensitive skin and this is the first cleanser I have ever tried that I can use every day - love it!
★★★★★ Rich Cream Moisturiser:
This product moisturises without leaving my skin feeling itchy or making me break out in acne. My skin is looking healthier, and I am saving money. I used to spend $130.00 on a jar of face moisturiser before trying rich cream moisturiser; what a waste of money!
★★★★★ Lip Balm:
The apple flavour is good enough to eat! I have had a lot of trouble with lip balms drying my lips out, but this one keeps my lips moisturised while tasting yummy.
★★★★★ Sandman Soap [product no longer available], "I like this soap. It's gritty." referring to the exfoliating granules within the soap - made especially to exfoliate while you wash.
★★★★★ Rich Cream Moisturiser:
Fantastic! Makes my skin feel softer and smoother than any other moisturiser. I used to use Oil of Olay for sensitive skin. Not any more.
★★★★★ Hair Styling Wax:
Hair Wax is excellent and I have tried many!
★★★★★ Enliven Facial Scrub:
This firm but gentle scrub is great for all ages - my sons and partner always let me know when they need more. I love the moisturising properties, unlike chemical scrubs which can also remove the essential natural oils in the skin. Every member of my family uses Enliven Facial Scrub!
One lucky winner will win one huge prize from Bamboo Village and eight other great Australian companies! More details on the prizes here: http://bit.ly/2AiUeDg
Australia entries only. Comp ends midnight on Sunday 19th of December.
According to many marketing experts I have essentially committed business suicide by leaving Facebook (FB), because FB is the fastest growing social network with the ability to reach millions and millions of people world wide.
That being said here is why I decided to leave: 1) They changed their algorithms so that businesses are less likely to appear in people's news feeds unless businesses pay for advertising. 2) When businesses pay for advertising it will most likely result in some extra page likes but most likely not customer conversions. That is up to page owners to publish ongoing page content that results in conversions (which makes sense). 3) Mixing up posts and not just 'selling' to people is what people want to see (makes sense), yet even with mixing up posts with tips, funnies, facts, videos, product information etc. it was rare to get any engagement no matter how varied the posts were. Comments were rare, post likes were rare, page reach varied anywhere from 25 to hundreds. This is happening with many business pages on FB leaving many business owners feeling a tad dejected, unloved and unappreciated, and like they're talking to themselves.
These two posts were a couple of JOLI's most popular posts with amazing reach yet they didn't convert to new customers (and it takes time to put images like this together). Sadly it's a lot of effort for little return.
quality & natural doesn't have to mean expensive
Animal testing, don' support it!
4) While I've been able to hang out with some AWESOME customers and people, most of my customer base is not on FB, or if they are they don't interact via FB. 5) Sometimes people would only make purchases while interaction / friendships were maintained on FB, unfriend someone and they'd stop purchasing. This is not the customer base I'm looking for. I want people who are looking for genuine natural products, who have found that in JOLI and want to maintain that healthy skin care choice (FB or no FB). 6) Before FB, before the internet, businesses were successful. There is no reason why businesses can't still be successful by other means aside from social media. I'm going to invest in other avenues and see what momentum I can gather from that. 7) From a personal perspective friendships were ignored because FB kept everyone up to date. No one needed to make actual contact with actual get-togethers because they felt they were keeping in touch (via FB). Since exiting FB genuine friends are getting back in touch and actually planning catch-ups. Yay!
Not to mention I've escape the shiny happy (fake) people on FB who only ever talk about how rainbows and sunshine their life is. When things aren't going well, and friends aren't keeping in touch, fake perfect lives can be hard to stomach. I don't have to worry about that anymore because I'm seeing real friends in real life and keeping it real ;o)
Customers are still messaging me via email (because they have direct access to me once they become customers) and I get to talk to them there, answer their queries and share information. They can also read the latest news and find out about current specials via the monthly Indulgence (newsletter*). Or leave comments on the website blog and this JOLI blogspot (where I share recipes, DIY, chemical information, reviews etc. A veritable wealth of information!!).
*Sign up for our newsletter and receive your FREE Essential Natural Beauty Guide ebook.
Look forward to seeing you around and hearing from you via other methods aside from FB xo
It is difficult when you stumble across a website with products / brands
you've never tried before. You wonder if the products are any good,
value for money, live up to their claims etc.
The last thing you want is to invest your hard earned money in a product only to try it out and find it doesn't do what it says it will.
JOLI have been fortunate enough to have their products reviewed by independent reviewers and here is what they have to say:
As
you can see from her review the results Sarah is getting and the
naturalness of the products are genuine. It's great to hear
from someone about their experience with using JOLI Natural Skin Care.
Nicole is loving her eye cream and says she has become a little addicted to Fluffy Lime Eye Cream, and why wouldn't she... It is an amazing product :o)
"The lip balm is incredible. I got to choose my own combination - so I chose a Pink colour and Lolly Musk flavour - yum."
* * *
These are not a paid presentations. JOLI gave the products knowing
that anything could and would be said about them/us while also
knowing that our products are highly beneficial and those who use JOLI love their goodies.
don't buy into animal testing and chemical filled products
Propylene glycol, parabens, phthalates (pronounced thy-lates), sodium lauryl (SLS) or laureth (SLES) sulphates… These names do no easily roll off the tongue; however they do roll of the ingredients list on the back of our skin care, makeup and bath products (as well as our cleaning products).
These synthetic scientist made chemicals are cheap and have excellent stabilising properties. Which means when added to skin care, beauty and cleaning products they have the power to keep the products preserved for a great length of time. Majority of these chemicals came into play around the 1940’s, left over from the war. Once it was discovered what these chemicals could do they were added to mainstream products and used to stabilise and revolutionise the cosmetic and beauty industry. Now products such as soap, cold creams and lipsticks could be shipped out world wide, in hot or cold weather, and still be in ‘good’ condition upon arrival.
Before the use of these chemicals skin care was rustic and pure, it was made in relatively small batches in a ‘supply on demand’, ‘made to order’ fashion. It was not made in exponentially vast quantities in a ‘consume more’ fashion and shipped world wide, sitting on supermarket shelves for long periods of time, as it is done today.
Aside from how the use of these and many many other chemicals, have revolutionised the cosmetic industry, their use has a number of down sides.
1. Numerous chemicals have hormone disrupting properties causing young girls who are exposed to the chemicals to reach puberty at a younger age. Hormones found in hair care products have strong hormone disrupting symptoms and have been found to cause young girls to develop breast buds… that disappear when they cease use of the product. Some chemicals cause immune deficiencies.
2. Studies of blood in adults and teens as well as blood of newborn baby’s shows that these chemicals are building up in our systems. Newborn babies are being found to have parabens and other fetal-developmental toxins in their blood streams, before they have ever been near any skin care product.
3. Cancerous tissues has been tested and found to contain parabens. It is not yet know if the parabens cause the cancer or if they are merely drawn to the cancerous tissue, however it does show parabens are definitely building up in our systems. Keep in mind, these chemicals are hazardous and are designed to kill (bacteria and so forth).
4. One of the more sadder parts to this chemical warfare… the thousands of animals that have been tested on over the years so that scientists can try to determine at what ‘safe’ levels these chemicals can be added to our skin care, beauty and cleaning products (cleaning products have higher levels of the chemicals).
5. People who clean a LOT and do not use gloves are developing dangerous levels of toxins in their bodies. More and more of the population are suffering from over-exposure to the constant chemical bombardment in our daily lives. It is no wonder that eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis are all on the rise.
All this seems a bit ‘doom and gloom’, but rest assured there are organisations and companies working towards cleaning up our skin care, beauty and cleaning products. One such organisation, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org) has set up a database where companies are ask to sign a pledge to eliminate the use of chemicals in their products. There ARE safe alternatives to synthetic preservatives! Companies on the database have their products listed with safety/hazard ratings so consumers can make informed choices about their skin care and it notes whether companies Do or Do Not conduct animal testing.
This is the driving force behind the company Joli Natual Skin Care (www.jolinatural.com.au). To get ‘back to basics’ when it comes to skin care, and being dedicated to making fresh ‘supply on demand’, ‘made to order’ quality skin care. A company which does NOT test on animals and is dedicated to not using ingredients that require animals testing.
Joli Natural was started by a mother of three boys, all of whom have had severe skin reactions when using mainstream products (in particular the products handed out in the gift bags given out by hospitals during pregnancy for use when baby is born). Upon learning about chemicals in skin care Joli Natural set about creating natural skin care for body, beauty, bath and baby that is safe, gentle and effective.
For further reading and for more information on chemicals in skin care the book Not Just a Pretty Face gives reference to action being taken and the types of things the public can do, such as contacting companies who use these chemicals and demanding they STOP! As well as moving away from companies who continue to use chemicals in their products and move towards companies who are dedicated to supplying chemical free skin care.
Written by Jodi, founder of Joli Natural Skin Care for Natural Parenting.
