COMPETITION ~ Natural Beauty Photo Comp.

{thank you Fairy Me By Tarja for this gorgeous JOLI photo}

In line with our focus on “Natural Beauty” JOLI are running a photo competition for you to show us what you believe natural beauty is.  The focus will be on real people, natural people, natural beauty.

How the comp will work:

·        Submit one photo of your depiction of natural beauty via email to JOLI Natural Skin Care telling us why you think your photo represents natural / real beauty.

·         The photo can be of you, your partner, your mum, dad, grandma etc. 

·         The photos cannot contain full uncovered frontal nudity or people in inappropriate poses.

·         The competition will be run here on our JOLI blog spot. 

 

·         Photos will be uploaded to our JOLI blog spot where people will be able to vote* and comment on the photos they feel best represent natural beauty.

·         To vote for a pic write [vote] at the beginning of your comment telling us WHY you're voting for that particular picture.  You can also tick our "reaction" boxes [Feel Good - Interesting - Inspiring**] by way of showing support for a photo whether you vote on it or not.  The [vote]s are how you vote and how we count the winning photo.  Reactions are for showing your support.

·         There will be one winner and that winner with receive $80 worth of JOLI products.

·         Competition starts NOW and ends 1^st June so you have plenty of time to submit your photos, place your votes and collect votes.

The main objective of this competition – aside from the prize – is to show people how truly beautiful we all are regardless of how society judges us and regardless of what the media portrays as beauty.  To show everyone we are all gorgeous in our own way.

* JOLI will do as much as we can to keep voting even and promote all of your pictures for outside voters.  Announcements will be made on Facebook to direct our fans to vote as well.


** Tick some other reactions boxes while you're here.

Any questions?  Please email us.  Good Luck!!

  

Body Image Guest Blog ~ Negative Self Talk

"“I can’t wear this, my belly looks flabby and my bottom sticks out.”……. “I can’t believe I used to think I looked good in this, look at me, I have bulges above my armpits which look like another set of breasts.”…..”Oh my god! That was my favourite dress, I look like a beached whale in this. Thank goodness someone took that photo so I could see myself how others see me”

Can you relate? Can you feel the self talk pulling you down into a 4 hour fashion dilemma? Have you cast aside your favourite clothes simply because you found out your bum really does look big in it?
Should it matter that it does? Should it matter that our body isn’t as “pretty” and “shapely” as that model in the magazine?

I don’t remember when it started for me but I suspect it was around 16 years old. In high school, being the awkward girl who preferred to hide in the library than talk fashion with her friends, I simply didn’t “like” my body shape. I still don’t like it, even though I fit back into my fancy pants which I wore before I had 4 children. I don’t like the bulge in my stomach, I hate my face, my breasts are a joke and don’t even ask me about my thighs or bottom.

And here’s the “joke”.
I dislike so much about myself HOWEVER, when I have no mirrors and don’t get photographed, I dress how I like and feel good!
So good that people comment on how good I look. Isn’t it amazing….

I see none of my “oh my god I’m fat” in photos from 5 years back. I see a young woman with a “normal” body. Just the right shape and maybe even a bit skinny for her height and rather pretty. I wish I saw the same in me now, I wish I wasn’t filled with the negative self talk when I get dressed. I wish I had the guts to look at myself in a mirror, totally nude. I wish I had more days of feeling beautiful within myself to be able to radiate beautiful to the outside. I wish I was more content with the body I was born with and not taking influences from the magazines, television, movies and gossip all around me……

I pray with all my heart that my actions are not going to burden my daughter’s perception of her own body in years to come.

Love yourself, Love your body! Simple as that, yet it is more difficult than standing up in a public place and shouting to someone.

I am slowly gaining the upper hand on my body image issues. I am finally educating myself in the art of understanding my “inner speak”. I am waking up to the fact that all women seem to have the same inner voice and that we are all a party to feeding it. Every quip about muffin tops or giggle in the room about back boobs and flabby arms, they all feed that voice inside a woman telling her she is not beautiful. We all have to band together and eradicate this self perception. For if we don’t, our daughters will have to endure the same agony we are going through."

by Tarja Kelly

You might also like Guest Blog "You're too Skinny" & "Body Dysmorphia"

Let us know if you would like to submit a guest blog on body image?

  

Chemicals ~ Scientist vs Naturalist

When it comes to the types of chemicals used in skin care scientists and naturalists tend to disagree.  

Naturalists have their concerns.  How bad is fluoride?  How does it work?  What does it mean when parabens are found in cancerous tissue?  Why are toxins being found in the bloodstream of newborn babies?

Scientist: just because parabens are found in cancerous tissues doesn’t mean parabens caused the cancer.  While the gathering of parabens in cancerous tissues seems ominous (to say the least) tests and studies still do not confirm that parabens create cancer – and may have in fact congregated in that area for other reasons unknown.

Scientist: they only tested the bloodstreams of 10 babies out of an entire population of human beings.  The findings (toxins in their systems) are indeed frightening yet this is not a fair representation of the world as a whole and the impact chemicals are having on newborn babies.

For the most part the scientist’s point of view differs from the naturalist.  However scientists are highly trained in their field and like most scientists what they says sounds logical and plausible.

Ok, so let’s assume for a minute that chemicals in skin care are in such low doses they’re perfectly safe…

Would it seem JOLI are fighting a battle not worth having?  I say NO.

Let’s focus on one chemical today to make our point. 

Propylene Glycol [PG] 
What we do know is propylene glycol in its pure form is considered so toxic it has to be handled with protective clothing: gloves, mask, boots, coveralls.  PG can only be disposed of by burying it in the ground (and one can only image what this does to our environment).  If ingested PG can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, itching, burning, scaling, hives and blistering of the skin.  PG alters skin structure allowing other chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin, increasing the amounts of other chemicals and toxins that reach the bloodstream.  PG is also responsible for contact dermatitis.

Propylene glycol is one of the most HIGHLY used chemicals in skin care therefore each time we purchase a product with PG in it we are buying into this chemical being manufactured, handled, used and disposed of.

Why use this when there are safer alternatives?

PG is a product stabilizer and highly effective synthetic preservative.  Meaning manufactures can make huge quantities of products and ship them world wide, have them sitting in cargo holds for long periods of time and then leave the product to sit around on store shelves until a consumer decides to purchase the product.  It is a really great invention for many manufacturers.  When it comes to using alternatives the financial rewards are just not the same.  PG is cheap to use and means companies can make and sell more products than ever before with bigger profit margins.

JOLI use natural preservatives made from a blend of herbal extracts.  An effective preservative that breaks down naturally, doesn’t need to be buried in the ground to be disposed of and doesn’t have the same adverse effects on your skin.

Whether chemicals in skin care are safe or not remains an open debate for the vast majority.  So why don’t JOLI bend with the times and use chemicals in low doses?  Aside from the impact these chemicals have on the environment we do it for one main reason:

We cater to consumers with Sensitive Skin

We do it for customers who cannot use mainstream products containing propylene glycol (and other synthetic or harsh chemicals).  We do it for customers who want to avoid toxic chemicals in their skin care.  We do it for consumers who are struggling to find products that do not cause contact dermatitis and other skin conditions.  We do it for babies and their tender skin.

Let the debate rage on.  We know where we stand.  What about you?

The Home Manicure with JOLI

File your nails starting with the side walls making sure they are neat and straight.  Move onto the free edge filing your nails into your preferred perfect shape.  File in one direction ONLY along the free edge.

Soak your hands in warm water sprinkled with a liberal amount of Rose Milk Bath Soak for 5-10mins.  The milk moisturises while the Epsom salts give you a boost in magnesium.  The essential oils in this bath milk calm the mind while also being beneficial to skin, anti aging, rejuvenating as well as aiding with eczema and dermatitis.

 

Use the cuticle stick to gently push overgrown cuticles back while they’re wet and malleable.  Cuticles help keep the overall health of your fingers and nails in good condition by forming a seal between the skin and the top of your nail.  Chewing, cutting and mistreating your cuticles can result in the deterioration of your nails, hands and fingers, as well as leaving you open to chronic infection.

Apply Fancy Cuticle Oil by dripping one drop on oil onto your thumb.  Using your other hand dab the drop of oil with a finger tip and apply oil to the rest of the cuticles on the first hand.  

Rub the oil into the cuticles thoroughly and repeat for other hand.

Rich Cream Moisturiser is a lovely thick hand cream that richly moisturises.  Moisturising hands and nails keep your hands and nails in excellent condition.  Moisturised nails are less susceptible to damaged and breakage and less susceptible to drying, ridges, cracking and flaking.

  

Body Image Guest Blog ~ Body Dysmorphia

In my teens I was a stick figure and got teased for being a ‘rake’ although I didn't really understand the insult.  Family and friends told me I was pretty and I didn’t believe them because no-one at school agreed or if they did they didn’t say so.  More than that, I was aware I didn’t look like the girls in Dolly magazine so I figured those who said I was pretty were lying.  I knew my strengths; I loved acting, singing and dancing and art was my favourite class.  Even knowing my strengths and what I was good at did little to lift my self image.  I was convinced I was seriously ugly and my body was hideous.

By mid to late teens I was exercising an hour each night to work off body parts I thought were disproportionate (fat) to the rest of my body.  I thought my thighs were tremendous and the top of my arms were too fat (funny because now they really are).  I had what I call the ping [otherwise known as saddle bags] on my thighs and hated it because this made my body less than perfect.  I thought I was hideous to look at and unlovable and that I would never find a boyfriend because I just wasn’t good enough.  No amount of family and friends telling me otherwise made a difference. 

My view of myself began to change in my early 20s as I moved away from school and my peer’s judgments.  I began to date and found that boys liked me.  They complimented me on my art, my talents, my looks, my body and some even complimented me on my smarts.  I began to realize my warped view of myself was just that - a warped view of myself.  And what my peers had thought about me wasn't how the outside world thought of me.  No longer exercising an hour each night, I was keeping fit through dancing and martial arts.  I felt great, looked great, I was fit and healthy and was feeling positive about myself even though I still didn’t look like the people on TV or in magazines.  I still had my ugly days!

In my early 30's I got pregnant and I took this time to eat like I’d never eaten before.  Big mistake.  I went from obsessing over my body to neglecting it and I gained a whopping 16kg.  Thinking I’d lose the weight once I’d had the baby, it took a while and I did lose some weight, and then I had another baby and the weight was even harder to shift.  The will power I had in my teens and early 20s disappeared.

After liking myself in my 20’s I find it impossible to feel that way now that I’m older and bigger (over 10kg heavier).  I didn't bounce back after three weeks or even three years after having my last baby and I'm heavier than I've ever been and too chubby.  Also I'm constantly worried that the media's images trick my husband (they way it tricks me) into thinking I should look like those women (superstars) and that scares me because I'll never be what the media tells me I should be.  I'll never be good enough.

It is a constant struggle to remember that looks and body image don't define me.  What is underneath, who I am, what I’ve accomplished and what I'm good at matter just as much.  And also that I’m not as bad as I think.  My husband still finds me attractive even though I look nothing like the women in media and nothing like my younger self - I struggle to understand his attraction to me especially now that I've gained weight.

I constantly think about what if I still have body dysmorphia and don't realise it?  What if I'm still not fat just like I wasn't as a teen and I just can't see it?  When will my body image stop ruling my life?

If I could give young girls (and boys) advice I would say: like and love yourself because you don't realise how attractive others think you are and you will find love regardless of what you and your peers say.

* * *

You might also like to read Guest Blog "Negative Self Talk" & "You're Too Skinny"

[We are accepting guest blogs regarding how women (and men) perceive themselves, their body image, their looks and what influences their opinions of themselves]

What is Natural Beauty?

This will be something JOLI focus on a lot this year as the desire to be perfect grows at a ridiculous rate along with the feeling of not being good enough.  As the statistics for cosmetic surgery and diet pills go up, up, up at an ever increasing rate.

The question “What is natural beauty?” is a difficult question to answer which is why it is so important to ask this question and discuss the responses.  It is especially important for older women to discuss this and share their wisdom with young girls and teens who may be feeling they have no physical attributes - not realising they're actually gorgeous in their own right.

Is it someone with the perfect symmetrical face?  Is it someone who can wear no makeup and still look amazing?  Someone blessed with perfect skin and long lashes?  Is it someone with the ability to maintain their super slim figure?  Is it the girl who can be the sexiest and most provocative?  Or is it non of the above?

When you think of women you admire for their beauty (inner or outer) what is it about those women that appeals to you?

When I think of women whom I admire, what draws me to them is usually their vibrant personalities.  People who laugh and smile and who make me laugh and enjoy myself, they’re so enticing to be around.  Women whom I can converse with.  Women who are successful, who may not be the perfect ideal and yet go out and achieve their goals because they know their self-worth, who they are, what they stand for and what they want out of life.  

 (Patricia Arquette: one woman I admire because she refused to lose weight for her role in Medium.  Patricia said she plays a mother of three and wants to look like a mother of three, not like some size 0 lady who has never had children.)

Yet do we hold ourselves in the same esteem as we hold others?

Advertisers use our insecurities to make money (and it works).  For example the use of size 0 models and actresses.   Size 0 is unobtainable and quite frankly shouldn’t be attempted to be obtained in the first place.  It is super UNHEALTHY!  Yet here women are thinking we’re not good enough because we cannot get to size zero like the women on Desperate Housewives, or because we don’t have perfect flawless skin and perfect physical proportions.

Once upon a time being a larger women was IN.  It was considered healthier, wealthier, more attractive than your regular starved wafe.  You only need look at old paintings of women to see this.  Many women today resemble the ladies from these old paintings and yet we despise our bodies because we think we shouldn’t look this way.

  Venus Anadyomene (Venus Rising from the Sea) by Titain

What is your idea of natural beauty?

For me (as in my personal self) it’s a number of things:

·         Ageing gracefully without plastic surgery.  (Though I do confess I have thought about getting Botox injections on my frown line once or twice.  Especially when I see my 3 year old has no frown line when he frowns, whereas my frown line is present even when I’m not frowning *wink wink)

·         Not hiding under layers of makeup.

·         Being healthy and taking care of myself.  Trying to eat right, exercise regularly and look after my skin.

·         Loving who I am as a person.  Knowing what my strengths are and admiring them.

·         Nurturing myself.

Would LOVE for you to share your views with us. 

[We are accepting guest blogs regarding how women perceive themselves, their body image, their looks and what influenced their opinions of themselves. If you would like to be part of our guest blogs please contact us]

  

NO Animal Testing

I recently saw a picture of the gorgeous celebrities who endorse L’Oreal and next to their stunning faces were horrifying pictures of animals being tested on – for the sake of beauty – with the L’Oreal catch phrase “Because you’re worth it”.  It is both a beautiful and disturbing imagine because it highlights what goes on behind the scenes within the beauty industry.  The animals who suffer so that we can look our best.

And of course this is not the only instance where animals are tested on.  They are tested on by many different companies, inside the beauty industry and out, such as pharmaceuticals – for example.  So that we can take medications safely and trust that they work.

At JOLI we do NOT test on animals.  Instead our products are tested by our VIP testers – a diverse group of people with varying skin types and skin care needs.  It has been this way since the very beginning.  Though it was a customer who suggested, some years ago, we apply to be on the Choose Cruelty Free list to be accredited with No Animal Testing.  We were already approved by PETA at this stage and once learning about the Choose Cruelty Free list we applied to be part of their list also.

We are approved as a company who never tested on animals, who do use some animal ingredients: beeswax, lanolin, milk powder, who offers a range of vegan products.

JOLI like to take one step further!!

It’s not enough for us to simply be approved as Non Animal Testing.  We also strive NOT to use YOU as test guinea pigs.  By this we mean, not using potentially hazardous ingredients in our skin care.

It is one thing to be approved as non animal testing and quite another to still be using ingredients deemed hazardous to human health.  Ingredients such as propylene glycol, sodium laureth/lauryl sulphate, phthalates, aluminum, methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben, diazolidinyl urea.

It is also another thing to be deemed dermatologically tested (i.e. tested on humans) and still be using hazardous ingredients as well as mineral oil, petrochemicals and paraffin.

You may wonder how a company can use the above ingredients (plus more) and be deemed as non animal testing.  If they don’t test the ingredients themselves or employ others to do so, then they don’t test on animals.  Even though the above ingredients were (and perhaps still are) tested on animals at some point in time in order for companies to know the “safe” levels to use in their products in the first place.

The main reason we at JOLI don’t choose to use these types of ingredients is due to their toxic nature. Which is why we also signed the compact for Safe Cosmetics soon after launching our range.

We could easily be approved as Non Animal Testing and leave it at that.

However, YOUR health is more important to us.

It is very important for us at JOLI to:

1. Not test on animals
2. Not test on humans

  

Toxins in our Skin Care

Propylene glycol, parabens, phthalates (pronounced thigh-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 to a new and foreign land.   This meant an increase in world wide sales and global occupation for cosmetic companies who soon became so large they now dominate cosmetic consumption.

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 has been found to cause young girls to develop breast buds… that disappear when they cease use of the product.
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 the like).
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’ level 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, as is asthma.

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.  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.  See also Choose Cruelty Free to find companies that are accredited for No Animal Testing.

There ARE safe alternatives to synthetic preservatives and ingredients!

This is the driving force behind JOLI Natural 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.  Who have signed the compact for safe cosmetics and currently have a safety rating of 0-4 (a very low hazard rating).
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 in the goodie bags handed 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.  Safe and gentle for use on newborn babies, as well as children and adults.

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 YOU chemical free skin care.