Youth in a Bottle: The Nature of Beauty's guide to the most effective anti-aging oils

 

Image courtesy of National Geographic

I just turned 40. OK, to be honest, I didn’t so much turn 40 as get dragged there completely against my will kicking and screaming. But you get the idea. In any case, fending off signs of aging before they’re inevitable has recently taken on a new level of importance for me when selecting skin care products. If you can relate, then this article is for you. It's a modified version of the original piece I wrote for Feelgoodstyle.com, edited to include more recommendations from The Nature of Beauty because, well, because it's my blog, my store, so I can cross promote all I want!

 

a-hem. As I was saying.

 

To say we have a lot of choices when it comes to “anti-aging” products is the understatement of the millennium. Whether or not they all work (they don't) is another matter altogether. To get the low-down on what makes for a top-quality, effective elixir of youth, I turned to Valerie Grandury, founder of Odacité, an L.A-based anti-aging skin care line. Grandury is also French. And let’s be honest: if you’re looking for advice on how to look as great as possible, for as long as possible, asking a Frenchwoman  just seems like a smart thing to do, n'est-ce pas?

I also turned to Blissoma founder Julie Longyear, and her invaluable, best-$10-you'll-ever-spend online booklet, Natural Anti-Aging Ingredients You Should Know, available for purchase and download at Iriestar.com. If you really want to know everything there is to know about what Nature has to offer in the way of anti-aging, in an easy-to-read format, I cannot recommend this booklet highly enough.

In the meantime, I have - with Grandury's and Longyear's invaluable assistance -  honed in on a few important types of ingredients to look for when purchasing your next age-fighting elixir:

In Love with One Love: Introducing One Love Organics

I normally start these posts with a lengthy introduction to the new brand, and an explanation as to how we came by it. The thing is, with One Love Organics, the products alone offer so much to talk about! This unique line of simple yet potent facial care is unlike anything I've ever tried before. Which is why I think I'm going to just skip straight to the part where I tell you about the products, and why they are going to BLOW. YOUR. MIND.

So. Let's get to it, shall we?

The Beauty Muse: Pretty and sweet, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Effortlessly beautiful, simply elegant, sophisticated yet girly, this look defines "pretty," whether you're going out for a lovely Valentine's Day dinner, or pairing it with a beautiful pink satin gown before hitting the red carpet.

Nature of Beauty's own beauty muse, Jill, picked out this look for one of our models. After going through the photos from the session, however, I realized the perfect model for this look would be Jill herself! So yesterday, I convinced her to let me recreate this look on her extraordinarily lovely face. She obliged, and the results...well, you should really see this for yourself:

Bright Lips, Soft Complexion: Get this look (and many more, all week long!)

Did you know The Nature of Beauty carries the largest selection of natural and organic makeup in the US? Every day, we're experimenting with different Couleur eye shadows, trying out Jane Iredale's new blush shades, or helping a customer find the perfect natural substitute for their favorite MAC lipstick. Because we want to include you in the fun, Nature of Beauties Nina and Jill recently selected a few of their favorite looks, grabbed a few volunteers, and away they went!

For the next week, we'll be posting each look, along with tips, recommendations and, of course, a list of everything we used! No professional models, no Photoshop, just 3 lovely ladies and an arsenal of the best natural and organic makeup the world as to offer. Have questions about how to customize it to best suit your complexion? Shoot us an email at info@natureofbeauty.com and we'll be happy to help!

First up: Bright Lips, Soft Complexion

The Ultimate Winter Skin Care Guide from The Nature of Beauty

Well. Winter has arrived, hasn't it? And the evidence is all over your face, in the form of white flakes, redness, and a tight, uncomfortable feeling that seems resistant to all attempts at rehydration.

Lately, we have received a steady stream of of emails and phone calls, to the tune of, "Help! My skin is so dry and nothing seems to make it better!!"

Although we've written posts in the past about saving dry skin, I thought I would pull it all together, throw in some additional resources and product recommendations, creating the Ultimate Guide to winterizing your complexion.

Nature of Beauty products featured in MN Monthly Magazine

Happy New Year, everyone! As with every new year, I want to personally thank every one of our customers for your support of my company. I created this company nearly five years ago with the goal of bringing the cleanest, most beautiful, and highest-performing skin care, hair care, and makeup to as many people as possible. "Smart Beauty," as I like to call it, for women who aren't interested in having to choose between safety and performance, especially since there is no reason to. As we enter 2013, I am thrilled to see how far this movement has come in such a short time.

A testament to our progress can be found in this month's two-page spread in Minnesota Monthly Magazine. Katie Dohman, the magazine's beauty and fashion editor, has become one of our most enthusiastic cheerleaders, spreading the word to her readers about the ever-increasing selection of chic, luxurious, non-toxic beauty products. Among the featured products:

The Nature of Beauty staff's top holiday gift picks for 2012

It's a veritable winter wonderland at The Nature of Beauty this year, thanks to the foot of snow Mother Nature dropped on our doorstep last weekend. Personally, I love the clean and bright effect it gives to what is otherwise a brown, dead landscape this time of year. I love skiing and sledding and ice skating. I love all the kids outside in their 12 layers of winter gear, building snow forts and snow families. And I am pretty wed to the idea of a white Christmas.

All this to say that the snow has me in the mood to create a list of The Nature of Beauty's favorite holiday gift ideas this year. And believe me, we have a lot of new offerings to choose from, including chocolates, aromatherapy bath teas, and so much more. Because of this, I've asked my staff to help me out, to give you a better idea of what all we have to offer this season. And with that, here are our picks for the Best Holiday Gifts of 2012: