Balance me beautiful

Lately, I’ve been thinking about an extract from an interview carried out in 2009 with Elisabeth Sigmund, co-founder of Dr. Hauschka, in which she states

"It is important to be aware that cosmetics cannot do everything. Even the best skin care cannot get rid of disharmonious features. You simply have a very well cared for but unbeautiful face. Thoughts are reflected in the face: the good and the bad. A person needs two beauties, an inner and an outer one.”

The question ‘what is beauty?’ is an interesting one.  The old adage “beauty is skin deep” teaches us that physical appearances are superficial, it is the heart and soul which truly counts.  However, superficial or not, our desire for external beauty is manifest in the myriad of cosmetic products available today.  The billion-dollar beauty industry feeds on ours fears that we might just fall short of the beauty standard, a standard that they have defined by bombarding us with images of airbrushed perfection.  The genius of advertising is that it simultaneously creates and offers us a quick-fix solution to a problem that hitherto never existed.  In a 24/7 world of instant gratification, it is easy to see how beauty has become a commodity, something that is bought and sold. 

Now, I’d be the first to admit that Dr. Hauschka competes very well in this marketplace, not I hasten to add through airbrushed images and false claims, but through the pure power of the products.

“Our marketing is based on providing education on the products and their application. Of course we present beautiful images in our marketing, but they are genuine images. All the models are real Dr. Hauschka users - our intention is that our images should represent you, not an impossible dream. Beyond the images we always explain why and how the products work. That is why our catalogue and web site are so important to us - they offer the space and opportunity to properly explain the brand”

First and foremost the products sell because they give you fantastic, radiant, glowing skin. But the brand is subtly deeper than this; much, much deeper. Like a truly beautiful face it has both an inner and an outer beauty working in perfect harmony. The outer beauty is its commercial face, the inner beauty the values and standards driving that commerce.   

I love the products because they help me remember that less is more, for it is all too easy to become greedy and wrapped up in yourself.  I use them with an attitude of gratitude, respect for the wonders of nature, consideration for the environment and thankfulness for the rhythm they bring into my life.

Where's the Party?

To celebrate the launch of Radiant You, Dr. Hauschka have a month-long party with a series of fantastic offers and goodies.
This weekend, there is £5 OFF ALL ORDERS online using the code PARTY5 at the checkout.  Additionally, if you purchase a Radiant You Starter Kit you SAVE UP TO £12.95 on your daily cleansing essentials.  30 days really can transform your skin and this kit is amazing.

Alternatively you can call Customer Services on 01386 792 622 to take part in the Radiant You celebrations.

Lilliputians

This morning the postman delivered not one, but two Dr. Hauschka Lilliputians (which is how I affectionately refer to their wonderful care kits).  Pure happiness whisked me off to a land of flight and fancy, thankfully eclipsing the horror of the previous day’s missives that bore the HM Revenue & Customs stamp of doom.  I was lucky enough to win a fan of the week prize from the fabulous Dr. Hauschka Facebook site, where I can hand on heart say you meet the kindest, warmest people you could ever possibly hope to meet.   The Dr. Hauschka team had made such an incredible job of packaging my prize, I was joyfully leaping around the kitchen before I had even reached the products …maybe the Inland Revenue could put their letters in butterfly paper?…I digress.

There is an indescribable magic surrounding these care kits.  Miniature sizes of your favourite products seem to elicit more joy than the full-sized versions.  Yes, on a purely practical level they are fantastic for travel and also a good way to try out a new product before a larger investment.   However, for me they provide the same pleasure as birthdays and Christmas as a child. As I held up a tube of Rose Day Cream, I reminded myself of the following scene from Father Ted (replace plastic cows for Rose Day Cream, which I would happily do any day of the week!)

Father Ted: Now concentrate this time, Dougal. These

[he points to some plastic cows on the table]

Father Ted: are very small; those

[pointing at some cows out of the window]

Father Ted: are far away...

A Little Flower

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Anderson

For the beautiful Small Blue Butterfly this little flower is Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) which is the sole food plant for the butterflies’ larvae.

Its golden inflorescences are like little orbs of sunshine and it is certainly liberating in terms of skincare.  Revered within traditional medicine for the treatment of wounds (vulneraria = wound healer), it is a restorer of balance and harmony to the skin. Physically this plant rather elegantly encapsulates the cyclic nature of skin renewal where cell death is perfectly balanced by regeneration.  This is eloquently  described within the Dr. Hauschka plant library

“The vigorous upward and spreading growth of Kidney Vetch is the expression of its strong vegetative power. It is this power that strengthens the injured human organism. However, Kidney Vetch does not grow rampant but with refined culture. The power that fortifies the wound healing process is therefore not uncontrolled, but balanced and finely regulating. The plant's polymorphism is also an expression of its regulating power. In the same way as it adapts itself to different external circumstances, Kidney Vetch also helps different skin types to develop in the direction of a balanced, healthy skin. The balanced growth of the plant, which is at the same time an expression of the balance between building-up and breaking-down processes, is transferred to the skin, thus strengthening its resistance to destructive environmental influences and slowing down the aging process. The balancing of the building-up and breaking-down processes in the stratum corneum also refines the skin and makes it noticeably softer.” 

Not surprisingly, because of its equilibrating effect, it is a key plant in Dr. Hauschka skincare.  In fact, it could be considered a Hero ingredient as it contained within all of the following face care and cosmetic products

• Cleansing Cream 

• Cleansing Milk
• Facial Toner
• Clarifying Toner
• Moisturising Day Cream
• Quince Day Cream
• Melissa Day Cream
• Soothing Mask
• Rejuvenating Mask
• Rhythmic Night Conditioner
• Natural Glamour Eyeshadow Palette
• Translucent Bronze Concentrate
• Translucent Make-up
• Kajal Eyeliner

Each time I use any of these products I now remember this wonderful little plant and think of myself as a Dr. Hauschka butterfly, enjoying the sunshine they bring into my life!