It’s not too late to make your New Year’s resolution. In fact, it’s never too late to make changes in life, especially ones that are going to make a positive impact on one’s health and well being. The key is making realistic goals in order to stick with them. It’s always a good idea to tell the people you share your life with, so that they can support and encourage you. Another good way is writing them down, or making a “goal board”, where you draw up a chart or find images of what you want to achieve and stick it up on the board. Place it somewhere you can see it regularly, for inspiration. You may have several for different areas of your life. One area a lot of people are making great change in their life is with the amount of “harmful” chemicals they use in everyday living. Fortunately there are so many “green” companies around now, making it easy for us to make the transition to more natural products. I’ve actually found my decision to minimise harmful chemicals from my daily living one of the easiest decisions to follow. Once you make the switch in one area, it seems to snowball and take over the rest of your life.
Small Steps
Start with one section of your life at a time. You might find it easier to start with the household. Decide to finish up or throw out any bottles of cleaners which are full of ammonia, bleach and other ingredients which are not very environmentally friendly or good for us. Switch to brands which are safer, like Earth Choice (available at supermarkets), which is cruelty free, grey water safe and is Australian made and owned. If you wish to further reduce chemical use, you might like to try using some of the following ideas.
Castille soap: this is a cheap yet effective alternative cleanser for use throughout the home as well as for personal use. Generally made from vegetable oils and glycerine, it is gentle and low in lather, making it less drying than soap and great for the environment. Use it to clean dishes, in the laundry wash, to clean your pets and in the shower for personal use on hair and body.
Bicarbonate soda: makes a great cleanser for baked on grime. Apply a small layer across the area and allow to sit and dissolve for a little while, before wiping with a damp sponge. Mix with water to form a paste, then use on extra built up grime around the shower and sinks. Eliminate odours by sprinkling it in the bottom of pet’s litter tray, and keeping a cup of it in the fridge. For lots more excellent ideas using bicarb, click here.
Vinegar: add one part vinegar to four parts of water, in a spray bottle. Use to refresh bench tops, clean grime from the stove, sinks, even in the shower and toilet. Add to hot water in a bucket to clean your floors. Don’t forget the old glass cleaning trick – just use some old newspaper and wipe it on straight from the bottle for a squeaky clean finish on your windows and mirrors.
Essential oils: add a few drops to your clothes wash, and to your vinegar cleaning solution for a fresh and natural uplifting scent.
Incense sticks: these are fantastic for clearing the air when you need to eliminate odours quickly. Living in a flat where the bathroom and toilet are shared, incense has been a very valuable item to have on hand, and is far more effective than any room spray. One good one to try is Nagchampa, available at most $2 style shops.
When you start to make changes in the house, you quickly start wondering about the products you use on yourself. Or perhaps it will happen the other way around, like it did with me. When I first made the switch to natural products, it was when I was using another brand of cosmetics and skincare. Like other big name brands, they brought in their mineral line and got me all excited about them, with their claims of being natural and having skin healing abilities. Being loyal to the brand for many years, I had invested a lot of money on their products, so you can imagine my disappointment when I learned that the products only contained a sprinkling of the hyped up mineral ingredients, and enough nasty additives to completely counter any of the positive effects, rendering them no better than your average synthetic commercial brand. Oh, and they slapped a nicer price tag on them at the same time too, only adding to the sting!
Small change brings big rewards…
With that, I decided I wanted to know what was going into the products I use and not waste any more money on pricey, over hyped brands with outrageous claims and pretty packaging (but oh, how I loved pretty packaging!). I wanted to be sure they were all natural, cruelty free and good for my skin. So began my research on ingredients, and thus my decision to start my own range. I couldn’t believe how many harmful chemicals kept coming up on the labels of products I had been using everyday for my whole life. Ingredients that have been linked to cancer, allergies, irritations, asthma and a host of other health issues. I’ve always suffered from breakouts and rosacea, and was starting to see how likely it was to be linked to the products I use on my skin everyday and the chemicals ingested in foods I eat regularly. I became obsessed with labels and what goes into the products I use, researching everything that I came across. Pretty soon the entire house was stripped of the array of commercially branded goods I was once upon a time so in love with using, and the “green” girl inside of me was coming through. It was at this stage that Karma Mineral Cosmetics & Beauty was created and my quest to deliver a completely natural and Australian beauty brand void of the nasties and the high price tag, began.
My exclusive offer to newsletter readers
Call me biased, but I just love minerals so much that I think everyone should try them, even if only once! And of course I want each and every one of you to experience the wonders of minerals and learn how they can be incorporated into your beauty regime to create a glamorous look for day and night. To say thanks for keeping up with my newsletters, and for showing your support to the Karma brand, I’d like to offer you the following “Mineral Converter Kit” at an exclusive price just for you. Here’s what you get –
- Mineral powder foundation (in shade of your choice)– 7gms $42
- Mineral setting powder in Translucent – 4gms $32
- Mineral Glow in Apricot– mega multi tasking wonder product! 1gm $20
- Mineral powder blush (in shade of your choice) – 1.5gms $20
- Mineral powder bronzer (in shade of your choice) – 1.5gms $20
- Pro kabuki brush – $40
Valued at $174 – you pay only $99 (plus postage) when you purchase before February 15th _ BONUS! – if you purchase before Monday February 8th, you will receive a Luxury Satin Carry-all to fit it all in, absolutely free! Ideal for travelling and large enough to carry your skincare, plus it contains an extra pocket for brushes as well! You won’t need any other cosmetics bag. Carry case displayed below with other products from the Karma range.
Contact me direct to order your kit (include your username -the one you signed up with when you opted in at the newsletter), choose shades and obtain payment details. Paypal and direct deposit is available. Email jolene@karmabeauty.net.au or phone 0438 323 766
Not a subscriber yet? Then sign up today to take advantage on future offers like this one! www.karmabeauty.net.au and click through on the home page to opt-in to our newsletter.
Important: DON’T make the switch to minerals until you know a few things about applying them! They are pigment dense, with strong colours and natural shimmer particles (unless they are matte, in which case they will have less or no shimmer). This gives them wonderful long wearing ability and means that you only require a small amount to get a great result – providing they are applied correctly. If you have tried minerals in the past and wondered what all the fuss is about, or why the shadows don’t look vibrant when you brush them on, it’s highly likely you just haven’t applied them in the right way. Follow my application tips here to get the most out of your mineral range 🙂
Thanks for reading xx
Karma Mineral Cosmetics & Beauty 