So if you get close enough to me, you know I love Joanna Gaines. She’s my bestie! Just kidding, we haven’t met, but deep down I want to BE her. My downstairs is pretty much designed by watching hours of Fixer Upper on HGTV (now coming back in 2021 to the Magnolia Network!). Two years ago, my friends knowing I’m obsessed with her, invited me on a girl’s trip to Waco, Texas for the Fall Silobration. For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is a weekend filled with live music, a vendor fair, tons of awesome food trucks, shopping at the Magnolia market and hanging out on the lawn of Chip and Joanna’s Silos. She is so cool and of course all the vendors she picks are just as cool! I fell in love with so many, but one in-particular was a skincare company from Southern California, Lola Jane Naturals. I bought this small dropper jar of facial serum and I was hooked! BEST.SERUM.EVER.
I am not getting free products from them or being paid, I JUST LOVE THEM and since this is my my favorite things category of my blog I am going to write about my favorite things! Their products are “minimalist, botanical products for the whole family” and their “products are made with the highest quality natural and organic oils, butters, waxes, clays, herbs, botanicals and minerals.” My favorite part is the scents because they use pure therapeutic grade essential oils!
Right now my obsession is with their Skincare trio. This set includes their Facial Cleansing Grains (I love the grains!) or Facial Cleansing Oil, Rosewater Facial Toner and Facial Serum. Y’all, I hate my face feeling unclean and prior I never used anything on my face at all because I just couldn’t find the right product. I washed with dove soap because I saw my mom doing this and that’s what I did. I didn’t want to clean my face with something that only made it feel dirtier. I can say, I have found something that I believe in and that works!
My skincare routine involves, if I am in the shower I stick with my It Works! Refresh Daily Cleansing Gel, but if I am in the bath or at the sink, I will use the cleansing grains to wash my face. I then spray the rosewater toner and finish with the facial serum (which I use multiple times a day just because I love it). Btw…the rosewater toner is awesome and so refreshing after a hot bath/shower.
Here is one piece of advice I leave you with…please, please, please look at the ingredients of your products. I had no idea until I started seeing people I respected on Instagram point out these harmful ingredients. Those commercial products you are using may be doing more harm than good!
Here are some ingredients to watch out for:
- DEA/MEA/TEA
- Fragrance/Parfum
- Methylisothiazolinone (MIT)
- Parabens
- PEGs (of any kind)
- Petroleum & Petroleum byproducts
- Propylene Glycol
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
- Synthetic colors & dyes (all the numbers)
*List taken from @sineadquinnofficial on Insta. She will message back, which I love about people I follow!
I am not saying I have thrown away everything in my house that contains one or more of these things, but I have slowly started to become more aware and working toward a cleaner household.
(And yes, I know the Refresh has some of the above ingredients, but a lot less than others so baby steps, my friends. Although, Refresh does provide a greener alternative to PEGs to remove dirt and excess oil.)
An example comparison:
Lola Jane’s Facial Serum
(taken from LOLA JANE’S website)
Pure natural Golden Jojoba Oil is a lightweight oil that is most like our skin’s natural oils. It is quickly absorbed and regulates our skin’s oil production so it is great for all skin types. Frankincense dates back to the 16th century BC and was well known during the time of Christ for its anointing and healing powers. Given to Christ at his birth, Frankincense was used to treat every conceivable ill known to man. It was valued more than gold, in ancient times and only those with great wealth possessed it. In recent studies, Frankincense has had remarkable effects on cellular health and is worth researching. Myrrh has the same historical significance as Frankincense. Historically, Myrrh has been highly regarded in medical literature and was used for many skin conditions such as chapped, cracked and wrinkled skin. Geranium has been used for centuries for regenerating and healing skin conditions. It cleanses and revitalized skin cells. Lavender promotes tissue regeneration and speeds wound healing. Lavender helps to regulate oily skin and has been used to support the skin through many skin conditions.
OLAY’s SERUM TONE PERFECTION
WATER, DIMETHICONE, NIACINAMIDE*, GLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM ASCORBYL PHOSPHATE**, PANTHENOL, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, DIMETHICONOL, POLYSORBATE 20, DISODIUM EDTA, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, CARBOMER, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, AMINOMETHYL PROPANOL, PHENOXYETHANOL
Start reading the ingredients. It will shock you! People call me crazy for not wearing deodorant, but one day I decided that was the thing I was going to start with. It has been over 7 years and I still stink sometimes…oh well…a little stink is normal :)!