The Same Questions I Ask Everyone with June Jacobs

What is your first memory of beauty products?
As a child I suffered from acne so my first memory of beauty products was using acne treatment products. They were so awful to use because they smelled horrible and often left my skin dry and flaky. It has been my mission with the creation of my new acne collection (launching in February 2011) to use natural ingredients that are powerful, yet gentle and help to keep skin clear, and blemish free.

At what age did you start wearing makeup?
I started wearing makeup and really taking care of my skin at the age of 16.

If you could apply only one product for the next month what would it be?
I would die if I could not use my moisturizer. First and foremost, moisturizer helps to hydrate the skin leaving it soft, smooth and younger looking. In a pinch, a moisturizer can be used as a cleanser and can even remove makeup.

If you could give one product to all women in the world what would it be?
My new Acne Spot Treatment! Whether you are young or old, we all have blemishes. My new vanishing spot treatment is absolutely amazing because it can be used in the a.m. or p.m as an emergency spot treatment and also may be used to treat and prevent routine acne. Everyone feels and looks their best when their skin is clear and blemish free!

If you could ban one harmful ingredient from all beauty products what would it be?
I would ban parabens, which are a specific type of preservative that protect food and cosmetics against microbial contaminants, specifically yeast and mold. Recent studies show that parabens may cause cancer and cause allergic reactions/skin rashes. I have recently reformulated my entire line and have removed all parabens and I have seen such a difference in my formulas, they are more efficacious and feel and smell absolutely wonderful.

What is your favorite skincare ingredient?
My favorite ingredient is Gogi Berry. I eat them every day and I have added Goji Berry extract to every one of my products because they are the most powerful anti-oxidant that helps neutralize free radicals, protect skin from environmental toxins and combat the visible signs of premature aging. They are known as “The King of All Berries” and contain carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, over 18 different amino acids and is a source of Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C. It is rich in polysaccharides to help support intercellular communication providing essential nutrients to cells which encourages healthy immune function.

What is the last product you created?
The last product I created was my Radiant Refining Exfoliating Powder which is my new, favorite product because it is gentle enough to use everyday and leaves your skin soft and silky smooth. This unique exfoliating powder activates upon contact with water and gently sweeps away dead skin cells with rice, bamboo, papain and salicylic acid, leaving skin soft, smooth and clarified. Natural brightening ingredients, lemon peel, bearberry root, mulberry root and licorice extract help balance overall skin tone, while tea tree oil and willow bark extract help absorb oil. It also includes my powerful patent pending anti-oxidant blend of white, red and green tea extracts combined with goji berry, pomegranate and grape seed extracts help to neutralize free radicals, protect skin from environmental toxins and combat the visible signs of premature aging. Helps refine the skin’s texture and tone leaving it with a flawless, radiant finish.

Who is the business woman you most admire?
I truly admire my dear friend, Gretchen Monahan. She is the entrepreneur behind the Needham-based Gretta Enterprises owns three local salons (Grettacole), two clothing boutiques (Gretta Luxe), and a spa called G Spa. She appears weekly as a style expert on "Rachael Ray" in New York and locally on Channel 7 for a segment called "Gretta's Got It." She is also a design consultant for shoe brands Via Spiga and Naturalizer, she is a consultant for Dove's hair-care line, launching a line of shoes, and writing a how-to book on dressing well. I am also working with her on creating her own line of beauty products…and that is not all!

Whose beauty do you most admire?
I have always been fascinated by how people in different countries take care of their skin. Wherever I travel, I spend hours in various stores and spas looking at the products and speaking to the sales associates and I have to say that I admire Asian women’s skin the most…they have an overall radiance to their skin that gives them a young, healthy glow. In my travels to Asia I am always amazed to see how many women have absolutely flawless skin and it is because they take such great care of their skin, by using a comprehensive skincare regimen that incorporates products that help to illuminate the skin and reduce the signs of sun damage and hyperpigmentation. Their beauty was the inspiration for my Brightening Serum and Moisturizer which include natural botanical brighteners that give an overall radiance to the skin.

What was your best Spa experience?
I received the most amazing massage of my life in Phuket, Thailand. There is something so special about receiving a therapeutic Thai massage while staring out at the white sands and deep blue Andaman Sea.

Besides your own, what is your favorite brand?
I love Trish McEvoy. Trish has always been committed to the creation of the highest quality products and she is a genius for creating her iconic Makeup Planner. I am a firm believer in her guiding philosophy that women should be able to maintain a standard of beauty and not be obligated to sacrifice their beauty because of the constraints of time, space and age.

Read more about June and check out her amazing products here.

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Liz Earle Natually Acitve Eye Makeup Remover

Physically speaking, I'm about the most sensitive person on the planet. I can't drink caffeine, don't tolerate loud noises and anything with a toxic chemical makes me feel sick. The latest bodily revolt is happening in my eyes. They refuse to tolerate even eye liner lately. This is bad news for me mostly because I'm 29 and no 29 year old should go to work without eyeliner. Sad state of affairs. But my eyes are red, itchy, dry, and the lower lashes have taken to not growing back on the lower left hand side. (Any doctors in the house?) Anyhow in the meantime, I've searched high and low for the most earth friendly eye makeup remover and I have surfaced from the ocean optical makeup remover, triumphant with Liz Earle's Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion. For those of you, like me, who are natives to this side of the pond "lotion" refers to a toner-like substance that adeptly removes eye makeup. This particular lotion has an actual ingredient called Eyebright along with cornflower, witchhazel, and organic aloe vera. Yum. My eye might finally muster a tear now that I'm running out of this lovely, gentle, eye makeup remover. Enjoy!

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Products in this post were provided at no cost for editorial review.

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The Same Questions I Ask Everyone with Liz Earle

I first laid eyes on the Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare line a year and half ago during its long-awaited US launch. (The Brits had been keeping it from us for over a decade!) Since that time I have known this in an exceptional collection of unique, effective, even spiritual products.

Growing up I had a theory that beauty actually came only from the inside and that depending on your metal health and general happiness you could actually increase your beauty. (Since then I've watched enough reality television to know that beauty comes on the outside of many packages, some beautiful on the inside and some, well, not.)

Still, Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare is the only skincare line that I actually feel works in that same way. Perhaps it's Liz's extensive botanical knowledge or the care put into the cultivation of each product but I actually feel as if Liz's products harness the power of your inner beauty and maximize the potential of your outer beauty. In fact I've spent most of the week thinking that since my Superskin Concentrate (an oil I smother beneath my eyes every morning) and my Bust Treatment are nearly gone it is proof that my life is in fact dirt.

Then I was granted an interview with this most brilliant goddess of skincare, Liz Earle herself. Though I am honored by every skincare entrepreneur who graces the pages of Beauty's SPOT to have Liz Earle visit with us is a true honor. I hope you learn as much as I did from reading her words of wisdom. As a former beauty editor and author of 30 titles, Liz has paved a beautiful path for the rest of us to follow.

1. What is your first memory of beauty products?

My father is a keen gardener and plantsman and I spent many a long hot summer helping him dig, plant and harvest home-grown herbs, vegetables and flowers, and I’ve always had a passion for researching the fascinating properties of plants and the effects they can have on the skin.

This lifelong fascination with botanicals and natural remedies led to my early career as a magazine health and beauty editor. I went on to write several bestselling books on the therapeutic power of herbs, plants, vitamins and essential oils. My good friend (and now business partner) Kim Buckland had the original idea to bring much of my research and specialist knowledge together to create a wonderful range of affordable, pampering, fuss-free skincare treats that actually work! That was 15 years ago and the rest, as they say, is history.


2. At what age did you start wearing makeup?

I think I probably started experimenting with lip gloss and glittery nail varnish at around the age of 10, similar to my own daughters now!


3. If you could apply only one product for the next month what would it be?

Here in the UK we have had a real cold snap, so over the next month I will be focusing on ensuring that my skin is well hydrated, nourished and protected from the elements. The best ingredients for helping your skin to retain its own moisture reserves are plant oils which mimic the skin’s own naturally effective moisture barrier, sebum. Our Superskin range is designed to hydrate, nourish and protect your skin. Specially formulated with powerful naturally active ingredients rich in GLA, omega-3 and antioxidants, these botanical skin-savers plump, smooth and deeply moisturise skin that needs a little extra help during these colder winter months. Therefore, the one product that I would apply for the next month to help protect my winter worn skin is our botanical wonder-cream, Superskin Moisturiser. This purely plant-based formula really does create ‘super skin’ and I absolutely always double-check I have at least one jar in my bag. I absolutely will not leave home without it!

4. If you could give one product to all women in the world what would it be?

The cornerstone of effective skincare is cleansing. Cleansing is integral to achieve a clear complexion by getting rid of daily grime and impurities to keep your skin clean and prevent blemishes. The starting point for smooth, radiantly clear skin is undoubtedly our multi-award winning Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which celebrates its 15th Anniversary this year. This luxuriously creamy, plant-based cleanser is used together with the pure cotton muslin cloth provided which helps to boost the circulation and stimulate cell renewal to help keep skin soft and smooth. The Cleanse & Polish is enriched with purifying rosemary and eucalyptus extracts and skin softening cocoa butter, while the soft muslin cloth has the perfect texture to gently exfoliate by buffing away dead skin cells, revealing instant radiance. This unique two-phase cleanser really is the starting point for healthy, glowing skin, whatever your age or skin type (from very dry to even acne-prone) making it my number one choice for a product to give all women in the world. Cleanse & Polish is a fuss-free pampering treatment that all women can depend on.

5. If you could ban one harmful ingredient from all beauty products what would it be?

Although mineral oils are not harmful, I would suggest that all bland mineral oils, used in beauty products, should be replaced with potent plant oils. I am a firm believer in the potent powers of plant oils to make a genuine difference to your skin. Plant oils are absorbed within the upper levels of the epidermis so they soften far more than mineral oils. Plant oils are much more compatible with the skin and they mimic the skin’s own naturally effective moisture barrier, sebum, and leave skin silky smooth. They are also rich in the natural form of Vitamin E and skin-saving essential fatty acids, which is why we only use plant oils, not mineral oil, in the Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare range.

6. What is your favorite skincare ingredient?

I swear by natural source vitamin E. I could practically write a book just about this wonderful skin-friendly substance, mainly derived from vegetable oils. As natural source vitamin E is up to three times more potent than the synthetic variety, we only ever use the naturally derived vitamin E in our products. Naturally sourced vitamin E helps to defend the skin from damaging effects of ultraviolet light, to optimize moister levels and improve appearance. It also delays skin ageing by fighting free radicals. One of the main ways vitamin E works is by protecting the phospholipids (fatty acids) in cell membranes, which form the ‘cement’ of the skin barrier and are major targets of attack by free radicals. As well as looking for naturally sourced vitamin E in skincare, I also recommend taking it internally as it can act as an internal anti-ager, making you beautiful from the inside out. As vitamin E is not as easily found in foods as other vitamins (its main sources are avocados, nuts and seeds), a daily supplement is useful – but look for the words ‘natural source’ on the pack.

7. What is the last product you created?

We recently added three new products to our top selling Superskin range; Superskin Eye & Lip Treatment, Superskin Bust Treatment and Superskin Body Cream. My favorite is our Superskin Body Cream as this ultra-rich body cream is our most intensive moisturiser ever, helping mature or very dry skin look and feel rejuvenated and replenished. At the heart of our Superskin Body Cream, we are using a variety of shea butter from a lesser known sub-species. Shea butter produced from the nuts of the East African shea, Vitellaria paradoxa nilotica, is lighter and finer in texture and so sinks more easily into the upper levels of the epidermis. This enables us to use more of it without overloading the skin or causing any kind of greasiness. You can see a clip of our senior botanist, Jennifer Hirsch, and me with the women’s co-operative who harvest this for us in Northern Uganda on a field-trip last year [click here]. The plant-based formula really does create ‘super skin’ and is rich in skin protecting omega 3, 6 and 9 from cranberry seeds as well as free radical fighting antioxidants. Although we can never turn back time, the Superskin range certainly slows the clock’s ticking, leaving skin visibly plump, smooth and replenished.

8. Who is the business woman you most admire?

I really admire the work of Robin Coe-Hutshing– the founder & creative director at STUDIO BEAUTYMIX at Fred Segal. STUDIO has a global reputation for being on the cutting-edge of new trends and products in the beauty world. We share their passion for promoting beauty, health and wellness in unique high-end luxury products, which is why we are delighted to be included by having our products available there.

9. Whose beauty do you most admire?

On a visit to Morocco I was astounded by the effortless beauty of the Berber women in the Hammams of Marrakesh. I noticed that despite the fiercely hot climate, the women had the most beautiful smooth skin and glossy hair. It was then that I found out about argan oil or the ‘Gold of Morocco’, which has been used traditionally by the Berber women for centuries to keep their skin smooth and youthful. I knew I had to include this precious essential oil in the Liz Earle range, and so we developed Superskin Concentrate, a super-intense aromatic blend of 100% pure plant oils with vitamin E rich argan oil- a restoring treat for all skin types, inspired by the stunning beauty of the Berber women.

10. What was your best Spa experience?

One of my all-time favourites is the ‘eco-spa’ Sasaab in Kenya – a magical eco-lodge in the Samburu hills with the most spectacular views of Africa. An idyllic setting with luxurious tented rooms, superb simple fresh food and charming, friendly service. A truly tranquil hideaway!

11. Besides your own, what is your favorite brand?

I am a big fan of Aromatherapy Associates who, like us, never compromise of the quality of the efficacy of their lovely aromatherapy treatments. They can often be found in some of the nicer spa locations around the world and are well worth making time for as a special treat.


Read more about Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare on Beauty's SPOT...

Some products mentioned in this post were provided to Beauty's SPOT for free as editorial samples.

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