Anti-Aging Beauty Mystique of Organic Damask Rosewater- Part I

Essential oil of Damascene ("Damascus or Damask") Rose is one of nature's most incredibly healing plants.  This rare type of rose is, according to recent fossil evidence, about 35 million years old!  The genus Rosa has about 150 species found all around the world, including in northern Africa.  Garden cultivation of roses began some 5,000 years ago, most likely in China.  Damask Rose, however, originated in Bulgaria, and continues to be extensively cultivated there today for its precious essential oil.

Roses were in very high demand during the 17th century, and the Royal families even considered roses or Rosewater to be legal tender.  The wife of Napoleon, Josephine, was well-known for having an extensive collection of roses at Chateau de Malmaison, an estate about 7 miles west of Paris, in the 1800s.  Interestingly, the rose is often used to represent the Virgin Mary and has been historically considered as sacred to a number of goddesses. 

As incredible as it sounds, Organic Damascene Rose essential oil has been recently scientifically shown to increase the energy vibration of every cell in the body, restoring balance and harmony to every bodily system! These amazing health benefits can be attained by simply breathing in the lovely fragrance of the flower. It takes approximately 2,000 flowers to produce one gram of the highly-prized essential oil.  So it makes sense that it is usually so expensive to buy, and easier to obtain the oil's benefits as an ingredient in organic Rosewater.

Organic essential Rose oil has been highly sought-after for centuries, due to its many naturally beneficial properties for mind & body, including anti-depressant, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, bactericidal (kills Strep, Staph, E. Coli, Anthrax, and Diphtheria.)  Organic Damask Rose Oil’s innate healing power comes from its bio-complexity.  It contains more than 300 organic compounds, and so it is definitely one of the most complex organic bio-chemicals on earth.  This is why the essential oil is often referred to as Nature’s "Universal Healer."  There are absolutely no natural limits to its ability to tone, heal and balance the skin.  It is non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing and well-tolerated by all skin types.  

This highly-energized organic composition of Damask Rose essential oil makes it highly effective in treating aging, dry, and damaged skin.  It also tones the skin to reduce overly-active skin sebum secretion that can cause acne and enlarged pores.   Organic Damask Rose essential oil’s natural toning and astringent properties became well known in the 18th century and was used at that time as the base oil for many healing tonics.  Its unique skin toning abilities can actually produce a healthy and radiant complexion in just a few seconds.  This healing powerhouse also has properties that reduce inflammation and skin redness, repair broken capillaries and is even effective in treating eczema and other common skin disorders.

As part of an organic, holistic healing approach to skin care, it is recommended that we "connect" with positively-charged atoms & energies as much as possible- in our diet, the air we breathe and in what we absorb into our bodies. Taking in as much good energy as possible is vital to maintaining our energy level and health.  It has also been scientifically proven in recent years that the higher the energy vibration level in the body, the healthier the skin and body become.  Incredibly, Organic Damask Rose Oil has been found to emanate the highest energy vibration of all known oils.  - More on this to Come in Part II of this Blog Post!

Captured by the Allure of Natural, Organic Skin Care!

Believe it or not, I have been drawn to Natural/ Organic Skin Care products for over 30 years now! Back in my 20's, I was really drawn to natural body care and skin care products- I loved learning about about all the different herbs, plants and flowers that went into making healing, natural products that are so good for your skin. I actually became a part-time distributor of natural, healing skin & body care products for a well-known, world-wide Swiss company, back in the early 1990's!

As the years went by, my attention was taken away from this love by having to keep a good job in the corporate world to support myself. Needless to say, over 20 years of that life was enough for me! So, in 2011, I again turned my interest to developing a business where I could distribute organic & natural skin & beauty products that were actually good for people. I started my own distribution website- some of you may have seen it- www.getwholesomebeauty.com, as it is still online, and we now use it as a subsidiary division of Cosmetiques LaudunTM. 

While running this business, I was constantly on the look-out for GREAT products- an in particular, those made with 80% or more Organic plant ingredients. Believe me, they are not easy to find! One day, I came in contact with a company through my Twitter account that looked really good- I checked their website, www.TheLaudun.com, and I was amazed to see so many lovely, gorgeously-packaged products that touted they were made with "organic & natural plant ingredients, straight from the earth." I was intrigued, and even more so, when I read their tagline: "Organic Elegance for Your Skin." YES!

So, I contacted Anna Laudun Beaubouef, Founder/CEO, and she actually agreed to allow me to distribute her products via my website- I was so happy! I started writing many blog posts about all the different lovely plant ingredients used in Cosmetiques LaudunTM products, and loving distributing and selling all the lovely products- not to mention using them myself! I remember when I got my first whiff of "Rose Milk Frost," Ultra Hydrating Body Lotion, I almost fell over, because the scent of the Damask Rose in it was so delicious! I felt the same about the intoxicating Jasmine scent of "Sweet Feet," and the "Sea Goddess," Natural Seaweed Extract body soap. Wow!

In the process of learning about all the beautiful Cosmetiques LaudunTM products and how they were created, Anna and I got to know each other very well, and today I think of her as my very close sister/friend. Anna has bestowed much of her knowledge upon me about how her dear, "Mama Jeanne," her Grandmother, would gather all the ingredients necessary from her garden, every morning, so later she could make her "beauty creme, foot creme, scrub and soaps." Needless to say the pictures evoked in my mind of Anna's story of going out into the garden with her Grandma each morning to "freshly pick different flowers, herbs and plants that later she would show me how to use to make her different beauty cremes, soaps and concoctions," left a very strong, beautiful impression on my mind. I felt that I already knew Mama Jeanne well, even though I did not ever have the pleasure of meeting her.

Today, I am so proud, honored and happy to be a part of this beautiful company, Cosmetiques LaudunTM! Anna asked me to join the company in 2013, and in 2015 my role changed a bit to encompass more responsibility, as Director of Marketing and Sales.  I work hard to bring Grandma Jeanne's legacy of her healing, vintage garden skin care formulations to all of you, and it makes me very happy to do it. Today happens to be "Mama Jeanne's" birthday, March 31st, and so it is no surprise that she is on my mind a great deal, and lead me to write this for all of you!


May you always enjoy the best of health, the best of everything that Nature has to offer!

- Nancy S. Bechtol
Director, Sales & Marketing
COSMETIQUES LAUDUN TM

Beauty Secrets I Learned in the Garden with my Grandmother

As many of our friends & family know, we are celebrating Grandma Jeanne Laudun's Legacy to Cosmetiques LaudunTM this entire month, in an ongoing tribute to her, as her birthday happens to fall in March. We are pleased to give you this short "Memoire," from our Founder/CEO, Anna Laudun Beauboeuf, about her lovely days spent in the garden learning all about different plants & flowers, with her dearest, "Mama Jeanne."

"My grandmother was a lovely lady, always so elegant and
beautiful, and she loved us, my sister, Mitsy, and I. She sewed many clothes for us, beautiful embroidered dresses, skirts of vibrant colors, she took care of and styled our hair, and taught us how to make little gifts- she was a grandmother of your dreams!

My best memories are of the days I spent with her in her huge garden- filled with flowers, plants, a beautiful vine LOADED with big black and green grapes, giant mangos & avocados. My sister & I loved to climb all the trees ... it was truly a paradise.

Very early on Saturday mornings, I would accompany my Mama Jeanne, my little wicker basket in hand, to "la ceuillette," or picking & gathering of plants that later she would use to create creams for the care of our skin, or shampoos for our hair, and body lotions richly perfumed with herbals. 

 

Throughout our plant-gathering time, she educated me about all of these plants, their medicinal values & qualities, and had me touch, feel, smell and even taste them. My grandmother was, how the French say, a very"coquettish," or elegant & beautiful woman, and taking good care of her skin was a very important part of her daily beauty routine.

.

In her room, there was a small, carved table, high enough to keep prying children's hands from reaching the bottles kept inside, with a cabinet door in the front and a glass top. This table contained a precious range or collection of small jars of essential plant oils of all types, scented with herbs, or containing a few pieces of ginger, sandalwood, clove etc. 

After our morning "ceuillette," my Grandmother would have me sit on a straw chair near

her, and would teach me how to make her make her natural

beauty mixtures in a large blue porcelain bowl.

 

-"A few drops of ginger oil for the face cream, a few drops of aloe juice, lemon to hydrate the face," etc. -she showed me how all these plants and more were utilized. At the end of the day, we were allowed a small pot of body cream, freshly made, deliciously perfumed with jasmine flowers & citrus, or rose water- a small jar of creme that lasted just a few hours."

 

*****

 

We will feature more in future posts, about the history (or "Herstory") of our delightful Founder/CEO, Anna Laudun Beauboeuf, and her beautiful grandmother, "Mama Jeanne."

 

How Do My Grandmother's Organic Skin Care Recipes Stack Up Against Olay "Regenerist" & Other Popular Brands?

In today's popular skin care products, the market is flooded with lots of brands of "anti-aging creams, eye creams, anti-wrinkle serums," etc. that all make very huge promises, like "Reduce fine lines & wrinkles in just 2 weeks!" Many of us can find a pile of these products discarded in our drawers, because they haven't worked that fast, or at all in many cases, to reduce the signs of aging in our skin that we are concerned about.

My grandmother, "Mama Jeanne," made her own organic beauty "recipes" that she used and gave to our family to use. She composed her creams and scrubs from plants, herbals & flowers that she and I would hand-pick every morning in her garden at the hillside suburban town of Petion Ville. 

I spent many days under her instruction, as she showed me how to create her famous "beauty cream," soaps & body scrub with ingredients that came straight from her garden!  Her recipes were very healing to the skin & effectively address a variety of skin ailments, like acne, eczema, dry skin, dark spots, wrinkles & even psoriasis. Mama Jeanne never used ANY synthetics, dyes or chemicals of any kind in her beauty recipes.

Here are some of the ingredients she loved to use: Aloe & aloe juice, coconut, laurel & other plant & nut oils, plaintain major leaf, cucumber, marigold, jasmine & evening primrose flowers, damask rose water, roses & comfrey, all very simple and very effective, yet not harmful to the environment. 

These are the ingredients -kept intact from her original "Beauty Cream" recipe- in our "Mitsy," USDA Certifed Bio-Organic Anti-aging Skin Cream that we continue to make today, (that is truly effective in reducing wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots & firming skin & you will see a big difference in just 2 weeks): 100% Pure, Organic Grape Seed Oil infused with Organic Evening Primrose Flower & Calendula oils & extracts, Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Cornstarch (non modified-GMO), Cucumber extract for fragrance. - Paraben-Free, NO Chemicals or Preservatives, Dye-Free. 

Now, so you can do a side-by-side comparison, here are the listed ingredients in Olay's "Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream," - Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Isopropyl Isostearate, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Nylon-12, Dimethicone, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyethylene, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Dimethiconol, Sodium Peg-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Peucedanum Graveolens (Dill) Extract, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Disodium Edta, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, C12-13 Pareth-3, Laureth-7, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Mica. Vitamin B3, Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Amino-Peptide, Green Tea, Aloe Vera.

Just to be fair, here is another popular anti-aging product from Garnier, the ingredients listed in their "Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream," - Aqua/Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Isohexadecane, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Argania Spinosa/Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract (Argan Extract), Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Caffeine, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Carbomer, Cera Alba/Beeswax, Cera Carnauba/Carnauba Wax, Cetyl Alcohol, Citral, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein (Rice Protein), Laureth-7, Octyldodecanol, PEG-20 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Retinyl Linoleate/Retinyl Linoleate (Pro-Retinol), Shorea Robusta Butter/Shorea Robusta Seed Butter, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract/Ginger Root Extract. 

So, which product would you rather put on your skin, knowing that all ingredients are absorbed directly into the skin & bloodstream?

"My Grandmother, Jeanne Laudun, was a staunch believer in using strictly organic, pure and simple ingredients in her "beauty creams," shave creams, body scrubs & soaps. Thankfully, she taught me to hold the same strict standards. Today, I continue her traditional, vintage organic recipes in our natural & organic line of skin & body care products, Cosmetiques Laudun™. 

Our products continue to be quite beautifully simple, utilizing my Grandmother's vintage family recipes made from plants, herbs & botanicals, that have proven to be effective & healing for nearly a century.  It is my great pleasure to continue to bring her legacy & organically elegant products to you!"

- Anna Laudun Beauboeuf, Founder/CEO

 COSMETIQUES LAUDUN™

Organic Elegance for your Skin

Beauty Secrets of Natural Seaweed for Your Skin

Natural Marine Seaweed Extract is an excellent nutrient & anti-aging ingredient that you'll want in your skin care regimen.   It is naturally pure, unlike many commonly found "natural," skin care components which are treated with large amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides before they're added to the product.   Natural Marine Seaweed does not contain artificial genetic manipulation or chemical fertilizers of any kind because it comes from the sea.

Seaweed is naturally rich in anti-bacterial properties that are highly effective in the treatment of acne.  When applied topically, seaweed extract draws toxins out of the skin and body, and its rich nutrients are easily absorbed by the skin.  Many skin care remedies such as body soaps or facial masks utilizing natural seaweed ingredients are excellent treatments for acne-infected skin, due to organic marine seaweed’s innate purifying and detoxifying properties.   These benefits are multiplied by the extract's ability to increase circulation and promote regrowth of healthy skin cells. 

Natural Seaweed extract is also known for its potent Anti-oxidants and anti-aging effects because of these cell regenerating properties. Its vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and natural enzymes are powerful anti-oxidants that fight free-radical attack and easily heal and rejuvenate skin. Seaweed actually promotes skin issue regeneration (i.e. the creation of new skin cells) that creates elasticity, and so greatly improves not only the visible signs but repairs the causes of aging.  A natural, marine seaweed bath as an external treatment can help to increase blood flow at the surface of the skin to make skin more supple and smooth, and even reduce the appearance of cellulite for a more youthful appearance.

Safe and Effective for all Sensitive Skin Types, Natural Marine Seaweed is also very Healing for Eczema or Rosacea-affected skin.  Seaweed extract is well-known for it’s anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties for treating sensitive and allergy-prone skin.  Naturally rich in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12, it is very effective in reducing inflammation and protecting the skin's surface layer. It is being used as an active ingredient in today's organic and natural skincare products, mostly due to it’s natural ability to reduce excessive irritation and redness, but is also gaining popularity for its high antioxidant levels and ability to break down cellulite!

Natural Beauty Secrets of Organic Lemongrass Oil- Part I

What do you know about Organic Lemongrass (Citronelle), or Melissa, natural, organic skin care? It is an herb easily recognized by its tall fronds of leaves and strong lemon-citrusy aroma. The plant is native to Sri Lanka and India and has been popular throughout history for use in healing skin care preparations.   Applying this healing botanical to the skin can help alleviate common skin disorders, such as bacterial infections and even large pores.  In addition, organic lemongrass is commonly used an excellent mosquito repellent. 

Naturally occurring anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties in organic Lemongrass help to discourage bacterial or microbial growth on the skin.  It reduces the number of skin infections, as well as alleviates skin irritations, like folliculitis and cellulitis, that are caused by bacterial infections.  Lemongrass oil is also fungicidal -it clears fungus infections on the skin. 

This healing essential oil from nature's bounty is loaded with unique antimicrobial, antibacterial /antiseptic, anti-fungal qualities that make it a very effective astringent.   Facial skin toners, cleansers and soaps containing organic lemongrass oil do a great job of firming and tightening the skin.  When used as an astringent/toner, it is very effective in minimizing skin pores.  It is also known to increase the protective barrier of hard tissue under the skin that guards against daily free radical exposure- which is exactly what you want when you're looking for an effective Anti-aging ingredient!

More in-depth info about healing organic Lemongrass essential oil in Part II of this Blog- coming soon! 

Anti-aging & Acne Healing Secrets of Organic Sandalwood Oil- Part II

Amaaazing Sandalwood essential oil! We talked about it's extensive emollient & moisturizing properties as a wonderful anti-aging botanical oil & healing ingredient to use in all-natural and organic skin care, in Part I of this article. Now we will focus on this essential oil's incredible skin-healing and acne healing benefits, when used as a part of a regular skin care regimen.

Organic Sandalwood essential oil is a natural gentle astringent and has inherent antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic qualities. So, it naturally tones and firms skin and is highly effective for use on oily complexions & all skin types. It can also be used to treat acne and acne scars as it refreshes and renews skin.  The oil is known to be an excellent "cicatrisant," - one of the miracle botanical oils that actually regenerates skin cells! It helps to fade the appearance of scars and prevents the skin from forming deep scars. 

Who would have thought that Sandalwood organic essential oil aids in smoothing and treating skin that is affected by acne, as well as heals the scars associated with acne. Adding just a few drops to an unscented, natural facial cream or blending a few drips with Jojoba or Sweet Almond oil and then applying it to your skin daily will aid in the healing of damaged, scarred skin. This treatment can be done on a nightly basis by taking a few drops of the combined essential oils and rubbing them into the affected skin. Noticeable changes in the skin can be visible after just a few weeks of daily use. What a simple & natural way to easily & effectively heal acne, cleanse your skin & lessen the appearance of scarring!

ADDITIONAL KNOWN PHYSICAL BENEFITS of Organic Sandalwood Oil: Antispasmodic, antiviral, carminative, catarrh, chapped skin, constipation, coughs, cystitis, diarrhea, diuretic, drug withdrawal, dry hair, fixative, fragile hair, hangovers, immunity stimulant, insomnia, osteoarthritis.

Let's Create Natural BEAUTY Together!

A New Year always brings plenty of opportunities for growth, renewal - opportunities to reinvent ourselves. Let's seize this moment and use our collective energies and intelligence to create something new, beautiful and wonderful in this New Year, 2016!

Personally, I have committed to learning more about ways that we can harness our individual gifts or talents, come together and utilize them for the betterment of our collective communities, and in so doing, better the world. One of these ideas is known as "Contributionism," and it involves just that. This is about people working together, sharing their unique talents, to find new ways of living more in harmony with the earth, to bring the natural law of abundance back to our lives and communities. Think how freeing this can be- if everyone decided to work together for the betterment of their own community, simply by sharing themselves. The African societal way of being known as "Ubuntu," uses these ideas, to bring communities together, to remind everyone that we are all truly related in our humanity. We are sisters and brothers on this lovely planet, and it is time we started thinking and acting that way more, in a unity of love and service to others.

I have also made a personal choice to forgive everyone- including myself, and yes, this can be the most challenging part of forgiveness, but it is crucial to forgive ourselves before we can forgive anyone else. Forgiveness brings freedom! It does not mean we have to agree with what is being forgiven, it just simply means we are finding a place of "neutrality" about it, with no heavy emotional strings attached to it anymore. When we resent people or situations, we tie up our emotion, a lot of our personal energy, or power, that can be utilized so many more things! Choosing to forgive, let go, frees up that energy, and frees us to be the creative beings we are. So I am practicing forgiveness.

I am greatly blessed to be a part of this company, because at COSMETIQUES LAUDUN TM, we are always seeking new information, new ways to bring you the best, most natural ways to take care of your skin. We earnestly believe in helping people to love and take care of themselves. In this stressful world, it has become very difficult for most of us to take care of ourselves. We are dedicated to bringing you products that are deliberately, lovingly crafted from the purest, most natural ingredients available today, so that you can effortlessly take care of your skin- the largest organ in the body. What is real "Beauty?" How can we be truly "naturally beautiful?" 

Using skin care made of pure, plant ingredients- oils and extracts- sourced from organic growers, is a great way to start and simply the best way to care for your skin. We have been taught over time that using skin and body care products that contain chemicals, that promise a "fast fix," is the way to go - not true. It's like putting motor oil, pesticide or other toxic chemicals, all over your body and letting it absorb into the bloodstream. Why do we do this to our bodies? It is time for all of us to make use of the abundance of plants on Mother Earth, that were intended for us to consume for our self care. To that end, we at Laudun are so happy and excited to be bringing you new products this year, as well as the latest information and education about how plants, flowers, nuts, seeds and all the oils and extracts that come from them, can best care for you and your skin. Happy 2016!