I was recently asked how I came about creating Franc Essential and I realised it was partly through the experience of going to France after my father’s death to visit my Grandmother and then going on the Southern France where it is so colourful and vibrant. That had a profound effect on me.

A friend and colleague created this video for me to share my story with you. Whilst I was being videod I realised that we were combining our amazing creative talents to bring this to you. Thank you Mary-Lou from Zigma Video for understanding what it is that I wish to empart to the world and bringing your gift into my world.

As you can see creativity does come in all forms and ways and combinations.

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I do believe the trend to want to look youthful can still outweigh what is purchased and used, due to the claims being made. Marketing can be so persuasive and unfortunately a lot of the time misleading and false. And lets face it we all want to look and feel great with youthful looking skin.

As a consequence, we are bombarding our beautiful bodies with potentially toxic substances it finds difficult to eliminate. As a consequence, our skin is starting to have reactions we did not have in the past due to the build up of toxicity (see my blog on Sensitive skin).

In order to avoid this, it is important to start understanding the labels and reading them carefully. What you see is not what you always get.

Check out this video for more information.

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When this is the case it is always best to test patch the products first and use only one at a time. Here is my video on sensitive skin with more information on how to look after your skin and what sensitive skin can entail.

For further information, do contact me on skin@franc.com.au.

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What does creativity and what is being creative mean? It is to bring into being, to produce, to form. And it can mean anything, not just art, ie painting, sculpting. Being creative can be how you dress, how you cook, design your home, write, or how you lead your life.

In my case, I am loving colour and using paints for the first time for self expression without form. It is exhilarating and opens you up to a whole new world. It has taken me many years to do this without
having to be perfect and getting it right. There is no right or wrong. Only how you feel and what is best for you.

These photos below show the process of me starting my first ever vision board. It was an amazing journey of self discovery, reconnecting with my soul and being creative.

What do you do to be creative? I would love to hear from you.

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It is such fun and makes you feel so light, joyful and connected to the person or people you are laughing with. We all love to laugh and why are we not doing it so often? Possibly due to the fact that we are so busy, tired and get so focussed on what we are doing.

This is a reminder to laugh and to feel fantastic. Have lots of fun with this!!!!

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It is the most effective way of removing dust, dirt,dead layer from your skin, and of course, make up. No matter, how tired you are please, do cleanse at night no matter how late or how tired you are as this gives your skin the ability to breathe. It unclogs the pores and helps with the effective absorbtion of your night creams and serums.

What I did not realise years ago was that only using water and soap is very drying on your skin, because it removes the natural oils from the skin which form a barrier against water loss. Also soaps tend to be very high in pH which is well above the skin’s natural ph of 5. This can change the balance of your skin and contribute to not only very dry skin, but also to oily and blemished skin as the sebaceous glands are now working over time and produce extra oil.

Cleansing is this simple:
1. use warm water to wet your face
2. emulsify a small amount in your hand
3. gently massage your face enjoying the texture and scent
4. rinse off
5. pat dry

Check out my video on the benefits of cleansing and why I love the Franc Cleanse.

Natural Skin care tip: Regular cleansing keeps your face fresh, clean, balanced and glowing.

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It took me a long time to be able to start, because of the guilt, not wanting to hurt the other person’s feelings and the fear of rejection. I found, because I could not say no, I took on far too much, then felt overwhelmed and resentful. Not great for a harmonious life. And then had to find ways, not always very truthful, to get out of it.

And what I have found, when it has been done to me, is that you know when someone is doing it to you.

By being able to say “no” you are honouring your self. A great technique when asked to do something you do not want to do, is to say thanks for the invitation and ending on a positive: ” Thanks for asking me” and then “no, I am unable to make it and I am sure you will have a great time.”

Another technique is to say; “I will let you know” to give yourself time to think about the invitation or request and what you really want to do. This is one I use now with wonderful results.

Done, no more and no less. Keep it short and sweet. And then let go. Do not wallow in guilt and self recriminations. Such a waste of energy.

Try saying “no” and see how you feel. I look forward to hearing from you and your experiences.

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Let’s see what else we can add to this to enhance your life a bit more and then a bit more. Now that you have started focussing on your breathe, start on focussing on any task you are doing, whether it be making a cup of tea, showering, making a sandwich or putting your clothes on, talking to a loved one. Notice how it feels, the movements of your body, the scents and the sounds.

I used this a lot after the car accident, when I had great difficulty getting into the car again a driving. Once in the car, I simply focussed on driving, being present, ie putting on the indicator, stopping at lights, enjoying the scenery – and then I was at my destination. (mind you I did have a little cry at times as I was so relieved to get there and at how easy it had actually been!!!)

It may feel strange at first, however, do persevere as you will gain so much from doing this in your everyday life.

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• use regularly and consistently, so they do not sit in your cupboard as all beauty products, not just natural ones, do go bad. This way you have constantly new and fresh products, plus your skin will always look great.
• keep in a cool dark place away from sunlight and heat, particularly on those hot summer days as these conditions promote mould.
• close lids properly and securely each time, so the product does not oxidise and go rancid or mouldy. I know we get busy and rushed, however, this is important to maintain the integrity of the product.
• use clean fingers when removing product from jar, so bacteria does not get in, particularly if you have blemished skin.

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