The JOON Blog

We’re so in love with our Apricot Mint fragrance that we decided we’d try our hand at making Apricot Lemonade!  It’s perfect to make this time of year when it’s starting to get a bit chilly outside and you’re longing for summer to come once again.

1/4/ c. boiling water

1 c. chopped mint leaves

Juice of 6 lemons (cold)

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Juice of 3 apricots

1 c. superfine sugar

Pour boiling water on the mint leaves.  Add lemon juice, grated lemon rind and apricot juice.  Stir in sugar.   Refrigerate in a tightly capped bottle.  Pour enough of the liquid in a glass to make it 1/4 to 1/3 full; then add the fresh iced lemon juice.  Add ice.  The apricot mint syrup will keep well in the refrigerator for as long as 2 weeks.  Makes about 4 cups.

Enjoy!

I’ve been absent for a few days, but not because I didn’t have anything to write about.  In fact, I think I have too much on my mind that I want to share.  But, the other day as I sat down to write, a thought popped into my mind…Who’s is reading this blog?  Of course, the premise of a blog is to share your thoughts on the interweb (I love that word!)  with whoever so chooses to listen/read.  But those listeners or readers could be my competitors, right?  Not that I don’t want them reading my blog, but I sometimes find myself wanting to write about things that maybe I should keep to myself until they actually come to fruition.  It’s so hard to hold back when so many amazing things happen on a daily basis.

For instance, we want to align ourselves with partners who share our passion for supporting and inspiring young girls to lead healthy lives – and have fun doing it.  I came across Kids Who Rip and read the profiles of some kids who are doing some pretty amazing things.  What can we do with or for them?  At this stage, I’m not sure.  But do we want to be a part of what Kids Who Rip is doing and support their efforts?  Absolutely!  I probably should have waited to take this off of my private list of potential partners to call and put it out there for the world to read, but I can’t help myself.  I get so excited about the possibilities for JOON and the potential that we have to do some really cool things with and for young girls.

So, I guess I’ll exercise some restraint, but I promise that you’ll still be privy to some really cool thinking (and doing!).

Till later.

For a while, I went without washing my face with anything besides water and a wash cloth.  I was a little paralyzed by my options, or lack thereof.  I had sworn off conventional face wash products for obvious reasons.  I tried several natural alternatives, but none seemed to work.  One (I won’t name names) made me break out; another left a strange residue on my face.  I went through brand after brand with no luck.  I’m prone to breaking out so I was looking for a product for my ‘type’ of skin.  I’m still not sure exactly how to define my type of skin!  Finally, after a few weeks of plain water, I opened my cabinet filled with JOON prototypes and samples and cracked open a bottle of Happy Face Wash.  What do you know…it worked!  Because it’s non-foaming, it didn’t dry out my skin.  I’m not 6 or 12 (I won’t divulge my age!), but we developed the face wash to be gentle and that’s just what it is.  Problem solved.  But wait…what about a moisturizer?  That’s where I really need something that’s made for someone with older, somewhat problematic, for lack of a better word, skin.  Of course I love our Happy Face Moisturizer SPF 15 (and I wear it when I run!), but I need something for everyday wear.  One day, while perusing the aisles at Target – I’m always checking out what’s new in the beauty aisle (it’s my job!) – I saw a hot pink tube of something.  I believe I was drawn to it because the packaging was pink!  Hmmmmm…Weleda Wild Rose Day Cream.  I know the Weleda brand well.  I’ve tried lots of their products, without much success.  Still, I dropped it in my cart to try it out.  I have to say that I’m loving it!  I love the smell, the way it goes on my skin, the way my skin looks hours later.  It doesn’t make me break out.  It doesn’t make me look oily.  It’s not drying.  It’s just perfect for me.  I know this may sound crazy, and I’m not a big believer in claims like “reduces the appearance of fine lines”, but I have to say that I think this cream makes my skin look brighter and younger.  I’m not trying to turn back the hands of time, just trying my best to naturally slow them down!  They’re not paying me to say this, by the way.  The people over at Weleda don’t even know who I am!

I’m sure you don’t often read of one natural skin care company commending another.  It’s not unheard of, but it’s not the norm.  But, I applaud companies that are doing the right thing and doing it well.  And, I have much respect for a company like Weleda who has been doing it since the dialogue about natural products was even an open one.

So, if you’re in your 30s (still not giving away my exact age!) and you’re looking for a good every day moisturizer, check it out.  And, if you’re a mom of girls ages 6 – 12, keep checking out our site and stay tuned for the JOON launch!

If you watch the video on our “story” page or carefully read through the JOON site, you’ll notice the repetition of the word “healthy”.  Healthy is the foundation of our brand, our guiding principle.  It guides the products we develop, the ingredients we use, how we think about and communicate with our JOON Girls, the selection of our partners.  Healthy can mean a lot of things – physical health, mental health, spiritual health (mind + body + soul), but for us, we chose to embrace how girls internalize the word.  Before we even began formulating the JOON line, I did a lot of research with young girls about the idea of healthy beauty.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear the words that they associated with this concept:  strong/strength, free to do what you want, smart, confident, bold, playing and “just being with friends and being yourself”.

I don’t believe for a minute that JOON could be a successful business if we, ourselves, didn’t embrace our JOON Girls’ vision of Healthy Beauty.  Fortunately, it’s not hard to practice what we preach because JOON exists within us.  Here’s a little story about the JOON in me…

…last night I had to keep my 4 year old busy while dad was working (hard and diligently on JOON!).  So, I decided to let him watch a few minutes of TV before bath time.  I hadn’t been in the TV room all day, so I was so surprised when I walked in a saw a brand new road bike propped against the wall!  It’s a huge commitment to ride (and run) when  you’ve got 2 kids, a business to get off the ground and grow, friends, a husband…the list goes on.  But, riding and running early in the morning is a freedom like no other.  I can let my mind go where it wants and not have to think or worry about anything.  I feel strong.  I feel confident (you have to when you’re riding in the dark amongst the traffic that’s just on their way home from the night before!). I haven’t been riding in years and I can’t wait to get back out there.  I can’t wait to smell the ocean air as I ride along the beach and watch the sunrise on my way home from a long ride.

Because the idea of JOON is such a part of who I am, it’s effortless to tell our story and to create products that I know girls will love (with their help and feedback, of course!).

What’s the JOON in you?