My First Blog!
Hi girls,
I’m Izzi and I’m so excited to be writing my first blog post. Why? Because I can’t wait to share my story with you. I’ve had an amazing year and have learnt so much along the way with a few ups and downs, and what I learnt was that any down has been an opportunity for me to do things differently and better.
I have created my own skin and body range for girls, just like you and me.. I wanted a range of skin care products to help girls keep their skin clean and clear and encourage girls to develop healthy lifestyle habits and routines so that they learn to take care of their skin and bodies as they grow, while having fun doing it.
I started working on this when I was about 8 so it’s five years to get this point. The reason it took so long is mum only agreed to let me work on this if I was going to be responsible for all the different aspects of development, including the formulas, the brand and the marketing. There’s much more involved in creating a brand then I first thought, but worth every minute! I was inspired to create these products because I always saw my mum using skincare products and she would never let me use them, so I wanted my own skincare products that were natural and safe for me, that she wasn’t allowed to use!
When I first decided to do this mum helped me find the right bases and ingredients to start working with, which was really important to me because I wanted to make sure the products were natural and made in Australia but also that girls my age would feel good using them. Mum also helped me understand that the products needed to do something and from speaking to all my friends and friends of friends, the number one thing we all wanted was to feel good when using anything. For example with the moisturiser I wanted it to feel fresh and to hydrate. And that’s it, that’s what my moisturizer did. It made me feel good, smelt nice and felt good inside because I knew it was natural.
One day at the dining table, I had a whole heap of jars lined up with different products and 2-3 versions of each product, when I had an idea and asked mum what if I was to make these up into little sample jars and get my friends to try them. She looked at me and said ‘great idea’ and just smiled. It was then that I knew that she was proud of me and proud that I come up with this idea. I worked really hard and came up with 6 different products for the face and body, including washes, moisturisers and lip balms. I tested the different products over a year or so (my friends are very honest and were more than happy to tell me what they didn’t like), which was great for me because I could go back and work on the formulas to make them better.
At the same time I had to work on the branding, this was not as easy as I thought. It took three different name changes before I came up with the final name. At one stage I was a bit confused and thought, who am I and why am I doing this? I decided to take my values and use them to represent what was now my brand because that would be true to myself. To do things that would help make a difference, for others. And that’s why I decided on Luv Ur Skin for the brand and Luv Ur Self as my company name and I think that says it all and I’m so proud to stand behind it. Funny story, when I finally came up with Luv Ur Skin, last year, and told my mum, she loved it and start to write ‘Love Your Skin,’ I thought that was cute that she didn’t get my logic of using LUV and UR…. this is why it’s important for girls to have a range created by one of them.
I’m also proud that it’s taken me a few years to get the range just right and I wouldn’t sell anything that I wouldn’t use on myself. I’m also using this opportunity to speak at schools and other major events because Luv Ur Skin stands for a lot more than just products, including anti bullying and girls helping and sticking up for each other in good times and bad. I have so many exciting things coming up next year that I’m sooooo excited to tell you about them, but right now they’re a little bit top secret. I’d love to encourage and inspire all girls to be true to themselves, and if you want to get started into a business you’re never too young. If I can do it you can too!
Lots of LUV Izzi xx
