Meet the Makers - Nathalie Bond
What made you want to set up a brand that specialises in creating natural skincare products?
When I was pregnant with Alfie, my first son, I became really sensitive to anything that contained synthetic fragrances. I started doing a bit of research and discovered that there was a huge number of chemicals in the products that I was using, I had absolutely no idea. At that point I started to ask myself “is there any way I can change that?”. My husband Andy and I decided that we would just make candles to start with because I loved burning candles around the home and I wanted an alternative to the chemical infused candles I was used to using. We started selling candles at our first market local to Sheffield things sold really well. Consequently, we started looking to create more organic and natural products. To be honest, we didn’t have a big eureka moment, the development of the business was quite organic really.
My favourite product is our Peppermint + Eucalyptus Body Scrub. I absolutely love it! I love the fact that our scrubs exfoliate and moisturise at the same time, which takes one step out of my beauty routine. It means I don’t have to wash and moisturise afterwards, I can do it all in the shower! The scent of eucalyptus is really invigorating too and it wakes up my brain in the morning, which is certainly needed when you are sleep deprived (my second son is only a few months old).
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a philosophy, but basically I believe that you don’t need to overcomplicate things. I don’t believe in using toners or tons of additional products. I just don’t understand why we’d need multiple skin products now if we didn’t need them 20, 50 or 100 years ago. Quite simply I think you need to wash your face and put a little bit of moisturiser on. At the end of the day I use coconut oil to take my make-up off and then I use one of our soaps to wash my face. Afterwards I use our balms to moisturise my skin because I have slightly dry skin. It really is that simple. My conviction is that the more you put on your skin and the more you wipe off your skin, the more you irritate your skin.
What is the best thing about running your own company?
The fact you can manage your own time and set your own vision. Family life is a bit more balanced because we can dictate when we do things. Because our workshop is next to our house, Andy doesn’t have to commute in the morning and we can have three mealtimes together a day. This time is very precious and the boys love being able to see Andy too. We are still in the beginning stages of the business so it’s a lot of hard work, but we are hoping as time progresses and the business grows that we can start balancing things out a bit. It is also lovely to work with my husband, which is kind of weird, but also really exciting!
And finally what is the best advice you've ever been given?
As a mum, and I guess this is something that runs across different facets of life, but the best advice I’ve ever been given is “go with your own instincts”. I definitely agree that your instincts are the best direction to go with. Because I am a Christian, I would also say my instincts come from God guiding me.
Thanks so much Nathalie!
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I was lucky enough to sample some of the Nathalie Bond range and they were a joy to use. I also share Nathalie's skincare philosophy and I hope that you enjoyed reading more about her creative business. Don't forget to take a look at Nathalie's products here.
This post was shared on the Wednesday Showcase , #bloggerclubuk and the Home Etc link ups.
This post was shared on the Wednesday Showcase , #bloggerclubuk and the Home Etc link ups.