Tag: beach

One step at a time…

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Summer is the time for barbeques, beaches, sundresses, and most of all sandals and flip flops, and even spending time barefoot. Our feet get to come out of closed shoes and show themselves… Indeed, I have spent the better part of the last ten days sans shoes as I am in Tinos, Greece, and am spending my days at the beach. I have a renewed appreciation for feet, often viewed as the lowliest part of our anatomy, and how essential it is to take good care of them. 

Did you know: 

  • There are 52 bones in a pair of feet – almost one-quarter of the total number in the human body. 
  • Socrates once said, “When our feet hurt, we hurt all over.” 
  • The typical American woman owners 27 pairs of shoes, and spends $277 on shoes annually. (Although Carrie Bradshaw estimated she had spent $40,000 on shoes in a season four episode of Sex and the City…) 
  • The average shoe size of American women is 8. 
  • 23% of women get a monthly pedicure. 
  • And yes, feet rank #1 on the list of most common sexual fetishes. 

(All data from Allure Magazine). 

My foot care rituals include cuticle oil nightly (I love CND’s Solar Oil and SpaRitual’s Cuti-Cocktail Nail and Cuticle Oil), my Dry skin balm daily, and using a nice foot file weekly (SpaRitual’s Soul Mate Eco Foot File is the best). What are yours? 

 

Wisdom from Jacques Courtin

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I got away this past weekend – to a magical, beautiful place filled with soul and serenity – Tulum, Mexico. It was the perfect spot to rest my body and resource my mind.

Listening to the waves of the Caribbean Sea, I read a book that I have been carrying around with me for over a year – A Beautiful Success by Jacques Courtin – of Clarins fame. This is his story, his family’s story, his brand’s story. Established on March 15, 1954, Clarins began with a weight-loss device and a body treatment Institute. The first Clarins product was the “Tonic Body Treatment Oil,” a product that is still sold today. From an assortment of body products that complemented the Institute’s treatments, Clarins expanded to a full range of facial products, makeup, and fragrance. Combining the best of nature with the best of science, combining at-home products and treatment centers, Clarins came to represent “serious beauty.” A great example of what I want Alchimie to become!

While this book can’t be reduced to one-liners, there are some great ones, which are relevant beyond the world of beauty, and worth remembering on a daily basis.

“Do more. Do better. Enjoy what you do.”
(His key to success, and to happiness)

“Listening. Thinking. Acting. My company was based on this.”
(How often do we do those three things, but not in that order?)

“Everything starts with the word no.” He continues: “If someone says no you can immediately ask why. It’s pretty certain that with a little persistence you’ll wind up finding out the reason. At that point, you have all you need for adjusting your argument to fit the situation; you’re suddenly armed to win.”
(This reminds me of the most important lesson my sales teacher taught me: “No is just the start of a conversation.”)

“Always begin a difficult conversation with the magic words ‘You’re right.’ “You’re right’ is a sentence that everyone should be required to learn – human relations would take a huge leap forward.”
(He says this in the context of customer service challenges, but really it is true in general.)

“I sometimes ask people who work with me: ‘Would you like to be the one hearing what you’re saying?’ Sometimes nothing more is needed to help someone see they could maybe express themselves less awkwardly – and to make them want to try again, with different words.”
(We can never do this enough… in all personal and professional conversations.)