How It Started
I discovered face oil by accident when a promotional bottle transformed my skin immediately. It felt healing, nourishing, and balanced—completely absorbent without the heavy residue I’d initially expected. This sparked a deep curiosity: what was truly necessary for healthy skin, and what was simply filler? Could I make a better yet more affordable face oil? I discovered that our skin requires different support and nourishment with the changing of seasons and so I wanted to create a product that catered for this.
As my hair started to thin and fall out, undoubtedly due to a reduction in collagen, I started to search for solutions. I became aware of alternative ingredients, more natural, more supporting of hormonal imbalances. Skin is our largest organ and absorbs so much of what we put on it, I wanted to find natural, chemical free solutions to our every day essentials. I found some products that I liked yet they were being made on the other side of the World. A gain, the solution was to formulate my own which led to 'MADE MY OWN' product range.
A Little About Me
Before this, my career was in finance and property investment. I qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and spent nearly two decades working in the commercial world, privileged to live in three European capital cities. Over time, I decided my energy was better invested closer to home — raising our family.
We have a daughter who becomes a teenager this year, and identical twins three years younger. Life is busy, full and wonderfully unpredictable. Our fox red Labrador has been a much-loved family companion for years — and his world has recently been turned upside down by the arrival of our new Labrador. There’s a lot more movement (and mud) in the house these days.
Looking More Closely at Ingredients
My research led me to raspberry seed oil and Marula rand the realization that the needs of our skin change with the seasons. In colder months, marula's lipid rich profile helps replenish the barrier and reduce moisture loss, offering deeper nourishment and resilience. In warmer months, antioxidant-rich blends like raspberry seed. By selecting oils with low comedogenic ratings, I ensure these intentionally small-batch blends remain breathable, absorbent, and weightless throughout the year.
Around the same time that I was introduced to face oils, a family member had been recommending a skincare range. When I started reading the ingredient lists more carefully, I noticed many products relied on long formulations with synthetic components and fillers.
That isn’t inherently wrong — but it made me curious. If a simple oil blend could feel this effective, what was truly necessary? And what wasn’t?
That question led me into researching plant oils more deeply. I discovered naturally occurring vitamin A compounds in rosehip oil. I learned about barrier-supporting oils such as prickly pear.
I explored how different fatty acid profiles influence absorption and skin comfort. What began as an experiment gradually became something much more intentional.
Why Seasonal Matters
As I blended, one thing became obvious: my skin did not need the same oil in July as it did in January.
In colder months, richer, more protective oils felt restorative and comforting. In summer, lighter oils were more breathable and better suited to heat and humidity.
Raspberry seed oil, for example, offers antioxidant support during sunnier months. Heavier oils provide resilience when cold air and indoor heating compromise the skin barrier. Yet most face oils remain unchanged throughout the year. That didn’t make sense to me.
Clearing Up the ‘Oil Blocks Pores’ Myth
Oils are often misunderstood.
There’s a common belief that they clog pores or feel heavy on the skin. In reality, this depends largely on an oil’s comedogenic rating — a scale that estimates its likelihood to contribute to congestion.
When formulating, I carefully select oils that sit below 2 on this scale, and typically between 0–1. This helps ensure the blends remain breathable, absorbent and supportive — rather than occlusive.
When balanced properly, oils can feel surprisingly weightless.
From Personal Experiment to Intentional Formulation
What began as an attempt to recreate one product has evolved into a seasonal approach to skincare. Each blend is created within defined ingredient ranges, allowing it to adapt month to month while remaining consistent in performance and skin feel.
The aim isn’t excess.
It isn’t trend-driven actives.
It’s thoughtful balance.
Seasonal.
Ingredient-led.
Intentionally small-batch.