I hope you're having a lovely week so far. I, on the other hand, have just emerged from Chicken Pox Gate round two.
Yes, really, a reality check I probably should’ve learned the first time, but life has a funny way of bringing things full circle, doesn’t it?
If you missed the original Chicken Pox Gate saga (read the full story here), here’s a quick recap: six weeks ago, my son came down with chicken pox. Dutifully, I did what many parents would and grabbed one of those magic lotions from the chemist. Except… it wasn’t magic. It was a disaster.
It dried his skin out too quickly, made the itching worse, and left him red, raw, and miserable.
At 2am on day two, in the kind of hushed desperation only a sleep deprived child can summon, he said:
“Mum, do you have any creams in your shop that can help me?”
That line stopped me in my tracks.
When Your Foot Cream Becomes a Skin Saviour
Half-asleep, I reached for The Sleepy Joyce foot cream from my bedside table. I use it nightly as it is full of calming, antibacterial, and nourishing ingredients.
Worth a shot, right?
Reader, it worked.
The redness eased by morning. The itching stopped and for the rest of the week, we used nothing else. By day five his skin was healing beautifully and he hadn't experienced anymore discomfort since that night.
Not bad for a foot cream.
And me? I was humbled, a reality check number one: believe in what you’ve created and don't just take it for granted.
Dry Lips, Stress, and a Sticky Mistake
Fast forward to this week: I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, website edits, birthday planning, sleepovers, the works. One of my weird but reliable stress signals is my top lip. It goes bone dry, flaky, and painfully cracked.
I never usually bother with lip balm as I have always found it a bit of a money pit. Instead, I pop The Eternal face cream on my lips morning and night and get on with my day.
But this time? Stress had won. My lips were the worst they had been in a long time. So, I listened to my well meaning friends and gave a lip balm a try.
Never ever again.
My hair stuck to my lips like I had face planted a toffee apple. My chin and upper lip felt greasy, but ironically, my lips were worse than before.
Cue a bit of déjà vu and a little voice in my head, my son’s: “Mum, do you have anything in your shop?”
The Face Cream That Fixed My Lips
Of course I do.
I grabbed The Eternal and started applying it to my lips throughout the day. And without blowing my own trumpet, instant relief. If something works use it. It's not rocket science but in my case it is a lot of common sense. The only thing stopping me before was the odd feeling of putting face cream on my lips without applying it to my face first. But just like the foot cream on chicken pox, sometimes you have to go with your heart, not your head.
The tight, dry feeling vanished. The cream absorbed, unlike the lip balm, which just sat there like a film of regret. Two days later, my lips are (almost) kissable again. Still a teeny bit flaky, but healing fast and no longer painful when I smile (which is good news, because I have realised I smile a lot).
I shared this little epiphany on my social media about lessons in self-belief, and then came your replies, beautiful, thoughtful messages that made me feel seen and supported. This one in particular stopped me in my tracks.
To every new customer, returning customer, curious browser, or supportive friend: Thank you. You remind me why I do this and thank you for believing in me.
With love and kissable soft lips
Emily x
P.S. If your skin’s crying out for a bit of TLC, whether it’s your feet, your face, or your lips, trust what’s in your cupboard. Especially if it says Olive & Joyce on the label (cheeky haha).