Feeling Fabulous: My Marula Oil Journey and Making Peace with Freckles

You know that feeling when your skincare routine is actually working? I'm living in that moment right now, and I have to tell you—it feels fabulous.

I've been using Marula oil religiously, morning and evening on my face, and the results have been incredible. I went for a facial the other day, and the esthetician was genuinely impressed with the improvement on my chest and décolletage. That kind of professional validation? Chef's kiss.

I've also started using it in the evening on my very dry feet and the crinkly skin on my legs. Now, I've been extremely lucky—I've had really gorgeous legs all my life (yes, I know it's subjective and bound by social norms, but hey, you've got to take the little wins, right?). But with fall coming on, I'm feeling my skin get drier.

I've never been one to smear cream all over my body. For me, it's always been about the face and décolletage—actually, I do the face, neck, and right down to my boobs all in one go. The boobs are still heading south, but that's just gravity doing its thing at this stage.

But Let's Talk About Freckles

Freckles have been a bit of a thing in my life. Not overwhelming, but every now and again when somebody mentions them or makes a comment, I'm reminded that they're not exactly "the norm."

When I was 16, I overheard my then-boyfriend's mother say, "Well, she's not a beauty, but at least she has character."

I was devastated.

We did break up after that, though that wasn't the reason. But here's where my fabulous mother came in and saved the day. We took that comment and made it our sarcastic mantra: "…at least I have character" or "I think I have an ought fucking character." Her amazing attitude toward that very Southern backhanded compliment meant it never bothered me too much. Thanks, Mom.

The Freckles = Not Smart Assumption

What never ceased to amaze me was how people seemed to think that just because I had freckles, my brain must be lagging as well. It had a bit to do with being blonde too, but really?

I'll never forget walking into a dentist office during my MCSE phase (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer—basically an IT admin). The owner's wife, who was the office manager, looked at me and said, "You're coming to fix our computer? Seriously???" She was clearly intimating that she might have to call the actual "IT guy" because obviously, as a blonde chick with freckles, I couldn't possibly do the job.

I knew it was the freckles.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Here's the deal: it's all in the eye of the beholder. My husband thinks my freckles are gorgeous. In fact, there was this instance when he walked into a client's office and mentioned to the client that he thought the freckled personal assistant was gorgeous. The guy looked at him like he was absolutely crazy.

See? Completely subjective.

The Invicible Game-Changer

In the last few years, I've been using Invicible skincare primer+, which is also a dark spot remover, and let me tell you—it works. All through the year, I haven't been overly freckled, and believe me, it gets worse the more my skin gets exposed to the sun, which is inevitable here in Houston during the summer.

[Before and After Photos]

What's Coming Next

I'm getting ready to bring more oil out of Namibia, and I'm very lucky that my guy Mossie has some kernels because it's way past the season. So we might have some oil here in the next few weeks. We're looking at developing body butter and other skincare products with our amazing Marula oil.

I'll let you know when it happens!