We've Moved!

We've moved, come check out our new blog at http://graceandpepper.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!

Be Good to your Skin...

Growing up I was always told that a good bar of soap, and some cream are all a girl needs to get that glowing complexion.

I was one of those teenagers who had a perfect complexion, until I turned 25. That was when I was diagnosed with Adult Acne. How devastating is that? You make it through your hormone raging teen years, only to come down with horribly hideous marks the size of Canada’s landmass all over your face.

I tried the expensive beauty counter products, the mail order and TV infomercial products we see endorsed by celebrities, and piled on makeup 2 inches thick… but it only lead to more breakouts. I went for pricey spa services, scrubbed, buffed, polished, poked, tweezered, squeezed, and stabbed anything that erupted on my face. Nothing worked, even if they claimed they would.

Finally, I had no choice but to give up and face the dermatologist. He then expertly poked, prodded, applied smoking substances, injected, and prescribed cream after cream.

None of these tactics, prescriptions, lotions, or potions helped to heal my complexion. I had to face the fact that I needed to try a very scary prescription. I was warned it would dry out every surface of my body, it would make me sensitive to sunlight & sunburn, I was not allowed to get pregnant and there were potential side effects to my liver. Great. All at the expense of a clear complexion…

5 years later, and several rounds of that scary medication, I had come to a resolution with my skin. I was going to treat it with respect, cleans it, tone it, moisturize it, and stay out of the sun as much as possible (or slather on SPF). I was no longer going to use my finger nails to extract a pimple, I was going to wash my face before going to bed every night … regardless of how tired, over extended, or incoherent I was. And I was going to be good to it, it’s the only skin we’ve got.

If you don’t already have a cleansing routine, or want to try something new, I hope you will try our line of Grace & Pepper Organic products. We will be launching them for you to buy online this summer!

Mel Knight.

Some of the Things We Like

In our efforts as a company, as a consumer, and to contribute to organizations that benefit the environment, our local community, animals and ourselves I have come across a few cute and notable items that I would like to share with everyone.

iGive.com. When you shop at over 700 brand name retailers a portion of your purchase (which is tax deductible) will be donated to the charity of your choice. Stores like The Body Shop, Gap, Lands End, Home Depot, Expedia, and Best Buy to name a few. Consider checking it out, and you could also save with coupons and free shipping! We hope to be one of those retailers in the coming months! (Watch for juicy updates).

Whole Foods. Not only do they have a tone of great fun new products, they will not support an industry by selling their product if it does not meet their guidelines. An example of this (which I'm not proud of personally), is Lobster. I went on a search for Lobster this past Fall, only to discover they will not stock it in our local Southern California stores as they do not believe in the methods used to trap/catch/distribute the lobsters. Food for thought, or not.

Local Farmers Markets. Why not support your local farmer? Head out and see what they've got, in most cases they'll barter with you. We have several in our area and every time I go, I find new and fun things I didn't know I needed!

Your local Animal Shelter or Rescue Group. I personally volunteer as much time as possible to our local San Diego Labrador Rescue Group. If you don't have the time to volunteer, consider making a tax deductible donation, or donating pet food/pet beds/old towels/pet gear). The work they do is sometimes heart breaking, but also heart warming when you save, comfort, or adopt a pet in need. We have taken into our home and office 2 beautiful Lab Mix's that I picked up as abandoned and stray in the last few months. Meet Grace and Pepper!

2 Go Organic or Not 2 Go Organic?

2 go Organic or 2 not go Organic?

I’ve had this discussion with several friends over the course of the last few weeks and have come to formulate some basic strategies.

While we are an Organic company, we of course would love everyone to switch to Organic products (if you haven’t already), however not very many of us have the luxury of tossing out and replacing the entire contents of our fridge, medicine cabinets, or overhauling our beauty routine.

I’ve put together a few basic strategies that might help you along in your decision process....

• If you’re out of something you normally buy or consume, why not try out an organic version of the item?

• If you put it in your body or on your body – consider what your body is absorbing. It could be a tone of chemicals, pesticides and hormones used to protect crops, preserve product shelf life, and grow larger animals (if you’re a meat eater). Perhaps switching to Organic vegetables to eliminate the possible pesticides, or switching to a different meat supplier or dairy farmer who practices hormone free sustainable farming? You might be surprised that the slight increase in price not only makes up for the lack of un-necessary additives to our food, but it also might taste better.

• Consider switching to a re-usable shopping bag. Plastic shopping bags inevitably end up in landfills across the country, in our oceans and lakes (killing marine animals that ingest them mistaken them for food), and most plastic bags take over 400 years to biodegrade. That’s 400 years of the bags breaking down into the soil and water which is eventually consumed by animals, used on farms and might make it’s way back to our dinner table, and into our body products. Consider collecting your plastic bags and turning them into a recycling centre, then switching to a reusable bag.

• If you live in an area that would allow you to plant a garden, you would then have your own supply of fresh, chemical free fruits and vegetables that are in season and right in your own backyard! Grace & Pepper is proud to have planted our first corporate garden, 2 pepper plants and 1 tomato plant!

These are just a few ideas, I could go on for pages and pages, but I wanted to give you an idea of how easy it is to make a few small changes that won’t hurt your budget, and might have a positive impact.

The Story of Grace & Pepper

If someone had told me 2 years ago that I would be living on the West Coast of the United States, married to the most wonderful man in the world, starting an Organic Skin Care company, without one of the biggest loves of my life, I would have thought they were crazy.

Lexie and I spent 10 amazing years together, and I was lucky enough to be graced with her presence every day of the last 2.

It is because of her that I was inspired to start Grace & Pepper. She taught me that life is too short, and you should chase your dreams regardless of those who doubt, raise an eyebrow or question how sane you are for bucking the system and leaving a fabulous corporate job, the East Coast, your Country, a great apartment in a trendy neighborhood, and all the friends and family you have.

We were a duo, she saw me through all the products I brought home, tried out, discarded, shelved, and forgot about.

She waited for me outside the countless beauty supply stores while I popped in and grabbed a few things, that eventually never lived up to their claims of reducing the dark puffy circles under my eyes, clearing up a hideous blemish, or magically heal cracked weathered skin, all overnight.

She was there for me, invested in my products just as much as I was, and now it is my turn to honor her memory and un-shelve a dream that started many years ago.

Grace & Pepper products combine my mission to learn what we are putting on our skin instead of trusting a label full of names we can't pronounce, to help rebuild our environment for my children, and to look and feel absolutely fabulous while doing it.

Our goal is to launch a few products this summer that will not only tell you what they are made of, but also help explain how they will work for you, hopefully avoiding that all too familiar disappointment when our money is wasted on products that don’t do their job or live up to their claims.

We are very thankful for our friends and families who are self proclaimed “product junkies” and have graciously agreed to be our guinea pigs for the upcoming product line up. We hope that you stay tuned for the next juicy development!

Lexie 04.29.99 -04.03.09

By Mel Knight

CEO - Grace & Pepper LLC.

Legal Bits & Bites

Hi Everyone, I feel it's important to list some of the legal bits and bites of our Blog. Please respect it's origin and the creative juices that when into developing it.  

All contents are copyright protected by Grace & Pepper LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files, or images may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.  

The publisher has used its best efforts in preparing this blog, and the information provided herein is provided "as is." Grace & Pepper LLC. makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this blog and specifically disclaims any implied warranties for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.