It makes total sense that if you care about what you eat – then you should take the same approach with what goes on your skin… after all it all ends up in the same place: inside your system.

Awhile back I read an article that Sarah Wilson wrote about doing a skin detox, reflecting on that article and the words of my mother (the constant dialogue in my head) I knew what I needed to do – I needed to get rid of the snake oil and take a break.  It’s so hard to ignore those beautiful airbrushed photo shoots in Vogue, I know they are not real – but they do look amazing.  I am sure future generations will look in horror at the contents of those products, much like we do at the Egyptians using lead make-up on their faces.

And so in my mission to find something natural, safe, special and delicious I discovered Jacqueline Evans Naturopathic Skin Care.

No surprise, Jacqueline is just as lovely in real life as she is on email.  We met for what was supposed to be a 40 minute coffee at the back of Husk (where you can find her exquisite range of skin care) and an hour later I had to tear myself away… somehow I feel confident our conversation will continue.

Jacqueline Evans please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your family.
I am a mum to 2 daughters, Abbie (3.5yrs) and Georgie (14 months). My background as a naturopath and nutritionist led me into the world of natural skin care, and now I manufacture my own range of skin and body care products using natural and organic ingredients – satisfying my love of science and nature. My husband is a landscape designer and both girls are crazy about their daddy.

Do you have a favourite family outing?
Weekends for us, as they are for everyone, seem to get so busy. We love to go to our local farmers market on a Saturday morning. Its great for the girls because they often have a petting zoo and can get their face painted, plus in a world where we are so often disconnected to where our food has come from, I love that the girls get to experience where their food originates.  Plus the food is fresh and so much tastier, and I get my shopping done in a low stress family friendly way!

Are your children enrolled in any classes?
Currently we just do swimming lessons at the new Glen Eira Sports & Aquatic Centre, which has water slides and a pirate pool and loads of other cool stuff, so it gets a big thumbs up from Abbie!  We also go to the local library for story time when we can. Georgie is just starting to do some of the actions to the songs, which is pretty darn cute!

What do your school holidays consist of for your family (assuming your children are at school!)  
Both girls go to crèche, and Abbie has 3 year old kindy for 3 hours a week, so have not yet really experienced the delights of school holidays. When the time arises, Im hoping between my 3 sisters , and the 6 nieces and nephews we can do a bit of juggling and swapping!

You’re going out with the kids for the day – what do you need to do to prepare? 
Aside from the obvious nappies, wipes, hats etc. Its all about snack preparation for me.  I do not mind the occasional treat for the girls, but on the whole, you’ll always find my handbag packed with containers of chopped veg for snacks.  Ill always pack something like chopped carrot, celery, cauliflower, green beans or even olives…Abbie loves helping me cook, and our current favourite is raw date balls (a healthy take on chocolate rum balls). It’s a brilliant snack to feed the kids while on the run, or in the car.

A family holiday destination – do you have a favourite to share?
Hands down our favourite is my parents place in Rye, on the Mornington Peninsula. What I love most about it is that we don’t have to really pack any toys..when we arrive, they literally spend the whole time outside on the trampoline, feeding the horses or running around….plus during summer, we have all 8 cousins down (that’s 8 kids under 5) and we spend long lazy days at the beach box. The beach is perfect for young children, and the kids have a total blast, oh and its a pretty relaxing time for the parents too!

Do your kids have a favourite iphone/ipad app?
Abbies current favourites are:

• Wood Maze – a geography puzzle
• Toddler Email – great for when i need to bang out some emails, she pretends to play offices like her mummy

my tip: to reduce radiation emissions from the ipad/iphone, turn it onto airplane mode when your children are playing on them, then its not sending and receiving data [editor: genius I am so doing this – at least then I can halve my guilt!]

Any events/activities/travels planned for the near future that you want to share?
Well, we are currently planning a big family holiday for Mum’s 70th next year.  8 children, 10 adults. Ill get back to you on how that goes!!  And ill take into suggestions on destinations… [editor: Jacqui check out our trip to Hamilton Island last year – we went for my mothers 70th and it caters to all ages… we all had a ball)

Thank you Jacqueline for taking the time to share some insights of motherhood with us today.