“Crows feet.”

“Turkey neck.”

“Mutton dressed as lamb.”

All weirdly farm-animal adjacent, now that I think about it. Why?

Compare that with some of the language commonly used to describe men as they age:

“Silver fox.”

“Rugged.”

“Distinguished.”

Completely different energy, right?

It would be easy to turn this into an us-versus-them argument. Women get criticised for ageing while men are celebrated for it. Case closed.

But I think there is something more complicated happening.

Because the language doesn’t only come from beauty advertising, magazines or social media. Women use it too.

We use it in conversations with friends. In Facebook groups. While looking at photographs of ourselves. Sometimes quietly, while standing in front of the bathroom mirror.

We have absorbed this language so deeply that we’ve started using it against ourselves.

When did ageing become a skincare problem?

The beauty industry has spent decades giving names to perfectly ordinary parts of being human.

Fine lines became “problem areas.”

Skin texture became something to “correct.”

A face showing evidence of laughter, sunlight and an actual life became something requiring an intervention.

And yes, skincare can support brighter-looking, smoother and more comfortable skin. Good formulas can hydrate, nourish and help care for your skin barrier. There is nothing wrong with enjoying those benefits.

I sell skincare, after all. I think a beautiful cleanser or face cream can turn an ordinary part of the day into something you genuinely look forward to.

But your skincare routine shouldn’t begin with the idea that your face has failed you.

We get to choose different language

We’re surrounded by messages telling women how they should look, how quickly they should improve and how successfully they should conceal any evidence of getting older.

We may not be able to avoid that language entirely.

But we can decide whether we repeat it.

We can notice the difference between saying:

“I need to do something about this awful skin.”

And:

“My skin feels dry lately. I’d like to give it a little more care.”

One begins with criticism. The other begins with noticing.

One treats your face like an enemy. The other treats it like part of you.

That distinction matters.

The way we speak about ourselves matters

This isn’t about pretending we adore every photograph or never feeling insecure.

We’re human. Sometimes the lighting is hostile. Sometimes the front-facing camera has committed a personal attack.

It’s about becoming more conscious of the language we use when those moments happen.

Many of us also have children listening.

They hear the way we speak about our bodies and faces. They notice what we praise, criticise and apologise for. They’re quietly learning what it means to grow older - and whether ageing is something to fear.

They are learning how women should be spoken about. They are also learning how people are allowed to feel about themselves.

We don’t need to perform perfect self-love for them. But perhaps we can show them something gentler and more realistic: a person who doesn’t believe every change needs to become a flaw.

A different approach to natural skincare in New Zealand

Oh Natural exists because I believe skincare should feel good.

Not because women need another project.

Not because ageing skin needs to be defeated.

And definitely not because your face is a problem waiting to be solved.

Our approach to natural skincare in New Zealand is centred on simple, enjoyable rituals and well-chosen ingredients that support your skin without asking you to wage war against it.

That might look like massaging in an oil cleanser at the end of a long day.

A refreshing face mist when your skin - and possibly your mood - needs a reset.

A lightweight vitamin C serum that supports brighter, more even-looking skin.

Or a nourishing face cream that leaves your skin feeling soft, comfortable and well cared for.

You’re still allowed to want results. You’re allowed to care about ingredients, texture and how your skin looks.

Feel-good beauty isn’t anti-results.

It simply rejects the idea that skincare has to make you feel inadequate before it earns the right to sell you something.

Skincare can be care - not correction

Your routine doesn’t need to be an endless list of things you’re attempting to improve.

It can simply be a few minutes that belong to you.

A chance to slow down.

To notice what your skin needs today.

To choose products that feel good to use and make everyday life a little nicer.

Because your face will change. That is not a personal failure or a marketing opportunity disguised as an emergency.

So this is your reminder - and mine:

How we speak about ourselves matters.

Like, really matters.

Your skin isn’t something to apologise for. And your skincare routine doesn’t need to begin with criticism.

It can begin with care.

It can begin exactly where you are.

And perhaps, on certain mornings, it can begin with feeling extremely rugged.

- Jenna xx