TREKTALKS - With Ethical & Sustainable Skincare brand, Bluem
TrekTalks is a series of Blog interviews where I will be diving into topics such as health, wellness, minimalism, nature, sustainability, plant based living, salty life, travel, mindfulness & much more. I will be talking one on one with like minded businesses, events, fellow travelers & organizations, to deliver their insight into these subjects.
Bluem - Vitamin-C Serum Kakadu Plum, Repair Serum Finger Lime, Konjac Sponge Charcoal & Soul Soaps
In todays interview I will be chatting to my beautiful friend, Montana Lower. Montana wears many inspiring hats. To mention only a handful of these, she is an art activist, entrepreneur, model, environmental engineer, non for profit founder, loving partner & amazing mother of 1 year old daughter, Blue. Her creative, loving & compassionate spirit flows through her life’s work. Continuously expanding on her passions towards conscious consumerism, sustainable living, mindfulness, expression, creativity, environmental awareness & much more. Her latest creation from the heart is her new sustainable & ethical skincare range, Bluem.
Bluem is a brand which reflex self love, simplicity, sustainability & transparency. The team have worked together to form potent products which take into account true sustainable practices. The beauty line has carefully sourced their ingredients locally & created each product to ensure zero waste is a key priority. From the packaging & product cards to the formulation, production & each container used for their products.
“ We have traced the full supply chain for our serums, sourcing key ingredients from Indigenous communities in rural Australia. We have done this to work with ancient traditions and uses of these plants, respecting Australia’s culture and what is holistically best for our environment “. - Bluem
The clean beauty line empowers their audience to embrace self love & shines a light on the importance of nourishing not only our body, but our inner wellbeing too. Encouraging mindfulness & honoring the precious rituals that can be easily overlooked. Bluem steers away from common mainstream beauty brand marketing & concepts. Leaving behind the continuous trends & complex product formulations.
“ Bluem is more than a skincare range. It is a way of being, a way of loving, a way of slowing down and reminding yourself that you matter, too”. - Bluem
Bluem -Konjac Sponge, Charcoal & Soul Soap
So lets jump into our discussion toady with the founder of Bluem & find out a little more about sustainability, self love, caring for our environment & how we can continue to become more conscious of our footprints.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE BLUEM?
The fact that there was nothing out there that I felt confident was effective AND transparently good for our planet and its people. I wanted to create something not only I could trust, but others could also. I feel a lot of people think you have to sacrifice quality in skincare when you choose something more natural because we have been conditioned to believe we need harsh chemicals to give us great skin. But that just doesn't make sense - why would nature design us that way?
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO START IMPLEMENTING A LESS TOXIC BEAUTY ROUTINE INTO OUR LIVES?
Less is more. Work WITH your skin, not against it. Look for products that have identifiable ingredients. Don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth - after all, our skin is the largest organ & it absorbs e v e r y t h i n g.
WHAT SUISTANBLE PRACTICES DOES BLUEM STAND BY?
First of all, we believe nothing is more sustainable than self love. When a person loves themselves, they can love others. Where there is love, there is light. Where there is light, there is health. Where there is health - there's radiant skin. That's why we encourage our Self Love Club first and foremost and skincare as a form of ritual to build on this.
Second of all, using only pure, potent ingredients. Our Kakadu Plum is wild harvested from rural indigenous communities in WA. Our Finger Lime is harvested right here in Byron Bay. Investing in sustainable industries through respecting traditional & cultural practices not only looks after our earth, but the ancient wisdom held by our people. It says NO to capitalism and YES to mother earth. Using REAL ingredients also means we aren't creating a byproduct of nasty chemicals & therefore no pollution.
Third of all - we're almost zero waste and working on refillable options. All of our products either naturally biodegrade without any fancy technology (other than nature, of course), or are accepted in our terracycle program for a circular economy.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TODAYS "CLEAN BEAUTY" BRANDS?
There's a lot of green washing around. Money can buy you any label you want. Read between the lines, be a critical thinker and don't put anything on your face that you don't understand what it is.
WHAT IS BLUEMS PHILOSOPHY & HOW IS IT REFLECTED THROUGHOUT THE BRAND?
Art, nature & science are all the same thing.
A poem I wrote for the campaign debut that I hoped to encapture that:
The modern world wants you to believe that what you are searching for doesn’t exist yet,
That you will always need something new or complex to look beautiful,
To feel beautiful,
Complete.
But They’re wrong.
Nature has everything we are searching for
From the answers to our deepest questions
To what we put in and on our body
So as long as we keep it simple
& return to nature
We will always be
In Bluem
HOW CAN WE INTRODUCE MORE SELF LOVE INTO OUR BEAUTY ROUTINE?
Like the back of our bottle suggests - light a candle, take a breath, fill your life with rituals and meaning. Ask yourself at least once a day - have I loved myself today?
Montana Lower - Bluem
What an insightful, raw & empowering discussing. Thank you to the gorgeous Montana for taking the time to stop by here & chat to us.
I hope you have been able to take away pockets of gold from this TrekTalk & can implement these throughout your day. To find out any more information about Bluem or the lovely Montana, head on over to the links below.
I look forward to sharing my next interview.
https://www.bluem.com.au/pages/about
https://www.on-the-way.com.au/blogs/latest/behind-the-scenes-shooting-my-ethical-skincare-brand-bluem
https://www.instagram.com/montanalower/?hl=en
PEACE X Kirsty, Brent & Alfie