Hi fam,
How is it the end of July already?! My gosh, summer always flies by SOOO fast, especially here in the inland PNW.
As a bootstrapped brand, every product, as well as every size of every product we bring to market, has to be SO strategic. You guys have BEGGED for a larger size of ÂN-DEW and I'm so proud that we could bring this to life for you! Bigger really is better, haha. Also, the 50ml ÂN-DEW is in a brand new iteration of a box, and it's GORGGG if I do say so myself. I am HEAVILY involved in all things packaging and I'm so proud of this one! It is so important for me to think about the entire experience of a product - from packaging, to the performance of each formula, and heck, every ingredient, every detail TRULYYY matters.
You know what else is so special about ÂN-DEW? The Azelaic Acid we source for it. We source it from Europe, and what makes it so special and sets ÂN-DEW, apart from other azelaic-based skincare products is called micronizing technology. You might think all skincare products containing 10% Azelaic Acid are similar at first glance, but not ÂN-DEW! Some brands will use the derivative potassium azeloyl diglycinate while implying the use of true Azelaic Acid. Others use Azelaic Acid that has undergone inadequate micronization.
Micronization is a costly and time-consuming process of reducing the size of solid particles to very small dimensions (one-millionth of a meter). The benefit of extensive micronization is that it helps increase bioavailability, and thanks to that, the 10% of the Azelaic Acid found in ÂN-DEW, is 100% bioavailable as it has a greater dissolution rate, helping improve its delivery to the skin. Okay, okay, I can geek out on this stuff all day long, and nothing makes me quite giddy like ingredients that actually make a difference in your skin. Quality over everything, ALWAYSSS.
Also, have you seen the before's and afters from our consumer study? Gahhh, they're so good!
On a personal level, you know what's been occupying my mind lately? The subject of FOCUS. Now hear me out; you NEED to read The Art of Focus, by Dan Koe. It has been a mind-opening read, so much so that I have listened to it three times on Audible and read it twice, cover to cover. As with all book recommendations, chew the meat and spit out the bones.
Dan Koe talks about how, as a society, we face a dystopia of excessive comfort - I mean, we get our groceries delivered to our doors at the click of a button and look for dry cleaners and coffee shops with a drive-through because God forbid we have to get out of the car! Society programs us from birth to follow a uniform path: go to school, get a degree, get a job to pay for that degree, come home and eat a microwaved dinner, and zone out for four hours every evening watching TV. It's no wonder we as a society are depressed, anxious, and overweight!!! Focus IS the cure. But not the narrow focus you would associate with, let's say, homework. The real focus is what separates action from distraction. Focus is like a muscle that one needs to train. Setting a timer for, let's say, 15 minutes and only focusing on ONE task. My goal is to gradually increase that with time and work my way up to 4 hours of focused WORK. Yay for headphones. I've been using the Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones, and they've been working wonders for me while listening to 'Deep Focus, music for studying' on Spotify. If you ever do or buy anything based on my recommendations, let it be this book, I beg you!
Here are some of my favorite key takeaways from the book in the screenshot below. I love taking notes as I listen or read because it helps me retain the information best;
If you guys pick up the book, I would love to hear your key takeaways! As a true book nerd, I find no conversation more interesting than discussing what one is reading. Anywaysssss… As always, if you ever want to drop a note or chat with me, feel free to reach out directly aly@anfisaskin.com.
Thank you for being here!
All my love,
