Let’s welcome the new year with all our senses.
The clouds above us won’t care much about a new year rolling in. They are the epitome of constant change. They can pile up, take on ever-changing shapes or simply dissolve before our eyes. Never standing still, they represent eternal renewal. They travel above our heads with effortless ease and carry our thoughts into the distance. Inspiring and liberating—a reminder to look up at the sky more often.
Instead, we usually look ahead. What is in store for us? What do we want to achieve? We actually spend quite a lot of time living in the future tense, focusing on distant thoughts, questions, goals and hopes. The turn of the year is a good opportunity to adopt a new perspective. Here are our seven recommendations for living consciously in the moment.
1
Just follow your nose
Do you prefer creamy, soft and exotic? Or refreshingly citrusy? Scent triggers more than just our sense of smell—it’s something we can actually feel in our whole body. Scent can envelop us like a warm blanket or refresh and stimulate us. It creates an emotional sensation even before we start thinking about what we’re smelling. This is due to a particular processing system in the brain that’s part of our evolutionary mechanisms. Our eponé Oil Elixir Collection takes us on a special olfactory journey that allows us to experience four different scents to determine our favorite for the here & now. Are we longing for more grounding or do we need fresh energy? Our nose will spontaneously decide what our current state of being needs. The best way to celebrate such a journey is in the company of friends: Sit around a table together and place the four eponé oil elixirs on a tray in the middle. Let the party begin! Take the first bottle in your hand, tilt it briefly and open the lid. Sniff the lid or the neck of the bottle. Close the bottle again and put it back on the tray. Proceed in this way with all four Oil Elixirs in turn and choose your personal favorite. Apply a few drops of the Oil Elixir like a perfume: behind the ear, on the neck and décolleté, on the inner side of the wrist. Allow the scent to warm up with your body’s temperature and develop its aromas. Simply enjoy. Have you noticed that it’s not that easy to describe a scent to someone? Try it intuitively: Why do I like the scent? What does it remind me of? And magically, the scent will come to life!
2
Ensure relaxation
Are you considering gifting snuggly socks this year? Together with our eponé Tender Body Cream or one of the four eponé Oil Elixirs, a pair of beautifully warm socks becomes an invitation to a wonderful relaxation ritual. As a loving gift for others or for yourself. To enjoy a soothing foot mask, apply cream or oil to clean feet, massage it in and let it work its magic. Put your socks on and keep your feet still for the next twenty minutes. Allow yourself to relax and do nothing. Rest and enjoy the time passing in peace. Preferably in the evening.
3
Fill your heart with warmth
“You have to sit around the fire with them,” says an African proverb. What it means is that differences can dissolve into pleasure when sharing a moment of warmth. A fire thaws us out. Whether it’s a fire pit in the garden or a crackling fireplace, the flickering flames and natural warmth exude a universal appeal. There is something archaic and primal about it. Since time immemorial, we have enjoyed gathering around a fire to experience warmth and a deep sense of security. It’s calming and contemplative. Maybe someone will share a thought or a story with the rest of the group. Or maybe everyone just sits together in silence. You don’t have to say much to feel connected to each other. Now that it’s cold and often gray outside, lighting a fire is a beautiful ritual to fill our hearts with warmth. If you don’t have a fireplace, light a candle: Even this small flame ignites the glow within us.
4
Nourishment for body and soul
We always say that our exquisite ingredients are true superfoods of care. And we mean it quite literally. In fact, many of them are delicious soul foods. For example, the Brazil nut, whose oil is the main ingredient in our Deep Nourish Oil Elixir, is considered to be the most selenium-rich food in the world. It grows abundantly on the banks of the Amazon, the Negro and the Tapejós rivers, and has been valued for centuries for its ability to strengthen the immune system.
In our Gentle Hand Wash, pomegranate from Israel supports the regeneration of the skin and protects against free radicals. Cutting the fruit open with its characteristic blood-red seeds is a sensual experience in itself. Pomegranate lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system and is said to be good for brain function.
Rough skin on the outside, creamy and tender on the inside: the avocado is rich in flavor and health benefits. Full of folic acid, calcium and potassium, as well as a whole alphabet of vitamins like B6, D, E and K. And of course it’s rich in unsaturated fatty acids. In our series, you’ll find it in the eponé Soothing Hair & Scalp Shampoo which contains avocado oil from California.
Mango seed oil from India is one of the main ingredients in our Tender Body Cream. Whoever has tried a mango fruit, can speak of its delightful nature—visually, haptically and in terms of taste. It contains valuable vitamins and minerals. Its high beta-carotene content is said to promote communication between nerve cells. In the body, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A which is good for the eyes.
Argan oil, which is extracted from the nut of the Argan tree, is packed with powerful antioxidants, essential fatty acids and vitamin E. It’s also a tasty nutrient booster: just a few drops of the oil can enhance salads or oriental dishes with its nutty, mild to smoky flavor. Argan oil from Morocco enriches our Hydration Ceremony Oil Elixir.
Cacao extract is included as a refinement in the Tension Release Oil Elixir. Cocoa beans contain the feel-good substance anandamide, a lipophilic substance that is also produced by our brain. It triggers euphoria and relaxes our muscles. Time for a hot chocolate! We have developed eponé for conscious enjoyment and indulgence. Next time you’re out for groceries, add your favorite ingredients from our skincare range to your shopping list, and enjoy the added benefits.
5
Cultivate good habits
Our neck needs a lot of attention, especially in winter. We all tend to keep this part warm by wrapping and protecting it with thick scarves and high collars. But when it comes to skincare, the sensitive skin of this area is often neglected. They say that your neck shows your age. It can quickly become dehydrated and start forming fine wrinkles. This is because our skin there has fewer sebaceous glands than elsewhere in the body. Clothing and wool fibers also absorb moisture, so they’re not really helping out. They can cause friction which irritates the skin—if something feels itchy, it’s already happened. Daily skincare helps to combat a dry neck. Gently cleanse the skin and then apply eponé Intense Hydration Nectar or eponé Tender Body Cream. The natural active ingredient complexes soothe irritated skin and improve elasticity and tone. Lift your chin to elongate your neck and apply the cream with gentle upward strokes, going against gravity. Don’t forget to repeat daily!
6
Give attention and affection
A hand massage for your partner or best friend is a wonderful gesture of attention and affection. It’s perfect after a challenging day or just to say a heartwarming hello. You sit opposite each other in a relaxed atmosphere. For the massage, apply eponé Tender Body Cream or an eponé Oil Elixir to cleansed hands. Gentle pressure on the inside of the hand has a particularly soothing effect. Don’t be afraid of repetition—it’s the repetitive movements that lead to relaxation. Fifteen minutes is a good amount of time to massage in the cream or oil. Prepare a warm compress to remove the rest. Enjoy nurturing your connection to each other!
7
It’s the little things…
Cleansing, refreshing, renewing. We recommend a personal water treatment. By this we don’t mean that you should only drink water for days on end – we’re not referring to your daily water intake. What we care about is the sensory experience that water can offer us in all its diversity. “Sensatio per Aquam.” We want to reflect on coming to conscious contact with water in everyday life, using all our senses. How it tastes, sounds and feels. What does it look like in its various states of being? In winter, water conjures up wonderful impressions. In the morning, we might discover ice “flowers” glistening in the sun and watch them slowly disappear shortly after. We can trudge knee-deep through powder snow. Immerse ourselves in a hot bath and let the warmth envelop us. And for a moment, be completely with ourselves.
For better self-awareness
What we take in from the world outside every day, beautiful or not, has an effect on the inside. We can also look at it the other way around: what our inner world looks like determines how we face everything out there…
