Art Beauty

From a career as a pastry chef in Florence, Italy, to co-founding a beauty company, Alison Ragusa has proven that following your passion will always bring success.

We sit down with the founder of Lab to Beauty - the first skincare brand to bring CBD into the luxury market - to talk about her journey in creating the line. She talks about how her early foray into the culinary arts led her to create a clean beauty line inspired by the farm-to-table movement, which puts plants first and makes clean eating a priority. We’ll also talk about one of the hero products on the line, and why size really does matter!

The best part of our jobs is getting to speak with the experts and visionaries in the beauty industry, especially when two powerhouse women join forces to create a new product line. We sit down with Nancy Pellegrino, a sought-after Nurse Practitioner and Courtney Baber, a globally-recognized beauty industry veteran, to talk about their new skincare line, THE ROUTE.

Formulated to highly rigorous “Medical-Grade” standards and tested on patients in Nurse Nancy’s Newport Beach practice, their comprehensive multi-tasking product range addresses not just one, but the MANY reasons our skin ages.  We talk to Nurse Nancy about her namesake blend "The Nurse Nancy Complex," discover the reasons behind the Insta-famous Party Peel (the gold color is important for reasons beyond a photo-op), and marvel at the secret behind the gorgeous skin of these women in their 50's.

Grace Eleyae, a line of stylish silk and satin-lined products, was founded on the belief that you should never have to choose between hair care and style.

In 2014, founder Grace Eleyae took a trip to Kenya that changed her life. During a bumpy 8-hour car ride, all the hair on the back of her head broke off – the result of her chemically straightened hair and constant friction against the headrest.

Later that year, as a solution to her completely damaged, broken and dry chemically straightened hair, she developed the first prototype of the Slap, a satin-lined cap to help keep hair moisturized, protected and tangle-free. After seeing immediate changes in her hair, she passed it to friends and family. It was a hit. Soon after, Grace Eleyae began selling her products on Etsy and by September 2014, decided to fully launch Grace Eleyae, Inc.

One month after the launch, a YouTuber named the cap as a “must-have” in her nighttime routine. This led to more and more beauty bloggers giving the Slap rave reviews, which then brought the Slap into the mainstream world.

We sit down with Grace to talk about why we need to protect our hair, and how these silk and satin-lined wraps and caps do so. She also shares the incredible story of how she launched a business that has become one of Oprah’s Favorite Things.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Grace Eleyae Slap

https://amzn.to/3qW0ZSY

Grace Eleyae Satin-Lined Knot Turban

https://amzn.to/3pJaALB

Grace Eleyae Walnut Cashmere Slap w/ Pom

https://bit.ly/3bwg07E

Grace Eleaye All Silk Turban - Blue Peach Floral

https://bit.ly/3kbmjBs

This podcast is not sponsored. All opinions are always 100% honest and my own. Links are affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I may receive a commission for the sale. It doesn't cost you anything extra and you are free to use the link or not as you choose. If you do use my links, I appreciate your support.

Meet the “her” behind Hims. Hilary Coles is the co-founder of Hims and Hers, two telemedicine platforms that are changing the way we do healthcare and wellness.

And she’s doing it so well that even J. Lo is putting her famous mane behind it.

We speak to Hilary about why consumers are increasingly interested in telehealth solutions in place of traditional, in-person medical services, and how Hims, Inc. is expanding. She also tells us her forecast for the future of telehealth and what it’s like to work with (and be in the same room with) Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod.

About Hims and Hers:

If you’re ever taken the NYC, you probably know about Hims. When the digital health platform launched in 2017, it entertained morning commuters with clever ads about being able to discreetly deliver medications for everything from hairless to erectile dysfunction.

Exactly one year later, after immense success with Hims, co-founders Hilary Coles and Andrew Dudlum launched Hers – a curated platform giving women access to the brand’s network of doctors who can provide guidance and medical-grade treatment for various conditions and daily needs including birth control, acne, hair loss, melasma, and emergency contraception. In January 2019, Hims, Inc. became the second-fastest startup to become a so-called “unicorn” second only to Bird.

The company currently connects patients across the U.S. to licensed medical professionals, enabling them to get access to high-quality care. They also discreetly ship OTC and Rx products to customers in all 50 states – and pride themselves on making access to medical care easier by embracing telehealth.

Our sense of smell is closely linked to our memory, perhaps more so than any of our other senses.  When an odor enters our nasal cavity, it goes straight to the olfactory bulb, which is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus. Two regions of the brain related to emotion and memory. This might explain why the smell of something can so immediately trigger a detailed memory or even intense emotion. In fact, “scent branding” is now a part of many hotels who pump a signature fragrance into the air.

So when it comes to branding yourself, a signature scent can be very important. But how can we elect the smell that defines us? We talk to luxury perfumer Ashlee Dozier of Anuket Luxury Apothecary, about how we can figure out what our scent taste is, and how we can find a perfume that smells good on us. Ashlee explains the four main categories of scent: Woody, Floral, Fresh, Oriental and talks about how our body chemistry can affect the way a scent smells. We also discuss unisex fragrances

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

The Body Shop White Musk Fragrance

https://amzn.to/2LwXkfd

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Perfume

https://amzn.to/3q5aIpG

Chloe Eau De Parfum Spray

https://amzn.to/3rzzI8S

Calvin Klein ck one

https://amzn.to/2Ok62OX

Anuket Fragrances

https://anuketluxury.com

This podcast is not sponsored. All opinions are always 100% honest and my own. Links are affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I may receive a commission for the sale. It doesn't cost you anything extra and you are free to use the link or not as you choose. If you do use my links, I appreciate your support.

Dr. Dennis Gross is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon who has been in practice for 25 years. As the creator of award-winning Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare™ he has been on the forefront of scientific research into beauty innovations. Dr. Gross says he’s “approaching 20201 as the year of self-care” because over 50% of his practice is now coming in for body-treatments. In this episode we discuss:.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Exfoliating Body Treatment Peel https://drdennisgross.com/dr-dennis-gross-alpha-betar-exfoliating-body-treatment.htmDr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Extra Strength Daily Peel https://amzn.to/3cCtBg5

According to Christophe Robin, "The scalp is a key role in the hair’s health and beauty. But your scalp is sensitized by pollution, stress, and the build-up of chemical products every day. And to make matters worse, so much of haircare is confusing:

Our guest, Sarah Milton, is the director of education for Christophe Robin and has the answers on how we can safely remove build-up and impurities. Her tips will leave your scalp and hair strengthened, hydrated, and full of volume.

Monolaurin is a chemical derived from lauric acid, which is a component of both coconut fat and breast milk.  It’s been used in cosmetics and as a food additive, but recently it’s making waves as a homeopathic remedy for preventing and treating colds, flu, herpes, shingles and urinary tract infections.

If you’ve been listening to our podcast you first heard about monolaurin when we interviewed Teju Owoye, who told us that she uses monolaurin to treat infections. We were certainly intrigued and decided to dig a little deeper into this supplement. In this episode we talk to Damon Sununtnasuk, the founder of Natural Cure Labs, about what monoluarin is, how it came to be discovered, and why you may want to consider adding this supplement to your overall wellness plan. As this is not yet regulated by the FDA, Damon provided some helpful links for you to do your own research.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Anna De La Cruz is the go-to resource for all things skincare. She’s a master esthetician and Glo Skin Beauty’s Director of Product Development. We talk to this brilliant beauty about the skincare trends she predicts for 2021, which include

Your Skin But Better - Companies will create skincare-makeup hybrids that create a “no-makeup makeup” effect: natural, glossy, dewy skin textures, with light or barely-there textures, tints, and tones.

Bright Skin Is In - Skin lightening is a long outdated and damaging trend. For 2021, we are so ready to put that behind us - with the focus firmly on brightening, not lightening. Powered by plant-based ingredients such as alpha arbutin, vegan lactic acid, azelaic acid, and licorice root extract, for a supercharged, skin-positive approach to targeting dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and uneven skin tones. We briefly talk about the CARES Act that restricted OTC Hydroquinone that happened this year.

Texture Play - This can certainly be an influence and evolution of the glass skin look; consumers want radiant, hydrated, dewy skin coupled with (and this is where the evolution comes in) a slightly different experience with their products that is more enjoyable and fun. While creams and liquids may be familiar, water-gel, jelly, whipped and melting balms are textures that present a new feel to consumers; bouncy and lightweight, they offer the playful tactileness that is being sought after, while their very nature lends itself to delivering incredible hydration, resulting in a dewy, supple look to the skin- which is another win.

The End Of More - Less is more, multi-tasking heroes, the consumer wants hardworking products they can rely on, and a simple but results-driven, tailored routine. Think: treatment moisturizers with serum-strength actives, hydration + targeted ingredients for your biggest concerns like brightening, breakouts or aging.

Personalized Skincare - This is not new, but in 2021 it's more about refining the routine and product line-up that’s right for each individual. This will be done by zoning different serums/face masks/recipes to combine products.

Cleanical - Brands continue to define what clean means to them. Includes: free-from formulations, natural actives, and storytelling hero ingredients

Here’s a scary fact: Women suffer from depression, insomnia, PTSD and anxiety at about twice the rate of men.

In fact, in 2017 Jessica Mulligan, founder of Winged CBD, found herself in a dark place, “I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time and every day I was on the verge of crying at any given moment.” A friend recommended CBD and she began to feel the crippling effects of anxiety start to lessen. Her relief lead her to research CBD and how it affects the body, and what she discovered was that CBD is particularly helpful to women. That’s when the idea of Winged began to form – she wanted to share the relief she felt from CBD with other women and set out to design a product line specifically formulated for women. In June of 2019 Jessica launched Winged, the first wellness company with CBD products designed specifically for women.

We talk to Jessica about everything from what it was like to start a company – and have a baby – during Covid, to some fun uses for CBD tinctures (hello cookies). We even get a cute cameo from her little “Ginga Ninja.”