All posts filed under: Interviews

Conversation With Wander Beauty Founders, Divya Gugnani and Lindsay Ellingson

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Shopping for clean and cruelty-free beauty at Sephora is still an impossible task – fortunately the list of brands available just got an update with Wander Beauty on the shelves. When it comes to shopping for products that go on or in your body, transparency should be a given, but is not always provided. With US clean beauty regulations being in the grey area, this brand takes a fresh and simple approach to ingredients – blending the natural with the synthetic (safely). We refuse to believe that today’s savvy and educated beauty community falls for marketing schemes, they say clean beauty is here to stay. It was only a matter time before Wander Beauty made it into Sephora. If you had to consider just one clean brand for all your essentials, you might make it Wander Beauty for their multitasking abilities alone. Wander beauty checks off all the boxes: the packaging and colors are pretty, the ingredients healthy, and the textures non-sticky. Let’s talk makeup. It can be hard to pick a favorite. The Liquid …

Talking Spa Beauty, Wellness & Seaweed with Repêchage Founder, Lydia Sarfati

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Spa industry giants everywhere know Lydia Sarfati as the seaweed skincare authority – the Repêchage founder has worked her way up from esthetician who loved formulating and creating, to spa owner on Madison Avenue, to running one of the most well-known professional skincare brands in the spa community. Beauty insiders continue to be impressed by the Repêchage Four Layer Facial (I have yet to try it for myself). It is Lydia Sarfati who has helped set the professional and business standard in the field of esthetics. Many new brand creators can learn from this founder’s contributions and dedication to giving us the gift of effective and lasting beauty. Q & A with Lydia Sarfati Cultivated: I read that as a young girl you loved science and chemistry. Where did your passion for skincare and formulating products come from?  LS: My approach has always been based on chemistry and biology coupled with a holistic approach, looking at the skin from within as well as what you put on topically. Growing up in Poland, every Friday our kitchen …

Talking Stress, Grief & Anxiety During 2020 With Psychotherapist Asha Tarry

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2020 forces us to take a real look at the disparity in our communities. Whether you see them or not, the problems in today’s society effect us all. Economic inequality can result in poor mental health and seeking help can be even harder in the midsts of a global pandemic. The health crisis has shown us what many already knew. Too many live with the reality of being one pay check away from not being able to pay their medical bill, from being homeless, from putting their mental health at the bottom of the to-do list. Maybe that one person is you. The coronavirus in particular has effected the black community in much larger numbers, but to people of color, these health disparities are not new. If you just started to wake up to these inequalities, if the pandemic effected your mental health, if you feel grief for George Floyd, if you know it is not about you, but you could not imagine the same type of treatment happening to someone you know, then keep …

New York’s Art On Full Display: Talking With Moi One, A French Graffiti Artist Based In New York City

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With New York businesses closed, the gates are down. The only upside to the pandemic lock down is endless street, graffiti and mural art exploration. We start to notice details we might have missed during the busyness of the hussle. The quietness of the city displays artwork like a gallery would, and I can’t get enough. On one of my most recent mental health neighborhood walks, I became attached to one particular mural. The artwork is located on St. Marks Street, known for its history of influential musicians and artists. It gets a lot of notice from locals and visitors alike. The artist is Moi One, and the artwork is called “Sympathy For The Devil”. The French artist agreed to doing an interview, and for me, that kind of willingness to be vulnerable makes his art even more powerful. In today’s climate of uncertainty we are yearning for more color and inspiration. We draw strength from escape, and art provides exactly that. Cultivated: Tell me more about your upbringing and how your life became immersed …

Ageless Beauty: Hollywood’s Renowned Skincare Secrets With Beverly Hills Doctor, Ronald Moy

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Some Hollywood stars never seem to age and 50 year old J. Lo proved it at the Super Bowl halftime show. Her performance and flawless look prompted the age-old question: What’s her secret? When we look back at Old Hollywood and dig a little deeper, we discover all types of beauty secrets. Some were very strange, but some still apply today. For today’s Hollywood skincare tips, I went to Dr. Ronald Moy of Moy Fincher Chipps Facial Plastics and Dermatology in Beverly Hills. We often neglect the neck and hands, where signs of aging might show up first. How do you recommend we take care of our skin on these areas? Dr. Moy: People often forget that the neck should be included in your daily skin care regimen and needs as must care as the face. The neck skin becomes thinner and saggy with aging and the best ways to prevent the loose turkey neck is to use a product with epidermal growth factor (EGF). I recommend using a EGF serum on the neck twice a day. As for …

Food is Medicine: Talking Healing and Ayurveda With Divya Alter

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The first time I met Divya Alter was by pure coincidence. An important lunch meeting prompted me to search for a vegan cuisine spot in New York’s East Village. We ended up at Divya’s Kitchen. Once you get out of the street, past other diners and settle in, you realize this is unlike any other place in New York City. It would be a mistake to call Divya’s Kitchen just a restaurant. Upon further investigation, you see a space of healing, learning and community. The most charming perk of Divya’s Kitchen is Divya herself. The chef has a well-trained staff, yet she is very much hands on and front and center. She might take you to your table, stop by to make sure all is as it should be, but best of all, she might give you her time and energy to talk about the menu. There is much to be learned from someone who has spent thirty years as a vegetarian, continues to be a devout student of the Ayurvedic lifestyle and gives back …

Cultivated Beauty, Get To Know Pure Mana Hawaii

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If we learned anything from this year’s beauty talks and discoveries, it is that the green beauty industry still has a long way to go. Finding a truly ethical and organic brand is like finding a needle in a haystack. If there is one farm to face skincare brand that should be celebrated this year, it is Pure Mana Hawaii. Nature provides us with all we need to be beautiful and nature is at the core of this brand. From growing, to pressing their own carrier oils, the Founders have their hands in every part of the process. I am a big fan of the passionate women behind this splendid skincare line. I met Sue Mandini and Kollette Stith in 2017. Their story and skincare has captured my heart. In their own words, Pure Mana Hawaii is their gift – “from our soil to your soul”. Find out what makes this brand special and worth the hype. Read on for our Q & A. In today’s world of fast everything, I would describe your skincare …

Talking With Jillian Wright, Indie Beauty Expo’s Co-Founder

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Jillian Wright is the kind of fairy godmother clean beauty brand entrepreneurs needed. The idea for the Indie Beauty Expo was born out of necessity and came into fruition in order to fill a gap in the beauty industry. The expo has made its debut in 2015 and has shown no signs of slowing down. As the Co-Founder of Indie Beauty Media Group (Nader Naeymi-Rad is the other half of the business), Jillian is doing more for indie brands than just the once a year expo presentation. IBMG produces the BeautyXSummit, an education platform, and is the publisher of Beauty Independent, bringing you top headlines in beauty. Most recently, Indie Beauty Expo has become an inclusive fanfare, launching “Uplink Live”. The expansion bridges brands with solutions, especially while they are not ready to exhibit. Entrepreneurs will have the ability to connect with the right people, vendors and start a new learning experience. Launching during New York’s expo, the impact will be greater than ever. “IBMG does a great job connecting the next generation of beauty …

Man Shop, Consigliere, Is the First Shop in NYC Devoted To Men’s Skincare

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New York’s beauty industry has had many firsts, but have you ever seen a shop strictly aimed towards men’s skincare? The newly re-branded The Lodge is now Consigliere – a man shop focused on skincare education and beautification of men. A good number of spa boutiques and department stores attempt to reach out to men with their skincare needs, but what they really needed was a shop without all the noise and frills. A shop like this is a first! While we all know a man in need of encouragement from their female partner or skincare savvy friend, New York has always been a city of cosmopolitan men who do enjoy an effective skincare product as much as women. Consigliere is located in one of the most laid-back and ever-changing neighborhoods. This East Village shopping destination holds well-curated shelves of skincare for all types of routines and some essential accessories. There is a robust selection of natural and Korean beauty, along with hair, shave and beard products. In addition, the owner of Consigliere has formulated …

Affordable Art Fair: Where Contemporary Art Thrives

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New York’s Affordable Art Fair holds a special place in my heart. It is one of the first art fairs I attended as a Fine Arts student. Engulfing myself into what the fair had to offer opened my eyes to a larger contemporary art community and creativity from around the world. The fair is known for celebrating and creating a platform for living artists, while being accessible to all types of art aficionados. Buying and seeing exciting artwork from around the world has never been easier. Whether you are a first-time buyer or a seasoned collector, you will find that the energy and selection at this fair is diverse, fun, engaging and sophisticated. The Affordable Art Fair happens twice a year, but each time it feels shiny and new. This time the fair celebrates its 27th year. The 2019 Spring Edition, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, welcomed 16,000 visitors. Showing no signs of stopping, the spring’s fair has resulted in record-breaking 2,000 works sold for a total of $4.4m. The fair has become one …

Talking Inner & Outer Beauty with Planted In Beauty Founders

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The first time I met Lynne Florio and Renee Tavoularis we decided on a lunch at Divya’s Kitchen, an East Village vegan restaurant that serves Ayurvedic cuisine. I knew my philosophy on skincare matched up with their own as soon as they started a discussion on certifications. After years of working for a high-end skincare brand, La Praire, the pair was armed with beauty industry know-how and so they decided it was time for a lifestyle do-over. The industry veterans launched Planted In Beauty, a skincare brand with overall health in mind. Lynne and Renee have decided to detox from the corporate world with a brand new philosophy on life. Renee has since become a certified Integrative Nutrition® Health Coach. She lives what she preaches, which is how we ended up at Divya’s Kitchen. Planted In Beauty is as much about nutrition, as it is skincare. Their outlook on skincare the whole body into consideration and our skin is the body’s largest organ. I have become a fan of the two entrepreneurs and their candid …

Self-Care Insiders: Life of a Startup CEO & Ayurvedic Rituals

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Stop, take time to taste, smell, feel and be in the moment. I believe in taking a healthy time-out for your wellbeing and so does the person in our next “Self-Care Insider” story. Shadoh Punnapuzha is the Founder of Taïla Skincare. She left her career in private equity finance in order to take on the world of beauty with her wisdom of time honored science. The results: a non-toxic and gorgeous skincare line. What does your typical skincare routine look like?   I am strapped for time, as I have my own business and a 21 month old baby boy, therefore my routine has to be quick and simple. At a risk of sounding like an advertisement, I use the entire Taïla line as my go to regimen. I created my collection sort of out of the need for a routine that suited me. I start with our cleanser, then mist with our moisturizing toner and end with a quick face massage using our face oil. The Prana Face Oil is my holy grail. Once or twice a …