Episode 106 - The A-List Approach: Makeup Tips For Every Occasion With Celebrity Makeup Artist, Christina Flach (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 106 .

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Amy 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker 2 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy 0:31

Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and Katie and we are joined by Christina flax, celebrity makeup artists. We're so excited that she is here. Let me tell you a little bit about her before we get started because this is pretty incredible. Christina flax is a makeup artist and the CEO and founder of pretty girl makeup. Her celebrity clientele includes Condoleezza Rice, Hilary Swank, Isaiah Washington, Melissa McCartney, Rita Moreno, Renee Zellweger, Tyler, Florence and more. She has worked with high end brands such as Gucci and Louie Vuitton has been featured in campaigns for Macy's, Neiman Marcus Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's, and has been featured in magazines, including Vogue time, people, and Elle. In addition, Christina also writes articles about the best tips, tricks and hacks in makeup, which we're so excited to hear about, and is featured as a beauty expert on California live on NBC amongst a lot of philanthropy and a lot of other things. So, welcome to the show. Christina. We're so happy to have you here.

Unknown Speaker 1:29

Well, thank you for having me today. Excited?

Amy 1:33

Yes. So we always start out the show with our nirvana of the week, which is like, take a step back, take a breath. Think about something that brought us joy this week. And I'm gonna hand it over to Katie, as I think about mine, because it's been quite the week.

Unknown Speaker 1:51

minutes and think about something right.

Amy 1:53

I know, right? Sometimes that comes easily. And sometimes I'm like, wait, I really got to, I really got to think through my week.

Speaker 2 1:59

Yeah, I think we're all in that boat. This week. The first half of my week was kind of nuts. And then yesterday, I tried to wake up and reset the day and I did a little morning manifestation while I was having my coffee. I just thought, Alright, this is the way I want the rest of the month to go. The first day of the month did not start out the way I wanted. So let's try a little reset. And I manifested some things with my work. And I have to tell you, it's really insane. All of a sudden, yesterday, I was hit with like a lot of work, things that I wanted, coming at me some great opportunities. It was kind of wild. So I think that was my nirvana. I had a just like a flux of opportunity yesterday. So it's my gosh,

Amy 2:36

that's awesome. Congrats. Thanks.

Speaker 2 2:40

Everyone should have, right yeah. What about you, Amy?

Amy 2:43

This is you're gonna laugh. So this is good and bad. So my husband came down with like the virus that's going around this week, and he's totally fine. It was like one of those one day viruses. Anyway, he slept in the other room one of the nights to that night, my two dogs slept with me. They normally don't sleep in our bed. So it was my Nirvana because it was just so sweet. Because they were cuddling with me all night. And it's like the best feeling having their like, coziness, just like against you. And like that heavy feeling. So anyway, that was like super sweet. So I would say that was my Nirvana this week. But what about you, Christina?

Speaker 3 3:15

My Nirvana this week is was I was down in Makita watching my son Nikolai played in a golf tournament. That time with him watching him do what he does, and going out to dinner with he and his teammates. And it was the first two days were nice, warm and sunny, and I'm walking this golf course. And I just thought, wow, I am so blessed that I get to be down here watching my my love my big love, son. You know, play golf.

Amy 3:42

Oh my gosh, how old is your son? That one is 22 Wow, is does he play in like a with a group or like, what kind of tournament team? So cool. Yeah, that sounds

Unknown Speaker 3:56

like a really good yeah. Jealous. Beautiful day too, I'm sure.

Speaker 3 3:59

Yes. And then the last thing which wasn't so Nirvana ish, was walking the golf course in the pouring rain with an umbrella.

Unknown Speaker 4:07

Oh, no. It's still

Unknown Speaker 4:09

fine, but it was just a little

Amy 4:11

old. So let's get started. First of all, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and we want to hear about your makeup line. Pretty cool makeup.

Speaker 3 4:19

Well, I am celebrity makeup artist and I am the creator and founder and CEO of pretty girl makeup and actually creating a new line with my partner Jordan. We are creating a new line called I'm too busy, which I am. I am also a sepsis awareness advocate. I am a philanthropist. I have started two educational funds at the Northern Light school in Oakland, California for underprivileged children. And I also helped start the bo Friedman outdoor classroom with Ed McGuire school in Mill Valley, California.

Unknown Speaker 4:56

Sounds like you're too busy.

Speaker 3 4:59

I'm a mother. Five and wow oh my gosh

Unknown Speaker 5:03

pretty cool. Is it is it a lip line? Pretty girl makeup

Speaker 3 5:07

right now it is it has. I've had it for over 15 years that I've had shadows eyeliners mascaras, but I've shrunk it down right now to a lip line. And we are going to be expanding I'm too busy into a full line of skincare and makeup products but just the products that one needs. You know, we don't I can't tell you how many times women tell me Oh, I went to the department store and I went and they sold me all this stuff and it seemed good at the time but I don't use any of it and I don't know how to use any of it and I don't need it. But I really want it to be what you need. Mascara, eyeliner, Shadow concealer, blush bronzer, some lip products, the end that's it? I know, you know, you're trying to the problem is that when people go to department store they think they're dealing with just a makeup artist and you have to keep in mind they are salespeople and what they need what they're trying to do is sell

Amy 6:02

and they do Yeah, it's that's so smart

Speaker 3 6:06

client and then they're just I think that people start resenting companies because they're buying products that they don't need and don't use and then they don't trust you because they're you know, you're they're buying things that are not using so the next time they go they're not really going to be quite I don't think is inclined to buy something if they didn't use it.

Speaker 2 6:27

Yeah, and it's good to know as a celebrity makeup artist that you have these like these holy grail items that you feel confidently this is all one really needs. You just said let's let's list those again. You said mascara,

Speaker 3 6:41

mascara, eyeshadows eyeliner, lip liner, blush, some foundation, concealer, sunscreen Scarah needs to be swapped out I would say every two to three months. kind of starts drying out. And foundation. I cannot tell you the funny stories people tell me about how they match their foundation to their skin. I have heard the inside of their arm. I've heard their face. I have their hand in their face. I have heard like their thigh. i You've heard everything. And if you think about it, like look at the difference of color of my face and my

Amy 7:21

Yeah, so how do you do because I actually never know.

Speaker 3 7:24

Okay, so here's the deal, you go in there and you do I mean, the best thing would be to have like natural lighting, right? But you want the foundation to disappear. It doesn't need to be to light it doesn't need to be dark. It needs to literally disappear and that's the right color.

Amy 7:42

Okay, that's a lot and so many people buy online now obviously and so it's impossible. Yeah, it's easy, I

Speaker 3 7:49

think okay, I think you can reorder but I think it's really hard to tell the true shade of the foundation I mean, I know they have all these different apps and ways to help but I think personally I need to see it and see what it does is my skin in my light it's it's very it's too complicated to do online I think

Amy 8:09

ya know, it's really hard foundation here because

Speaker 3 8:13

I mean think about it how much wasted product you know if it's not the right color, are you gonna ship it back? Are you going to like I don't know. I just think it's better to try some of these things in person.

Speaker 2 8:25

Yeah, I agree. And I have ordered makeup online and it was kind of a fail. So if concealer sorry rather if foundation needs to disappear. How do you pick your concealer color Is it meant to be a little bit brighter.

Speaker 3 8:39

Okay, so I do so I would put down eye cream first super important to keep that area hydrated and not dry. I don't use powder under the eyes it shows fine lines and wrinkles. So with concealer, I just genetically have dark circles under my eyes and my eyes are just colored my lids are just colored everyone so I do like one lighter, like probably two or three shades lighter. I have one that's pretty much matches the foundation so I'll do the light one under on the whole lid and kind of blend it in. Then I'll put on the foundation super light and then I'll do another round of concealer on top of that so I have probably two or three layers of concealer but it's super light and blended in. You don't want to put a big glob of it because it just it doesn't look well so it's important to you know use your makeup brushes or your hand and kind of pat it in and eat that area

Amy 9:36

light and what's the best way to keep concealer from creasing?

Speaker 3 9:41

Having the eye cream underneath and not putting powder on top? Yeah, want to keep that area moist. You know and using a concealer that you know has good you know a little bit of cream you want it a little bit not oily but you do want it to have some moisture and the It won't show as many lines

Amy 10:08

speaking of concealer and eye cream, we would love to know what is your favorite concealer and what is your favorite ice cream? Or a few of your favorites.

Speaker 3 10:15

Okay, so I am quite fond right now of the Bobby Brown. I like ours, I like pixie knee elastin has a really great eye cream. I also keep one of those roller things, you know those like Rose Quartz. Oh, yeah. I keep that in my freezer. And first thing in the morning. I have I put this is my whole routine. It's so cuckoo. I wake up I put a tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth. You know I do that pulling thing. And then I get roller and I just take away any swelling and inflammation under my eyes and my lids. And then I you know, go from there. Water, lemon and vitamins and tea.

Unknown Speaker 11:01

Nice. Sounds like a good morning.

Unknown Speaker 11:04

It's a lot to be me. I gotta tell you.

Amy 11:07

That's not too bad, actually, ya know? Sometimes, I mean, sometimes we hear morning routines that are like super super long, so I don't think that sounds bad at all.

Speaker 2 11:16

Yeah, Oil Pulling thing too I need to get into I know

Amy 11:19

I read about that. What is that supposed to do? It takes away

Speaker 3 11:23

toxins out of your mouth. It's supposed to keep your teeth white. But I also just takes out any you know, bad stuff that any bacteria in your mouth but so after you do what they say to do it like 10 to 20 minutes, spit it out and brush your teeth. You've got to brush out all the yuck that pulled out so

Amy 11:41

we get gargle it for 10 to 20 minutes. And you just keep it in your mouth for

Speaker 3 11:45

like 10 to 20 minutes. Oh, interesting. Yes. And then spit it out and go brush your teeth and then continue on. Okay, your routine. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 11:58

Amy, could you do that? I'm looking at your face. I'm thinking you're like

Amy 12:01

I don't know if I could do that for 20 minutes. I feel like I would get grossed out.

Speaker 3 12:04

It takes practice some days I will do it for you know one or two minutes sometimes I do tend to it just depends. I don't I don't judge myself. Some days it's longer sometimes it's not. Yes. Nabil

Amy 12:16

noticed a difference your teeth are white.

Speaker 3 12:19

Well, I hope I try but again, you gotta just keep doing everything. See what works.

Speaker 2 12:26

So nice. All right. So what are some of your favorite some other products let's get into different categories here like favorite brands of bronzers and blushes. And then I would also love to hear your tips and tricks for choosing the right colors and you know applying bronzer the right way etcetera.

Speaker 3 12:45

So I have a my friend nanny page or our friend who's our nanny, she great trick called the strap and she uses bronzer right down under here. If you have any loose skin, eat that a little bit dark. I put a little bit of bronzer underneath the brow bone, you know I'm not underneath the cheekbone. And just give yourself a little bit of like Cabo color like you've been in Cabo for a few days without having that and I try to keep all that when I if you look at my portfolio and Christina flack.com all the faces you'll see you don't really I mean unless it's a crazy fashion shoot but I like people to look like they have fresh dewy skin and pretty eyes and just really clean and fresh. And so I like to keep the eye colors just kind of in the palate of your hair. You know your skin in your hair and your eyes. Though it's typically like an egg Nagi color on the whole lid. I fill in brows whether it be with a shadow or a pencil. Eyebrows being filled in is it monster thing to me like it has to everyone needs their brows filled in. It's it makes such a difference it frames the face, it just looks polished, I love that look. With with the liner, I will I'd like to make a thin line on the top and the bottom. So I will pull up the the brow and put the liner as close into the lash line as possible and I keep it thin if it's thick, it's going to make the eyes look smaller and our goal always is to make our eyes look larger. And with liquid liner, that to me is a nighttime thing. I do not like seeing it in the day, especially with people that have fair skin and blonde hair and black liquid liner. I think it looks atrocious. You do like with a shot with eyeliner. I will put a shadow on top and so it'll soften the look but it will you know take away any mistakes that that we make and we all make them I make them but it's a good way even with a liquid liner. But you know you put it on you make a little mistake if you put a shadow a line of shadow on top. It will soften the look and you know that's a good idea.

Amy 14:58

I never thought to do that you're right because they need Do that liquid liner. If you don't have a

Speaker 3 15:03

commitment, you've made a commitment to the right liner. So

Amy 15:06

you just put some shadow on top. I like that. So here's my question because I always struggle with this for eyeshadow. How do you find the right colors? And like, what's your I don't have a template for like an easy application of it, because I just feel like again, that's a commitment and you're What if you put on the wrong color and it's a whole thing and I never know the right colors?

Speaker 3 15:30

Okay, so I would like with you, I would probably use like an egg Nagi color on the whole lid, fill in your brows. And then what color your eyes green, green. Okay, so are mine. So plum looks beautiful with green eyes. Hmm, well, I would do sometimes I will do a thin brown liner, and then put a plum shadow on top. That makes them stick out a little more. And then I will add the mascara you want the mascara to go, you know extended out of the corners. And then also I would probably do a thin another thin line of black liner. Not liquid but just black liner on top. So you don't really see it. It's kind of almost in the lashes. But it it makes them pop and they stick out a little bit more. We are seeing the plum.

Amy 16:14

And when you say plum, would you put plum all over do you put it just on the lid, you put it on the crease. Okay,

Speaker 3 16:21

so the whole lid is like an egg unagi color or maybe like you know, a sheer like just some straw. And then I'll put the liner and the shadow on the bottom and the top lids then and if I want to add a little bit more drama to the corners, I will add like a soft brown or the plum but just in the crease a little bit and blend, blend, blend. Yeah, make there's no mistakes like just remember, this is a one time deal you put on this shadow. And if you make a mistake, you use your finger or get a Q tip and blend it out or your makeup brush. Yeah, there's no I don't like people this there's no mistakes. It's just you have to try things sometimes. And it's always better to do a little do it in stages and do it a little less. Right and like a big, you know, a huge amount on your brush and then blend it in. It's you that's you can control things a little bit better if you do it in right a little

Amy 17:17

bit at a time. Yeah, exactly. Okay, well, that's helpful, because that's like the one thing I always struggle with. It's like it and it is true. You really do have to experiment because I think I end up just going back to what I always do just because I'm like, Oh, I don't want to experiment. But now it is a good thing to experiment with. And what about blush and bronzer like how do you find the right color? Is it trial and error is there like again, like a certain rule because I always get confused when I'm looking at a bronzer that says like, warm or cool or like, I don't know what any of these things mean. So I'm just like, how do you find the right bronzer for you?

Speaker 3 17:52

Okay, I would get something that's not too dark. You just want it to be a little bit. Give yourself a little bit of color. So something not too strong. Still a little bit darker than what you have. You just want to have you just want it to be a little bit of you don't want it to be so dark that your face looks dirty.

Amy 18:12

Right? You just want like you said before, I'd like to be say Cabo something.

Unknown Speaker 18:16

Cabo color,

Amy 18:18

color. That's what we all strive for. Oh, yeah. I love that. Okay, the What about the lush? What's the rule there?

Speaker 3 18:29

Okay, there's no rules. I just think with makeup. It's like what's pleasing to your eye, but I think you know what, blush looks great on everybody orgasm by NARS. That was kind of pretty much looks good on every skin tone. But you know, when you go you can I think I don't know my eyes trained differently than most people. So it's kind of unfair to say but I think you can put different blushes next to your skin and some will just kind of flow with what your color is. And others will go okay, that's a total No. So find one that's a no and then go from there and look for the opposite I do you see what I'm saying? Like you just kind of have to try it and see and just keeping things kind of neutral and not going too extreme. You don't want purple. Okay, you just to give you a little bit of a hue, a little bit of color.

Amy 19:21

Yeah, and where's the best place to put blush? Like do you put it kind of higher ups you put it in the apples?

Speaker 3 19:29

Oh, I typically will put a little bit of bronzer like right here to contour. I don't like this contour and it's like so excessive. It's just a little bit under here, a little under the strap. And then I will get you know some blush and just put it kind of like right in here up a tiny bit. And they also like to put a little bit of, you know, highlighter, like right above here. I think it's just nice and it just gives a pretty look and then I can put some you know, contouring on each side of the nose and a Little bit of highlighter, straight down. But I just tried to sample like this morning I was up at, I don't know 330 At a photoshoot for Bloomberg and I am you know, I can't see this is the thing about my job. I can't go to work looking too terrible. I have to look relatively presentable.

Amy 20:20

Okay, right. You have to be done up.

Speaker 3 20:22

Yeah. Because if I can't keep myself together, how am I going to? How's anyone gonna trust me? So my sister was here this morning and she's like, it's 330 What are you putting makeup on? I'm like, because do you think anyone is going to want to like deal with me when I can't deal with myself. So it's a little bit of, you know, the concealer, the eyeshadow and some mascara and just a little bit of cheek and lip. And that's it. It's just simple. So I don't frighten people.

Amy 20:53

doubt that

Speaker 2 20:55

what was the AMI the other day we were saying we were talking about highlighters. And she Amy was the first person that introduced me to highlighters years ago. And she had this like pearly white highlighter. And then I have some that have more of a gold undertone. And we were saying how we know which color highlighter we should be using our skin tones because we have very different skin tones. I'm more of like an all of them, she's more fair.

Amy 21:18

And there's so many highlighters now, and so many different colors,

Speaker 3 21:21

like so many, but I think you just kind of have to pick the one that feels good and looks good to you. Because that is the big thing. I speak about beauty from the inside out. When someone feels good on the, you know, when you feel good about yourself, you're going to be happy, you're going to have just a much more pleasant demeanor. And so, you know, keeping things kind of neutral, you just don't want anything too extreme, even with the highlighters, like, you know, I think a little bit of a gold hue would look. You know, obviously, it's probably better on an olive skin, but both of them would work. Okay. All right, because you just want them there. You want it to be a hint of it. It's not going to be a big,

Amy 22:03

right.

Speaker 3 22:06

Here's the thing. I don't ever want to look at a face and go oh, highlighter, huh? Blush you got, like, I don't really want to know like, oh, okay, there's like 17 products going on right there. I just want to go Oh, she looks fresh and doing pretty. And that's that I don't want anything to stick out too much. And I threw that in mind to just keep things kind of just natural and pretty and fresh. You'll look fantastic.

Amy 22:37

Back to I just had a question about the bronzers and the blushes. What do you prefer cream or powder? What are your thoughts? They're

Speaker 3 22:45

either good. I think if you you know the, you know, the cream one sometimes if you feel like your skin is dry, then that's kind of nice. It gives a nice little moisture there but you know, you're there. They're both there. They're both good. There's not one that's better than the other.

Amy 23:05

I've been really into creams lately probably because I have dry skin so you're right it like feels good. And I just feel like it looks better. Sometimes the powder I feel like sometimes sets but yeah, because I'm dry so that makes sense.

Speaker 2 23:15

Okay, so then the glowing dewy look we all love it's kind of helps you with the no makeup makeup luck as well. So you obviously drinking and staying hydrated. Do you have some products that you'd love to start the base of the face with to get to achieve that?

Speaker 3 23:30

Well, Vitamin C Serum is really good. I love hacia I like new elastin. I love these products. They're really there's so many great products out there. Sunscreen is huge, huge, huge, and you need to put it on your hands. It's so funny. I was in the desert and I was speaking to someone I think it was my son's golf coach. And he said yeah, women can hide their age in their face but as soon Oh knows with my agent was it my agent was in the desert. We were having coffee and he said you can really tell someone's age by their hand because people don't typically put sunscreen on their hands so their hands really show their age so it is really important to put sunscreen on your hands as well as your face your neck and your chest.

Amy 24:15

Yeah, that's a good tip to remember to put it on the hands I definitely sometimes forget that super important specially when you're driving right because like lay on your hand.

Speaker 3 24:23

How much time our hands are being exposed to heat. I would get a stick one so it's not you know for the car just Just remember to put that in. But it you know, investing in a good sunscreen is really important. Winter as well. I say to my clients, sunscreen is 365 days of the year. I don't care if it's snowing, raining Sunny.

Amy 24:46

Totally agree. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 24:47

we only need to protect you can't protect your skin enough.

Amy 24:50

What's your favorite sunscreen?

Unknown Speaker 24:52

SkinCeuticals I think is one I like

Amy 24:54

yeah, a lot of people say that a lot of people say Elta MD we've got we've got

Speaker 3 24:59

that one too. So yeah, when it's like a little bit tinted and that's what's nice about a tinted moisturizer, and it gives you a little bit of sunscreen, but, you know, like, the found the foundations like Bobby Brown and Nars, they all have a little bit of sunscreen. So you know having that sunscreen and then putting on that foundation that has since you're getting protected, but you do need to reapply we forget. We think oh, I put it on the morning. Well, you're gonna need to put it on and like especially I was walking on this golf course and I didn't have any with me. I broke my own rule. Or my son said Oh, Mom, you broke your own law. I did break my own law. I didn't have to reapply and I could tell my skin got a little bit color which I do not want it to have. I want to control the color on my face. I don't want the sun Yes, it ages you and I'm

Amy 25:48

yeah it's funny Katie and I both love this product reviewed it on one of our shows the some balm. It's like a sunscreen spray like a spread so and it's great because it's a good I ever since I got that product, I bring it with me because it's so much better to like refresh your face with it. Because it's like, I don't know. It's like cooling and moisturizing and it feels good. But then you don't feel like you're rubbing stuff on your face after you have makeup on. So it's like good to just spray. So it's got about that product. But yeah, that's a good one.

Speaker 3 26:18

Many great products out there. You know? And what's really cool about like going somewhere like Sephora, they have all those little sample areas or like small set travel size. Yeah, that's a great way to try a new product to see if you like it. That way you're not investing a ton of money.

Amy 26:35

Yes, I'm big into the trial sizes. I just and I it's funny because a lot of the trial sizes I end up buying the big size like it's so smart that Sephora also the all starting to do that because then you're not wasting products and you end up you know, really getting what you want.

Speaker 3 26:49

It's really great. And I you know, I even though I have my own company, and I'm really blessed. It's kind of funny. I'm kind of like two things. I'm a makeup artist, and then I own a company. So brands still send me products, which I love. It's like Christmas I love Yeah. And I love going into Sephora and looking at all the new products. It inspires me it helps me create new products and think of things that I like, you know that I want to try for my own brand.

Amy 27:18

Okay, let's talk about lipstick and gloss. Katie was saying to me the other day she can never find a flattering red. I don't want to read that much. I guess I would if I found one that I liked but it just seems so like, dramatic to me because it's so bright. But once again like no you said there's no rules but like what tends to look good on certain like skin types in terms of lipstick and gloss. Like I always love a neutral vibe. But sometimes I put on color and I like it too. But I just never know like what looks right.

Speaker 3 27:47

Well, I think you know, again, it's the for has little tester, lip pencils. So I'd start with that matte lipstick typically makes your you know drying and makes your lips look smaller. If you want your lips to appear fuller. liner, lipstick gloss gloss help make your lips appear fuller. As for a red, you know, reds are interesting. They either look great or horrible. There's no middle. Oh, I think I a nice blue red looks good. You have to just kind of mix with the colors, like just mix with different colors. And just try it and see what feels good to you what feels comfortable. If that, you know it's one of those things where it may feel really good to you. Like a like a deep burgundy red looks so great on some people and then some people orangey red, I don't really love an orangey red. But some people it looks nice. Sometimes a shear will look better. So it's not such a commitment. You know, sometimes just a big red lip. That's great. I have never worked like I never feel

Speaker 2 28:55

good when I put it on. So that should just be enough to say,

Amy 28:59

No, I know but that luck is so pretty. When I see people do that. I just feel like I can pull it out. You could pull it off Katie because you have like big lips.

Speaker 3 29:06

I agree. I think it's lovely. But you know, here's another thing that I'll do sometimes I will put the lips the liner on the lipstick and then I will get a Q tip and wipe it all off. And it's just stained enough and then I'll put a lip gloss on top and that's like the perfect little amount of red like Nyquil. Too much your lips a bit stained. And the gloss is giving the illusion of your lips appearing fuller. Not too bold and because it's you know when you put in that the red, if you're outside if you make a mistake, again the Q tips good you can get your foundation and kind of clean it up with a brush. But it's no it's kind of a thing. It's a commitment. Commitment, right. All right and doesn't work and that's when you just get some you know makeup oil or wipe a wipe and just wipe it off. Start over. Yeah, there's no reason to get comfortable with how you're looking right? I don't think you have to. You know, you want to love how you look. And then I don't know sometimes it's just in some days, it looks better than other days, just, you know, depends on your mood and what you're wearing. And

Amy 30:17

I know sometimes I have this one. It's like I've had it forever because I never would have this one hot pink lipstick. And the only time I wear is if I'm like getting dressed to like, go out at night to like an event and I'm wearing like all black because for some reason, I just feel like it looks better. And I just looked so different when I wear it. It's funny, but like, occasionally I'll throw it out. But yeah, I never felt comfortable. I just feel like it's so bold. Okay, so we've been talking about all this makeup and putting on makeup.

Speaker 3 30:41

Think about that though. Like I know what you were just saying about that lipstick. But think about if you just put it on your lip and then wiped it off with a Q tip. You still have like a hint of it. Yeah, so it's version of it.

Amy 30:53

I'm gonna try that. I love that idea. That hat. Okay, so we've been talking about putting on makeup and what types of makeup and colors and all that How about taking it off? What's the best way to take it off? What Kind Of Products Do you like to clean your skin?

Speaker 3 31:08

Okay, so I don't care what you use to take your makeup off with. I love almond oil. I have Bobbi Brown told me that once like is this jar like this? She gets it on Amazon. It's like $10.08 or $10 and almond oil. Though I just have that on my counter. I will put like a quarter size on my face. I wipe it all over my face and then I get a makeup white. Remove everything. I can't stress enough how important it is to get the mascara eyeshadow, everything off your face at the end of the day. I cannot tell you how many people come up to me and brag. I'm the last person that you should tell this to rag that you don't take your mascara off. Katie I'm like

Unknown Speaker 31:52

why is it so bad?

Speaker 3 31:54

Well first of all your your lashes need to breathe. If they've got like a you know a chemical on them, you know they're gonna fall out it's just not good for your lashes or your skin. And you can't get like the lashes the mascara on the next day when it's already like thick and goopy. It's really just a really bad habit for your eyelashes.

Speaker 2 32:18

Do you have a favorite eye makeup remover then because Amy was saying she always has a problem with the oiliness that gets in the eye when you're with some of those remembers Do you have one that's not so oily?

Speaker 3 32:28

I like oil so I mean I'm hardcore like I put all you know coconut oil I love I put apricot oil and then I get up why I will do the makeup wise or toilet paper just get off the the you know, major part of it but I always I get these black wash claws at Target like stacks of them and I get wet with warm water or cold and then I washed my face with that every night

Amy 32:56

yeah, I was I use like like a cleansing oil to wash my face that the mascara like never comes off even with oil and then it gets my eyes and whatever but I was saying to Haiti I've been like in the last year on and off trying fake eyelashes or DIY eyelashes because then I don't have to wear mascara and I hate wearing mascara because I hate taking it off because I'm rubbing my eyes and I feel like it's like putting wrinkles on my eyes because I'm constantly like rubbing it rubbing and rubbing it to get it all off. So I've been experimenting but I don't have them

Speaker 3 33:25

I wish like I love how fake eyelashes look and I had like I'm obsessed. But I like my oil on my face and that you can't have both

Amy 33:36

right? Right so with the with the lashes that's what I find like to clean like if I'm wearing eyeshadow I have to like really be careful around that area. It's annoying, but it really makes a huge difference. Yeah, I've been Katie knows I've been practicing eight we're going to do like a whole eyes episode because I have like all these new eye products but I've been trying the ones that are not strips but you put them underneath your eye, which you have to practice but they look really good. Okay, so we're gonna get into our wrap session. Thank you for all these awesome hacks and tips and tricks. I love it. Let's get into our quick wrap session. So what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

Unknown Speaker 34:12

Green Juice

Amy 34:14

good land. Okay, it's funny because we were kind of talking about this earlier on and you were saying with your pretty girl makeup line this is kind of what it's intended to do. But we call this our five minute flow so you just got out of the shower and dried up Uber just alerted you there five minutes away like what's your quick beauty routine? To get dressed get you know, get your clothes on put your makeup on and get out the door like what are those? The holy grails Okay, so you out on time?

Speaker 3 34:37

Um, Vitamin C Serum eye cream sunscreen concealer. I can I can do my face really pretty fast. I could probably do the whole thing in five minutes. So fill in the brows, some liner Datto mascara, I'm out of there.

Amy 34:52

And how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

Speaker 3 34:55

Well, I just make sure that I I love my life. Okay, let's just start with that. So I live in Nirvana pretty much most of the day. I did you think like, I love to work out I love to my family I you know, I like everything. I'm I'm Disneyland I like everything

Amy 35:10

we did to take some of that I love that.

Speaker 3 35:13

I try to have fun with everything I'm doing and stuff that I'm not too thrilled about. I'll just pretend I do until it's done.

Amy 35:19

Yeah. That's great. I love that and where can our listeners find you give us all your details?

Speaker 3 35:25

Okay, so you can go to Christina flack.com To see what I'm doing on NBC on California live or different photoshoots and pretty girl makeup.com And then pretty soon you will see I'm too busy.com and on Instagram Christina flax makeup and PR e TT YG IRL MK up pretty girl makeup and I'm too busy. We're not up there yet. But I know of my assistant.

Amy 35:50

reserved it. Nice. Yes. So

Unknown Speaker 35:53

and we're on Facebook and Twitter and

Amy 35:56

the things love it.

Unknown Speaker 35:57

Yeah, and tick tock yo.

Amy 35:59

Oh tick tock wants to check out your tick tock page. Well, thank you so much, Christina. This was very enlightening, and I'm gonna go mess around with all my makeup this weekend and experiment and not be scared to do it. So before we close, Katy has a mantra or quote that she is going to close this out with.

Speaker 2 36:16

Yes, I do. So speaking of beauty and feeling good. This is just a little something. Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself. I love

Unknown Speaker 36:27

that quote. I think that's great. All right. Well, thank

Amy 36:29

you again,

Unknown Speaker 36:31

you so much fun.

Amy 36:35

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 105 - Hormone Havoc: What are Hormone Disrupting Chemicals and What You Can Do About It? A Conversation with a PhD, Founder and CEO, Jenna Hua, of Million Marker (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 105 Hormone Havoc: What are Hormone Disrupting Chemicals and What You Can Do About It? A Conversation with a PhD, Founder and CEO, Jenna Hua, of Million Marker.

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:24] Jenna Hua : You.

[00:28] Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters family. It's Amy and Katie, and we are joined today with Jenna Hua, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Million Marker. Million marker is the only DTC test for BPA phthalates. I'm saying that correctly. And other EDCs EDCs are endocrine disrupting chemicals, which I just Googled. Jenna's extensive experience as an academic and health advocate led her to founding Million Marker in 2019, shortly after completing a postdoctoral fellowship with Stanford University School of Medicine. Jenna Hua, PhD, is an environmental scientist who started the company when she realized environmental toxins kept causing her fertility problems. More studies show that prenatal exposure to these chemicals can cause neurodevelopment and hormone issues in children. Plus, these chemicals can complicate pregnancy. Throughout her career in academia, jenna has researched and published numerous studies that largely focused on citizen science, general health, and the impact of food consumption on a person's well being. Jenna holds a postdoctoral fellowship in chronic disease prevention from Stanford, an Mph and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from UC Berkeley, an Rd from Greater Los Angeles Veteran Affairs Healthcare System, and a BS in Nutrition from Berkeley. So welcome to the show, Jenna. We're super excited to talk to you about this topic. It's really fascinating. So thank you for joining us on Nirvana Sisters today.

[02:00] Jenna Hua : Thank you so much for having me. Amy and Katie, I'm very excited. I really like your show, and I think I really appreciate everything you guys do, really advocating for wellness and optimizing health, particularly for ladies.

[02:14] Katie Chandler: Thank you.

[02:15] Amy Sherman: Thank you so much. So before we get into all of our questions and conversations, we just want to start with our Nirvana of the week, which is a moment of joy, something that brought us a smile to our face this week as we reflect on the week. So, Katie, I'll kick it off to you.

[02:30] Katie Chandler: I would say my moment is without a doubt that we launched our 100th episode yesterday. And while that in itself was the moment of joy, we actually recorded that episode just earlier this week. And that was my real Nirvana, because when Amy and I, we don't too often sit down together and reflect and take a moment to just go through the process of all of this. And when we did that, it was really nice and long overdue, and it brought me a lot of Nirvana, the whole thing. It's a great week. It's a big week. What about you, Amy?

[03:04] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I agree.

[03:05] Jenna Hua : Big week.

[03:05] Amy Sherman: And I would say my Nirvana is the same. I'll also mention that along with our 100 episode, we launched Nirvana Sisters Merch, which is really fun. And it's just great to see people's reactions about all of our products that just launched. So really excited. Really full of lots of mini nirvanas. What about you, Jenna?

[03:23] Jenna Hua : Congrats for me. Thank you. It's about getting one of our grant review back. So at Miller Marker, we also apply for a lot of NIH National Institute of Health Research grant because the whole EDC topic and just in general, how your environment impacts your health there's, still require a ton of research. So we continue to submit grant proposals. We just got a review back, and then it was a pretty positive review. So we're hoping that grant will get funded in a few months. So that was my excitement for my Novana for this week.

[04:02] Katie Chandler: That's huge.

[04:03] Jenna Hua : Congrats.

[04:03] Katie Chandler: That's fantastic. That must be very exciting. Speaking of, I mean, we have so much to talk about because this million Marker is really a brilliant concept, and I think we should just start at the beginning. What does Million Marker do and kind of what motivated you to create million Marker?

[04:22] Jenna Hua : Yeah, at Million Marker, we trying to provide a direct to consumer mailing urine testing, allowing people to understand their body burdens of hormone disrupting chemicals. So it's a pretty simple test. You pee in a cup, send it to us. We get that UEP analyzed. Right now, we test for 13 chemical metabolites. That includes BPA, BPA, Alternative, phthalates, parabens, oxybenzone. All of these are hormone disrupting chemicals. We also ask people to complete an exposure journal before they submit their urine samples. That way, we audit your lifestyle, looking into what actually contribute to your exposures, and then pinpoint where you can reduce your exposures so that you can avoid these chemicals. Then we also offer counseling, answering people's questions to making sure that they're on a healthy journey to detox.

[05:14] Amy Sherman: That's really cool. So is the report that you get, like, you see all the details from your urine and what types of chemicals are showing up there?

[05:22] Jenna Hua : Yes. So the report will include the chemicals that we're testing, 13 chemical metabolites. We let you know your levels, how you compare with our existing users, and how you compare with the national average. We'll show you low, medium, or high and trying to pinpoint okay, for example, what kind of product or what kind of behavior that you have kind of committed that potentially lead to this kind of exposure. So then it's very actionable. So to make sure, then you know what to do so you can reduce these exposures.

[05:56] Amy Sherman: That's great, because I feel like you hear about this all over the place now, right. But it's hard to know how it's actually affecting you. So you can clean up all these things in your house, but you don't really know if you're addressing it. So I think that's brilliant.

[06:09] Jenna Hua : Yes. We think it's this personalized approach because it's really important and also for people to understand what's exactly my exposure oftentimes we don't really know because if you and I have different genetics, even if we have the same amount of exposure exposed to the same thing, our body would respond very differently. So unless you test yourself, there's no way of knowing. And oftentimes also, even for myself, I think I have lived a pretty clean life because since I started studying this and I have been paying attention. But once I started testing myself, I realized there were a few things. There are things that I completely didn't even know about. One example was one of the vitamins I was taken, the vitamin capsule was not made, I guess, up to quality. So the capsule was actually made of a ton of phthalates, which is a plasticizer chemical. And if I didn't test my fulself, I would never know. And I actually bought that vitamin from Whole Foods and it was a bit shocking to me. Another example was when I first started Million Market, I was packing all the kits in my garage. It turns out it was the plastic packaging tape. It was also made of phthalates. So I could see my levels completely went off the roof. And once I stopped taking that vitamin, it completely drops down. So just like things like that you think you're doing right. You just don't know until you actually test yourself to figure out, okay, this is where I can't actually make a change. Otherwise you wouldn't know.

[07:52] Amy Sherman: When you got that back and you learned about the pill and the tape, was it you were high in that certain chemical and then you looked at your ingredients of certain things? Or how did you identify it was those two things that's so interesting.

[08:05] Jenna Hua : So I was able to identify because this is the importance of when we ask people to document their exposures throughout the day. I see it's kind of a tedious work, but that's the only way to kind of help you figure out because these chemicals are literally everywhere and oftentimes all we also tell people we don't want to get people super overwhelmed because it is overwhelming. But that's the only way to kind of figuring out where your exposures are. And then you're trying to avoid as much as you can because the bottom line is that these chemicals have no business of being your body. Like they only do harm, there's no good. So you just need to try it as much as you can.

[08:49] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's what I want to clarify for our listener. What are these chemicals doing to us? When we say they're endocrine disruptors or hormonal disruptors, they're affecting our thyroid, they're affecting fertility, they're affecting your estrogen levels. Is that correct? And so on and so on.

[09:09] Jenna Hua : It's literally everything. We can take a step back thinking about what are hormones like? Hormones are our body signaling molecules. They literally govern every single bodily function we have. Fun, sleep, metabolism, growth, fertility, your mood, everything is governed by hormones. And then your body signaling system, the hormone system, actually work as a symphony. So if you go to orchestra, you listen to a symphony. If your keys are out of sync, this music wouldn't be beautiful. It's the same thing. And these hormones, they kind of work like a lock and key. So the key has to fit in a lock and when you have these hormone disruptor comes in which messes up either the signaling or messes up this whole lock and key function. So then you would have these mismatched things and then you have this whole salute of downstream impact, which could be impacting your mood and your metabolism. So we see people with hormone balance, for example, in female, you would see for example, irregular period fertility issues, same as in men, impact both men and women and weight gains just so many things. And I think the other thing people tend to overlook is that if you expose to these things, you wouldn't experience extreme symptom the next day. Maybe in occupational setting, if you get super high exposure, then you would have feel the symptom the next day. But what we really worried about for these chemicals are like we have these super tiny, like really low dose exposures. You get exposed a little bit, but you get exposed day in and day out. So you just don't know when your cup is going to get full. Eventually down maybe ten years, 20 years from today, you would have a condition that could be contributed by these things. And so that's why we really want people to start pay attention. You do what you can and you want to eliminate these exposures as soon as possible and as early as possible, as much as you can.

[11:27] Katie Chandler: Yeah, I think it's interesting to your point of how you're not just going to wake up the next day and say, oh, I must have been exposed to BPAS too much yesterday. It is a gradual thing that happens over time. And maybe one day you just wake up and you realize like, oh my gosh, I'm not sleeping very well, or this feels off all the time. Or you just slowly start to not feel like yourself anymore. So this is a really great tool. It can be preventative. It can also come in and help someone get things back in order with their life. I find it fascinating. I think a lot of us see things like BPA free and paraben free and so on and so on. I would love to just if you could just quickly list off just a few of those names that we've seen, we've read, we've heard, but we don't know what they are, so that we can now attach them to this and understand.

[12:26] Jenna Hua : Yes. So BPA is pretty much the poster child of hormone disrupting chemicals. A lot of people know because we actually see that BPA free label. But when you ask people like, do you know what BPA is? And people often don't know. They just say, okay, I know it's bad for me because I see BPA free label all the time. But what to pay attention of is that BPA free? Okay, first of all, there's no regulatory agencies actually monitor and check whether a product is BPA free or not. It's completely up to the manufacturer to put that label on, so there's no verification of that, whether that's actually BPA free or not. In Europe, there is regulatory agency to actually check whether this is BPA free or not. And the definition is if a product have less than, say, zero five milligram per kilograms of this molecule in this chemical in the product, it's considering free. It's kind of like the trans fat free labeling. But if you think about an MBPA, often happens on receipts, grocery store receipt, gas station receipts, or the canned linings of canned food or canned drinks. So if you think about it, even if it's regulated at 0.5, that kind of level, if you drink a lot of canned drinks, if you eat a lot of canned food, it's still going to accumulate. So it doesn't mean it's completely free. That's number one. The second is since BPA has been banned for almost more than a decade now in baby products, thanks to conscious mothers. The manufacturers, however, started using BPA alternatives, which is not labeled anywhere. So this could be right now, the most commonly used is Bps and BPF. They can literally swap a molecule and swap, like, a substrate of that molecule, changing the ladder from BPA all the way to BPZ or any combination of that. So it could be Bpaf, BPB, something that all of these alternatives are actually just as toxic as BPA, if not more. So there's just, like, no way of knowing, okay, is this BPA free? Is actually BPA free, or it's involved in other kind of Bps. So our strategy is, okay, just avoid plastics in general, because BPA and phthalates are the major plasticizer chemicals that's using plastic. So if you can't avoid as much plastic as you can, then you kind of just pretty much eliminate this. And trying to avoid canned food, I think in general, in shopping, BPA free label is still better than not having that label. There's a little bit of assurance there. But in general, just try to avoid the whole category if you can. And the shape of the BPA molecule. I think another thing just to kind of ring the bell for people to think about BPA is if you Google the BPA molecule and then you Google the estrogen molecule, they look really, really similar. They look almost identical. So one function of BPA once in getting into your body is it mimics estrogen. So your body will mistaken BPA with estrogen. And if you think about it, if your body mistaken BPA with estrogen, maybe you'll produce less, or maybe it will produce more and they wouldn't fit. So then it's causing other issues and that's why, okay, yeah. Trying to avoid as much as possible.

[16:01] Katie Chandler: You hear a lot about estrogen dominance now, and this is a contributing factor to that, I'm sure. So, yeah, it's very interesting. And go ahead, Amy.

[16:11] Amy Sherman: I was going to say, why are manufacturers using this in the first place? Is it like a preservative? Like what does it actually do? And why if they're not using that, they're using one of these alternative swaps like you said. What's the deal with that?

[16:25] Jenna Hua : A couple of reasons. First is BPA is actually a pretty magical molecule. BPA is a molecule, that the chemical that makes plastic shatter proof. That's brittle plastic and it has property. And the second is, as you mentioned, a preserving function. So by coding that can lining, for example, if you have acidic food in can, it wouldn't react with the rest of the can. And it also preserves food much longer. And it's cheap, it's just really cheap to make. That's why we have been using it, same as thali. So thali is another chemical that we test. It's also a major plasticizer. Thalate is just what make plastic really flexible. So think about your ceram wrap. A lot of time in the past, ceram wrap is kind of like made of phthalates. One tip we often also tell people is never ever microwave plastic. Some people don't know. So heat actually increases the releasing of these chemicals. And before I've seen people like, okay, first of all, they use a plastic tupperware, have their food in there on top of the tupperware, they put on the ceram wrap and stick the whole thing into the microwave. So it's like then you just get a multiple exposures, okay? You get that shadow proof plastic fun BPA, and then you have the CERN wrap fun phthalates. Phthalates are also used in fragrance a lot. So that's another tip that we often tell people, okay, when you purchase your personal care product, your house cleaning product, your laundry detergent, avoid fragrance. Always read your ingredient label. Avoid that because phthalates is a major ingredient that used in fragrance and it's also a hormone disrupting chemical that it actually blocks testosterone. So we've seen a ton of study in both human studies and animal studies that showing phthalates really impact male fertility.

[18:34] Katie Chandler: And will it say on the ingredients list, phthalates?

[18:39] Jenna Hua : So phthalates are usually not labeled on the ingredient list. It's often just fragrance. It's a major ingredient in fragrance. That's why we wanted people to avoid fragrance at all cost, okay? And to be even safer, even if natural fragrance. So we often get questions asking, what about my fragrances made of essential oil? Right? Not saying essential oil is not beneficial, but there's no way of verify whether this essential oil is actually made up to great. And apparently 50% our world supply of plants is only enough to make about 50% of the essential oil on the market today. So a lot of essential oils are actually synthetically made, and there's just like, no guarantee that what's actually in this essential oil. And there's not enough rigorous testing being done in products. So especially, say, if you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant, we always recommend people to avoid fragrance, whether it's natural or synthetic. Just avoid fragrance just to be safe.

[19:53] Katie Chandler: It's crazy that there's no system in place for these things to be monitored. I mean, I realize with the amount of commerce that this country has and it's coming from all over the world, that it would probably be nearly impossible to do. Maybe that's why it is probably impossible to cover it all. But just like with supplements, supplements are not FDA approved. And you have no idea what you're putting in your body with that. When you think it's a trusted source and it's something that's meant to help you, it's not always necessarily the case.

[20:19] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I saw on your Instagram page just around fragrance, that unscented is also a fragrance, which I had no idea until I saw that. And that's really scary because I've been buying unscented forever because I don't like those perfumey smells, and I thought they were bad for you. But now I'm hearing unscented is also a flavor. Can you talk about that a little bit?

[20:41] Jenna Hua : Yes. So unscented is actually a scent wow. To go with fragrance free.

[20:46] Amy Sherman: It's fragrance free. Okay.

[20:49] Jenna Hua : So it's very misleading because I think a consumer have obviously gone smarter because we know we need to protect ourselves because FDA is not doing the job. But manufacturers also got smarter, right? So unscented is one thing, and then they started using wording like aroma instead of like fragrance. So you'll just see like aroma, but it's the same thing. So fragrance free is the best way to go.

[21:18] Amy Sherman: Okay, and what about when it says I was using and I actually just switched all my stuff, but I can't remember a brand? Maybe it's like tied free and clear.

[21:32] Jenna Hua : Interesting one. So free and clear is better than the regular, for sure, because at least less of these ingredients are used. But besides these major kind of could potentially have hormone disrupting chemicals, a lot of the bigger brands, they could also have other problematic ingredients in addition to, say, fragrance. Fragrance is like the number one. We want to people do that. But if you want to go one step further, other things to look for is trying to avoid petroleum based ingredients. Because petroleum based ingredients would have much higher contamination during the manufacturing process that you wouldn't know. Again, without testing, there's no way of knowing. But one really easy way to recognize any petroleum based ingredients is look for these cap letters on your ingredient list. So Peg PPG, like all of these cap letters, are usually made of petroleum based ingredients. So that's something to pay attention off. Another one is we often also flag is to glycerin is usually used many times glycerin is made of petroleum, but vegetarian glycerin is not. So if you have the choice of buying an ingredient with vegetarian glycerin versus the regular, I would go with the vegetarian one because it's less prone to contamination.

[23:04] Katie Chandler: Okay, so this is a stupid question.

[23:06] Amy Sherman: But is petroleum the same thing as petrolatum?

[23:11] Jenna Hua : Similar. They're like a fun source.

[23:16] Amy Sherman: I use every day on my lips which has petrolatum is obviously not good.

[23:21] Jenna Hua : It's the same source I would have choose say if you use a shia butter that's probably better. Say use a little more like coconut oil. I would have choose that, yeah.

[23:33] Katie Chandler: Okay. It's so interesting and I can see how it can be very overwhelming because you can just look around your house and probably see a million. As I'm drinking out of this, I'm wondering is this safe? It can be very overwhelming, but that's the genius behind million marker is that you have this testing and walk us a little bit through the process. If someone sends in their urine, they do the testing, they get the results and then you have the option to do the coaching as well where you will walk through and say let's take this, this and this out of your life, et cetera.

[24:07] Jenna Hua : Yes, in the last three years we have been doing this whole self serve model that people can enter their journal through our app and then submit in the test. We give the people the option if they want to schedule a call after receiving our report, we'll go over the report, we'll answer any questions they have. But what we realized from that model is that people actually want a lot of handholding, even fun just entering their journal items and fun afterwards they want to check in with us. So we're actually changing our service to more of a white glove service that will actually walk you through your journal and then also walk you through your report so people can purchase a kit online in the future. Then you schedule a quick like 30 to 45 minutes zoom call with us. We actually go through your day of your products and your lifestyle with you. Document that, then you submit your urine sample. We take the first morning urine sample because it's the most concentrated kind of urine and then it's also what's being used nationally or kind of a standard. So then we can actually compare your levels with other ascent as well as the national average. Then we get that analyzed. Then we actually audit your lifestyle, audit your products, and when you get your report back, besides what I mentioned before, understanding your levels, we also have a really comprehensive product audit that we point out out of all the products that you're using, actually every single product that you reported that you're using. Is there any problematic ingredients in there? Not just the ones that we test, but any other one that we would usually flag to make sure you pay attention on. Then you will know. So next time you buy a product, then you can buy a better one that avoid these other problematic ingredients. Because we can't possibly test for everything, but anything that have been reported in scientific literature that's potentially harmful, we want to let folks know. So then next time you can vote with your dollars. I mean, ultimately, consumers shouldn't be responsible for these things, but unfortunately, we have to do that. So then we want to let people know. So next time you buy it, avoid these things.

[26:35] Amy Sherman: So do people do this test? Do they repeat it, like on a yearly basis or something? Because I would think you'd want to kind of see, I took this out. Now what am I showing?

[26:45] Jenna Hua : Yes. So we have quite a few, many customers come back for second testing. So then just to confirm what's going on, our goal is we're hoping this could become like a routine test. My dream would be actually see this type of body burden testing, kind of like your biannual dental checkup. You clean your teeth twice a year. And I think this is a really good way to remind people, hey, you need to clean up your lifestyle too. That this is a really nice reminder if you can do this every half a year, just to show, okay, where you are with your body burden and how do you clean up. Because I think this type of testing or asking people to change their lifestyle, it's not only good for your health, good for your body, it's actually really good for the environment too, because, again, you're avoiding plastic, you're avoiding petrochemicals. There's a lot of quite a bit of impact when it comes to sustainability too. So we probably, none of us, and especially people who are trying to conceive and having kids, you don't want to live in a polluted planet, you don't want your kids to live in a polluted environment. Right. So by doing these things, I think it's like many, many wins not only for your health, but also for the environment as well. So I really want to see this become like a biannual kind of test that we can implement in the future. And hopefully this will become something that insurance will cover. Kind of like the biannual dental checkup that everyone will have access to and then start pay attention on.

[28:33] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[28:33] Amy Sherman: And also just how you would do a yearly blood test or twice a year blood test. It's the same sort of thing that you should be doing every time, right?

[28:41] Jenna Hua : Yes.

[28:42] Katie Chandler: I had a question regarding the test results. You said that you compare them to the national average. So then is there an optimal range of where you want to be with these things or do you want to have zero exposure or is that just impossible?

[28:59] Jenna Hua : Really good question. We want to beat people to be as low as possible. There's actually no safe levels. There are no safe levels for these chemicals. The reason we're comparing with national average is to give you some idea of where you are. So how we compare is based on percentile. And so if you are lower than 25th percentile, we categorize that as low between 25th to 75th, that's medium and above 75th, that we consider that as high. But you should be trying to go below or even non detectable below 25th percentile as much as possible. But talking about the national average, there are limitations with this national average. I actually think we're one of the countries that's actually doing really well when it comes to biomonitoring. So biomonitoring means that we have programs that monitor people's chemical exposure through these biomonitoring program. Right now our national biomonitoring program is set through the CDC, through the National Health Nutrition Examination Survey, where they actually screen for more than 200 chemicals. And the ones that we screen is only part of it. The limitation of enhance of the spinal monitoring program is that the government only screens about 3000 people every other year, not the same people year over year. So you can see the limitation. So 3000 people in the entire US. So if you want to compare, if you think about your gender, your age, your ethnicity, what you have like five people look like you in a database to compare of. Right? So that's a limitation. And then the second is because this is a true kind of snapshot of time, because not all the people are tracked over time. There's no way we can tell the same people with these exposures what happened to them down the road. So another goal for million marker is if we have a lot of people doing testing and doing these continuous testing, we'll be able to see the potential long term impact in humans and then how can we improve and then that could be beneficial for the future generations.

[31:23] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's amazing. That's really unbelievably profound what you guys are doing. The concept is really brilliant. I know that you are focused a lot on helping those with fertility issues. So I'm just curious what kind of success rates that people are seeing when they are able to remove these toxic chemicals and things from their life.

[31:46] Jenna Hua : We don't have enough data to actually show clinically, like with hard numbers, whether detoxing can actually help people achieve successful pregnancy or live birth. That's obviously the ultimate goal. And I think this is what we're trying to do eventually. But I think fundamentally, even though we know about the impact of these chemical literally for decades, the National Institute of Health work in general through the government, we haven't really invested in any money in terms of looking at the potential causal impact and how to do interventions to track. Clinical outcome. There was no money in this. It's unfortunate. And I think this is also excuse that oftentimes chemical companies that uses like why are we not banning these things? And then the argument is that oh, we don't have any causal studies because we cannot show that these chemical actually causes that miscarriages causes infertility. We cannot say that, we can only say they're associated when in reality it's.

[32:55] Katie Chandler: Just because there's not enough data that shows because there haven't been studies, there hasn't been enough money behind studies to get it done. Yeah, that's interesting. Exactly, it's unfortunate.

[33:05] Jenna Hua : It's unfortunate. The other thing is it's almost impossible to do this type of study to looking at causal study because you cannot expose to a pregnant mother to these chemicals and observe what's going to happen. Right. It's just unethical. You cannot do it. So our thinking is if we can show by detox, by reducing people's exposure that we can actually improve these clinical outcome and track people over time, then that's kind of like almost like a backward reverse way of proving there are causal impact. Then we can use this to push for better policies and better and more testing. So that's what we're hoping to do. And that's actually the grant I mentioned that this week, my nirvana, we got a good score and that's exactly this type of intervention studies are what we're trying to do to demonstrate hey, this works.

[34:06] Katie Chandler: Congratulations on that. I'm like a research geek so I always look at the NIH and everything. So that's really exciting. That's very cool. I'm excited to see where it goes. I'm sure it's going to be a bit of a process to get it all in motion and everything but we'll be following it without a doubt.

[34:21] Amy Sherman: I have a question about the test too. Do people use this for kids? Because as you're talking I'm like I want to test my whole family. Have you seen other people using it for kids?

[34:30] Jenna Hua : We're being asked right now our thinking is if the parents consent, yes, we can test for kids, but on our website we say 18 and above. But we have been asked whether they can test for kids that we definitely need parents consent. I think a lot of researchers worry is it's hard to interpret the results when it comes to kids and others. We even have people asking about like can we test our pets for these chemicals? It's because we don't have enough data. So in an enhanced database for kids, for adults we have about 1800 out of 3000. The rest of them are kids. But kids it's tricky because kids are growing and their growth status, it could be really different, it could really impact their hormone levels. So if you're an infant versus your adolescence, not only your hormones are different but also your growth stage, your detox system is not fully built. And that's also another reason that we really trying to pay attention on the younger, what we call it, developmental timing really matters. That means the younger you get exposed to the potential detrimental impact these chemical will have on you more. So we really want to start in uterine. Even when people planning for pregnancy, really thinking about it starts with the egg, it starts with the sperm. You should try to optimize your egg quality and sperm quality before you're getting pregnant and also start practicing this healthy lifestyle. And then you carry that throughout your pregnancy. And when your kid is born, your kid will already have a head start living a healthy lifestyle. And not only developmental timing matters. So then in uter, exposure really matters and then throughout the growth stage. But it's also we think it's like you literally get the biggest bang for your bucks because you're affecting literally generations. Because another thing we have observed in research is that these chemical can impact your future generations. That means your grandparents exposure will show up in you. Like your exposure will actually show up in your grandkids.

[36:55] Katie Chandler: Wow, that's wild. That's alarming too.

[37:00] Amy Sherman: Yeah, it is alarming. Okay, so before we do our wrap session with you, we want to get a couple tips that you have for detoxifying your life. Just some general things that someone's listening and they're going, well, what can I do right now, I'm going to do the test, but what can I do? What can I start changing in my life? Do you have some tips for that?

[37:19] Jenna Hua : Yes, absolutely. Number one, figured you would obviously avoid fragrance because I think when it comes to products, anything you purchase, this is like the easiest way to change. Just pay attention on eliminate fragrance, find all your personal care products or your household cleaning products. It's the number one. It's also just the easiest. The second is looking to your kitchen because a lot of our exposure besides products is coming from food. So what are you using to store your food? Right, use stainless steel containers or glass containers. Just get rid of all the plastic tupperwares and all these things. Use a b wax wrap instead of like seren wrap and you can use it multiple times. And again, it's also something really good for the environment and then also help you detox and also think about one thing we didn't really talk about is we have this whole other category of chemicals called persistent chemicals, also hormone disruptors, but because they're persistent, they stay in your body for a long time. One of the category a lot of people have heard is the Forever chemical PFAS. Right. And we want people to get rid of your teflon pens, like change to stainless steel, change to cast iron or ceramic. Because this category of chemicals, once you get exposed to it, literally stays in your body for a long time. You can't get rid of it.

[38:51] Amy Sherman: Wow.

[38:52] Jenna Hua : Again, if you change your pots and pants at home in your kitchen. You don't need to change again for many years in the future. Especially if you use a cast iron you can literally pass on to your kids. So you just need to do it once. So this investment is very much worth it. So we want people to, hey, do a kitchen detox that get rid of these things and do it once. Then again, you eliminated a lot of these exposure. And the next thing is try to get a water filter. Any filter is better than no filter. But if you can have your hands on a reverse osmosis water filter, that's sort of a cash at all filter. Because our water is also contaminated, let alone sort of the city water system. Now we're also having a lot of household buildings or even new buildings that changing copper pipe to PVC pipe. PVC is a plastic that's actually not good. There's a lot of argument like why we even have this policy changing it. But I mean, that's worth a whole other chat. But having a water filter is really important because you're drinking water all the time, right? And then the last thing is try to eat out less, eat more at home. Because first of all, you have fully control of what you're cooking, what are your ingredients, try to eat as much organic as you can. I know there is budget reasons for many people, but if you can try to do that because pesticides, many pesticides are also hormone disruptors. So if you can do that, that would be great. And eating out less also helps you eliminate a lot of, for example, less packaged food or eating less at the restaurant also helps you avoid. Because another thing we found out is through some individual testing is if you eat out in restaurant, oftentimes restaurant will cook with gloves. Those rubber gloves are also potential contaminants that can potentially contaminate the food. And you don't know, they will probably put like a hot soup in a plastic container and they will use other things. So you would just get that exposure. Even the takeout container is also a big one. I was just thinking that during the pandemic we literally see people's levels spiking out because people are eating so much takeout. So if you're eating at home, you have full control over that. So I think that's my top tips for detoxing.

[41:34] Katie Chandler: Yeah, those are excellent. That's excellent.

[41:36] Amy Sherman: So helpful. And for our listeners, I saw, we saw in your website you have an approved products list, which I think is really helpful. I actually went on it this morning because I just switched over to branch basics for all of my cleaning and I saw it was on your list. So I was like, okay, yes. So I thought that was really helpful. So for our listeners, all of those things are really helpful tips. And then if you go onto the website, you can also get a sense of what products are recommended by Million Marker. So before we get into our wrap session, where can everybody find you?

[42:07] Jenna Hua : Please find us on our website, www.millionmarker.com. Sign up to our newsletter. We're trying to keep people posted regarding our progress or any new research, any news around these topics. So sign up. We're also pretty active on social media. Instagram just million underscore Marker. Also Twitter. We trying to generate a lot of education content, not just around Detoxing, but anything same as you guys, anything that comes to do with wellness, because you can't just Detox. You literally need everything else in check to help you with Detox and support your healthy lifestyle. So talking about nutrition, talking about physical activity, talking about stress, talking about gut health, everything. So we're pretty active, and we're trying to generate good content to support people for their healthy lifestyle. So definitely check us out.

[43:07] Katie Chandler: Love it. Thank you. Thank you for everything that you're doing. It's such an amazing company and business and everything that you've started. So we're grateful that you're here. So why don't we kick off with our wrap session because we are very curious few things. What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack aside from Detoxing and everything?

[43:30] Jenna Hua : My hack, I guess, is like soup. I make soup almost every day, all kinds of soup, partially because I think it's very soothing. And then the second is water is also really important for Detoxing. So you kind of need a lot of these transient toxins that we test, and then we talk about you literally pee them out. So you need water and also think, like, you have to have enough water for good skin health, too. So it obviously have to do with your health and obviously have to do with beauty.

[44:08] Katie Chandler: Yeah, absolutely.

[44:09] Amy Sherman: That's a great one. What's your favorite soup? What's your favorite soup that you make?

[44:14] Jenna Hua : Any soup is good soup. I make simple vegetable stock or to meat based stock. I do a lot of that, and I try to learn from, I guess, different cultures. I'm Chinese, so there's a big part of Chinese culture is also super into soup. So it could be meat stock. It could be like beef and then like bone broth. A lot of bone broth.

[44:37] Katie Chandler: Love it.

[44:38] Jenna Hua : But I also love Italian soup, veggie, and I love chili, too, so it's not exactly a soup, but I kind of feel like that's kind of like a soup.

[44:49] Amy Sherman: Yeah, it sounds good. You're getting me in the mood to make a good soup, too.

[44:52] Katie Chandler: I know I have. Okay for breakfast.

[44:57] Jenna Hua : Yeah. Savory broth breakfast. I love savory. Breakfast was like one broth.

[45:03] Amy Sherman: Okay. The next one we call our five minute flow. So here's the scenario. You just got out of the shower and dried off. Uber just alerted you. They're five minutes away. What's your quick beauty routine? What do you do? Like, what do you put on. What are your Holy Grails? To get ready and into that car on time.

[45:21] Jenna Hua : I go pretty easy if I don't need to. I don't really use makeup or cosmetic or anything. I just use a face serum. That's it. Like some oil. Really easy. Yeah, one pump, put it on that's, it good to go.

[45:37] Amy Sherman: What kind of oil do you use for dying to know what oil you use?

[45:41] Jenna Hua : So recently I was working with this brand called Hue and Grace. They're pretty cool brand started by Ben and Sarah. They had quite a bit fertility struggle themselves and they trying to provide a hormone save product. Recently I have been using their product. It's quite easy, really, like their face serum and night serum. So I've been using that. And in general, it was also through some of the testing we've done and also just looking into products. Using oil is much better than using lotion because of the simple ingredients. Usually if you get an oil, you can do as simple as very few ingredients. So when you have fewer ingredients, there's less contamination. And the formulation wise, it's a lot harder to formulate, say a lotion versus oil because then it requires more emulsifier, like surfactants and all these other things into lotion. So that's sort of like also my sort of rule of thumb when it comes to products, it's just like as simple as possible and put it on easy and then get going.

[46:56] Amy Sherman: Nice.

[46:56] Katie Chandler: Yeah. I love it. All right, and our last one is how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

[47:03] Jenna Hua : Exercise is pretty important. I think a work is really hectic. I mean, everybody's life is very hectic these days. Being able to do some exercise is really important. I try to do yoga almost every afternoon. That kind of get me relaxed and also really prevents my back pain. Before I started doing yoga, I literally had a really severe back pain episode that I couldn't walk for three days. Like, literally couldn't walk for three days. Wow. And then once I started yoga, it hasn't happened once, and it's just really beneficial, I think, for both mind and body, especially for ladies who are over 35, you start losing muscles, and strength training is quite important. And I felt like yoga is not only you get that Zen, but you're actually training. You actually get this strength training. So it's like very cost effective and very efficient. I also try to do quick run in the morning just to get a little bit sunlight, get a little bit fresh air. That helps with productivity. So these are the two things I try to do. But I have to also say that it's always a struggle. You often feel like you want to be lazy and don't want to get out of bed and don't want to go to your yoga class. It's a struggle. But I think once I'm there and once I do it, I felt like, yes, I need these things to achieve my daily in the mana.

[48:35] Katie Chandler: It's absolutely I know people don't too often go work out, and when they leave, think like, oh, I wish I didn't do that. You always leave, right?

[48:47] Amy Sherman: That's so good. Well, thank you so much, Jenna, for joining us. This was really eye opening and really fascinating. And we might have to have you back for part two because I feel like there are just so many questions that we'll have our listeners will have after hearing this. So thank you again. We're really excited to do this test and to start implementing some of these practices. So we really appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

[49:10] Jenna Hua : Thank you so much for having me.

[49:13] Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

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Episode 103 - Product Junkies - Getting Ready For Spring - What We Are Loving Right Now (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 103, Episode 103 - Product Junkies - Getting Ready For Spring - What We Are Loving Right Now

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are Sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:24] Amy Sherman: You.

[00:28] : Welcome back to the show. Nirvana Sisters family. It's Amy and Katie, and we're live in the studio together, and we are excited to do a spring product junkie. So we're going to do a quick episode on some new things that we're loving for spring. And let's get started. I'm handing it to you, Katie.

[00:46] Katie Chandler: All right, this is going to kind of be a bit of a speed round. So spring, summer. You're for sure going to need this. And I just recently discovered it, and I'm obsessed. This is for your wellness. It is the body armor super drink. It's a superior hydration drink. I am always partial to the element electrolytes LMNT, because they're so clean, they have nothing in them except for the electrolytes, the sodium, the potassium, the magnesium. This. We are in DC visiting, obviously. I'm here in Maryland with Amy. We were walking around with our kids all day the other day touring DC. And it was maybe 80 degrees, and I was for sure losing my electrolytes and getting dehydrated. And I grabbed one of these without even looking at it. It was just all I could get my hands on in the moment. And after I bought it, I checked it out. It's really clean. It's made from coconut water. It has pure cane sugar, which I think is actually better than, like, erythritol and things like that because it's natural and it's not like I'm drinking it all the time.

[01:49] : Exactly.

[01:50] Katie Chandler: But the great thing about it is that not only does it have electrolytes, but it also has minerals and B vitamins and zinc and all of these other great things. The point is, when I drank it, within, I don't know, 20 minutes, I had better absolute, like, energy burst. And I have one now because I'm drinking one. Yeah.

[02:16] : And that's blue raspberry flavor just to come in other flavors, probably, right?

[02:19] Katie Chandler: Yeah, it does come in a lot of flavors. It's really good, but it definitely cooks me up. I love that.

[02:24] : Yeah, we had them in our house. Jackson had bought them, and I hadn't even tried it yet, so I'm going to try that.

[02:29] Katie Chandler: It's good.

[02:29] : Okay. Speaking of dehydrated, I'm going to talk about my dehydrated under eyes, which have been very dehydrated because that skin is so thin lately. So I bought this quora organics. I can't even read it. What does that say? Katie's? My interpreter.

[02:43] Katie Chandler: Cora Organics. Smallest bottle ever.

[02:49] : Nori nori eye oil.

[02:51] Katie Chandler: Is that what it is?

[02:52] : Noni radiant eye.

[02:53] Katie Chandler: Noni okay.

[02:55] : Cora Noni Radiant Eye oil. And I love it. It's in this small bottle, but it actually lasts a really long time because you barely need any but you just kind of it's a roller ball. Yeah, it's a roller ball. And you put on your eyes. It feels so good. And I don't know, you know how, like, sometimes your eyes just the undereye gets dried out in the middle of the day, and then you want to go out to dinner, but you don't want to redo your eyes. You just kind of throw that on and maybe put some concealer on top of it.

[03:18] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's so good. Does feel very good. I know exactly what you're talking about. You wear your makeup all day and then it gets a little dry and cracking. The only way to revive it is to start fresh. Yeah. This is a little sex.

[03:30] : It's nice, right? Hydrating. So it's a rollerball, and you could just do this, but it doesn't, like, come out.

[03:36] Katie Chandler: That great.

[03:37] : So I just kind of put on my finger.

[03:39] Katie Chandler: I love this.

[03:39] : It's a good little pick me up. Okay, what do you got?

[03:42] Katie Chandler: Nice.

[03:42] : What's next?

[03:43] Katie Chandler: All right, so my next one speaking of eyes, do you remember you were telling me all about how much you hate eye makeup removers because they're usually oily and it gets in your eyes and it drives you crazy?

[03:52] : Yeah. And it never comes off.

[03:53] Katie Chandler: So I found it's not necessarily made for that, but it is a makeup remover. It's not eyes in particular. It's the bioderma CBM h 20 mistler. Water micellar water. However you say it, it's great at getting rid of your makeup on your face and everything, but it's really nice at taking your eye makeup off. And it's not oily. Anytime I use it, I don't feel like I have oil left in my eyelashes or doesn't take off in the scar.

[04:22] : Good, because I have a Micular water that I use, and it's pretty good for eye makeup. But still, I feel like there's a.

[04:27] Katie Chandler: Little bit left over this one. It works. I mean, you have to do a couple of times it's not just going to work with one wipe, but I'm obsessed with it. So this is now I'm doing the whole double cleanse thing where I use the Mysore water, and then I wash my face. And when I want to take off my eye makeup, which I don't do it every night, but I should, I use that. And it's really good.

[04:46] : And you just put on a cotton pad.

[04:47] Katie Chandler: I just put on a cotton pad. It's great. It's like, not even $20, and it's a big bottle. The Bioderma brand is really nice.

[04:54] : Yeah, that's a nice brand.

[04:55] Katie Chandler: Yeah. Okay, what's next? I want to know what that is.

[04:58] : Okay, so this is the Kosis Glow IV vitamin infuser skin enhancer. And the color that I got is sheer medium tan. So I think I talked about the drunk elephant bronzy drops, like, a long time ago, before it trended on TikTok PS, but I think it was in one of our original product junkies, and I still have that bottle, but it's running low, so I got this, and it's a nice alternative for that. This one's a little bit more maybe a little bit more glowy. It's really nice, and it's a good alternative for the bronze drops, or you might even like it better. It's a little softer. It's a little glowier. You could use it all over your face without anything. You could mix it with moisturizer. You could use it as a highlighter. It has a lot of uses. It's really pretty.

[05:42] Katie Chandler: You know what I like about it? It also reminds me of what's? The CVS, the drugstore dupe of the junk elephant. Is it the L'Oreal glow glocion that we like? Lumi glocion. Yeah, that can be a little oily. And this isn't at all. This gets into the skin really nicely, and it dries, and then it gives you a really great shimmer, and you might not be able to see it on the camera. Yeah, but that's beautiful.

[06:08] : Yeah, it's really, like, almost like a skin sort of like a skin tint. It says on here, Glow all over or whatever. You feel it alone. Mix or layer with foundation, and it's infused with glutathione, vitamin D, and vitamin K. Nice.

[06:24] Katie Chandler: Yeah, this is nice. I'm getting this. Love it.

[06:27] : Yeah, so it's a really good one.

[06:28] Katie Chandler: I'm kind of obsessed with kosis.

[06:30] : I know. They have such good products.

[06:32] Katie Chandler: Love.

[06:33] : Okay, what do you have?

[06:34] Katie Chandler: All right, so this is my last one, elf Acne Fighting Putty Primer. It's a makeup primer, but it helps with your acne, which is fantastic, and it gives a really nice matte finish. And it has salicylic acid in it.

[06:49] : So if you smell starting your day.

[06:51] Katie Chandler: And maybe you've got a little bit of a breakout, you can put it on under your makeup, and it helps keep your makeup in place while also treating your acne.

[07:00] : That's great.

[07:00] Katie Chandler: And I did notice it kind of helped clear up any pimples that I had a little bit faster than maybe if I have makeup on my face.

[07:10] : All day, of course, affecting it.

[07:12] Katie Chandler: Right. And then the other thing that I like about it is, like, last night when we were all having dinner, I didn't have any makeup on, but I don't want to be shiny either, so I just kind of, like, put some around, and it dulled my face. But it was also, like a treatment because of the salicylic acid.

[07:24] : Yeah, it's so nice. I have the putty primer. The elf putty primer.

[07:28] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[07:29] : It has a similar feel for that, and I love the way that that feels. But this is better because it has whatever it has to fight acne. So that's nice.

[07:36] Katie Chandler: Yeah, it's a salicylic acid, so yeah, it's great. Elf. Elf is always elf for the win. Right. They're kind of crushing it lately.

[07:42] : Yeah.

[07:43] Katie Chandler: What do you have next?

[07:45] : So next I have I love Westminutellier, so I got another stick. And so this one's called Baby Cheeks Blush Stick. And the color is pop it I have two other blushes from this brand, which I love, but they're not as poppy. Like, they're just kind of like a nice muted, like a rosy pinky blow, which are pretty. This is like a really pretty pop.

[08:11] Katie Chandler: Oh, that's fun.

[08:12] : Isn't that fun?

[08:13] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[08:13] : So I thought this would be good for spring little color, nighttime. So when I put it on, it's really like a new color. I mean, it's natural, but it's just got a little bit more bang. So I love it.

[08:25] Katie Chandler: And it's a stick, which is great. Can I feel it? Yeah, I just want to feel and.

[08:30] : You could either put it directly on your face I see people put it directly on their face, or I see people using a brush. Get it on the brush and then put it on your face.

[08:38] Katie Chandler: Yeah. It's very pigmented, and it melts nicely into the skin.

[08:41] : Yeah, that's pretty. It's really pretty. So it gives a little bit more color than the other sticks that I have. And I also have I think I reviewed it before. Chuchette, I think is one of the colors I have. And then I also have it in the bronzer, like the contour stick, which I love.

[08:59] Katie Chandler: It also looks like it's so pigmented that if you just use a touch, you could do more of a natural vibe. And then if you want that poppy more fun, you just put on a little heavier. Yeah, it's pretty. Exactly.

[09:09] : And it's got the magnetized, which I always love. That's great.

[09:13] Katie Chandler: My next one is not so much a current, it's a review update. I want to loop you guys in on a product that I reviewed maybe two months ago. Scoro lash lash Lengthening Serum.

[09:27] : Yeah.

[09:28] Katie Chandler: My lashes have grown so much, it's ridiculous. They're not thicker.

[09:34] : They're longer.

[09:35] Katie Chandler: They're longer. I don't think I did it before and after last time because honestly, I felt like I knew they were working, but it might be hard to see to someone that doesn't know how short my lashes are. So it wasn't dramatic enough yet. So I'm going to post a before and after now because I've been on it for two or three months. Okay. And I for sure notice the difference. Without a doubt. I need a lot less mascara to get some length, and they're not falling out, too. My lashes used to just fall out and they're keeping them healthy. Interesting. Yeah.

[10:06] : And where'd you get it? Amazon.

[10:08] Katie Chandler: Amazon.

[10:08] : Okay. Scoro Lash. So good to know. I also coming up, have an eye episode. An eyelash episode that I want to do solely on eyelash and eyebrow products. And I have one that I'm going to review in that. So I'm going to save my eyelash review for that episode. But it's a different brand. I want to talk about that one as well.

[10:29] Katie Chandler: And I would like to review you did an eyebrow product that I think you've already reviewed. It the too faced, the one that Browler lifted.

[10:40] : Yeah.

[10:41] Katie Chandler: When I saw you at the end of your work day on Wednesday, it was like eight or 09:00 at night. They were perfectly in place. I'm buying that tomorrow. It's legit.

[10:51] : It's so good.

[10:52] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[10:53] : I think it's the two faced either the two faced we'll put it in the show notes. It's either the too faced brow wax or brow lift or something like that.

[11:02] Katie Chandler: They had the laminated, like, did they notice up look?

[11:06] : Oh, my God.

[11:06] Katie Chandler: Yeah. And that was what time did you put your makeup on?

[11:09] : In the morning.

[11:10] Katie Chandler: That morning?

[11:10] : Yes. No, that really good. Okay, well, lastly, speaking of eyes, this is the last fun spring update. So I got this really pretty tart eyeshadow palette. It's called Toasted tartlet toasted. Amazonian Clay Palette. And these colors are gorgeous. Look at this. That's so pretty. Yeah, I'm going to show it on screen.

[11:33] Katie Chandler: Beautiful.

[11:34] : Aren't those nice? Really pretty. For spring, let me say they're pretty neutral, but they're like neutrally rose goldie browns. I mean, I think they're flattering on every type of eye color, I feel like, because these colors are just really and I have been testing a lot of eyeshadows because I find that many of them, at least for me, do not stay on, or they're not pigmented enough. And so these are pigmented and really nice. And I also have been using I don't have the brand with me. I'll talk about it next time. An eyeshadow primer. And the eyeshadow primer has actually helped to keep my eyeshadow on and to sort of neutralize that redness so the pigment stays better. But anyway, these are really nice.

[12:15] Katie Chandler: These are beautiful.

[12:16] : And for some reason smell it. It smells really good.

[12:18] Katie Chandler: It does smell good.

[12:19] : It smells like marshmallow or something. And then I was like, oh, it's called Toasted. Maybe it's supposed to, I have no idea. But it smells really good.

[12:27] Katie Chandler: You know what kind of the palette is like that really natural, smoky look? You can achieve that. You see it on, like, Chem K, a lot like it's like the natural browns and neutral browns. It's really beautiful.

[12:41] : That's my new favorite palette I've been using.

[12:43] Katie Chandler: Gorgeous.

[12:43] : Okay, so I think that is it for our quick round of April spring product junkies. We'll be back next month with more products that we're loving. It is.

[12:53] Katie Chandler: But before we go, I just want to really quickly talk about our guest, Erica Tempo, that we had last week. I saw her today. I got a lymphatic drainage massage from her. And how was it? It was phenomenal. She is so incredibly talented. I could feel her literally, like, squeezing the fluid, the inflammation, everything out of me. She took before and afters, which I don't really know if I want to post those on social. They're a little personal, but you can see I stood up and I felt like I was £5 thinner. I mean, you could see she creates definition. She literally creates the definition.

[13:28] : And I felt it before and afters, and you could see, like, you couldn't see your ribs, and then afterwards, you could see your ribs. Like, all that fluid just went away.

[13:35] Katie Chandler: It just went away. My waist got narrower and everything. So she's incredibly talented. If you're in the Bethesda area, you should definitely go see her. Or the Maryland area in general. I mean, she goes to New York for clients.

[13:46] : Yeah, New York clients come here to see her too.

[13:48] Katie Chandler: She goes to New York City Fashion Week to prepare the models for runway shows and everything. So she's incredible. We love her. We love Derek attempt. So, yeah, that was my update. We have somebody that wants to say hi.

[13:59] : Oh, yeah. Really quick special guest.

[14:01] Katie Chandler: She's a special guest. Madeline Chandler. My nine year old is in the house. Just give a quick hello, say hi.

[14:08] : What's your nirvana of the week?

[14:13] Katie Chandler: Probably just, like, getting here and being in DC. And also going to also going to my cousin's house and just, like, raining with my family. Yes, we love being together. Okay.

[14:30] Amy Sherman: All right, see you next time.

[14:32] : Bye.

[14:34] Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us.

[14:49] : Tune in next week for a fresh.

[14:50] Amy Sherman: New episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Episode 100 - 100 Episodes! What We Have Learned + Exciting Announcements! (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 100.

[00:07] Amy: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are Sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:24] Amy: You um, hello and welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters Family. This is a very, very special episode. We are celebrating 100 episodes today. I cannot believe it, Katie. I'm literally in disbelief. I know, but we're here.

[00:43] Katie: Congrats. Woohoo.

[00:46] Amy: Congrats to you too. I just cannot believe how far we've come. This was a nugget of an idea, what, two years ago? Two ish two and a half years ago, and we've done 100 episodes. So first and foremost, I just want to thank you for being my partner in crime, my sister in law, one of my best friends. I just think so much has changed over the last couple of years for us, and I think we've gotten so much closer because of this podcast, because we're connecting on things more often. We're talking all the time. We're business partners. We've become closer friends. It's just like the whole thing has been so amazing. It's just like thinking about it. We're always so rushed. We were just talking before we started this recording. We're so rushed, we don't really get a chance to reflect. So my first thank you is to you.

[01:36] Katie: That's really sweet. Yeah, I feel the same way. I'm in shock and disbelief that we're at 100 episodes, but at the same time, we've done everything souped to nuts for this thing. So it's also like kind of when you think about the weight of all the work that we've done, you can feel that as well. And it feels like a huge accomplishment. And I want to thank you too. I love you so much. And this was your idea. This is like your little you called me one day. I remember when you said this to me. I was sitting on the corner of my bathtub in my old house, looking out the window, thinking, she's insane. How are we going to do a podcast? Look, here we are. And it has it's been great. Here we are.

[02:16] Amy: Yeah, I know. It's just crazy how if you put your mind to something, you can have a nugget of an idea and you put your mind to something and do it and keep doing it and keep doing it over and over again, and it grows and more people know about it. And all of our listeners have been so incredible. So thank you to everyone listening. Thank you for all your support, all your comments, all your feedback. It's just been so encouraging to hear from you and to hear about what you want to hear about when you like something, when you don't like something. And so, yeah, we're just going to spend the next few minutes just kind of talking through the last 100 episodes and some of the highlights. And we also have some exciting announcements we're going to talk about at the end. So, yeah, just thank you to everyone who has supported and listened to us over the last few years. We're just so excited we've reached this really huge milestone and can't wait for more. So, Katie, what's your takeaway from these last 100 episodes, if you have one?

[03:11] Katie: Oh, my gosh. I mean, it's hard to just have one other than I've learned so much. And a massive thank you to all of our unbelievably talented and intelligent and powerful guests that we've had. We've spoken to some of the most amazing entrepreneurs, some of the most amazing doctors. I've learned so much. I think I could touch on a few of probably the most powerful ones that have resonated with me the most. The most recent one would be Dr. Angela Holiday Bell on sleep hygiene. She just like, tapping into she really helped me kind of understand what I need to be doing to kind of reel my sleep in. And that literally has kind of changed my life. The thing as simple as wearing blue lights when you watch TV before you go to bed helped me fall asleep faster and helping me understand why I need more time to wind down because I have a harder time producing melatonin, like does all of that. And then Jessica McGuire. Remember Jessica McGuire from the Vagus Nerve talking about the nervous system? The Vagus Nerve, I think that was the single most powerful episode out of all of our 100 episodes for me personally, the window of tolerance, understanding what it means to have a dysregulated nervous system, recognizing someone's dysregulated nervous system, and then learning how to co regulate. It's helped me. It's helped my husband, it's helped my kids. That episode was really profound for me. And, I mean, I could say that about so many of them. Natasha Brinkman. It's like a master class on skincare, right?

[04:58] Amy: Oh my God, that was amazing.

[05:00] Katie: Obsessed. What about you? What are some of yours?

[05:05] Amy: Honestly, I'm like sitting here scrolling through all of these 100 episodes, and I think for me, there were pieces of information that I've gotten from every single episode that I've applied to my life. I mean, to your point. Like The Vagus Nerve episode and breathing from Erica Brunozer and talking about parenting tips and how to talk to your kids, that one was really helpful for me. Also, shout out to Zoe Feldman. I was just looking. She was our first official guest on Nirvana Sisters in episode six. So we love Zoe, and so many of our kind of like, people that we knew, friends of friends of Friends kind of started out with us in the beginning and then we sort of grew from there. And I think I've just taken bits and pieces, like whether it be from Cat Can Cook and The Hungry Lady salad to, like you said, skincare with Natasha or hormone stuff with Michelle Aspinwall. Also, of course, one of my favorites was talking to Ellie Webb, which was definitely a dream come true for me, and talking to Brittany Driscoll and talking to some of these business leaders, just getting advice on entrepreneurial stuff and how to balance motherhood and working and all of these things. So I don't know, it's so hard to pick a favorite. I think for me, it's just taking bits and pieces of all of these things and using the ones that work for me. And I think from a listener standpoint, too, it seems like people listen to the episodes that they're interested in and then they take pieces from that. And it's like everyone that we have on is an expert in something, but it doesn't mean that what they're saying works for everyone. And so I think that using some of these bits and pieces across all the episodes helps you in whatever way you want. I also thought I'm just kind of scrolling through and looking like episode 50, the psychedelic therapy with Julia Mirror was just so fascinating. Like, it's so out of our ether and something we don't really talk about and think about, but just learning about that. And I also find now that I'm talking to people or a subject comes up and it's related to any one of our episodes, whether it was chiropractics or psychedelics or vagus nerve or chromal wellness, even, I find that I have this information somehow stuck in the back of my head and I just regurgitate it, not even realizing that I knew it. Yeah, because we're just picking up pieces of information as we go. It's just kind of like sinking in and then you do something differently and you're like, oh, yeah, I learned that in this Chroma episode. Or I learned this from Janelle Kim when we talked to her about traditional Chinese medicine. And I think we've made so many great connections with other women, which I really like, too. When we think about someone like Rachel Johnson, who we did the episode on, it was episode 63 when we talked about Green's Water Move Repeat and her whole company, AMI Health. It's just been great to meet these other women who were doing similar things to us, and we're all sort of this family and everyone supports each other, which I think is so nice about the podcasting world. There's so many podcasts, but in a good way, right? Like, everyone encourages each other and everybody wants to help, and it's just like one big podcast family, I feel like. And when we meet all these women that are in wellness or View Your Skincare, everyone's excited for everyone and everyone celebrates one another. And I really like that about this space.

[08:27] Katie: Yeah, it's incredibly supportive. I think you're exactly right. We've had a few amazing male guests also, that we've learned a lot from I think it's funny, when we first started, we didn't know if we were going to necessarily lean more female centric and it's just kind of been a natural gravitation. But it's all part of that support system and I'm really proud of it, actually. I think it's great. And it's also when you were talking about things that you learned and I was also just thinking about a way that this has kind of shaped me as a person. Doing this with you for the last two years is it's just made me more confident. When I meet new people, I almost find them. Like, I'm like and I'm not interviewing them, but I just have such an easier time meeting new people now because it's what we do. We talk to new people and we interview them pretty much weekly. And then a lot of these people are stuck in my head. They live rent free in my head with some of their amazing quotes like Andrea Marcellus, I just hear her say, like, your afternoon snack should be protein and a healthy fat. And then I hear Dr. Janelle Kim saying things like, stop being drunk on your own thoughts. Or Rachel, you just said Rachel and me greens, water, move, repeat. I can't tell you how many times these things just pop in my head. I'm like, oh yeah, that'll help my day get better. Just follow that. Follow that. So it's amazing. We're really fortunate and grateful to have come across the people that we have and had them on the show.

[09:56] Amy: Yeah, and I also it's funny because I feel like we've done episodes that we aired a long time ago and some of those topics are coming up now, like Fascia or Guaca and all of these things we sort of talked about a couple of years ago that are now coming into the world. And it's just I love learning about things that we see are sort of bubbling up and trending and then all of a sudden you hear them all the time as people's regular vernacular. So I think that's interesting. We also can't forget about our product junkie episodes because I think those have grown and we've gotten a lot of really positive feedback about those. And those are definitely one of my favorites because they're just us talking and chitchatting about what products we like, which we do all the time anyway, which was part of the reason we started this podcast. Like, let's just record our phone conversations and talk about, oh, I tried this, I tried this. So just like, doing all that has been super fun and tapped into the passion that we both had for products and just trying new things and talking about those new things. But I agree with you. When I meet with people, too, I definitely feel more confident and have kind of like, more ways to communicate because I don't think sometimes I'm the best communicator and I think this podcast has helped me to slow down, try and work on not saying as much. I also think it's helped with my public speaking. So from my corporate job, just being confident to go up in front of a room of people and talk, it's like one of those things that everyone's always nervous about no matter how many times you've done it. It's like a scary thing. But I think being able to talk every week on the mic and have it being recorded kind of gives you a lot of practice. So it helps just in general with communication and active listening.

[11:38] Katie: Yeah. Also I've had some just like fun favorite moments. Like nothing is funnier to me than when we're doing product junkies and I hold up a product and you're like, yes, I have that one too. I was going to review it this week. Or how fun is I know, we're like same brain. Exactly. And then seeing our guests in the wild. How wild was that, that you ran into Brittany Driscoll in La a little while ago and then seeing Meredith Quill running into her? Well, we didn't run into her, but going to her event in Westport and those little connections are really special. So yeah, it's all just been a lot of fun.

[12:18] Amy: Yeah, I love it. And it's actually really funny too, because then you start seeing people that we've interviewed connect. Who was it? I think Brittany Driscoll and Katie Whelan, who we just had on recently, talked about all the peptide stuff. They both live in Nashville and I saw that they were on some panel together.

[12:34] Katie: Oh, nice.

[12:34] Amy: And I was just like, oh my God, that's so weird that they happen to be on the same panel. We've had them both on the show, like they're in the same space, so it's just like all these crazy worlds colliding. But I think it's just this was definitely born out of a passion project. It still is. And I wanted to also talk a little bit about the blood, sweat and tears that this has been for us because again, we're busy and running and everyone says to me, and I'm sure they say to you too, like, how are you doing at all? And the answer is, I have no idea. But I think when you have a passion and you enjoy something, it doesn't matter and you just kind of figure out a way to do it. Nothing is perfect. Of course. It's like we always say, we could be doing more, we could be doing this, we could be doing that. But at the end of the day, we make **** happen. And I think it's really hard to do being like having another full time job, being a mom, doing this. We do this on the nights, we do this on the weekends, we do it when we can squeeze it in, but it's ours and we can kind of figure it out as we go. And I think for you, Katie, a lot has evolved in your world, too, from where you were to where you are now. So I kind of want to get your thoughts on how you're balancing it and how you're feeling because I think we don't spend enough time reflecting on that part.

[13:38] Katie: Yeah, no, I think that's really true. It's funny, I have been thinking recently about how happy I am with the balance in my life right now, because when we first started, I was a stay at home mom and I was wanting something more, so we did this. But then there was moments where it was so overwhelming because I hadn't worked in a decade. And then I have just gone back to my other job recently. And while there's a lot going on, I just feel like every box is being ticked right now. Like, I have my family time, I have my passion project, my passion job, which is this that's like, fun and so exciting. I have my work, which is also great, and I'm making my own money. So while the balance of it can be a struggle at times, it's very fulfilling and well rounded. And I've had moments where I thought, how are we going to keep doing this? But I think that happens when there's unnecessary pressure applied. And I think we've both been really smart about making sure we're just continuously enjoying it and not putting so much pressure on ourselves. And as long as we keep doing that, then we just keep plugging away and trucking away. And now we're doing everything that we do. It's like we could do it in our sleep.

[15:04] Amy: Exactly. I mean, looking back when we first started editing a podcast, we were like, wait, how do you do this? And how do you do this? And now we literally do everything, soup to nuts. And it's time consuming, but we know how to do it and we've become experts in it, which is so cool. I just love learning and to be able to learn a new craft and to be able to produce a podcast. And for people who don't do it, it's really hard to envision what goes into it. But there's probably like, I don't know, 250 steps from like A to Z right, to get it launched on a weekly basis. And it's a lot. And I think just being able to learn another skill set as you're moving along your life is so important. We're learning every week. Every time we talk to someone, we're learning new information. I think we're both learners and we love to learn, especially when it comes to something that we're personally passionate about. But just learning a new skill is so rewarding. I mean, just like, this is so technical and so different than what I do in my marketing role of big ideas and all this strategy work. And this is so technical editing and producing, but I really love it, like, getting into the nitty gritty. It's actually like I love producing the episodes and launching sometimes more than other things. I don't know why. And I know for you, Katie, you didn't know much about social media before, and you've learned how to use that tool really well. And I just think it's so cool.

[16:29] Katie: Yeah, I think so, too. I'm incredibly proud of us, and also we keep each other accountable and we keep each other in the game. And if there's a time where you're feeling stressed and crazy and you're not in it, then I try to reel you back in and vice versa. And there's also times where we're perfectly guilty of like, oh, I didn't get that done this week. But it's like we don't beat each other up either. It's like we get the critical stuff done and we keep moving forward. And as we've always said, progress over perfection. And I think that has gotten us very far.

[17:06] Amy: Yeah. And I think especially in the beginning, I think the first probably, I don't know, 2030 episodes were the most challenging because I think you and I struggled a lot and had open communication. Remember, we had some not blowouts, but we definitely had some tough conversations of like, well, who's doing this? And are we doing this every week? And DA DA DA. And, like, until we got our flow, it was like a little, like, tense, right? Like, there were definitely some tense times, looking back, but now I just feel like we're in the flow. And I think, too, I was going to go back to what I was saying about you going back to work. I've actually seen a huge difference because for you, I feel like you're more in a flow than you were before because I feel like it's because you're more structured, right. And, you know, you have to be certain places at certain times. Not that you didn't before, but it's just different. So you almost are more organized and more in the flow. Yeah, I see that. I don't know if you feel that.

[18:03] Katie: But I've definitely noticed that there has been a shift, for sure. And I think also just like, having something else, having my other job, it's released some of the pressure of this and allowed me to enjoy this for what it's always been. It's been our passion and it's fun, and we love doing it together. So I think that has a lot.

[18:27] Amy: To do with it. Yeah, I think you're right. You're totally right. I also think it's given us both more perspective. Like, now that you're back at work, you have a perspective of like, oh, now you sort of know. I know what you go through and you know what I go through when we have other responsibilities that are not just family. Right. And it's like, oh, my God, I have this deadline, or I'm working all day. I'm out and I'm like, okay, I'll do this or you'll do that. I think we bounce off each other really well. So anyway, I'm just trying to think about more fun stories. I think there's like so many random things that have happened throughout the last few years. I mean, I think, again, our guests have been amazing. I think people have been so generous with their time. People have given us so much time and so much of their expertise, and it's just been really gratifying. And again, just want to shout out to all the guests that have been on our show and even some guests more than once.

[19:22] Katie: Yeah, just how generous they have been with sharing their time with not their time, but sharing our podcast with their people and kind of just giving us more exposure and being excited about being on the podcast with us too. I mean, we've had some guests that have a million followers, we've had guests that have 500,000 followers and everything below and in between and above. So we've just been very fortunate. So thank you to all of our amazing guests. And we have amazing guests lined up and more to come, so it's all super exciting.

[20:00] Amy: Yeah, lots more to come. So with that being said, a couple really exciting announcements that Katie and I wanted to share with our amazing listeners. And thank you to our listeners for loving this as much as we do. We love doing it and we do it for you. We do it for us because we love it, but we do it for you more, so because we know you love it too. And you love to get in all the minutiae of the details of health, wellness, beauty like we do. So thank you again.

[20:28] Katie: Yeah, that's exactly what I was just thinking. We have always done this to share with you all because we want you to learn and have access and to have the ability to achieve anything and everything you want for your health and wellness journey. Whether that is just making sure you get in eight cups of water a day or the fact that you do Reiki healing and you work with crystals and you go and do face yoga. Whatever your journey may be, we are just really grateful that we can be a part of it and that we can help you along with it. So thank you.

[21:06] Amy: Yes, good point. And one last thank you before we get to our exciting announcements. Wanted to thank my husband Stu, who really is sort of been my partner in crime behind the scenes in this. He was the one who really gave me the motivation to do this because he knew that I'm an entrepreneur and at heart he knew I love all this stuff. And he's like, you got to do something with it because, yes, you have your other job, but you need to put all this effort into something else. Too, for you. And he kind of gave me a lot of motivation to really even start the idea. And he also came up with the word Nirvana because Katie and I had a list of 50 different titles, which are hilarious, which we should post about one day, but he actually came up with the word Nirvana and he really captured what we were trying to get at, like, what is your Nirvana? What's going to make you feel joyful? So shout out to Stew.

[22:04] Katie: Yeah, thank you still. And thank you to my husband, too. He's been incredibly supportive. Shout out to Adam.

[22:09] Amy: Yes, they've both been super supportive. Okay, a couple big updates.

[22:15] Katie: Big announcements.

[22:16] Amy: Big, I know. So, a few announcements as we close out this episode. So, I don't know if you all know, but we have a website, Nirvanasisters.com, which we've launched kind of in a soft way a couple of months ago. Don't know if any of you have seen it yet, but we've been linking out all of our show notes there and we wanted to just call it out because it's really exciting. We've been working on it behind the scenes for a long time and we're continuing to add to it. And so if you go onto the website now, you'll see every single podcast episode that we've had out, you'll see all the show notes, you'll see all the BIOS, you'll see all the product links. It's all there in the blog. And so we wanted to have a place where you all could go and reference just more content around all of our episodes. So that's really exciting. So we wanted to make sure you checked out Nirvanasisters.com when you get a chance. And Katie. What's next? What else do we have to announce?

[23:02] Katie: Also equally as exciting, the other thing you're going to find on our website is we now have Nirvana Sisters Merch yay. We have great swags, I mean, great sweatshirts and t shirts and tumblers and a hat that I'm obsessed with. Amy has a hat on.

[23:20] Amy: I'm showing everyone the hat. Kind of 1 second. I'm going to do this.

[23:25] Katie: Yeah, the hat's. Super cute.

[23:27] Amy: Everyone check out the hat.

[23:29] Katie: Love the hat. And then check out the sweatshirt and our new logo. My tea. Keep glowing. Nirvana Sisters. Tea. So there's a lot in there and we would love you to just go on there and get whatever you want. You can order it straight from the website. It's so fun. Come straight to your house. Yeah.

[23:47] Amy: That is going to be launching the day that this launches. So our shop will be launching Thursday, April 6, in conjunction with this episode. And like Katie said, there's sweatshirts, hats. We've got a coffee tumbler or coffee mug that says Daily Nirvana. We have a water bottle that says Nirvana in a bottle.

[24:07] Katie: We have a hoodie, a few great hoodies.

[24:11] Amy: Yeah, we've got a really awesome hoodie. We've got shirts that say a few different quotes like keep glowing and hustle and doses and different quotes from a lot of our episodes. And we're going to be continuing to add new products over the next few months. So tell us what you like and we'll keep working on it. We also have our new logo. We're really excited to share with you all, so please check out our website, check out our new store with all of our new merch support us. We are so excited. We've been working in the background on the design of all of our merch. It's really elevated and we're so excited for you all to check it out and let us know what you think. And we'll post some of these products on social throughout the week so you can get a little sneak peek of the shop.

[24:51] Katie: Yeah, exciting. All right. And then here's the last news, and it's very exciting. Amy, do you want to share?

[24:59] Amy: Sure. So we are now joined with Podcast Nation, which is a podcast network, and we are so excited to announce this news. So we're really excited to join the team at Podcast Nation. We started chatting with them a few months ago and they're an incredible group of women. There's about, I think, like 20 or 30 podcasts that are part of this network. And what that means for you is the show is growing, so we'll be connected to more people, more amazing podcasters, we'll have more access to guests. We'll probably be on some more podcasts, and we'll be on the Podcast Nation channel, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, et cetera. And that's going to be happening over the next couple of weeks. But as of today, we've joined their network and we are super excited to be joining the Podcast Nation family. So thank you to that team for welcoming us with open arms as we start this journey with them. So more to come there, but wanted to make sure we shared all of our exciting updates. And again, thank you all for the last 100 episodes. Looking forward to hundreds more with my partner in crime, Katie. Anything else, Katie, before we close out?

[26:10] Katie: No, other than thank you. Thank you, thank you. We are so grateful. We are filled with gratitude for our listeners and our supporters and our guests. And this 100th episode is my Nirvana of the Week, I think of the year. So I don't know about you.

[26:27] Amy: Yeah, agreed, agreed. Huge milestone, Nirvana of the Day in the week, along with our other launches. It's all good stuff and more to come. So. Thank you. Nirvana Sisters family.

[26:37] Katie: Bye.

[26:38] Amy: Have a good week. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us, tune in next. Week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to bye.

[27:04] Katie: You know.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Episode 97 - Lasers, Skin Barrier, Skincare HOLY GRAILS and more - Answering Your Skincare Questions With Natasha B, Beauty Junky Monkey - PART 2 (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast episode 97.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are Sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Natasha Brinkmann: You. Um.

Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show. Nirvana Sisters Family. So we are here. It is part two with Natasha B beauty junkie monkey. We she promised she'd be back. She's here. If you haven't listened to episode 96, go run and listen to that one. But Natasha B is a trained esthetician skincare expert and educator. You may know her as Beauty Junkie Monkey on TikTok, where she now has over 400,000 followers and lots of helpful skincare advice. She's just growing by the second because I think the last time we talked to you, you at 350, so you are just crushing it. We love all of her advice. The last session was amazing. We talked so much about different products and routines, and we're just going to continue that conversation and get into it. So thank you so much for being back on the show. Natasha, we love having you on.

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, thank you for having me. This was way too much fun the last time. I'm like, we got to go to number two.

Amy Sherman: Absolutely. I know we still have product questions and different things like that, but we did want to make sure we touch on some of these skin treatments that we're seeing out there because I think there's so many, from micro needling to morpheus aid to the lasers to the this to the that. There's so many things. And we'd love to hear from you what your experience has been, if you recommend anything, who they're best for, all the different things that we're seeing around there.

Natasha Brinkmann: Absolutely. I have some personal experience. I will say out of the gate, I am not a licensed medical esthetician, so I don't do the lasers. I don't do the morpheus eight. Again, I still have a lot of friends in the industry, so I know that. And then, of course, with my clientele who had it done, I get a lot of feedback so I can talk about it based on that information. So I'm happy to provide that for myself. I have done a little bit of laser. I've got a little bit of filler in my lips. That's the only thing I'm really maintaining right now is just a little bit in the lips because I have those little French lips. As I age, they slowly dissipate. So I just put in just a half a syringe just to kind of back up. And I have done PoDoX in the past, Botox in the past, but I stopped it over last year because I was testing out other brands and one of my commentators said, well, how do you know how it really, really works? And I was basing it on how well it held my Botox for longer periods of time. That's how I was basing mine. And I thought, that's a very fair question. So begrudgingly, because I really love the results. I stopped using it. And I have to say, over the past, I'd say eight months, maybe. I think it's about eight months now. I haven't touched it since. And I'm just shocked because 48 years old, and I'm looking at myself going, well, I can live with that. I'm not perfectly wrinkle free, or you can see when face to face. But I don't mind the aging process. I just want to age well. And I think having a good skincare routine and then using medical aesthetics is a great thing to do. But it's really, really important to do it authentically and not to go overboard, because that's when the regret sets in, and that's when people start messing about with their face and they start going, what have I done? One of my personal pet peeves is the lip flip that they do with Botox. I've had a lot of friends get it done. And the problem is that you can't purse your lips anymore. And so eating, drinking, people can't eat properly because the food comes out of their mouth and stuff like that. And I'm like, I understand that the aesthetic part and what they're trying to do, but when you start changing how you look, because it's not natural to have that flip, right? Like most of us, either you have it or you don't. That's when you start changing, really, in my opinion, who you are. A little filler in a place that's already full, no problem. A little bit of filler here and there just to kind of touch it up. A lot of people are surprised I have lip filler. And I'm like, yeah, I only use half a syringe. I don't use a full syringe. I have, in the past, didn't like it. It was a little too much. And not that a lot of people would notice it, but I think for me, it was just like I like the subtlety of it. And that's one thing I've noticed for sure is, like, Botox is fantastic if you have those deep 11th between your eyes. Yeah, do it. Absolutely. Because product can only go so far. But yeah, I just wanted to say that right out of the gate, because I know we've seen some celebrities out there, and I'm just like, oh, no, sweetie, no.

Amy Sherman: I know. When you look like you can't even recognize them, it's so scary.

Katie Chandler: Also, I feel like I think that there can be a slow climb to this. Oh, my gosh, I've gone overboard. And I know one time I did, I think a little bit too much Botox. And I just remember looking at myself, thinking, like, I look a little weird. And it took a while for it to click that. Oh, I probably have a little bit too much Botox. Right now. Next time I should scale back a little bit. Like I would see myself in a phone. I'm like, Why are my eyebrows up to my hairline? What is going on with that crazy smile? So I think it's a good reminder when you are doing bone talks, if you get that feeling that might mean to pump the brakes. And also a really easy trick for that lip flip that is totally natural and easy to do is to just put some highlighter on your top lip line as well. It doesn't really give you the lip flip, but it gives an illusion of it. So don't go putting the Botox in there for that.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah, well, when it starts function, like you can't function and you can't chew it's like, nah, I'm horrible. I'm self conscious of that is not working. I want us to dribble it out of my mouth. I'm like, yeah, no, that's not thank you. Do I do that? No, I don't want to do the lip flip. I was just going to say right now, the little chin dimple seems to be a big deal. I'm like, really? This is a big deal? Careful with who you go to, because their job is to make money, and the more you spend, the more they make. And I mean, a good medical aesthetician will have that. Nice, okay, let's not overdo it or kind of talk you down and go, you know what? You look fabulous because you don't want to take away who you are. I have a little French bump here on my nose, and the first thing my husband said when we met is, like, you can never touch your face. You can never touch your nose. And I'm so grateful he said that, because you're right. That's who I am. It's part of me. It's part of what makes me me. And is it the perfect nose? No, but it makes the rest of my face, in my opinion, look perfect because it's me, right? And I want to look in the mirror and look at myself and go, oh, hey, that's still me with some of the procedures. I love laser treatments. They're incredible. And I think they're going to be the new microneedling coming out as they progress and they get better and better and better. Myself, I love to do the IPL laser or photofacial is what it's called, because it does so much, so it zaps out your hyperpigmentation. So if you have some really bad sunspots or freckles or really bad sun damage, it works so well, it just zaps it right out, and it naturally exfoliates out of your skin. It also helps to really stimulate collagen and elastin. So if you find that you're getting some of the deeper lines around the eyes, but you want to kind of treat that, then it's a nice way to slowly get that in there. And then when you pair that with your good products, you're going to have beautiful results. And I love how it tightens down the pores. So it really helps with texture, it helps with scarring. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma on the edge of my nose. And that sucked because what people don't realize about skin cancer, the basal cell is it goes down like a trunk, but then it spreads like a tree root. So it's not that that basal cell will kill you, it's going to disfigure you because they have to dig out all around it. And I had a huge hole in my nose, which I kept covered meticulously for six weeks. And I think it's because I kept it covered, I kept it moist. I'm really good at wound care. It really started to progress very well. Even my dermatologist was like, wow, that's healing. And then I did get some laser because I did get a little bit of puckering around the edges, and you could see it. Like if I turned my head a certain way, you'd really see it. So what I ended up doing was I did five laser treatments, and now you can barely see it.

Amy Sherman: Yeah, it looks amazing. I've had actually a lot of basal cells, so on my face, it's genetic, and I've had a ton. So I'm crazy about the sun and stuff, too. But yeah, you can't even tell now when you say you got a laser for that. This is where I get confused, because I've heard about the IPO. I've never done it, but what kind of lasers, from what you know, what you've seen, what kind of lasers do you use? For what? Because you were saying that I imagine there's a laser that's better for healing a wound than explaining your face or whatever.

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, yeah. No, again, not a laser technician, but what I know from my girl is that what it does is it goes in and it helps to stimulate the collagen underneath it. So it helps to really plump that back up. Then you can do more invasive like fractal. Fractal is a deeper laser. So you do need downtime for that. Because again, working with clients, I have clients that have had facelifts, half facelifts, the morpheus laser treatments. The biggest thing I can tell you from their experience is that you really have to be mindful of your recovery. So if you do not have two weeks where you can really baby your face, do not do it, because then you risk scarring, then you risk complications, then you risk swelling. You're going to have those anyways because that's all part and parcel of doing these more invasive IPL. You don't get that as much. It's not as invasive. But the fractal, you're going to be losing a few layers or when you do any type of acid treatments. My mother in law had that done, and oh my gosh, her face looked like hamburger meat. It was awful. It was awful.

Amy Sherman: Oh my God. Like so red, right?

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, red. Raw. It started to look like yeah, look like hamburger meat. As it was, the top layers were coming off and she really had to be diligent about her care. I mean, her skin looked great afterwards, but again, it was very limited. She thought it get rid of all her wrinkles. No, it didn't. Right. It got rid of a lot of them, but the deep ones were still very there. So she was upset that she went through all of that and didn't get the results that she was looking for. Right. So that's the thing with these procedures, is we got to A, manage your expectations, and B, listen. Exactly. If they tell you avoid the sun for two weeks, we're talking avoidance. We're not talking, oh, I'll just pop in the car and run to the store. The radiation does penetrate through the window. Your skin is damaged. Putting radiation on damaged skin, bad idea. That's where scoring and pigmentation come into play. So that's one of the best things I can say about any treatment. Follow their advice, listen to them, be honest about what you have done, what you haven't had done. If you've done any type of retinol, they need to know this prior to you going in, because of course, that will affect how the skin responds with everything. Morpheus eight. I've heard mixed results with that. I've heard a lot of people have amazing and that's that deep. It's like a machine where they basically puncture. It's like micro needling, but it has a little bit of a current in there and it works really well at stimulate collagen. It's very good. Problem with that is A, you have to make sure that you have the proper technician that actually knows what they're doing. Because I had another client, she had it done, and she has these hundreds of little bumps all along her entire face and lower jawline.

Amy Sherman: Oh, my God.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah. So she went back to her technician, said, WTF what's going on? And her technician's words were, oops, I think I went too deep.

Amy Sherman: My God.

Katie Chandler: So is it permanent right now?

Natasha Brinkmann: It's there. We'll see if it stays there. I don't know if there's a laser that can help break up the scar tissue. I don't know. But that, to me, would be a deal breaker. And that's why when it comes to any type of micro needling, I'm really hesitant. I'm okay with a surface microneedling for just basic stuff, but even then, I'm like the benefits of a laser treatment outweigh the pain and discomfort, in my humble opinion, of doing like micro needling, which is pretty invasive. Right. So I guess it just all depends on what you're going for. But I'm really loving the lasers because they do work so very well.

Amy Sherman: Yeah, I've done. Micro needling. I haven't done lasers. I've done micro needling a bunch of times more surface, not like the morpheus eight where that scares me. But I have a very good person, and I love it, and I think it takes, like, years off of my skin or off of my face, but yes, have to go to someone who knows what they're doing. Like, I've been going to the same person when I first did it. I went a bunch of times, and now I'll do it like, once or twice a year to freshen me up. But yes, it's your point. If you go to the wrong person, forget it, you're done.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah, I agree. And that's the hardest part.

Katie Chandler: How often do you suggest lasers? How many times a year should someone, if they want to be on that track and doing lasers frequently? Is it like a twice a year thing? I have no idea.

Natasha Brinkmann: I guess it all depends. I know some technicians suggest doing it all throughout the year. Personally speaking, I like to do it either at the beginning of the year or the end of the year, of the summer months, simply because the damage from the sun is going to happen, whether you protect it as much as you can or not. So for me, it's like, well, I want to make sure that I prevent any for. I'm trying to do the preventative thing. I don't want to get skin cancer again. That was not fun. And I definitely want to prevent having all of that damage and that pigmentation. So for me, generally, I like to do it at the end of the season. So in the fall, because the sun's not as high, it's not as intense, it just seems like I save my money to say that I save my money, right, because it's not cheap. I do my entire face into my neck and my chest, and if she's feeling generous, she'll do the back of my hands. But every area, they charge you, so they're charging you everything. You want a little extra, you want a toe done, they're going to charge you $100.

Amy Sherman: Does it hurt?

Natasha Brinkmann: No. So what it feels like is it feels like a little snap. So if it does hit that pigmentation, you're going to feel that like a rubber band snap. But it's more shocking than anything. It's more of like, okay. And then once you kind of get used to it, then you're okay. If you have a lot of damage or a lot of pigment yeah. Just be aware. It's going to feel awful at first, but again, after a week to ten days, it looks so good, and there is no downtime. You're a little pink for a while. Your pigmentation gets a little bit darker as it comes out, so it looks worse, but then it comes out and the skin underneath looks lovely. The thing that I've noticed from my melasma clientele is not really a great idea. It just does not seem to it helps to pull some of it out, but Melasma has that basically is like a hormonal trigger. So once that switch has been flipped open and the pigmentation has been charged, it doesn't go away. And so it will admin flow. It'll get lighter, it'll get darker, but it'll never go away. So IPL, unfortunately, hit and miss results. A lot of my clients say they take it, they do it for Melasma, but then it comes back. But it is good.

Katie Chandler: It's also good for sunspots and everything, right?

Natasha Brinkmann: Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. So you kind of have to look at the big picture and like I said, what the expectations are on that. I'm really into lasers and PRP. I don't know if you guys have heard of that one yet.

Amy Sherman: I've done it. Yeah, with my microneedling.

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, you have? Okay. So I have not tried it yet, but I had PRP, so plasma rich platelets. So that's where they take the blood out of your arm for those who don't know, and then they spin it into the device, and then all the rich plasma goes to the top, and they take that and they inject that into your wherever. Right. And I had that done on my knee after I tore my ACL and my meniscus last year. I was a little overzealous in my Zumba class.

Amy Sherman: And it helped, right?

Katie Chandler: I didn't know it did that. That's amazing.

Natasha Brinkmann: It is. It was so cool. Like, I had it done over a month ago, and now I can wear my heels. Like, this is a year long injury, so I can wear my heels again, which I'm obsessed with. I can move, I can dance again, I can twist again. I'm absolutely floored. It worked exceptionally well for me. It was worth the $500. Totally worth it. Yeah.

Amy Sherman: My friend did it for her shoulder, I think.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah. And I've heard nothing but good things, but then all of a sudden, they say, well, we can help if you have the deep crevice underneath the eyes, if you're having issues with the marionette lines, I'm like, oh, we can do that too. I know you can do it in the hair to help prevent hair loss. There's so much yeah, I'm going to be doing a little bit more looking into yes.

Amy Sherman: There's so many good things now. I mean, there's so much innovation going on. It's really cool.

Natasha Brinkmann: I was going to say one client did it, and she says I looked sensational. She loved it. And I'm like, well, that sold me.

Katie Chandler: That's all you need to hear.

Natasha Brinkmann: That's all I need. Sold.

Katie Chandler: I'm curious about what your thoughts are on these simple at home tools like our guacAs and our Jade Rollers and also the new face. Is it microelectric?

Natasha Brinkmann: Microcurrent devices.

Katie Chandler: Microcurrent, yes. What are your thoughts on those?

Natasha Brinkmann: So I'll tell you right out of the gate, the microcurrent devices are not strong enough for them to actually invoke a lot of change. You might see maybe 5%, maybe if you're lucky. Most people do not. And the thing with the at home devices is the hardest thing is consistency. That to me, I've had a lot of devices in my past, but I'll tell you, those microcurrent ones are a complete waste of time. Complete. They're just not strong enough. That's why when you go in clinic and they use it in clinic, you see results because it is strong enough. It's got somebody who's licensed. They know what they're doing. There's education behind that. So then that way that machine can be used properly. What they sell is just not strong enough. So you're never going to get the results. Jade rollers massaging tools. All they do is a nice Lymphatic draining. They do not tighten your skin. They do not firm up your skin. They do feel amazing. Like I'm just getting over a cold. And I always use mine over top of my sinus areas because I'm just like, this is bad. But it really does help kind of move everything out a little bit. Or if you're just one of those people, it just makes you feel like it's your time and you like the feel of it on your face while you're putting product in. No problem. Rule of thumb, make sure that your equipment is clean before you use it and clean after you use it. Right. Because you want to make sure that you're not spreading bacteria over your face. And most people don't clean their tools, and then they wonder why they break out the LEED. I am testing two versions out right now. So, like a body one and one for the face. It's still early, but I will say right out of the gate, if you have any type of issues with acne, this worked really, really well. I had three three pimples on the side that popped up, and I was kind of surprised because that doesn't happen for me. I usually don't break out like that. And they weren't going away, and it had been three weeks, and I'm like, I'm pulling out all my big guns. Like, I'm pulling out the salicylic acid. I'm doing all the little extra tricks I know. And it wasn't really like a couple of them would heal, and then they'd reinfect. And I'm like, okay, well, this is ridiculous. So when I got this Led mask to test, I put it on and within two days, they were gone.

Katie Chandler: That's interesting. Yeah, I bought both of those. I have the Led and the new face. And I've been using the new face religiously. The new face, I like it personally, but what I really think it is for me is it's more related to inflammation and lymphatic drainage. I have autoimmune disease, so I'm always inflamed. So I think it's kind of maybe doing a bit of the same action that the rollers or the gouache, like.

Natasha Brinkmann: Deepuffing removing the fluid, right? Absolutely.

Katie Chandler: At the same time, I have to do it pretty much every single day to still see what I'm seeing when I'm doing it. And last week I took a week off, and I was like, all right, I'm starting to look a little more puffy and droopy and blah. So I'm doing it again. But the Led, I have one, and I'm not using it, and I should because I have Acne. It's driving me nuts. So it's good to know that you feel like that's, really. When you were doing it for the Acne, did you do what light did you do? Does yours have the yeah, it's just.

Natasha Brinkmann: Like the red light therapy mask. Yeah, I posted it on. It looks ridiculous. I feel like Silence of the Lounge when I wear it. It covers your entire face, but it's really nice. It's convenient. You can still work with it on. It's got a timer on it. So, so far, my review so far is really good. It does help to tighten it down my pores even more, so I'm really enjoying that. I always want to make sure that the information I'm giving my clients and my audience is always really good, viable information so they can make an informed decision. I think it definitely has value, for sure. For certain skin types, the hardest thing for me is consistency. It's the hardest thing because it has to go on after you wash your face, and you have to let it on before you put on any serums, any lotions. Like, it has to go on clean skin. And for me, I have a routine like everybody else. I get up, I do my morning stuff, answer emails, got to go wash my face, and then I have my routine when I do my face. So to stop, put the mask on and make sure I get my ten minutes every day. Oh, okay. I didn't do it this morning, which I didn't. I have to do it tonight. Well, I was supposed to do it last night, and I just didn't get to it.

Amy Sherman: Yeah.

Katie Chandler: The mask is a hard one to do. I think that's why I can't get in the groove. The new face, I can do it with my morning routine. It's right there. But this mask, it's huge, and if it's not right in front of my.

Amy Sherman: Face, I forget to forget about it.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah, that's exactly it. But I'll tell you, when I get a zip, that sucker is going on.

Amy Sherman: It's maybe just a good tool to use when you're totally broken out. So moving in, I have a question about because I hear this word, I feel like it's a buzzword now, and I just want to understand what it actually means. Skin barrier. What does it mean? How do you treat it? What should we be thinking about when it comes to skin barrier? I don't really even understand what it means.

Natasha Brinkmann: Well, basically, it's the top layer of your skin really is what it is, right? So it's the top layer of the skin. And the reason why it's mainly compromised is people are overusing the acids, right? So they're using too many salicylic, glycolic, lactic acids or blends. They're not using the right acids for their skin type. Now, don't get me wrong, there are certain people that can use all different forms of acids, but certain ones work better than others for different skin types. And again, nobody talks about that. So that is why a lot of people, when they're doing or using too much retinol this week I've been featuring nothing but retinol.

Amy Sherman: Yes, I've been watching. Yes. So educational.

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, thank you. Retinols. What they actually do is they kill off the top layer of your skin is basically what they're doing. That's why you get in the dry down. That's why your wrinkles look worse. The whole goal is because it wants to get the newer cells to hurry up, like to kick back into gear, which they do slow down. Like when we're in our twenty s and thirty s, it takes about 28, 31 days for our new skins from base all the way up. When we age, that can take two to three months of new skin cells. So that really slows everything down. And that's why retinol is so good. But because it's killed especially Tretinoin prescription strength, people just go right to the full monty and it's a horrible process. And some people can never get past a basic retinol, let alone some people can't use retinols. So you know what I mean? It's all about stimulating the skin, stimulating and getting everything up. But then you're compromising that skin barrier, and that's the biggest issue, because once it's compromised, so you're going to have larger pores, everything is going to look way more texture because it's inflamed, right? The pores are inflamed. Then you're going to have open little channels for bacteria and dirt. And if we didn't learn anything from COVID we really live in a very dirty environment 90% of the time, right? I don't want to be like a germaphool, but if you're susceptible to acne, that's not your friend, that's not going to help you. And when you're compromising it by using these too many acids in your cleansers and your toners, and then you're putting on your retinols, well, then it's a hot mess. And then you're going to age faster because your skin is not healed. It's not performing at its maximum capacity. So I know last one you talk about niacinamide. Niacinamide is a component of the skin barrier. It's something that fortifies the cell walls within the skin barrier. The other thing that you really need to be cognizant of is your lipids, your fats. So the lipids are naturally occurring in your skin. They're created by your sebaceous gland, so your oil gland. So have you ever noticed people with really oily skin age, like, incredibly.

Amy Sherman: Barely, like no wrinkles.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yes, it's because of that fattiness that supports. So think of your skin as bricks, like you see on a house, and the fatty acids or the lipids are in between. That's your mortar. So when it comes to skincare, what you want to do is you want to tack it three ways. You want to keep the fatty acids in there so that's your lipids and your ceramides. Then you want to also keep in the hydration, so your hyaluronic acids. And then you want to keep the structural support so that's your niacinamide. So all of a sudden, you have three ingredients that you need in your skincare routine on a daily basis as you're aging, that I just talked about, that you can now do. And Skin Fix just came out with a brand new barrier serum that I'm absolutely obsessed about. I had a commenter, said, how come your marionette lines aren't as deep? Like, are you using a filter? And I'm like, no, this is me. And I was like, I am testing out a new product. And I'm kind of hush hush about stuff because it's so new for me, but my skin is so thin and so dry. I find that products really amplify very quickly for me. So I usually know within about two weeks if something's working or not. And I've been really helping with this.

Amy Sherman: I have to try that. I know we were talking about a bunch of skin fixed products last time, and that's a new one. I got to try that.

Natasha Brinkmann: It's a new one. I just pulled up my list. Here, let me pull. I can save the list. I love my list. Yeah, if it works, it goes on my list. Okay, so it's called the skin fix barrier. Oh, hang on. My apologies. So skin fix barrier triple lipid collagen niacinamide activating serum that sounds like a triple whammy. It is. Now, I didn't go into the full details yet of the ingredients, so I just want to make sure that the collagen or collagen peptides, because if it's basic collagen, collagen molecularly is too big, it's not going to penetrate the skin. I'm assuming these are the lipids. So I have to go back and still do some research on it because, again, I'm still technically testing. But I'm just letting you guys know I'm kind of excited because it's really nice.

Amy Sherman: Yeah, it sounds really nice.

Katie Chandler: Back to the skin barrier thing. Do you find that a lot of people with premature aging and premature wrinkles, it just has a lot to do with that skin barrier is compromised, and they're like dehydration lines, and those things can be fixed relatively easily. Like if you're 36, 40, whatever it may be, and you've got a lot of little fine lines, it's probably that your skin is dehydrated, your skin barrier is compromised, and you can start to just use the right products and the right routine and snap back really quickly, right?

Natasha Brinkmann: Absolutely. As long as you're diligent with it and you're doing it every day. Yeah, absolutely. Keep it plump, keep it plump, keep it hydrated. Yeah. There's a huge difference between oily and hydration. Hydration is inside the skin. Oiliness is outside the skin, which you need because it protects that barrier. Again, it's that nice glossy over. I mean, I know a lot of people who are oily hate it because it's too much. Right. It's too much of the shellac, if you will. But a nice layer is really good because it does protect the skin, and it does give it that nice little barrier. Like, little things can bounce off of it, and it's like, you shall not pass. You're not coming in. It's important. But at the same time, hydration is key. And so if you're starting to see fine lines and wrinkles really quickly, you're probably dehydrated even my wrinkles on my main forehead, like my main line right in here. If I can keep that plump, it looks half as deep just by plumping it back up.

Amy Sherman: I was going to ask you about oil. I have, like, an oil cleanser that I use, which I love. It feels so good, but I also see people use just oils that they don't wash off. Are those good for you? I have very dry skin, too, so to me, it would seem like putting on an oil would be good. I just don't like the only oil I have is a cleanser. But are there certain oils that you would recommend for dry skin that you could keep on the skin that are helpful?

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, yeah. There's tons of amazing oils. I call it skin glazing. So it's something that I throw in routines when people like you and me, we're really dry skin. That would be something I put at the end of the routine at night. So skin glazing is basically taking so you have all your water based products, right, and you put them over top of the skin, and then as you sleep, all that starts to absorb, but you also do dehydrate throughout the night. It does evaporate. So when you put something over top of it, either like Vaseline or oils, which I prefer because of the texture, it basically creates, like, a little pot, a little lid on the pot, and allows all your products, your water based products, to really absorb into the skin and keeps the top layer really hydrated. So you're getting the best you're sandwiching it in there, and you're making sure.

Amy Sherman: That this is very happy.

Natasha Brinkmann: And my favorite oil in the whole wide world and still to this day, is Herbivore Phoenix Oil.

Amy Sherman: I actually have that. And it's funny, I bought that. I mean, it's probably expired by now, but I remember buying that, and I didn't really know how to use it because it was before I was into all this stuff. Really, it was like I was just starting to experiment, and I didn't know. But now that you're saying to wear it at night, that makes sense. I had no idea how to use it.

Natasha Brinkmann: You just put it over top of your nighttime.

Amy Sherman: It just kind of sinks in at night.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah, it stays a little bit more on top, but you just kind of pat it in. And I call it skin glazing because you look like a glazed donut. When I tell people glazed, I want you to look lazy. I don't want you to look like a plain donut. We want full glow.

Amy Sherman: Love a glazed donut. Along with the glazed nails, too. We were talking about should we get into our wrap session, Katie?

Katie Chandler: Well, before we do, I want to hear Natasha's routine.

Natasha Brinkmann: I'm just so curious.

Amy Sherman: We need to know your morning and your night routine.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah, that's not fair. I'm testing I'm testing products right now, so I'm always testing. Let me be.

Amy Sherman: Yes. If you weren't testing and you were just like a normal vacation day, something like that, yeah.

Natasha Brinkmann: Okay. Would I have to be on budget? No budget. Whatever you budget. Oh, my God. Okay. No budget. I probably still use the same cleanser that I have, which is the ordinary squealing cleanser, because it's just perfect for my skin. Anything like a richer emollient is really nice on dry skin, so I love that. Or the skin fix. They have a really nice foaming oil cleanser, so any one of those would be fantastic. If I could. For makeup removing, I would do the two botanicals. The turmeric makeup removing balm is sublime. I want to do, like, a downward dog yoga pose while I'm wearing it because it's not so good. It's just amazing. For my serums daytime, there is a new product from Emk Beverly Hills called the Rescue Serum, and it's a proprietary blend, which I'm not a fan of because they usually typically don't work. But when I tried this very high end Beverly Hills, this bottle is, like, $250, and I'm really obsessed with it. I keep going back thinking, I really liked how it firmed up my skin, tightened, brightened my skin. It's just one of those ones where it just stood out from a lot of the other products I've tested. So I love that one. I definitely love the skin fix. The new one I was talking about the activating serum, because that's keeping me juicy and plumpy, so I'd probably keep that in there. And I'd have to see how the chubula would work from True botanicals, because I just ran out, and I'm really missing it. So I would use that.

Amy Sherman: This is all morning.

Natasha Brinkmann: This is all morning.

Amy Sherman: Okay, just clarifying, because we might copy this routine.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah. Again, this is based on me and my needs. I know. I'm just trying but with that being said, the moisturizer, I would probably either use the cocoa kind or the skin fix. Because I love both. The cocoa kind really is juicy and plumpy, but right now it's super, super dry here in Alberta. So I'd probably stick with the skin fix until the humidity went up a little bit.

Amy Sherman: The cocoa kind one like, what is cocoa kind?

Natasha Brinkmann: Awesome. It's a smaller company, but they have what's called poly. Let me find the name so I say it properly. You can buy it online.

Amy Sherman: Yeah, it's a brand.

Natasha Brinkmann: I just haven't resurrection polypeptide cream. It's almost like tatcha. So it looks like the Tatcha dewy water cream, but it's more plumpy. You get a lot more plump out of it. It's gorgeous.

Amy Sherman: So is that like, better during the day, not as both day or night. Okay.

Natasha Brinkmann: Or night? Yeah, you could use it both day or night. I love it because even my oily clients love it because it plumps them up, it gives them that fullness, but it doesn't make them feel oily or extra. You know how sometimes you have a moisturizer on, feels oily or not? Yeah, exactly. And it doesn't do that. So I love that one. So that would probably be my day. And then my SPF, of course, would be either my isn't tree SPF or my ilia, which is my tinted moisturizing serum, which I use all the time. And I adore that one. My nighttime would look very much the same as the morning, so except I would so wash my face. Then I would probably use either. Well, I'm waiting for Topology. Their argline solution is incredible, but they've been out of stock because they kind of went viral last year, so they're trying to play catch up. They have the best arguine solution to date that I've tested.

Amy Sherman: I know, I've watched her videos on that. I really want to try it.

Natasha Brinkmann: Oh, it's nice. And I'd even like their stick. Like, I'm digging out my stick right now because they're out of all of it. Come on. And they're matrixal. I love skin divas matrixal synthetic six. I would say neck and neck with topology. Like, it is sensational. And that one, I would use either one of those two. Then I would probably use my Beverly Hills emk serum, rescue serum, then that skin fix serum. And then I'd probably put on my retinol. I'm really in love with mailov right now. They have a retinol, so it's a step up from retinal instead of a retinol. So it's al. So it's a step up higher and it's a bright yellow. And I think it's called moonlight here.

Amy Sherman: You mentioned it last time, and I actually bought it.

Natasha Brinkmann: I haven't tried it yet. So this is something once you've done a retinol for a long time and you're feeling like, okay, I'm not really seeing fine lines. Still don't seem to be kind of progressing as well as I want. Then you would move up to this one. And I love it. I really love it. The longer I use it, the better my skin looks. And I'm obsessed.

Katie Chandler: The matrixel, is that just a nighttime thing? Because I've been using it day and night, so I need to switch to only night.

Natasha Brinkmann: Well, it can be used day. Right? There's lots of options that you can use. It's just it can't be used with vitamin C because it breaks down the bonds. So that's the trick. And if you're using a vitamin C during the day or a niacinamide, then you're covered. Like niacinamide can be used with matrixal, just not vitamin C. So it depends. I would change up my routine, though, because I love putting in certain things at certain times of the year. I also love to do copper peptides because that's a real great way. Like if you have that face dump where your face looks like it just gave up on you and you've lost all of that, and it happens. I think I got it at 46. I noticed the face dump, I'm like, what the hell? I've been loving you. What is going on? So I have to say that was a shocker. And then I got onto the copper peptides from Biosense, which is superior to the ordinary. I just want to say that because most people that try the ordinary don't see results. But with the copper peptides from Biosense, when I do like a whole bottle of that, my skin just plumps right back up and I love it. I always get, oh, you've got filler in your face. No, I'm just plumping it up.

Amy Sherman: The old and you use that at night, the copper peptides, but you can.

Natasha Brinkmann: Use it during the day. Again, in retinol weeks, she goes, Can I do copper peptides during the day and then retinols at night? Yeah, you can, and you know what, that's probably something I should try.

Amy Sherman: So after your retinol, you were talking about the retinol from May Love. Do you do moisturizer on top of that?

Natasha Brinkmann: Always moisturize, and if it's really dry, I put oil over top of that. Or like the topology has the caviar stick, which is really rich. So I'll put that on or I'm still, like I said, digging out the argoline stick that has a nice rich.

Amy Sherman: Hanging on to every last ingredient.

Natasha Brinkmann: Yeah, when you find something you love and you obsess over, that's why I share it, because I'm like, no, I only share what I feel is really good. I do share stuff. That's okay because everybody's budget is very different. But generally speaking, if it works, I talk about it. If it doesn't work, I just don't talk about it.

Amy Sherman: Yeah, no, it's so helpful. Okay, so I think we should get into a wrap session so we don't lose you and lose the answers. Okay, so quick answers. What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

Natasha Brinkmann: My favorite or one of your favorites? Definitely laser treatments. That to me is like a solid underscore and a little filler here or there. Like I said, for my lips, that will always be in my routine, for sure. And just the consistency of my routine. That, to me, is like my religion. That's my time. I love doing that.

Katie Chandler: The next one is your five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and dried off Ubers pinged you and they're five minutes away. So you're going to do your skincare routine that you just told us really quickly, and then what are you going to do to get out the door and get in that Uber on time in five minutes? Yeah, put it this way.

Amy Sherman: You don't have time to do that whole skin routine. Like, what are those Holy Grails that you're like, all right, if I don't put on anything else, I got to put on these things to get up.

Katie Chandler: Boom, boom, boom. Yeah, there you go.

Amy Sherman: Isn't that a hard question?

Natasha Brinkmann: That would be really hard because I would probably slap every **** thing I just quickly as I could, throw in my ilia, put my hair in a bun, and then, yeah, throw in some rule of lemons and hope to God I don't have anything sticking out of my pants. I would definitely throw in a couple of serums, probably a couple of my serums if this was the morning I'd put on. So again, one of my serums, or the one that I was talking about, skin fix and then moisturizer and then ilya over top because it's a tinted moisturizing.

Amy Sherman: That's a great one.

Natasha Brinkmann: And it gives me my SPF. It gives me everything all in one. And that would probably be the quickest thing, but I would never be late. That doesn't happen. I need my beauty routine. I have my time set aside so I have enough time to I know.

Amy Sherman: And it is relaxing, I find.

Katie Chandler: So true. All right, and the last one is, how do you maintain your daily nirvana? Maybe it's your beauty routine that maintains your nirvana.

Natasha Brinkmann: Well, you know what? It's funny because my husband and I, we do every night, we do five things we're grateful for every single night. And it's just something that we kind of got into just to stay grounded and stay in the moment, because life can get really crazy. And my husband has been dealing with colon cancer for the last four years, which we finally thank you, but we believe we're at the end of it now. And for us, it helped us keep us grounded. So you didn't get stuck in the fear. It was more for the mental health, but now we don't stop. Like last night, I'm like, do you want to do the five things we're grateful for? He goes, I'm so tired. Let's do it tomorrow. I'm like, okay. And then 2 seconds later, he goes, no, it doesn't feel right not to do it. So now it's our routine, and we just say five things. It could be anything simple, like, I'm just really grateful I had great clients today, or I'm grateful my cold is finally giving up things like that. And it changes. And we try to make sure we don't say the same thing over and over again because then it kind of takes away from the exercise. But that's what I yeah, that's really good.

Amy Sherman: I love that.

Katie Chandler: Yeah, it's a great practice. Wonderful. Well, Natasha, we are so incredibly grateful for your time and honestly, like, pen and paper and notes. So when you're listening to this episode and maybe listen to it a couple.

Amy Sherman: Everything will be in the show notes.

Natasha Brinkmann: Don't worry.

Katie Chandler: I have to hear the details over and over again on when to do this, at what time. And so, yeah, I think our listeners, this episode is going to be downloaded multiple times by lots of people.

Natasha Brinkmann: So thank you for your time.

Amy Sherman: Don't forget to follow Natasha B on TikTok on Instagram. Will you tell us your handles again, just so everybody knows?

Natasha Brinkmann: Yes, I'm on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. And Instagram is natasha beauty junkie monkey. Facebook is beauty junkie monkey. And TikTok is Beautyjm zero.

Katie Chandler: Got it. All right, well, before we go, we like to wrap with a little mantra or quote or just friendly reminder. So I think we're talking about all this beauty. So I kind of liked this one. To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. Self acceptance, do your little beauty routine to make you feel good.

Natasha Brinkmann: Accept yourself. Exactly.

Amy Sherman: And embrace yourself. Exactly. And just want to say thank you again for all your time. We could literally spend hours talking about.

Natasha Brinkmann: This stuff with you.

Amy Sherman: We just really value your time and I know our listeners will, too, so you can come back anytime. We'd love to have you as much.

Natasha Brinkmann: As you want to.

Amy Sherman: Come on, because this is just so helpful and learning how to take care of our skin and ourselves. So much fun. Thank you again.

Natasha Brinkmann: You're very welcome. And thank you, Katie and Amy, for having me and reaching out to me. This was amazing. I enjoyed it very, very much. And I'd be happy to come back. So maybe we can do a third one. Love it. Absolutely.

Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 96 - Acids & Peptides & Ceramides Oh My! Answering Your Skincare Product Questions With Natasha Brinkmann (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast episode 96.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Unknown:0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy:0:27

Welcome back to Nirvana sisters, Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and Katie, and we are joined by Natasha Brinkman or Natasha b Who is a trained esthetician, skincare expert and educator. You may know her as beauty junkie maki on Tik Tok, where she has over 350,000 followers. That's how we found her so much amazing skincare advice we trust all her recommendations and all of her insight. Natasha is very unique in her field because she's completely independent of any brand. And this provides her with unbiased opinions on all skincare lines. She thrives on finding each diamond product that each brand has and shares it within her community giving others the best bang for their buck. So Natasha is online consultations, business consultation business is worldwide. She designed skincare routines for those around the world. And her success has her completely booked for the next six months. So hopefully the Nirvana sisters family can get in sooner than that. But we are so glad to have you here. Natasha, thank you so much for joining us today.

Unknown:1:28

Oh, thank you, Amy. I sincerely appreciate that.

Amy:1:31

Awesome. Well, we are going to start out we have so many questions. But before we start out, we just want to take a step back and do our nirvana of the week, something that brought us joy, happiness this week that we can reflect upon. And I will hand it over to Katie, to give us her Nirvana the week.

Unknown:1:45

Oh, thanks. So really quickly. Before I do that, I just want to say hi to Natasha and I'm so happy you're here because you single handedly saved my skin. And we'll get into why here shortly. But I think my I have probably like two Nirvana's one that happened, and then a future one for tomorrow. But I am traveling for the first time for work and a few long time not a few years, a long time. And it's just been kind of a Nirvana and it's Oh, and it's fun. It's fun to be like on the road. And I'm working for a great client. And while I miss my family, it's it's it's just been kind of exciting to do all of this stuff again. So that was a nirvana. And then my next one is tomorrow, we're in Baltimore. And I'm in Baltimore for my client, and my kids and my husband are going to come and meet me. And we're going to go to the aquarium here. And I'm so excited because it's really like one of the best aquariums in the country and my girls love and aquarium. So it'll just be a really fun day. I'm excited. What about you, Amy?

Amy:2:39

Oh, that's cute. So I would say my run of the week was last night. So I went out for girlfriend's birthday. It was just four of us, and had a great meal. And it's just so fun when you go out with great friends really close friends, and you just have those different conversations that you don't have with other people. So we laughed, we cried. We just the range of topics we talked about. Were just so funny. And so age appropriate. It was just like a great. It was just a great night. So I really appreciated that because I haven't had a good like connection with girlfriends in a couple weeks. So it was just really, really nice. What about you Natasha

Unknown:3:11

being here. This is very exciting for me, I was pretty, I was pretty stoked. I'm like, No, we gotta do this. So this is definitely my moments.

Amy:3:21

Oh, love to hear that.

Unknown:3:23

Yeah, thank you. All right. Well, before we kick it off, I'm going to just tell you my really quick Natasha B story because like I said, You saved my skin. I was using an exfoliant every day as my face lotion as serum Sunday Riley's good genes, which is a great product, but I didn't know how to use it. I was using it wrong. And I came across your content. And I started watching your videos and you taught me what an exfoliant is and why shouldn't be using it every day. Maybe my skin likes it once a week. So literally, you saved my skin. My skin was an absolute mess for maybe the last year it was dry. It was flaky. It was red. It was watching. It was acne. It was oily and it was everything. Everything. So thank you, Natasha. Oh, I love hearing this. This is this is why I do what I do. It's it's it's there's so much information out there. And they don't teach people how to take care of their skin. They don't teach people that skincare products do different things for different skin and different skin types. You know, like one person can use an acid every single day and have absolutely amazing skin. But that's a small percentage. And my biggest rant right now is I'm sure you saw is all about using Ha's and BH A's, which are acids in your cleanser and in your toners and then using it other active ingredients with it. It's just it turns into a hot mess and then you unbalanced the skin and then you're wondering where what the heck happened to my face was good and then it wasn't good. And then you keep doing the same things over processing and it just becomes a just accumulation of a hot mess as I like to call it. That's exactly

Amy:4:59

yeah, and it's to true because you're right, there's so much information out there and everyone wants to try all these products. But if you don't know how to use them and you don't know how to use them for your skin and you're not working with someone like you or someone that actually like, has expertise, you can totally mess up your skin. Well and

Unknown:5:15

also those products they always say on the bottle use day and night, like they say us once or twice a week, depending on what your skin can handle or any you know, it's like it's so it's very misleading. So having said that, let's break down what some of these products are because we're hearing a lot of buzzwords on nice synonymized exfoliants. Like you said, Ajay BHA, of course, the vitamin C's and the peptides. So give us kind of a 101 on what all those things are. So your Ha's and BHA so your alpha hydroxy acids and your beta hydroxy acids, those are basically your acids, your exfoliant. And right now, what's kind of being pushed in the industry is using that in your cleanser and your toner, specifically, if you have problematic skin, meaning if you have a breakout or two or acne skin, but the problem is, is that I don't know about you guys, but most of the people that I talk to when I say well, I have acne, it's really bad. And they're really bad is like three breakouts on the chin. So there's a there's a bit of a misconception of what acne skin looks like and what how bad a breakout is, might be bad for you, because that's outside your norm. But that's kind of like the biggest kind of people's interpretation of what acne skin or breakout skin can be. It's very broad, very broad. So of course, companies put it out there, oh, well, we use a small amount, we use a small amount. But I always go back to the old saying, Well, if you have a piece of wood, and it just needs a little sanding, and you sand it down just a little bit, then it's perfect. Right? It looks it feels good, it looks good. You can put the oils on it and hydrates, it looks great. But if you keep filing it down, falling down, falling it down, you start getting rough edges and that glow, and you start getting you know what I mean? Like the little pics of the over filing it, it's a kind of a crude way of putting it. But that's kind of how I look at using acids in your skincare. This is definitely has its place. And yes, there's certain skin types that can use acids on a daily basis, but you don't have to use it on a daily basis. Remember, companies want to sell you their product, that is their main goal, right. And very few, very few companies actually design a skincare for people or their routines because in fairness, that's tough to do. Everybody has different needs in that area. So that's where I have an issue with the hspgs being in cleansers and toners because most people don't need it there. They need it as a treatment separately on a different night. So he is nbha. So he has your your glycolic acid, your lactic acid, your Mandelic Acid, your A z like acid, those are your acids, they they take off the surface area of the skin, BHA is your salicylic acid, that's the stuff that actually goes down deep into the pore and cleans it out almost like like a little washing machine just goes in there and cleans it right out. But it doesn't really talk touched the surface area, but it can dry out the surface area. So you when you have a combination of I have really bad blackheads and I have really bad oil production then yes, and ah a slash BHA. So usually it's a blend of lactic acid, glycolic acid is what's going to be beneficial for your skin type. But if you're like me and you're dried, dehydrated skin, lactic acid is your best friend because it's a humectant and pulls moisture to your to itself. So it's not as aggressive as a glycolic, which is a smaller molecule and can really get in there and try it on the skin. So

Amy:8:39

I have a question. So all of those acids you talked about are? Are they in the category of exfoliators? Or is it okay? So are the those are the kind that like, like Katie was mentioning, like good genes where you keep it on? But what about the exfoliators? Like the ones that are textured, you know, that you just put in your face and rinse off? Is that like a different category? Because I never know which you should be using both different like, how does that work?

Unknown:9:04

Well, there's enzymes, right? And then there's a manual exfoliants right. So you manuals are like those microbeads that were really big, like 1020 years ago, remember those and they were like awesome. And then we found out oops, they're not perfectly spherical. And we're causing micro tears in the skin, which can cause pigmentation and you will basically you're opening up the skin for any type of bacteria and breakouts. But we realized that's not great. Not to mention that microbeads weren't exactly being manufactured. Well, there's some cheaper versions, which we found were polluting the environment. So you know, there's a lot of stuff that we've kind of learned throughout the years. Nowadays, I like to stay away from doing a manual abrasion type of peel. I really liked that they were really focused more on the HSBA Chase and there's different levels of course, but I really liked that because again, the other thing I noticed working with people is that people can be very heavy handed. You know when they're exfoliating they would just sit there and grind it into their skin and like oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no living organism. To Be gentle. I always say touch your face like you're touching a baby how you would How will you press a baby that's that's the kind of pressure you really want to do on your skin. You know legs and arms. That's completely different story but your face you should really touch it like it's a baby. So I personally there it does have its place in certain situations, but I tend to like to go more towards the the acids that you can use, like the ones from the ordinaries. They work really, really great. Polish choice has really good ones out there. formulations. Yeah, well, it's choice. Yeah, Polish choice switched from Sunday Riley's good genes, I think it was just too much. And like the fact that it's serum and you leave it on, I feel like it was kind of stripping my skin. So now I'm using the polished choice, but I only use it twice a week. Well, that's no That's exactly it. You use it less than you probably get better better skin out of it. Yeah. So what are what are let's get into like serum mites and the vitamin serum mites or night. Serum right and a nice and am I the same thing or no? No, not really. So nice cinema. It said I'm sorry, it fortifies the cell walls. So what it's a vitamin B three, I guess is the best way to put it. And and what it does is it helps to fortify those cell walls. So you guys can see me this is what like a poor would do. And whenever anybody is talking to me about texture, like I have a lot of texture, I have a lot of oil production, my skin barrier is compromised, it's not doing so well. What that does is it basically helps to heal those cell walls. And it helps to keep them nice and firm and taut. It's nice, that image should be technically used with everybody. It is so good. Any and every skin type can use it because when you fortify those cell walls, again, you bring down texture, so you stop getting that huge bumpiness in the skin that people find when they have oily skin. It also brings down inflammation. It's a powerful powerful antioxidant. So that works exceptionally well against the elements. Not to mention it does help brighten up the skin as well. And it also it another little superpower it has is it helps to regulate your sebum production, which is your oil glands. So it helps to relax that hyperactive sebaceous secretion that people with oily or oily magnetic skin have and it just calms it down. But the problem with niacin amide is it takes time, it takes time to kick in. And a lot of people they're like, Oh, I've used it for two weeks, I've done nothing. Well, no, it hasn't even done a skin cycle. A skin cycle would be basically from we the general consensus is between 28 to 31 days, but as we age, it slows down. So that means you're probably going to have to wait a little bit longer for your skin products to actually kick in and work. And it can take anywhere between three to six months for nice to the mind to really kick in for certain people. So and things like that are kind of what are going to help rebuild the cell wall. Of course, Sarah might also help to fortify the cell walls within the skin so you're not compromising the barrier and that's how you keep the skin looking nice and juicy and plump and not red. Okay,

Amy:12:48

so for niacin amide. Can you use it morning and night? Absolutely. Absolutely. And what is the difference between nice and amide and hyaluronic so hyaluronic acid so from what I know is like very hydrating but it's not as it's not the same asset as like the AGM BJs we were talking about before. Okay, and so I always I always get confused on the difference between nice and amine and hyaluronic because it feels like those two ingredients are in everything or Yeah,

Unknown:13:17

and for good reason. They work really really well together. Like if you have compromised skin barrier or rosacea skin or acne skin, anything like that thin skin, what hyaluronic acid specifically be five it's really unique because the hyaluronic acid pulls moisture to itself like a like a little sponge. But the B five actually helps to hydrate the cell walls in between. So it's like a little bit extra extra. When you do that you fortify the cell walls with a niacin amide you got a really nice happy little marriage of two really solid ingredients that really help to keep the skin firm, juicy, plump and hydrated. The thing with serums that you really have to remember is they are not your moisturizer, so you cannot put a hyaluronic acid and then a niacin amide and then go out and go, Oh, my skin looks dry and dull and it's it's cracking and it's well yeah, because that's not a hydrator it says it's a serum it is serums are basically like what's the best way to describe that? Your multivitamin, your dose of what you're trying to do for your skin to help get your skin nice and healthy. And then are the are the peptides the what is the Yeah, what are the peptides and what is the skin see in the moisturizer, the next step that we want to protect our skin barrier. So when it comes to peptides, there's like, oh, there's a lot. There's like different forms of peptides. There's hydrating peptides, they're stimulating peptides, they're neuron peptides that help to like the RB line or Carolina some people call it I'm Canadian, so I called it our Dline but but basically like that's kind of a neuron peptidic tells the muscles not to move as much or as deep or as penetrative. Then you have Matrixyl 3000 Which is really exciting again, was not big in the field when it back in the day. I'm glad I'm back in it now, but back in, oh gosh, 20 years ago when there was no metrics, so I don't think it came into play until like early 2000, I believe somewhere like that. So the skincare game has changed considerably. And peptides have really make a comeback. Now, there's a lot of people out there that have different varying opinions about peptides. And I, I read the research on it. So when I look it up, I'm like, it doesn't sound too promising, but what the heck, I'm going to try it. That's why I test everything that I talked about. Because I you know, I'm skeptic like everybody else. And I'm also very curious because I've also known throughout the years that you can't just look at it blindly with one set of eyes, you have to try it from different angles and see what works and what doesn't work. And for me peptides really has changed the game for a lot of women and men out there who are just trying to plump up and juice up their skin and just kind of give it the best bang. So peptides, like Metrix are exciting because they stimulate collagen and elastin production, which slows considerably as you age. And there's different versions of them different formulas, like for instance, if you're in your late 20s, early 30s. And you want like just to get a good all round peptide. The ordinary has there used to be called buffet, but I believe they calling it a polypeptide or something like that. It was an incredible formulation of different types of peptides in there, and it worked exceptionally well. I really, really love that one. But for me, I'm a huge fan of metrics or metrics or synthetic six, which is is that like a CRM, or is it a moisturizer? Yeah, it's a serum. And again, there's a lot of products that will either put it in a serum, so it's almost like your power packed your your major dosing, or they'll put it in your moisturizer, which has, you know, hit Miss results, right? Because when you put the more ingredients you put together, you're not not they don't always work, Senator son, I can't even say it today synergistically. They don't always do that perfectly together. But the same can be said about a syrup, like certain serums are just basic, and they kind of fall flat. Not because the active ingredient isn't good. It's because it's not being supported by the other ingredients that help to enhance it. So that's something I'm still learning like I I'm still doing a lot of research and going in through a whole bunch of different products. But I've been so busy doing consultations that it's kind of slowed that down a little bit. So I'm trying to get back into my you know, my groove,

Amy:17:22

I just I'm, I got a little like trial size of something called I just looked it up. It's a moisturizer, it's, it's by the brand Skinfix and it's called barrier plus and it says triple lipid peptide peptide cream. I've been using it at night, and it's really moisturizing. It feels so good, especially in the winter and I love it I don't know if it's the peptides or whatever it is but like it's just really really like creamy and thick and moisturizing. But that had peptides in it and that's what I was gonna ask you like she doesn't even work in the cream doesn't it's Yeah, it sounds like it's better to put it directly on your skin versus to a moisturizer but it doesn't hurt if it's in a moisturizer, right?

Unknown:17:59

No and there's different forms like there's hundreds of different forms of peptides out there. Right so once in this Skinfix triple lipid peptide cream. Those are really big on the lipids on the fatty acids that are within that skincare so you're not going to see a trixl in that you're going to see different forms of peptides in there. And those are the ones that protect the skin barrier. They're really heavy in the Sara mites so it's really like Skinfix is one of my cult favorites. We love that one. I said I say to all my clients if I was in clinic, I would have a wall of it with that because of the different formulations because it is so effective. So effective, no good and it's hydrating, but it doesn't. What's the best way to put it it's hydrated but it's not oily. And they love the receipt at all you know and for those that are really oily kind of oily econetic Skin their gel formulation is sensational. I absolutely love it. So those are two products and I think that's why I liked the Skinfix so much because it's a little bit more user friendly for the majority of those skin types out there. Yeah, they also have a really good product to have their their cleansers are also a favorite of mine. So they have the basic cleanser which is there my friends might have my list let me pull up my list.

Amy:19:11

Oh we love to have I have

Unknown:19:13

once I've checked once I've tested it and I deem it worthy I know that sounds so sounds so funny. I feel like a little queen in my little realm here but I didn't be worthy it makes my list. Basically basically it means I can recommend this to other people comfortably and say you're probably going to do pretty good with this. Everybody has their different experiences but this is kind of how I do mine but it's called the foaming oil hydrating cleanser which is absolutely sensational. It will not it will not compromise your skin barrier. It's not going to wreck it. It is safe for pretty much every skin type out there. But here's the thing for people with really oily skin and I'm not talking just T zone but those that suffer from really oily skin chronically. They're they're foaming clay cleanser spectacular because the CLAY actually helps absorb all that extra oil and when you pair that with you're using a niacin amide serum which is going to help bring down the hyperactive sebaceous secretion. And then you use perhaps their, I believe it's called their skin barrier nice that it might restoring gel, you're still keeping that hydration level up in the skin so the oil glands don't go crazy. And the nice citta might help to fortify and reduce the extra hyperactive sebaceous secretions. So it's a beautiful I love I love those products.

Amy:20:26

Love it. And then I know we talked I don't know if we asked you this before when we were talking about the H nbha. Is do you have I know we mentioned Polish choice? Do you have other brands that like what else what's on your list for for the exfoliators

Unknown:20:38

I have lots again, and it all depends on the individual and the type. So for me lactic acid 10% The ordinary it's, it's a cheap, awesome trick that works just just works brilliantly. L'Oreal Revitalift 10% glycolic serum. Absolutely awesome. And you can use you can just get it at your local Drug Mart and glad a glycolic acid is really good for normal skin types. You know, not too oily, not too too dry, kind of right in the middle. It's wonderful. And I like it that it's in a serum because it's a little bit more hydrating than your typical glycolic toner that you can get from the ordinary, you know, like that one, I'm not a fan of as much because it's really drying on the skin. So for me, it's kind of like oh, you know that one, I'll tell you a good trick about that. One side note. If you have really bad callus heals, throw on like put a little pouch pad of the glycolic serum, wipe it on your heels and put your moisturizer overtop skin changer. You're gonna have to try that. Yeah, it's a great little trick that it's fantastic of for people with really thick, oily skin, they can come they can get away with it, but it's not my favorite formula because like I said, it's pretty dry. And my my theory is I'd rather keep it a little bit more hydrating. That's why I like the glycolic serum from L'Oreal Revitalift. Because it's a little bit more hydrating, it's a little bit more supportive.

Amy:22:00

And so there's that, that they have like an under eye kind of serum to my thinking of the right one with like this. There's like silver, kind of like balls at the end. I don't know if that's how.

Unknown:22:10

Yeah, that's the hyaluronic acid when you're talking about Yeah, that's the hyaluronic acid you can put around your eyes. That one's Excellent. But ya know that it's generic, you know, hyaluronic acid after a while it's kind of hyaluronic acid, right? It's like, yeah, there's, there's $50 versions, do they work better than five $10 versions a little bit, you know, they're a nicer formula. They go on a little bit nicer, but they kind of technically do the same thing. So different molecular weights, there's always a little extra nuances that can make them just a little bit better, a little bit more luxurious, but I'll be damned if I ever pay 50 bucks for it. I will spend $100 on a cream if I see the value in it, but I am not going to pay $50 for hyaluronic acid. That's where I get cheap. It's so true that you can get such great products at drugstores now as well like therapy, I started using surbeys hyaluronic acid and niacin amide cream or CRM and it is fantastic. I'm I love it. And also I'm really until the Roche Posay now they're a great price point. Very nice. Yeah, very nice sign. So I'm so fascinated by this because you're so insanely educated on all of these details. So how you create these protocols or these routines for your clients. It's just brilliant. So they come to you and they say these are my problems ABCD and you put together a program for them. Yeah, yeah. Basically put together a skincare routine based on their skin type their needs and where they're at in their life because some people they're like, yeah, no, I'm okay with that. I just want this and I'm like okay, you know, for them. I have one client she's like, I know the wrinkles are coming I just My skin's just unbalanced. I just want a basic skincare routine. Nothing fancy just something I can be religious with and just have good skincare and like you got it. I had another client yesterday actually. She was amazing. She's like, I followed your routine and some of the routines that you were kind of putting together and on tick tock and she goes I had a horrible allergic reaction to a type of medication and the only place she didn't peel was the areas where she had taken care of her skin so her face her neck and her chest. But the rest of her body peeled due to this reaction she had to medication. So I just that just goes to show that your diligence you know in your skincare can make such a difference. Where could you

Amy:24:19

sorry, kidding are like 10,000 questions. Do you have a favorite vitamin C brand and question for you on that you put that on first? And then the niacin amide etc. Or like what's the order like I have a heart a lot of people get tripped up on like, what do you put on first and last but

Unknown:24:35

it depends on the vitamin C so the ascorbic acid form of vitamin C from skin deeba is truly my ultimate favorite with but that's that's a hot like that's a you worked your way up to it. If you are brand new and you go right telescopic acid you may or may not enjoy it, you know because it based on your skin type. It is the most potent I call her the diva of all of all, vitamin C. She's highly potent, highly reactive. She is also highly unstable. Oh, so she just she requires a little bit extra love. So she's, she's high maintenance but damn does she does her job like, this is the diva that's gonna sing the opera she's she's going to do it. So that's why I quite love her but I say that lovingly in the fact that your skin has to be dry. So you can technically put your hyaluronic acid and your nice and wide and all your serums on first. But the first rule of skincare is thinnest to thickest waterbased than a creams than oils. So when you're looking at like, for instance, Guindy about this one, it is a more of a water base. So that would go on first on dry skin, then you're going to let it absorb for a good solid minute, then you would put on anything that would be like a serum base, like your hyaluronic acid, you're nice and like any of those, your chebula, which is also a favorite of mine. And what I like to do, because a lot of them are carried in hyaluronic acid is when I apply it on my skin is I'll take a couple of drops and then I'll just kind of wet my fingertips or just give a light spray really far away because I don't want to overwhelm it. I just want to give it a little bit of slip factor. And then I would rub it in all over my face. let that soak in. Then I put on my creams and then my SPF and then ready for the day. That's it another tip of yours that I need to start to use and that is when you put a product on your face. Give it a second to get in there and do its job before you slap the next thing on. I'm like bubble gum, you know,

Amy:26:21

really you're rushing and you're like Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Unknown:26:25

very good tip. It's good to break it up. And you know, just brush your teeth. Go make your bed run after your kid like you know, sometimes it's good to break it up a little bit here and there. Some people ask well do I have to wait a full minute really, honestly give give your vitamin C a minute. Just give that one a full minute let her do her job. The serums are usually pretty pretty quick at absorbing like another good form of vitamin C is ascorbic acid which is not as strong but it's still very potent and that one is better on dry skin as well. Then when you go into like the texture heckled dako, ascorbic acid which is my favorite ultimate fatty acid awesome juiciness. That one works really well but you can actually layer it under your vitamin like under your serums and stuff like that. It doesn't it doesn't start working until it penetrates into the skin and it's a beautiful ingredient. I love that one. What's your view item and see for sensitive skin. Oh sensitive skin. I love herbivore Nova that that that sucker is awesome. And it's so juicy are so juicy and plumping it's got some alpha arbutin which helps to prevent excess melanin production. It does have a little bit of T chebula in there as well which is a very incredible powerful antioxidant. There's so many good turmeric as well which helps to reduce and lighten and brighten the skin like it just evens everything out. It's beautiful. But again, it's long term use you're not going to see results within like five 510 days you're gonna really have to just play the long game on it and some pigmentation just is not going to move. I have this little spot back my hand I've had it lasered I put products on it you name it I've done it ain't going anywhere she's like no you I'm with your girl that's it.

Amy:28:02

We're nasties

Unknown:28:05

so sometimes you just have to understand that there's certain things that are never gonna go away and kind of have to make your peace with that I was having such a hard time with vitamin C but I think it's because I was using the Sunday Riley good genes daily I think that was probably the culprit to all of my problems. So I'm gonna give it an I'm gonna give it another go. I'll try that one. Yeah, to try to try the Nova Yeah, that was fantastic.

Amy:28:27

So I was gonna switch topics because this is another topic that is Katie knows very passionate about which is under eyes. Oh yeah. Like dark circles bags like dry skin hollowness. What do you got? Tell us about brands, moisturizers things.

Unknown:28:48

Absolutely so did apology kind of went viral last year because they had gifted me one of their metrics holes and along with their eye patches and so forth. And although I did like the eye patches and metrics which just blew me out of the water, because what it did is it helped plump up my skin around the Holliness around my eyes as well as it again add some firmness because you're adding hydration you're basically kind of tired you were just talking

Amy:29:12

tricks that under your I got it

Unknown:29:14

oh I put that all over like I bathed in that that goes all over you want neck skin you want chest skin you want everything like I'll be 48 on Tuesday next week and there was literally your skin is gorgeous well I'm lucky because I get to play with a lot of product now that I would have never been would have never been open to in the past right so this is this is the kind of the perk of my of my job now which I'm really appreciative but I also share all my knowledge so everybody else can try different products as well and see which one's work best for their skin but

Amy:29:44

use that yeah, what what else like do you put on favorite eye creams like any tips for

Unknown:29:50

Yeah, so Charlotte Tilbury has really nice eye cream, really nice and it does help. Definitely help firm up my skin. There's another brand that I just finished Testing out and it did sensational. I used to roll my eyes. It wasn't a specific eye cream. It was the whole system itself. It's called EMK. Yeah, en que Beverly Hills. Sorry, I just have the little thing beside me because I'm gonna do a video on that. So that's my my refresher note to do that. That was an incredible system. highly expensive, though. So it is truly a Beverly Hills one, but it worked exceptionally well around my eyes. Apologies caviar stick is a great hydrator it's not going to firm up the skin. Like the Charlotte Tilbury one, but it's a great hydrator. So if you have a really dry, dehydrated one, that caviar stick is seasonal. I'm testing out true botanicals, they have an ice serum. I'm loving it, I put it on this morning, and I'm super super happy with it. So far. So good. I'm just still in the early stages of testing. So

Amy:30:44

love that. And while we're on the under ice subject, any favorite concealers

Unknown:30:49

Lancome Lancome, is it $40 One that that came out? Oh, it's been a couple years now. But that one still is a tried and true.

Amy:30:57

Okay, we're always looking for good eye creams and failure. So thank you for that.

Unknown:31:02

My page, I promise I will always keep you up to date on anything new, I try to go on as much as possible. So then that way people can make an informed decision. And, you know, know that, okay, somebody tested it, they liked it, you know, and they thought there was value to it. And that's what I love about being independent is that although I may work with brands after I like them, I don't do the other. I don't do it the other way. I was just offered a huge contract. Law and I thought was huge. And they're like, Yep, no, we want you to do this within a couple of weeks. I'm like, no, no, no, no, I gotta test it. So they're happy to do this, but I have to test it. See if I like it. And then we can talk and they're like, Oh, well, no, we need to do it. And I'm like, Nah, I'm not interested. Dude, sorry. Good for you. I worked my butt off to to keep my integrity means everything to me. And I worked my butt off to earn that.

Amy:31:47

Trust. Exactly. Yeah, I respect your opinion. So that's good.

Unknown:31:51

Yeah, so I'm not into that. Speaking of opinions, what's your opinion on skin cycling? Do you have any of your clients doing skin cycling? Well, when I put them on a, an actual program, there was a version that we actually do together. So I do put them on a program based on their skin type and their skin needs, which would consult well with the skin cycle, really. But it's not like what you're seeing from one dermatologist, I think they she came out with this, you know, do it this day to do it. They said do it this way that that will work for again, it's not a blanket statement for everybody. And it's not viable for most people, because it's not something that in a busy life schedule, works with people, right? Because when I design skincare routines, I'm like, What's your life like? Like, well, how realistic is this because I don't want you to buy all these products and do this whole thing, only to do it for the first two weeks and then go completely down the wayside. And, you know, I want to try to encourage something that they can do long term. And for certain people, they're very systematic, and they have that calendar in their head and they can do it, I say all the power to you. Just make sure you're using the right products. I don't recommend over exfoliating your skin more than, again, for certain skin types once twice max, max, max, max, some people can do three, but it's not as much as people think it is. And that's why I'm not quite a fan of that version. But again, I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who have had excellent success with it. So I don't want to poopoo anybody's work, but at the same time, I just want to be realistic that it's not going to be for everybody.

Amy:33:15

Yeah, of course. What about yeah, sorry, do you have

Unknown:33:18

a favorite retinol product that you like? I was going

Amy:33:21

to ask the same thing.

Unknown:33:23

Yeah, actually, I do love the one from topology that was sensational, that when you can use every single day, Kiehl's also has a really good they're micro dose one is fantastic. May love or if they have to, they have a retinol and a retinal oops, don't want to give you the thing. So retinal is your basic has to kind of penetrate the skin and convert itself a few times so it's on the lower end but it works very very well and then they also have another one called the retinal which is a higher strength and only has to I think only has to do one or two conversions and it's ready to rock and roll so

Amy:33:56

that one like once or twice a week probably not as much

Unknown:33:59

oh no I use that daily now once you get right now to it Yeah, once you work your way up you can but I hate to do this ladies. I have a consultation to do oh my god oh my god but I would love to come on here and do

Amy:34:12

more. Yeah, let's do have to we'll have you back whenever is convenient for you because I think in the part two we want to talk about like some of these treatments we're seeing out there like Morpheus aid and micro like all the treatments you can do and also want to hear about your routine and more your favorites etc. So we'll make sure to book you so don't worry Nirvana sisters family. We're gonna get her back back. Lady,

Unknown:34:36

they come back Bye bye.

Amy:34:40

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things Well now so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 95 - ProductJunkies - March Edition - Moisturized Lips, Glowing Skin, Hair On Point, We Got You.

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 95.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of wellbeing and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are Sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:28] Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show nirvana Sisters Family. It's Amy and Katie, and it is March product junkie's time, and we are excited to share with you some of our new finds, our new favorites. I'm going to start with you, Katie. What do you got for us?

[00:41] Katie Chandler: All right, well, this is a new fave, for sure, and it is a very good drugstore find. It's a brand that we all know and have known forever. It's Covergirls clean, fresh, yummy gloss. That's actually the name of it. And it is fresh and yummy. I have it on now, and it's the kind of thing where it's so soft and nice that I just apply it all day long. And it actually lasts. It lasts a while when it comes off, if I'm eating, if I wipe it off, because it whatever, I put it back on as soon as I'm done because it feels great.

[01:19] Amy Sherman: And which color is that one's?

[01:20] Katie Chandler: Good. I have it on now, so it's actually pretty clear, but in the tube, it says coconuts about yo is the color. And there's hyaluronic acid in this, which, of course, is part of the reason why it feels so nice on. And it also has this really thick, soft adapter, which I really like, too.

[01:45] Amy Sherman: Okay, this is hilarious. And you saw that I smiled when you set that product? No, I was looking for it because I saw it. You probably saw the same place that I say I saw Bethany Frankel talking about it on TikTok, and I was like, oh, that looks nice, and she said, it felt really good on the lips. I was like, I need to get that. I looked for it in Target the other day, and it was completely sold out. There was, like, one left and it wasn't a good color, but that was the only one. Every single color was sold out.

[02:08] Katie Chandler: Yeah, my CVS a week ago, there was, like, three tubes left, the whole entire thing.

[02:15] Amy Sherman: And it's like how much is it? Like $10?

[02:16] Katie Chandler: Not even. I mean it's cover Girl. I feel like it is. Oh, maybe. Yeah, $10, which is a very good one.

[02:25] Amy Sherman: Does it smell good?

[02:26] Katie Chandler: It does. Smells like coconut. This one smells like coconut, which is really nice. The other flavors and scents are berry and pineapple, and they have a couple of colors. There's acai goji and black elderberry in it, in addition to the hyaluronic acid. So it is really nice on. I'm obsessed with it. I haven't bought a Covergo product in I don't even know how many years. It's been forever. This is like the brand that I bought when I was a teenager.

[02:51] Amy Sherman: Totally.

[02:51] Katie Chandler: So it's a good one.

[02:53] Amy Sherman: It's so funny because I've been looking for that. I haven't gone to CVS. Maybe CVS will have it, but I've been really wanting to try that because I'm really into tons of glosses lately. Okay, so that's really funny that you say that. We need to try the yummy gloss. So in the same vein, I got these glasses. These are the Nyx fat oil. What is this called? Sorry. Nyx fat oil. Lip Drip. And they're lip oils. Okay. So I saw Mikayla reviewing these on TikTok, and I got my hands on, like, four colors because I was at Target, and they happened to have it. They didn't have many left. So I just bought four colors because, again, they're inexpensive. I think they were, like, maybe $10 or less. And I got kind of like you can see kind of like this pink. I got, like, a golden brown hair.

[03:44] Katie Chandler: When I saw you last weekend.

[03:47] Amy Sherman: Probably. Yeah, I was testing it. All the colors are actually beautiful on. I'll try one on just so you can see it. I'll try on this. This one's called I'll tell you the colors I have. This one's called Follow Back. It's kind of like a bronzy brown. This one's called Mist Call. It's kind of like a pinky Neutral. This one's like a darker brown, and it's called Scrolling. And then this one's more of a red, and this one's called Newsfeed. Fun Names. But anyway, I'll try one on. They feel so good. I've been wearing them all week. I love them so much. I want to get more colors because it's literally the only thing I want to wear. Which is your favorite one?

[04:29] Katie Chandler: Look at the it's pretty.

[04:31] Amy Sherman: It's like, really like a thick applicator. Look at this. I don't know.

[04:36] Katie Chandler: You can see. You just did the full on, like, influencer. Like, this is what it looks like. Thing.

[04:43] Amy Sherman: So obnoxious how pretty it is when I tell you it feels so good on my lips. It's so nourishing and moisturizing and doesn't have that glossy feel because it's an oil. So it just sinks in. I am telling you, it feels so good, and the colors are beautiful, so I love it, love it, love it. I'm going to be wearing this for the next little while, and I'm just going to keep getting new colors because I have a feeling it's like all the colors look good, and they have.

[05:11] Katie Chandler: A wide range of colors.

[05:15] Amy Sherman: I want to say there's, like, maybe eight colors or so. And a lot of people online were saying that it's a dupe for the Dior lip oil, which I've never tried, but I'm in love. So, anyway, nyx Fat oil lip drip. Great product. Target CVS CVS wherever you can find Next.

[05:33] Katie Chandler: I'm going to pick some up next time I'm at CVS. All right, well, here's my next one. And if you have been on the beauty side of social media, you have certainly heard about this lately. It is Paula's choice. BHA. Liquid exfoliant. So we were talking about this at some point, and I can't remember if it was on the air or not, but I switched.

[05:59] Amy Sherman: I think we were talking about yeah, we were talking about this because we were talking about skin cycling, but I don't know if we were talking about this.

[06:07] Katie Chandler: I had been using Sunday Riley's lactic acid as my exfoliant, and I was using it incorrectly. Remember I told you that?

[06:14] Amy Sherman: And I've been using that lately.

[06:15] Katie Chandler: And do you like it?

[06:18] Amy Sherman: I do, but I'm using it only, like, once a week, so not every day. Like, you were crushed.

[06:25] Katie Chandler: My skin was, like, begging Ford's life. But meanwhile, I also have a lot of acne, and this is supposed to be really good for it because it is the BHA, which has, like, the sicilic acid that is the key ingredient for the acne.

[06:41] Amy Sherman: Pro salac.

[06:42] Katie Chandler: Thank you. Salicylic acid. It says it's for all skin types, which is so interesting. And listener, we have a future episode coming up where we really dive into this stuff with an amazing guest that helps us understand that. But for it to say it's for all skin types is wildly inaccurate. Maybe you can use it, but some people would really react to this, myself included. I can only use it once a week. I tried last week to use it twice with a couple of days in between, and I was, like, dry and flaky and actually even more acne because it helps the skin cell turnover. It makes everything kind of come to the surface. Right. It says it unclogs and shrinks enlarged pores, which yes, check. It does do that smooths and evens out skin tone. I agree with that. Lightweight liquid absorbs quickly. It is, but it's intense. If you have acne, though, try it. And then also when you have, like, a pimple that maybe pops up, you could also do what I do, where I just put it on that little spot that day, and it helps. It does help that pimple sooner. Yeah, I like it.

[07:55] Amy Sherman: Do you put that on at night and you just put it all over your face with, like, a cotton ball?

[07:59] Katie Chandler: Yes, I do it one night a week. Cotton ball. And then I follow up with the rest of my regimen and definitely, like, a really good face cream because it can be very drying, but I think it's working for my skin. I like it.

[08:14] Amy Sherman: Does your skin look, like, really kind of glowy the next day?

[08:18] Katie Chandler: Actually, it does. I've noticed that the day after. It's very kind of it's fresh skin almost, it seems like. And then that's when I do my retinol that next day.

[08:31] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I have that in a trial size, and I think I've only used it once. I haven't given it a proper chance, but I bought it, too, because a lot of people have said it's really good. And I also am currently testing the Sunday Riley, which I like so far. But again, I'm only using it like, once or twice a week in the skin cycle routine. And I like it so far, but I can definitely, when I put it on, feel that. It's kind of stingy a little bit.

[08:53] Katie Chandler: Yeah, this stings, too.

[08:56] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I kind of like that feeling.

[08:58] Katie Chandler: I know it's doing its job, I feel like right.

[08:59] Amy Sherman: I know you're like, okay, something's working. Okay, well, speaking of dry skin, here is another so into the trial sizes moisturizer that I tried, which I talked about recently in the show that Katie just mentioned. It's called the skin fix barrier. Plus triple lipid peptide cream. It's this blue tub, and I think the big actually, this is the trial size, and I've been using it for, like, two or three weeks, which is crazy because it really comes with a lot I don't know how many ounces this is. It's 1.5 ML. So it's a really nice trial size. But anyway, I've been trying this over the last couple of weeks. I really like it. It's so good for the winter. It's very nourishing, it just feels really good on the skin, really soothing. And I've been using this every night, and I really, really like it. My skin wakes up like moisturize. It really has been helping. So anyway, I would probably just use this in the winter. I don't know if I'd use it in the summer. We'll have to see. But it's not heavy. It's kind of medium. It's not super heavy, but it's not super light. It's like, leaning more towards heavy, but not heavy heavy, where it feels thick and greasy. Too thick? Yeah, it feels really nice. It spreads nicely. It's just a really, really good texture, like smooth. You know what I'm saying? So I'm definitely going to buy the big one once this is done. So highly recommended.

[10:20] Katie Chandler: And it's filled with peptides, which we learned recently are phenomenal for the skin.

[10:27] Amy Sherman: Exactly. It says Rich Lipid replenishment. I can't read this. Rich lipid. Rich lipid replenishment. And I think this is like, one of those that helps with your skin barrier. So while you're using all of these acids on your face, this is a really good one to use. It nice and moisture skin barrier in.

[10:51] Katie Chandler: The winter especially, too. Like, all of our skin barriers are compromised. All right, well, moving from skin to hair, I have a nice little hair product. You are the person that introduced me to this brand. It's the wow brand, and I think it's out of the UK, actually, but you can get it anywhere here. This is the wow. Extra Large Bombshell. Volumizer. This gives fantastic volume. Like epic volume without a volume.

[11:24] Amy Sherman: Is it like a texture spray?

[11:26] Katie Chandler: No, it's like a moose. You put it in your hair when your hair is damp like a moose. Anywhere that you want volume. Well, before I cut my banks, I would do it in the front, but it delivers for sure. And your hair doesn't get too heavy afterwards. I really do like it. It's a great product. The only thing that I don't like about it is that on day three, my hair is getting a little bit oilier faster when I use it because, you know, I care that I only wash it seemed for you we only wash our hair, like, once or twice a week. The volume will last for a few days, which is impressive, but I don't know, I kind of have to wash my hair sooner, which I don't love that piece to it, but I recommend it if you're looking for, like, really bouncy, luminous, gorgeous, slowly hair. It'll work.

[12:20] Amy Sherman: And do you put it in? Sorry, miss? We said you put in when it's wet or dryer.

[12:23] Katie Chandler: You put it in when your hair is damp? Yes. Okay. And it doesn't dry your hair out. The claim to fame with it is it's first of a kind, non drying, volumizing technology. No alcohol or salt, instantly thickens and lasts for days. So that's great that it doesn't dry your hair out, but it's kind of doing the opposite effect for me, where after a couple of days, it's like, almost making it a little too oily. But if you're one of those people that washes their hair, like, every other day, it wouldn't really matter.

[12:55] Amy Sherman: Right. Or if you use it, like, the day or two before you're going to wash it anyway, then it doesn't matter as much.

[13:00] Katie Chandler: Well, no, because you can't put it in dry hair. You don't want to put it in dry hair.

[13:04] Amy Sherman: I see you do it after you wash it. Good. I'll have to try that next time I'm with you. Yeah, my hair is wet. I just did my wash of the week. Okay. So I don't have a hair product. I have the next two products I have are Face products. So the first one I have is my new favorite. I was going to talk about this last month, but I didn't get to it. And it's the rare beauty bronzer stick. This one is. What color is this? It's called Happy Soul. So L, and it's so good. It's just like a bronzer stick. You literally just, like, go like this takes 2 seconds, and it just could, like, mix it in with your hand. It's such a pretty color. Very natural. It feels like nothing on the skin, and it just gives you a little color.

[13:50] Katie Chandler: It's beautiful.

[13:51] Amy Sherman: So easy. What color is that? I feel like it lasts forever. I've had this for it's called Happy Soul. There's a few of them. They didn't have many of them. I just happened to find it at Sephora maybe like, a month or so ago. And they didn't have that many colors left. And I saw this one and I was thinking maybe it was too dark, but it's actually perfect. I love it. And this is so good for travel too, because this is all you need, just like a bronzer stick like this. I don't know if you could use it for contour. Maybe you could, but I think it's too warm for contour. But you could just bring this and like a blush and you're fine. I mean, it's great. You could put it on your forehead, whatever, but it's such a good product. It's really creamy and nice and it just sinks in the skin in 1 second. It's just so easy to use. I love it. So it's the rare fruity bronze. Rare beauty bronzer. I can't talk today. Rare beauty bronzer stick in Happy Soul. And there's a bunch of different colors, but I love it. It's a great, great product. Super easy to use.

[14:48] Katie Chandler: I need to try it perfect for.

[14:50] Amy Sherman: The five minute flow.

[14:51] Katie Chandler: Totally. I need to try some rare beauty products. I don't think I have any, and I know that they have it.

[14:58] Amy Sherman: They're great.

[14:59] Katie Chandler: Nice.

[15:00] Amy Sherman: I love it.

[15:00] Katie Chandler: All right, so my next one is a supplement for your health that I didn't love. And I'm going to give you what you should do instead. All right, so all of us that are dealing with inflammation, especially people with joint problems, autoimmune disease, if you're older and have arthritis, whatever it may be, you should be taking Turmeric. Any doctor and any functional medicine doctor is going to tell you this. Turmeric, it has curcumin in it and it's just excellent for inflammation. So I tried a new product from nature's nutrition. That's the brand, and it was their Turmeric and ginger with Bioprine. Bioprine, by the way, is black pepper. And your turmeric product has to have bioprene in it for it to be effective. Otherwise it doesn't do what it's supposed to do. So make sure you're always looking for turmeric with bioprene or black pepper in it. But this one with ginger, it has really good reviews on Amazon, but it really bothered my stomach. It was really like the ginger was so strong on my stomach and it was bloating me and it was causing me to have all kinds of cramping and everything. So I was kind of disappointed in it because I think aside from that, it was doing its job. But if you have a sensitive tummy, it's a little tough. So instead I went back to the one that I'd always use that I think maybe at the time just wasn't available. And this is a good one. I've been using it for years. It's by Bioshwart, so you can get it on Amazon. And it is the premium ultra pure Turmeric per Cumin. With bioprene, it's the same thing. It just doesn't have ginger and it works very well. So that's it.

[16:43] Amy Sherman: Okay, that's good to know. I have turmeric like supplement. I never take it. I think I took it. I used it for a little while, and then I stopped. But it's a good reminder. Don't they also have Turmeric where you could drink it?

[16:57] Katie Chandler: Turmeric teas, like big cartes, like Turmeric and ginger tea? Yeah. Which I love. I love Turmeric and ginger tea. I think it's just probably the high dose that was a little Tummy that's in a pill. Yeah, exactly.

[17:14] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[17:15] Katie Chandler: Okay. Yeah, it's a great supplement, so I highly recommend it. If you have, like, achiness or any inflammation, definitely try it and try try the bioshorts brand. So what do you have next name?

[17:26] Amy Sherman: Okay, so my last product is the same brand as the bronzer stick. It's rare beauty, and this is a good one two punch. It's the enlightened highlighter. It's so pretty. It's gorgeous. So I have a lot of highlighters. I'm obsessed with highlighters, but this one is so pretty. It's actually like a powder highlighter, but it's so glowy. And look at that.

[17:51] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's beautiful. It's very, like, pearly iridescent.

[17:55] Amy Sherman: Yeah. So I just put it on the high points on my face. I sometimes put it in my eyes, put it in the corner. It's really, really pretty. I love it. And it's a lot in here, so it's going to take a while to get through. So this is my new highlighter that I've been using all the time. So it's like I'll use the bronzer stick. I'll use this highlighter. I'll use some, like, cream blush done.

[18:15] Katie Chandler: Five minutes super fast. And I like that. It's a powder. I've been using the stick, the creamy.

[18:22] Amy Sherman: Like a liquid highlighter.

[18:23] Katie Chandler: I either have a creamy stick highlighter or I use a liquid highlighter. And it never blends right. For me, I need to go with the powder, I think, so I need to try that one.

[18:32] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[18:32] Katie Chandler: You were the first person that ever, like, I ever found out about highlighter from you. You're the very first person I ever saw wear highlighter.

[18:40] Amy Sherman: Really?

[18:41] Katie Chandler: What's that pretty sparklingess on your cheekbones? Yeah, I love it.

[18:45] Amy Sherman: It's so pretty. I have so many of them, I feel like, and I'm always trying new ones. And you're right. I have powder ones, I have liquid. I go back and forth because I also have the rare beauty liquid highlighter that I used to use all the time, and I still use that sometimes. But this one is the best so far because I feel like it's like the prettiest, like, most shiny. Not shiny, but, like, pearly one.

[19:07] Katie Chandler: It's really pretty. Do they have different shades and tones? Because they do. I always wonder with highlighter, how do you choose what color is right for you? We need to ask a makeup artist that question because you and I have very different skin, right. So I don't know if that one would work on me.

[19:27] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I don't know. This one's kind of like I don't even know it's almost like a goldish pinkish color, but it's fair, right? There's a couple of other colors, but I think, again, this is like the only one they have. So I was like, I'll just try this one. But yeah, it's a good question. The first one I ever tried, I think, was Fenty Beauty Highlighter, and it was almost like a yellowish goldish one. That's probably the one you're talking about because I remember a makeup artist that's a four and put it on me and I was like, what is this? It's so pretty. And that one could almost be like a highlighter or even an eyeshadow, and I still have that and use that. But yeah, it's interesting. There's a lot of ranges. I don't know what the rule is, but I love it.

[20:04] Katie Chandler: I know I have some that are pearly white like that, and then I have some that are more golden and I just never know which way to go. So you know what, folks? We're going to have a makeup artist on. We're going to talk about it.

[20:16] Amy Sherman: Exactly. It also probably depends on the time of year because if your face is tanner, you would use a different one versus the winter. But anyway, I love it. So I think that's all we have for this month. That is it. Quick episode, some quick products we're loving. Hope you can go to your local Target CVS, get some of these fun products, the rare beauty products I got at Sephora, I think the skin fix I got at Sephora. And let us know what else you want us to review next month. Bye bye.

[20:47] Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes.

[20:52] Amy Sherman: Please subscribe and leave us a review.

[20:54] Amy Sherman: Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know some wood that would, please share it and tag us.

[21:01] Amy Sherman: Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters.

[21:04] Amy Sherman: We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 90 - Product Junkies January Edition - What We’re Loving (And Not) Right Now (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 90.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Unknown: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:28

Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's January product junkies time and Katie and I are back to give you our things that we are loving right now and maybe not loving so. So we're gonna get right into it. Katie, what do you got for me?

Unknown: 0:43

All right, I'm gonna kick it off with something that it's possible. We you have reviewed this before? Because I know we've talked about it. But I want to talk about my experience with it. I over the holidays, I ordered the new face Mini. And oh, because you have it, don't you? Do you have the regular one?

Amy: 1:01

Yeah, we haven't reviewed it. We actually talked about it with Shelly Marshall and like member she showed us how to use it and did that tutorial, but I haven't been using mine lately. So yeah, like,

Unknown: 1:10

I'm obsessed. I use it every single day. And I have without a doubt 100% seen results in one week, one week, like I just it just I ordered it like, over the holidays. And it took a while to come in because they were out of stock. I have absolutely seen results. And I will show before and afters on our social to prove it.

Amy: 1:28

Okay, so you that's the that's the new face Mini.

Unknown: 1:32

It's the new face Mini, which I don't understand why you need anything more than this, this little thing, I have the big one. It's so good. It does exactly what it's supposed to it's. So for those of you that don't know, it's a micro current electrical current that sends gentle waves through the skin down to the facial muscles and it mimics and gently re energizes the body's own natural current helping to like tone and lift and contour. And then it also helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles. My thing is, I feel like I always as I've gotten older, I'm starting to see like the sagging and the drooping especially around my eyes or like down in like the jowl area which is super common that happens. And this is lifting me for sure. But I think consistency is an absolute must. I was talking to someone

Amy: 2:18

that's yeah, that's the whole thing. That's what Shelly said, because when I've used it, I've seen results, but you have to use it and be consistent every day. And that's where I fell flat and right to get back into it. It's not so let me ask you a question. Yeah. Because here's what I found with a new face which again, it does work if you consistently use it. The thing that I didn't like is I didn't like putting on like the gel on my skin and then using it and I remember asking Shelley Marshal when she was on the show what else you could use and I can't remember what she said. But she said you do have to use something that kind of like sparks the electric electro currents or whatever else that doesn't work like you can't just use the serum. So what are you using? Are you using the thing that came with it?

Unknown: 2:56

I'm using the new face gel that came with it that has hyaluronic acid in it and I actually my skin has been so painfully dry lately that that was like refreshing for me it felt great and even some days I would like leave it on and not wash my face right away. But I'm kind of annoyed because the gel that came with the product is almost gone. So it's lasted me barely like you know a week probably I might get some use out of it in the next couple of days. But I think I want to say I feel like Shelley told us that you could use petroleum jelly just something like that. And if you don't use it you feel the current and it hurts like if there's an area and you didn't have to use something Yeah, you have

Amy: 3:36

Yeah, so that was my downside and like the consistency of that so it like didn't make it feel like a good experience. But yeah, I guess there are other things to try. So you tell me the process and how long it takes you.

Unknown: 3:49

It takes and also I think speaking of other things I've also heard of people using like hyaluronic acid serums to use it like good thick ones. Okay, by it you turn it on and it you just like slowly dragon in the same place on your face. You repeat that three times and after a couple of seconds it goes beep beep beep and then that means that's when you start over. And you just you do it all throughout your face and it's five minutes it won't let you go longer than five minutes because I don't think it's safe and you're not supposed to even do it more than once a day for that reason. So what areas do

Amy: 4:22

you do it on?

Unknown: 4:22

I do it on my jawline right beneath my jawline, I do it on my cheekbones and up on each side. I do it around my eyes, my crow's feet up and the whole thing is that you always have to work up and then I do it like up on my eyebrow and lift up that way this area through here is where I have noticed the biggest difference Yeah, it

Amy: 4:44

does. look nice. Yeah. Do you do your neck too or no?

Unknown: 4:47

I do like right here like right under like where you would have like a double chin situation and look it is tightening my it is tightening those muscles because I was starting to get like a like a drop down. loss

Amy: 5:02

Oops. Okay, I love that I'm gonna I'm going to start using mine again. I've been lazy and you use it in the morning or at night.

Unknown: 5:07

Whenever Whenever I have time to do it, just squeeze it on.

Amy: 5:10

Okay. Okay, I'm going to use it again. Good reminder of some new face and we'll have to watch to find those videos with Shelley because I feel like she did some demos. I can't remember but we'll look for it. Yeah, for sure. All right, what do you Okay, so I'll start with the face product. So I've been following this new person on Tiktok and Instagram Erica, I can't remember her last name but we'll put it in the show notes and we're going to try to get her on the show. She's amazing. And she does great. Like makeup tutorials and hacks for women over 40 And she just is hilarious and just a great follow but anyway, she recommends it I'll actually a few of my recommendations are from her this month but she recommended which I've heard of before I just never tried it to say slip 10 Oh nice. has SPF 35 And it's just like a tinted moisturizer but I really liked this one because it's very thin. And it just is like a really nice glow but not too glowy where it feels like shiny. So I've been putting this on every day and just as like I mean I guess you could probably just use it as a moisturizer. I haven't done that yet because my skin so dry I'll put on my moisturizer and then put this over it almost like a makeup but it's not even thick so it's almost just like can I just smooths out all the redness and smooths out your face that looks I'll I'll do a video or something for social today show the before and after. But it's such a nice difference from like just putting it on and it just refreshes your skin and just makes it look really awake and nice and glowy and smooth and glassy. So I love it. So it's my new thing. The texture is really nice the color. The color that I bought was three which is like a light color and it's tinted but it doesn't come off on anything. You know how sometimes a tinted moisturizer when you're not wearing makeup you throw on a tinted moisturizer and it can like get on something if you have like like other colored clothing on this doesn't do any of that it's almost just like a moisturizer that sinks into your skin. So I'm also going to try it without moisturizer just to skip that step and see how it goes but I really have been loving loving loving this lately. I've been wearing it every day.

Unknown: 7:07

Do you feel like it like just gives you a little bit of a darker shade? Like I'm getting so pale? I'm getting like the winter

Amy: 7:13

Yeah, no, I mean, I guess you could get a darker shade but it really just like here I'll put on a little bit so you can see I don't know if you'll be able to see through the lens. I don't know my light on but

Unknown: 7:21

it's a nice nice kinda.

Amy: 7:23

It's dewy, it feels really good on the skin and adjust. It just smooths you out. I can't explain it just kind of evens your skin because I've been having like some redness and like uneven looking skin and it just smooths it out very light. Very easy. And you could just put this on and go nice. It's like a good five minute flow.

Unknown: 7:44

Yeah, yeah, I like that one I need I'm looking for a nice tinted moisturizer. Awesome. Great should have asked me

Amy: 7:51

out really great. And it has SPF so that's why you probably don't even need regular moisturizer because my moisturizer has an SPF so that's why I use that. But if your skin's not that dry, you could probably just use this and not even you know put on your serums and then put on this I'll try that too and see how it goes but it's a great I'm loving it.

Unknown: 8:09

Sweet. All right, well that is a great segue into my next product because speaking of like red and uneven I was getting a lot of that especially because my skin was so dry and I was trying to figure out, you know, going on to Tik Tok listening to some of these influencers and by the way I only when it comes to skin products, the only people that I listened to are the ones that are either esthetician or dermatologist like I don't listen to some 30 year old that likes a product and tells right gotten by it. So I was trying to figure out what what is it that I need that's going to smooth me out and I learned that it is niacin amide is good for like clearing up redness and unevenness. So I went to the good old drugstore and Sarah vai This is a new Holy Grail. There's so many products now that have the niacin amide and the hyaluronic acid and you can spend 5080 $150 on a product with those two ingredients. Or you can get this survey which I want to say I spent like maybe I remember like $25 Not even yeah like and it's doing the job it's clearing of the redness really quickly within days I would get a lot of I had like a lot of uneven patchy redness around my nose and my like upper lip area I get that and it started to it's already starting to clear it up so I want to say I've bought this in the beginning of the week. So it's a real it's a survey Hyaluronic I'm sorry Sarah Bay hydrating hyaluronic acid serum with three essential ceramides hyaluronic acid and vitamin B five.

Amy: 9:44

Nice Yeah, so you just put that on as a serum like is that the first thing you put on or you put on your vitamin C and then that something like that

Unknown: 9:50

I haven't been using vitamin C because I was reacting too much to it. So I this is the second product I use a poor refining serum and then I use this and then I use my moisturizer

Amy: 10:00

But and what's the feel of that? Is it tacky? Or is it like smooth?

Unknown: 10:03

Oh, it's a nice smooth. It's like in between a serum and a moisturizer. It's a little thicker than a serum not super heavy as a moisturizer. It's very nice and it in your skin just soaks it right up. And it doesn't it leaves no residue it ends up kind of like almost mattifying and sinks on beautifully.

Amy: 10:24

Next product is the two faced fluff and hauled laminating brow wax.

Unknown: 10:31

Oh, I just heard about Yes, yeah, it says it do the job.

Amy: 10:35

It is so good. I'm going to try to do it again. I don't have my light. So it might be hard to say. really gets your eyebrows like I'm not sure yeah. Oh, yeah,

Unknown: 10:45

I see. Yeah. And does it stick? Oh, that really is doing the job

Amy: 10:49

if you want that laminated look, literally. I mean, you don't have to use it for that. But

Unknown: 10:54

does it stay?

Amy: 10:56

Yeah. Because I used to just use a clear gel. And now I'm using this and my eye brows. Like I did this yesterday. It was and I was in the office and literally it stayed like this all day.

Unknown: 11:06

Up. You just look like you like you just lifted like your whole

Amy: 11:10

now. Yeah, it's insane. Wow. So I'm obsessed again. It's the toothpaste fluff and hold laminating brow wax. And so I've been using this everyday and so instead of a clear, you know, mascara or whatever, it's God, this is so much better. Again, I think Erica or girl might have told us about this and it is so good. It stays all day. It doesn't like stick in there and get hard, you know, when you go to wash it off later. It's just like, super easy. Yeah, so I use it and sometimes I fluffed them up and they sort of have that laminated look or sometimes I'll just kind of like you know, comin back down but it's a really really great nice product.

Unknown: 11:47

Nice. Okay, two faced good old two faced all right, brilliant. All right, well this next one has been a total game changer for me and I think you're gonna want to get it too. I have never had long eyelashes and my eyelashes always are like dry and break off so they're thin also, and it drives me insane and I have to like put pounds of mascara on to get nice lashes. So I tried the score Oh lash eyelash volumizing growth serum. And it is working for sure.

Amy: 12:21

What's the brand score? Oh

Unknown: 12:23

lash, s t o r o l a s h it's definitely legit like I don't have that much mascara on and it's they don't look like massively long but you've got to understand before when I have no mascara on and don't look like I have lashes and I also have a missing eyelash few eyelashes and an area where I had a chickenpox as a kid and they've never grown there and I think they're starting to grow there. So it's it's very good it works

Amy: 12:52

and do you put that on at night just on the top of the lash line?

Unknown: 12:56

No put it on at night at the top of the lash line and it's really important to do it at night at bedtime. I've done it a little bit earlier in the evening and then like my eyes started to get irritated so it's right super low

Amy: 13:08

when your eyes are closed it like goes into yeah yeah it's funny that you say that because I just started use a grande lash I don't have a review for it yet because I haven't been using it long enough because same thing like I feel like my lashes I mean I've been wearing for the last six months eyelash extensions which have been like a game changer I just because my eyelashes are so light that I have to wear mascara every day and frankly I just got so sick of taking off mascara every day and like it just bothers my eyes so much she's like a makeup remover and like rub my eyes every night take it out so when I got the eyelash extensions it's so great not having to wear mascara and like barely having to wear makeup makes such a difference on my face but anyway it the maintenance of it is painful and I can't I'm like taking a break for right now so I was like I when I got them off I'm like oh my god I have no lashes this looks crazy. I look like yeah, that's a little washed out. So I started using the Grande last to try to grow them a little bit longer. I mean they're never going to be dark so I still will always need mascara but at least maybe they can get a little bit more volumous so I bought the sample of like the Grande lash lash and then the Grande lash brow like they come together at Sephora just to try them out. So I'm still using Um So more to come on that but that's uh that's good to know that that one works because if this doesn't work maybe I'll try that

Unknown: 14:21

yeah, I'm sorry did you get that definitely a fan of it. I ordered it online I one of my friends is has also been doing eyelash extensions for so long that she says that she has like literally no eyelashes left. So that's the thing. I mean, I understand the convenience of it when they're on there and it's great but like you said the maintenance and then potentially ruining your lashes is a tough deal.

Amy: 14:44

Yeah, and I think with these serums and stuff the other thing I heard they're great but again, it's consistency like yes, like I started of course I start doing grinding left earlier so we can the last few days of course I forgot before I went to bed, but it's like if you keep doing it your eyelashes will grow. It's just when you up, they won't that's really good to know of that brand. And I'm also in the process of reviewing a few DIY eyelash extensions. So I'll be back in a later episode with that, which is really fun. Okay, great. Okay, so my next product is on the same realm of the eyebrows. And again, two faced for the win. This is called the to face brow wig. And it's a natural brush on hair, fluffy brow gel again, similar to the waxy fluff and hold but this one is different because it has a color. So I guess you could probably I've been using both I've been using the fluff and hold and then I throw in this brow wig because it has a color. So the color that I got the colors natural blonde, and again, since I have such light hair, and this just kind of like fills in the gaps a little bit. So again, like you will probably just do this use this without the wax but I use it on top and it just fills them in a little bit. But to me, I know we've had a couple of pencils that we've reviewed on the show, but to me this is easier. And it just fills in kind of like where my eyebrows are a little sparse. And

Unknown: 16:09

that just a combination of that with a lamp is actually really good. What you just Yeah, so

Amy: 16:13

I've been using these two together and it's been great. It's made such a big difference. So highly recommend two faced brow wagon. There's tons of different colors based on your eyebrow color. So nice big fan base. Alright really that with the say you're good to go? You're sad.

Unknown: 16:28

Okay. All right, fantastic. So this is going to be a holy grail for any of my girls that deal with acne. And it's so wild because I've had the dry skin but also acne and my skin is really dry but I've been having breakouts and I think it's because I was like I was using a product daily that I should not have been that I think was just really breaking down my skin and clogging my pores with like dry skin and everything. So it's hard to find a product that is going to be good for acne when you have dry skin because it'll dry you out really quickly right usually comes along with like oily skin. So this one so the Roche Posay EFA klare it has Adaline gel in it which is at a higher percentage is prescription only so it's very very effective. It's a once daily topical retinoid dermatologist developed and tested product and I use it I started skin cycling we talked about that in our trends episode and I think we're gonna have somebody come on maybe dermatologist to talk us through that more this year, but I started skin cycling so I'm doing my retinal treatments with us twice a week

Amy: 17:37

so that's that that's substance like a retinol treatment. You mean I use it

Unknown: 17:41

in addition to my Sunday Riley Vita retina so I use both on on my retina Oh no. Yeah, it's working. It's 100% working like I had really really bad breakout on both sides of my temples and there are gearing up after using it for about maybe two

Amy: 18:00

okay. Okay, so on your retinol night you're using your Sunday Riley retinol as well as that and then a moisturizer on top

Unknown: 18:08

and then a moisturizer on top. Yeah, I do. So for the skin cycling the first night I do an exfoliant which is like a lactic acid VHA or an AJ or like folic acid. And then the next day I do my retinas moisturize and then the next day I rest and I just do one more stressor and my niacin amide serums and then you do it all over again.

Amy: 18:32

Yeah, so I've been trying that I've tried in the past but I haven't been of course consistent but yeah, I always for the I have dry skin too. So every time I use a retinol same it gets like so dry and then I noticed that like if I put on makeup or like anything with like a brush it gets like dry up here on my forehead so that way, so I did buy a new retina which maybe I'll review next time if I like it that I'm testing so that's good to know about that one too. I'm gonna try that L'Auberge La Roche Posay I feel like there's a lot of really nice products

Unknown: 19:01

they do and what I really love about it is I don't have to go all the way to Sephora to get it I haven't had CVS carries their whole right they sell it at CVS. I know nice. It's a really solid price point for the quality of the product as well. Yeah, what do you have next?

Amy: 19:15

Okay, so once you have your sace Lipton on and your eyebrows done your finishing product is I found a perfume which I am as you know very sensitive to smells and I love perfume but I haven't worn perfume literally for like five years because the scent I get a headache and I don't feel good and I can never find like the right one. That doesn't give me a headache or like whatever. Yeah, but I did find one that I liked. That doesn't bother me and I'm so excited. I got the little trial size at Sephora. It's called Gucci flora. It has pear blossom accord white gardenia, nature print and grandiflorum Jasmine combination,

Unknown: 19:56

Jasmine. I love that smell. Yeah, like normally

Amy: 19:59

I actually They don't like I usually like more of like the pair type sense. But I think the reason why I like this is because it has the Jasmine. But then it also has the pair. So it's sort of like, has this really nice balance. So I've been loving it. And I love the rollerball because it's just like, throw it on. And yeah, and it's not too strong. I mean, I think a lot of people I was reading reviews online, were saying that it doesn't stay on all day, it kind of fades, but I don't care. I don't need it to stay on all day. I feel like once it's on it kind of like is there in the background, and that's fine. But I'm loving it. And so I've been able to wear perfume again. So I'm really excited about it. And they have two versions, they have this pink one. And then they have another one called Gucci Flora gorgeous Jasmine and it's in a really pretty aqua blue bottle. And that one has different ingredients, Mandarin essence, Jasmine and Magnolia. I didn't really like that one as much. But this one, they describe it on the website as delicious, gorgeous and joyful. So anyway, I'm really loving this and I'm so excited. I found a perfume that I can actually wear and enjoy.

Unknown: 20:57

And I love the Sephora with their sample size bottles, I think is genius.

Amy: 21:01

Oh my now it's and they last so long. Besides it's it. Yeah, it's

Unknown: 21:04

like a it's it's grown in

Amy: 21:07

your bag. You can throw it for travel. Like I don't need like the big thing because, uh, you never use the whole thing.

Unknown: 21:12

Yeah, I have. I have large bottles of perfume in my bathroom, like six of them that have been there for years.

Amy: 21:20

Yeah. You don't wanna throw them away, but they get nasty.

Unknown: 21:23

Yeah. All right, so my last review, I do have one after this. That's that that's something I'm not so pleased with. But this is my last one. And this is a holy grail. Game Changer. It is called Hi smile. It is a color correcting serum for your teeth. And

Amy: 21:45

never heard of a color correcting serum for

Unknown: 21:47

me either. It's so the tube is purple. And the toothpaste itself is actually purple. And it seriously well it's toothpaste toothpaste. Oh, but it doesn't take place of toothpaste, you still use regular toothpaste and then you do this afterwards. And I have like I have a lot of bonding work and I have bonding work that I did like 10 years ago and I bonding with it I did three years ago and then I have teeth that don't have it. So it's very my smile has always been very like uneven because it's hard to match the bonding to old bonding. So like the yellowing and everything was driving me absolutely insane. And this has has really corrected a lot of it. It has really started to like balance out the weight of my teeth and my smile and everything and I have before and after pictures too that I can that I can share. So

Amy: 22:32

you brush your teeth and then you put that on. Yep. And how do you apply it

Unknown: 22:37

just with a toothbrush? You just literally like brush your teeth with it.

Amy: 22:40

Oh cool. Did you do it morning and night

Unknown: 22:42

I do it. Yeah, I do it morning at night. I mean, I'll do it as many times if I want if I'm going out and I want my smile to be extra bright I do it you know, it's like you can do it as often as you want. And they have a lot of products so they also the package that I bought also came with this pen that you put on and it's a red gel and the red only is red. It goes on clear and it shows up red where you have staining and you need extra attention and then you use this other toothpaste to clear it so like I got a package with a with multiple items that I'm using.

Amy: 23:17

But where did you find did you buy it online?

Unknown: 23:19

I bought it online. Yeah, of course what's in it it was social media buy you're so influenced. I know Tiktok made me do it. So funny do so I don't know exactly what the active ingredient is says V 34 is best used as a post whitening treatment however it can be used on its own daily or before an event to eliminate unwanted yellow undertones on your teeth. And it has phenomenal reviews across the board. Like that's why I bought it. It just seemed a little too good to be true but it is it is really good. I was going to buy that the snow the snow whitening thing, but it's pretty pricey. So I want to just start with this first. I mean this was a really good price I think like right now you can get it for $23 so great. Yeah, try that. It's legitimate. It really does work fine. Yeah, it's a great find. Alright, so do you have any more?

Amy: 24:08

Yeah, so my last one is is not a beauty product but it is a comfy cozy product and I'm wearing it Oh nice. It's this sweatshirt which I don't know if I showed you when I bought it. Amazon of course influenced by Tiktok it's a dupe for like the Lululemon like scuba hood or something I don't know. But this is the women's hooded pullover sweatshirt have super cropped hoodie. Fleece lines colors up up. Literally they have 10 billion colors. The one I'm wearing right now is light gray. It's $42 super cheap. I got a size medium just so it's like a little bit bigger. But it's great because it's a crop so it doesn't feel like so shitty when you're wearing it. It looks like nice with like jeans or whatever. And they have a million colors. They have like pretty greens. They have hot pink, they have purples, whites, lots, lots of nice colors. I just got the gray but I'm gonna get another one. I love the front pocket. And it's just like a nice A little bit more of an elevated sweatshirt and I love it and it's $42 from Amazon, so I'm wearing it today so I figured I'd share the love. Yeah, great.

Unknown: 25:08

No, I love it. Like super close, right? Like a Lululemon pretty collar. Yeah, a Lululemon sweatshirts probably like, what? One 151 80 Something like that. Like it's a good Yeah. And it has a HUD so like, it's good. It's got

Amy: 25:22

a hood, but it's not like a sloppy hood. It's like nice, cozy, and it looks good.

Unknown: 25:26

Nice. I need to get it. All right. I love that. Well, you know, we'd like to talk about things that we love and we like, but occasionally we need to mention the things that we try that we don't like. And yeah, fortunately, this was a very cheap buy, but I haven't tried to find a makeup setting spray. My journey has only just begun I thought I would start low before going into the high try some of these drugstore brands. So I went and bought the Mulani make it last original natural finish setting spray. And it's uh, won't, won't won't. I don't like it says 16 hour where it's supposed to prime correct set. It's supposed to keep your makeup from like going into your creases and everything. When I spray it on, it makes me overly dewy. So then I have to put a lot of powder on top or wet it's super wet. Makes me overly do I have to put a lot of powder on top and then I kind of feel like a little oily and greasy. And then it doesn't I mean it does keep my makeup on. But I still get like creases from from my makeup and everything. So I don't know I just don't love it. I don't love the way it makes my skin feel. So at first it makes my skin feel oily and greasy. And then as the day progresses I start to feel to dried out. So I just don't think it's it's yeah, you know.

Amy: 26:42

So that's it. That's surprising and I'm glad to hear because I feel like I've heard about that one. Well that is it for January product junkies. Hope you enjoyed all of our recommendations this month and let us know if you have other things you want us to review and have a good

Unknown: 26:58

week. Bye bye.

Amy: 27:02

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 89 - Peptide Therapy and Hormone Optimization with Katy Whalen, Co-Founder + CEO of Joi Women’s Wellness, What are Peptides? (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 89

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of wellbeing and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are Sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:28] Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters family. We are so excited to meet Katie Whalen who's the co founder and CEO of Joy Women's Wellness which is an innovative peptide and hormone balancing therapy brand. I'm so excited because I just hear so much about peptides and aminos and omegas and there's all these buzzwords going around and we really want to get deep into what this is and how people can benefit from it. Your skin is glowing. So I'm already knowing that this is going to be a helpful therapy for our listeners. But I'm just going to give a little bit about Katie before we get into all of this. Katie started Joy because she knew she wasn't alone. She had a long journey through infertility miscarriages IVF. And finally giving birth to her little boy left her feeling fatigued, hormonal overweight and struggling with brain fog. I think we can all relate to this. She searched for a holistic solution that would help her feel like me again. And that's when she learned about hormone optimization and peptide. Therapies, the only problem is they were so hard to come by. So after both her and her husband began to experience amazing results with both peptide and hormones, he knew she had to share them with women everywhere. So Joy is a place where women can find answers, manage their health, holistically and truly start to feel like themselves again. Looking better too is just an added bonus because you know what? We all deserve to fear our best from the inside out. So welcome to the show, Katie. We're so excited to have you here. Thank you for spending your time with us today.

[01:58] Katy Whalen: Thank you ladies. I'm super excited too.

[02:01] Amy Sherman: Yeah. So let's get into it. Well, actually, before we get into it sorry, I'm just rushing right in because I'm so excited to hear about this. Let's take a step back and talk about our weekly Nirvana now. We are taping this right before the new year so I'm going to kick off with well, actually I'll move it to Katie or Kay. We're going to call her on this episode, Katie Chandler. Katie to talk about her Nirvana of the week.

[02:24] Katie Chandler: Yeah. Thanks, Amy. Well, Katie, we are so excited. I actually was with some friends last night and they know a little bit about this. So I was salivating being able to talk to you and then come back and say, well, I know a little bit about it too, so we're very excited to get into it. But my Nirvana this week I think was work. I've mentioned I've gone back to work, I'm a fit model and I was a little nervous about how that was going to pan out. Being a seasoned model these days, I didn't know if the work was going to roll in, but I have been manifesting work and abundance and it is happening. I worked. I had a full day job all day on Wednesday that just popped up and more work is popping up and go see and all kinds of stuff. So it's just exciting because it's going in the direction that I hoped but wasn't sure if it would. But if I look tired today, that's because I am exhausted at this whole going back to work, being a mommy, being a podcaster juggling situation. Not exactly like hitting it out of the park in all arenas, but it's okay. So that was minor. Van. What about you, Ave?

[03:36] Amy Sherman: That's awesome. Katie, I'm so proud of you. I know we've been chatting on text and it's just like it's so nice to see you kind of back in the game. And Katie, you had taken a break for how long, ten years? Yeah. So I was saying it just must be nice to have something for yourself where you're not having to attend to little people all the time. So I've had a lot of nirvana lately. We recently got back from an amazing international trip to Israel for my son's bar Mitzvah, so we'll talk about that another time. But I would say this week I had a nirvana at work, too. I had this big deadline looming over me and I finally completed that deadline this week. And so it just was such a relief to get this big project off of my brain. So I just feel relieved. And that was just like a nice moment to be like, okay, now I can do these couple more things and then kind of enjoy the holiday for the next two weeks. What about you, Katie?

[04:30] Katy Whalen: You know what? Mine nirvana is actually going to be this afternoon. I had emailed you guys a little while back and asked to move the podcast recording up because my daughter is turning five this month and with a new business and with two little kids, I constantly feel like I'm struggling to have quality time with my kids. So a couple of months back, her grandma Gigi sent her this American Girl doll catalog and she's been dreaming of this doll ever since. So I'm surprising her today. This afternoon took some time off work and we're going to go to the big store, get her a doll, and we're going to do the whole party with cupcakes and tears.

[05:12] Katie Chandler: Oh, that's so fun.

[05:14] Katy Whalen: It's fun. And I obviously feel like the whole week I'm excited. I'm like, I'm 43 and I'm like super excited to go.

[05:21] Amy Sherman: That does sound fun.

[05:22] Katie Chandler: That's great. I have a five year old and we did that with my older daughter when she turned six. That exact experience at the cafe and the whole thing with the doll and they have the little seat for the doll. It's the cutest thing and she's going to have the time of her life and so are you.

[05:36] Katy Whalen: It's really sweet.

[05:37] Amy Sherman: That is so cute. I haven't gotten to experience that because I have two boys, but I'm going to vicariously live through both of you and I need to see pictures because that sounds so fun and right up my alley. Okay, amazing. So let's get into your company Joy, and kind of I have so many questions about peptides. I don't even know what they are really other than I know they're really I hear they're amazing for you, but if you can kind of break it down for us, give us a 101 on what peptide therapy is, what peptides are, and about your amazing company.

[06:08] Katy Whalen: Yeah, so peptides, I didn't know what they were a little over a year ago either, but I used them to help me kind of like after I was done having kids to really help me propel my health and feel better. So now I'm obsessed. But what they technically are short chains of amino acids and they direct ourselves to perform specific functions. So I think of them as like a key to open a door. And of course as we age our levels decline. So peptide therapy is just adding back in some of those keys to open more doors. So you can help maybe with symptoms you have or even if you have no symptoms, there's lots of just benefits and overall vitality you can get from it.

[06:53] Katie Chandler: And amino acids, those are the building blocks to protein and to muscle building, correct? Is that right? Yeah.

[07:01] Katy Whalen: And so when we say short chains, it's literally from like two to 50 chains of these bonded together and a protein is over 100 chains of the amino acids. And that's about the extent of my science knowledge. Yeah, that's exactly right.

[07:21] Amy Sherman: And so are there all different kinds of peptides and do you use different ones for different treatments?

[07:32] Katy Whalen: Yeah, exactly, there's a lot of peptides and I think more peptides will be discovered in the future. I mean we have right now naturally occurring in your body like something like 7000 peptides. So we have probably peptides that we offer right now, I would say a dozen peptides for different things. And there's a peptide for gut health and inflammation. There's a peptide, a couple of peptides for weight loss that are super popular right now. One of my favorites is a growth hormone releasing peptide which tells your body to release more of its own growth hormone. We have peptides for skin health, hair health, basically you name it. I say there's a peptide for that.

[08:19] Katie Chandler: Amazing. So how did Joy tell us how you got started with Joy and what exactly Joy is doing for your clients?

[08:29] Katy Whalen: Yeah, I mean it was all based off my own health experience. I got married when I was 35 and right away, started focusing on a family and before that I was being single in my thirty s. I had time and resources and just took such good care of myself. Looked great, felt great. It was just a great time in my life. When I got married at 35, started on the you know, family train right away. Had a ton of you know, difficulty with my ability journey and really became this like warrior determined to make it through and have my family. I had four miscarriages and IVF and all the things that so many women do but when I finally had my babies I woke up at 41 and going holy moly. At the last six years of my life I haven't really taken care of myself. I was just focused on all the things and now I have two little ones and I'm overweight. I have brain fog, I have who am I and is this the new me or can I get back to some of those self care routines so I can feel good myself and have the energy to take care of these demanding little beings. So I started, the first thing I started actually was getting on testosterone because my phone was super low and I started to see some great change, more motivation at the gym. I started to be able to notice I was getting stronger. It helped me lose some of that fat and gain some muscle which was pretty exciting. And then I learned of peptides and started testing some of those out, did the weight loss peptide which I was amazed to get to my, I had a goal in mind and I was like I'm going to try to get there but in my mind I was like it might not be possible. Got there, actually went past it and I was just like this is insane and other women need to know about.

[10:26] Amy Sherman: Past, I need that ASAP. Okay.

[10:31] Katie Chandler: I have to say did you say you were 43? Is that how old you are? I was floored. Because you look like you are in your early 30s. Without a shadow of a doubt. Right Amy?

[10:43] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I was very shocked too.

[10:47] Katie Chandler: Those are the peptides then. Hard at work.

[10:50] Amy Sherman: Let me ask you a question just backing up to like when you were saying you were taking testosterone, who did you go to and why did they prescribe that? Like was it a regular doctor, a functional doctor? Just because I feel like and Katie and I talk about this all the time. There's this whole world of this more holistic well being that's super popular but there's not a lot of resources and there's functional doctors, there's regular doctors. Sometimes the regular doctors don't really believe in it. Like how did you establish your first step and then from there?

[11:19] Katy Whalen: Yeah, I mean you're so right and it's frustrating that some of these things are so hard to come by and unfortunately so many doctors aren't trained in this, and it's not their thing. And we even have patients that will come to us and be like, well, is my doctor confused or blah, blah, blah. So it is tricky. So for me, there's a little bit more of a backstory because my husband actually went through his own issues first with his hormones. While we were struggling with our fertility, we had a lot of stress and his testosterone tanked, and it was so bad. He had no libido and we didn't know what it was. And I thought, oh, it's me. I'm gaining weight. You're not attracted to me. We found out through his own health journey that it was his four months, so he started getting the help first. So I saw him, his struggles and his change, and then he actually started the men's side of our company first before Joy. That's called blokes. And I was able to then get treatment from the men's side of our company. That's when I was like, we need this for women. I was not planning on starting this. I was totally happy being in the newborn stages and not thinking about what my career would look like. And then I just 40% of our traffic on the men's side was actually women, so we were like, It needs to happen. But so that's how I was able to actually do it. Pretty quickly, my husband went through a couple of years of getting told that he was fine when he wasn't.

[12:56] Amy Sherman: And what doctor did he go to that determined it was his hormones? Because that's also, like, for men, probably even harder to find a doctor that would say that or identify that.

[13:09] Katy Whalen: Yeah, because they work in these ranges, these lab ranges that are the average person that goes in there with something wrong took a test, and that's where you are. And he was on the very low end of the average range of sick people, and it was fine. So it's really what we try to do is say, you know, how you can feel, how you're supposed to feel, and you really need to take control of your own journey, not get discouraged by a doctor that isn't trained in something that it is what it is. You have to take control of that.

[13:45] Katie Chandler: Men, I feel like, women, we've been told over hormonal health. Hormonal health, it's going to be a thing when you get older, it's going to be an issue. And I don't think men have as much of an awareness that they can experience it as well. And it's like they don't know that it's possible that that can happen to them sometimes. I think so. A lot of times, maybe they just go and deal with it and just think, I'm getting older just like so many women do, and that there's nothing that can be done about it. So I think it's amazing that you have this company for men as well.

[14:24] Katy Whalen: I think it's important for women to know that was my experience. My husband was like with no libido, he didn't really care because it wasn't an issue for him. It was me that was like, this is not working. So I think it's important for couples to both feel their best together and both kind of be on the same page with that because I know sex and marriage is a big issue. One of the top reasons people fight. Right?

[14:51] Katie Chandler: Right. Yeah. So true. Interesting. Okay so the peptide therapy, let's do a little bit of a deep dive because who would be a good candidate? I mean are you seeing women in their 30s that are needing peptide therapy as well or is it mostly just.

[15:10] Katy Whalen: As older age groups? I think anyone really interested in their health journey, their own health is a candidate. And certainly I wouldn't say a healthy 18 year old looking at peptides because it is something that levels decline with age. But I do think 30s mid thirty s and up is somewhere where people will really start to see some benefits. But it really depends. I think BPC 157 is like the Swiss army knife of peptides. It has a lot of uses and it's really great for people with autoimmune, people with chronic inflammation, gut health issues. It could be injected into the site if you are healing from some kind of a surgery, wound healing. So there's certain peptides that even younger people could benefit from.

[16:05] Katie Chandler: That one. Kind of like the society knife. Does that also address some of the other issues? Like is it kind of a broader spectrum where it'll hit the hormonal imbalances and do some good for your skin and hair and nails as well or does it get very specific when you start to target those things?

[16:27] Katy Whalen: I think it gets specific but I do think BPC is a great general one because it targets general healing, gut healing and inflammation. So obviously we know everything starts and ends in the gut. So I always thought I had good gut health and I wasn't really one I was interested in. But then just recently I started taking it because I realized that even if you're doing all the right things, all the toxins in the environment and just our basic lifestyle can really affect your gut. So I actually even though I feel like I have a decent gut health, I just started taking it because I feel like in your 40s things get a little wacky and beneficial for just inflammation.

[17:10] Katie Chandler: Sure.

[17:11] Amy Sherman: So I have a question, stupid question probably but how is the peptide ingested? Is it a shot? How does it work?

[17:20] Katy Whalen: Not stupid at all. So there's lots of options. There are definitely peptides that are injected and we use sub queue only. So it's super small needle, super easy to do and then there's peptides. So BPC comes in both actually an injection or a capsule, so you could do either. And there's different methods that probably we would recommend for different things. So if it's just general gut health, I would say take the capsule because it's absorbed better that way. But if it's actually like a wound or a soft tissue injury, then I would inject it. We have nasal sprays as well. There's one for mental clarity. That's a nasal spray. There's a skin cream that's just like a regular skin cream that goes on your skin at night. So there's lots of different ways applications for them.

[18:10] Katie Chandler: Interesting. And tell us about your team. You have a very impressive team of people at Joy. Are these the people that you go to that tell your client, this is the exact one that you're going to benefit from and you should be taking it this way? How does that work when someone wants to start with Joy?

[18:30] Katy Whalen: Yeah, one of our co founders, Dr. JC. Fulkers, he's kind of the petty guru, and he comes from a more functional medicine background and can tell you all the sciency things. So he's kind of the head of our peptide program. And then we have providers that you'll talk to during your Zoom call that a lot of them are on all these peptides and know them too. And then we have some medical advisors as well on our team. Dr. Melissa Loewski has been treating women and men. And then I'm super excited because I've been fan Darling over Dr. Amy Hillen for a while, and she actually just decided to join us as a medical advisor.

[19:16] Amy Sherman: Oh, amazing. Yeah.

[19:18] Katy Whalen: So excited about that one. We do have some great people on our team.

[19:23] Amy Sherman: I know you said you're based in Nashville. Is it a physical location or is it virtual? How does it work?

[19:29] Katy Whalen: Well, virtual right now, I think we've talked about in the future having some stores and some pop ups, which would be super fun. But right now we have our hands full. So, yeah, we're virtual. We do everything, all our visits via Zoom. And yeah, we're licensed in all 50 states, so it makes it easy.

[19:47] Amy Sherman: That's amazing. Okay, so our listeners can actually get a consultation with a doctor you just mentioned and then if they wanted to continue is it prescription or does it work?

[19:58] Katy Whalen: Prescription based?

[19:59] Amy Sherman: All prescription.

[20:00] Katy Whalen: It's a health history. Everyone has to fill out just to cover all the bases and then figure out what's going on with your goals, what's your symptoms, and then your therapy shipped right to your door.

[20:12] Katie Chandler: And what is insurance? Does insurance come into play? No coverage. Is it out of pocket?

[20:18] Katy Whalen: It is, yeah. Unfortunately, healthcare does not want to pay for. Right.

[20:28] Katie Chandler: What's the price point?

[20:29] Amy Sherman: I'm curious.

[20:31] Katy Whalen: It varies depending on which peptide. I would say average. So I have a face cream, and then I also do the growth hormone releasing have, and I think those are right around 200 each for a month supply and then our weight loss peptide is probably our most expensive and that is, you know, depending on dosage, could be 250 or 300 a month.

[21:00] Katie Chandler: Okay, got it.

[21:01] Amy Sherman: And then how long? And I'm sure it's very individual, but how long if someone was interested in doing peptide therapy, how long do you do it? Do you do it? Is it like you always do it or you do it until you feel better and then you do something else?

[21:14] Katy Whalen: Yeah, not up to you. You certainly don't have to be on it forever. It's something that you can just try see what's working for you. We actually recommend that you should cycle off every once in a while. Like I'll do mine for six months and then I'll take a month off and that kind of just helps you reset, also helps you figure out what's really working for you and kind of see the benefits that you're getting. But yeah, you can always try something else or just get off if it's something that you're not feeling is helpful.

[21:48] Katie Chandler: Tell us a little bit about NAD therapy because I have seen this at my wellness center where I get IB therapy infusions. Are you combining is NAD peptide or is it something different?

[22:05] Katy Whalen: It's not a peptide but it's technically a coenzyme.

[22:09] Katie Chandler: Okay.

[22:10] Katy Whalen: But we offer it and we think it's pretty cool.

[22:14] Katie Chandler: It's powerful. Right? And doing it in conjunction with the peptides probably does a lot for people.

[22:20] Katy Whalen: Yeah, it's certainly one you can try on its own too. So NAD is in every cell of our body and we need it to live and of course levels decline. But what it really mainly does is it helps with metabolism, it helps convert your food to energy and then it also protects our DNA integrity. So think of antiaging or think of disease prevention. So you can do it in an IV clinic? Through an IV. We send ours out as injections and it's kind of cool. It's one that you feel right away, you'll feel like a flush feeling and I like to kind of sit down and breathe and kind of relax and meditate for about 1015 minutes and I feel that freshness and you just have a little boost of energy.

[23:06] Katie Chandler: Nice.

[23:07] Amy Sherman: Yeah. I've heard a bunch of different podcasts and read a little bit about NAD and is that a more it seems to me from what I've heard and this could be completely wrong, but that it's like a more intensive treatment. Like, you only do it for, like, a short period of time, or no.

[23:23] Katy Whalen: I think when you're doing it with an IV, it's pretty intense. I think you have and I haven't done it that way, but I think you have to sit there and have you done it that way?

[23:32] Katie Chandler: Maybe I haven't, but it is very intense and you have to be monitored by a nurse when you do the IV. Way, and it takes a long time.

[23:42] Katy Whalen: It takes all day.

[23:44] Amy Sherman: I feel like that's what I've heard.

[23:46] Katy Whalen: That it can be uncomfortable. I think it's something that they really give you a lot of at that sitting. So what we do is we recommend weekly injections so you could do it at your home and it's just kind of 15 minutes of a flush feeling. So it's certainly a lot easier that way.

[24:05] Katie Chandler: More tolerable yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense. So you're also doing HRT or hormone replacement therapy, or is the peptide considered HRT? I was looking at your content. Is that what it is?

[24:26] Katy Whalen: They're two separate things.

[24:27] Katie Chandler: Okay.

[24:28] Katy Whalen: Yeah, we do HRT. We believe in a hormones as being like, such a foundation. I mean, each hormone has its own benefit and function and they all need to be in the right levels. I always think of hormones as story of goldilocks. You don't want too little or too much of anything. You want it to be just right for your levels, which is a little bit different for everybody. But if one level gets thrown off, then you can really a lot of things off in your body. And I think for women especially, there's such a gap in you're done having your babies and you're in your forty s and who's caring for you now and what's like I just think I'm excited because I think there is a movement to change that and a lot of companies that are offering support. So I'm excited for that. But I think a lot more is needed.

[25:22] Katie Chandler: It's so true. Our health care system just kind of looks at post baby years, like, periodopausal. Menopausal, women is just like, all right, well, you're all on your own, go figure it out.

[25:32] Amy Sherman: Oh, you're getting older, that's what happens. You're not supposed to feel great, right?

[25:38] Katie Chandler: Of course we love our OB gens and they serve a massively great purpose, but once we get to this spot, they're like, say in our go find.

[25:49] Amy Sherman: Somebody, come in once a year for your Papsmear. There's no continuity.

[25:57] Katie Chandler: Do you do lab work and testing as well for your patients? You send them off, they get their labs done, and then your team looks at the results, et cetera?

[26:07] Katy Whalen: Yeah, prescribing labs. And certainly if you're thinking of a hormone, you definitely need to do some labs. And then we continue to monitor people on treatment with labs. So we have a partnership with a few different people. LabCorp is one of them, so it's easy if you have a LabCorp menu. We also partnered recently with Get Labs and they come send a mobile phonomist to your house. So that's pretty cool. For people that are in urban areas, that's a really great option for convenience. And then we also partnered with a company called Tesla, which is like a device that sits on your shoulder and can test your hormones as well. Something that you do at home and then send back.

[26:47] Amy Sherman: That's interesting.

[26:50] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's cool. Nice.

[26:52] Amy Sherman: I have a question about the hormones too. Do you see a lot of women taking hormone replacement and peptides at the same time? Or is it two kind of separate strategies?

[27:07] Katy Whalen: I mean, I do that, I believe in that for sure. If something is off with your hormones, then you should absolutely do that. And then peptides to me is just like icing on the cake. I think it really is woman dependent. I think there's still a lot of people that aren't educated on hormones, hormone therapy, or maybe dangerous, or think it's not natural to help your hormones. So I think that there's just different people who are looking for different things or have different comfort levels.

[27:39] Katie Chandler: Okay, I have a question that you may or may not know the answer to. We can edit it out easily, but have you heard of HMVs? Is that a peptide? Do you know? I've just recently started reading about HMB.

[27:52] Katy Whalen: HMV, I haven't, but I will definitely look that up.

[27:55] Katie Chandler: HMB as in boy. And it has something to do with leucine, which I think is an amino acid, and it helps with just muscle growth. And even if you're not training, it can help maintain muscle and prevent muscle waste as you're getting older. And then if you are working out and training, it helps build the muscle faster. Which, as you were saying earlier, part of the problem with aging that is a massive culprit is the fact that we lose muscle mass over time. And that is so important in maintaining all of your overall health, metabolism, hormonal, health, everything. So I've just recently been looking into that.

[28:40] Katy Whalen: Yeah, I'll ask JC about that. Personally, I haven't heard of it, but for sure I'm interested in all the things muscle related because that's certainly part of the key for vitality, sort of.

[28:52] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I was just listening yesterday to something about aminos, which again, I don't know the difference between aminos and peptides. I guess it's all related, but there was, like, some sort of amino someone was talking about who was getting older and saying that by taking this, it helped them. They said, like which is so true when you're working out a lot and you feel really toned, and then you take a break for like, a week, the older you get, all of a sudden you feel like, wait, I looked good a week ago, and then what happened to my muscles? Where to go, where'd it go? So by taking aminos, I guess, or peptides can help you sort of maintain that muscle mass a little bit better than was it, what, creatine?

[29:34] Katy Whalen: Maybe? I think that's an amino acid.

[29:37] Amy Sherman: I don't know, I can't remember. I have to look. It was a podcast I was listening to and it was a company that did more like amino kind of supplements, I'm not really sure, but basically. The same idea as Katie was saying, it helps to keep that muscle mass or your muscle more together than like totally.

[29:55] Katy Whalen: Yes.

[29:57] Katie Chandler: Funny sidebar. Total sidebar. But something interesting that I just learned about muscle growth and building muscle and exercising, there's like a mind muscle connection. And when you're training muscles because I'm trying to train my glutes, apparently my tush is a little on the flatter side. If your brain isn't attached to the muscle that you're exercising, it doesn't fire as much and you can be totally wasting your time. So I just learned recently that there's, like, with the bands for your legs exercises before you start to train and lift weights, that you do, like, two minutes of exercises with bands contracting that muscle and really focusing on the fact that you're contracting that muscle to help then activate the muscle so that all the work you're putting into it is actually efficient. And it can be a total waste of time if you don't have the mind muscle connection. Isn't that just the most bizarre thing you've ever heard? It seems like pseudoscience and absurd, but.

[31:02] Katy Whalen: It'S a fact that makes total sense to me, actually. I bar method or bar class. I feel like it wasn't until I have also felt like my butt has never been very muscley, a little bit flat. And I feel like I recently started I'll do some bar classes and it's really a mental thing. I'll have to think about contrasting that and I think it's exactly right. I feel like, okay, now I know how to use that muscle.

[31:33] Katie Chandler: So you get the results.

[31:35] Amy Sherman: Yeah, it's so true. I do a lot of Melissa with health, and in her workouts, she always says, like, if you're doing an arm thing, I was doing it yesterday, and she's like, be intentional. She like, think about what you're exercising right now. When you think about it, it sort of like fires it up because you're right, if you're not thinking about it or really intentionally targeting that muscle, it's just like you're doing the whole thing, but you don't get in that little area, which is so similar yes. To the Pilates and bar classes. And you're like, oh, that's the muscle. That's the little thing I never knew I had. So yeah, it's really interesting.

[32:09] Katy Whalen: Totally. Yeah, that makes sense.

[32:12] Katie Chandler: All right, well, before we get into our rep session, I would love for you to just let us know where our listeners can find you because I know they're going to be super interested in working with Joy and yourself.

[32:23] Katy Whalen: Yeah, you know what? We hang out on IG a lot, so would love to for you to follow us there. It's Joy women's Wellness. And Joy is spelled. Joi and then online, if you want.

[32:35] Katie Chandler: To consult, we are Choosejoy Co. Nice. Yes.

[32:40] Amy Sherman: And then if someone wants to consult, they just sign up and it's a zoom. Like the initial meetings. A zoom.

[32:45] Katy Whalen: Yes. Consults are just 25 and then just sign up online and then we'll have a patient coordinator call you to set that up and set up your labs if a lab is needed.

[32:54] Katie Chandler: That's great.

[32:55] Katy Whalen: What did you say?

[32:56] Amy Sherman: You mean I said I will be doing that. Okay. So I feel like there's so many more things to go through with peptides. So we may need a part two at some point because I feel like Katie and I are just starting to learn about this area and I feel like it's this emerging I don't know what's the word?

[33:13] Katie Chandler: I want to get like cutting edge.

[33:14] Amy Sherman: Yeah, you hear about here and there, but I feel like it's going to be mainstream really soon. So thank you for all of this information. So get into our rough session. Quick answers, ready? What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack? Peptides.

[33:33] Katy Whalen: I call it my whole body antiaging. I do a growth hormone releasing peptide. I just sit on my tongue every morning. It dissolves and then I have a ghkcu face cream that I use on my skin.

[33:47] Katie Chandler: Nice. This growth hormone that you use, is that HCG?

[33:58] Katy Whalen: H is growth hormone, but we're not actually putting growth hormone. It's actually growth hormone releasing peptide. So it's a peptide that tells your body to release more of its own growth hormone.

[34:11] Katie Chandler: Okay. I'm very interested in that one sidebar. All right. This next one we call it our five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and dried off and Uber is pinged you. They're five minutes away. What are you going to do? Your Holy Grail to get it together and getting that Uber on time.

[34:27] Katy Whalen: I'm a little bit hippy. I'm fine going makeup free sometimes, but I absolutely need my moisturizer when I get out of the shower. I'm addicted to that. So I have like a dry oil, a little recipe that I use. Quickly throw that on all over. And then I also need a hat. I'm a hat girl. I love my Chemo Savvy sets and hats. And I feel like you can get away with a lot more makeup free days and bad hair days if you.

[34:55] Katie Chandler: Can throw on a hat and you're in the right town for that hat, I tell you. We love a good hat in Nashville.

[35:04] Amy Sherman: Okay. And how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

[35:09] Katy Whalen: I'm always trying to work on that and it's a balance of getting in enough self care and spending quality time with my family.

[35:19] Katie Chandler: Yeah, amen to that. Right?

[35:22] Katy Whalen: Good answer.

[35:23] Amy Sherman: And you'll be spending quality time with your daughter today in America.

[35:27] Katie Chandler: That's going to be so fun.

[35:29] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[35:30] Katie Chandler: Well, Katie, thank you so much for being here. This is a very exciting conversation and we can't wait to learn more about it. And we have to have you back on for part two. So thanks for being here with us. And Amy, you're going to close us out with a mantra and I think it's a mantra from Joy.

[35:44] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I found two quotes on Joy's Instagram that I love, so I'm going to say them both. So the first one is really funny. FYI menopause is not the end. That's what we should be telling our doctors. That's one. And then the other one I liked was just it's a quote that you have on the little billboard. There's a peptide for that, which I think is so cute, like a good saying. Because next time I'm feeling a certain way, I'm just katie and I are going to be like, there's a peptide for that.

[36:13] Katy Whalen: Peptide for that.

[36:14] Katie Chandler: We might need to call up Katie wayland.

[36:16] Katy Whalen: Exactly.

[36:18] Amy Sherman: Thank you so much for being on the show and enjoy your day with your daughter and we'd love to have you back anytime. Thanks again.

[36:25] Katy Whalen: Thank you so much.

[36:26] Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know some one that would we've sherrod and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye..

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Episode 88 - Our Top Wellness + Beauty Trends To Buzz About In 2023 (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 88

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie Chandler: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Amy: 0:27

Have you new here, it has been a couple of weeks since Katie and I have been on the mic together. And we're so excited to start the year together and with you all, and we're going to talk today mostly about things that are trending in 2023 in the beauty, wellness, self care space that we're seeing that are happening that are new and exciting, and also a little bit of ketchup because Katie, it's just been a while I haven't seen you while we did go to Israel together, which we haven't even talked about. So let's tell our listeners about that.

Katie Chandler: 0:59

Happy New Year, because we really haven't seen or talked to each other in weeks. I feel like since before you went to Mexico.

Amy: 1:06

Yeah, it's I know, I miss Hill.

Katie Chandler: 1:10

Israel was amazing. We were there. As listeners know, for me, son, Jules is Bar Mitzvah and it was just such an epic trip. And when people asked me about an AMI that like, where did you go, and I say we saw the whole country. Basically, that's what it felt like we did so much. And Amy did the most phenomenal job planning it we were in type Varius, which is in the north and on the Sea of Galilee, and then we went to Jerusalem, and that's where the bar mitzvah was and and it's just such a beautiful old city there. It's gorgeous. We saw the Dead Sea. We went to Tel Aviv it was just one epic thing after the other like, what was your favorite part of it? Excluding jewels Bar Mitzvah moment, because obviously, that's what it was all about.

Amy: 1:55

I know I was thinking about this the other day, because I feel like there were favorite parts of each area we went to I mean, obviously, the bar mitzvah was my favorite part. But outside of that, I think it was just there. Well, I loved Masada, because it was just so beautiful. But I honestly it was just so fun to be together. 14 of us is like one family all together, traveling together. I mean, it was definitely a lot and could be, you know, crazy and hectic. But it was just so fun. Especially all the kids being together and seeing them together. So happy. And so join us and it was just so great to spend time with everybody because like when do you ever get, you know, 10 days of spending time with your parents, your grandparents, your children, your you know, niece and nephew, your sister in law brother in law. I mean, that was probably the best part for me from a family perspective. And yeah, I did love Masada and I loved just Tel Aviv is such a cool city. Yeah. What about you?

Katie Chandler: 2:48

I mean, various similar things. Masada was my favorite moment aside from Joseph's Bar Mitzvah, there was something about that that was just so peaceful and just felt incredibly unique and one of a kind and the surroundings where you are just it's like nothing I've ever seen before. And yeah, and the exact fact that there's so much history in the ruins and everything. And then I agree, like,

Amy: 3:12

I also like those grotto was really beautiful in

Katie Chandler: 3:14

Yeah. It's hard. It's surely Schroer. Lanco hunka hunka I have no idea.

Amy: 3:21

Railroad neagra. But I don't remember where that was in the

Katie Chandler: 3:25

north. It's on the Mediterranean. It was stunning. And yeah, the family being together seeing the kids they were so happy. I was relieved because I was concerned taking you know, recent Maddie abroad for the first time at young ages, how they would do and they did like such a great job.

Amy: 3:41

They were rock stars. I couldn't believe they were hanging in like they did not have any meltdowns. Yeah. So I think it's

Katie Chandler: 3:46

because they were with their cousins and having like the best time you know what I mean? If it was just like me and Adam, they would get bored with us and want to bail. But all of it. The whole thing was epic. So yeah, that was great.

Amy: 3:59

Yeah, exactly. Well, onto 23, and all the fun stuff for this year. So Katie and I have just been researching some trends that we wanted to share with you all that we think are things that are going to be focus areas in this space this year. And you know, some of these, at least in my research are things we've already covered, which is cool. Some of these are things we probably want to cover. So without further ado, Katie, you want to get you want to talk about the first trend that yeah,

Katie Chandler: 4:26

we're probably going to have some that are the same. But I'm gonna I'm gonna start with skin cycling. Have you heard of skin cycling? Yeah. Yeah, it's like I think it's definitely it's not anything new. But it's for sure, trending and becoming more like the rage and people are also taking it very seriously. I know someone that has an Excel spreadsheet for her skin cycling program. So oh my god, it's hard. But basically skin cycling is when you exfoliate one night you do your retinal program that night. Next night, and then you have a rest night. And then which is you don't put any retinoids or anything is the rest night like as many days as you feel like your skin needs, it's it's just like unique and you have for me I don't do well with retinoids every day. So I was doing my retinoids only once a week, but I wasn't really seeing results. So I'm going to start to do this and probably take like two to two rest days. I would think maybe, and give this a try.

Amy: 5:25

Yeah, I am. We posted. We posted a tic tac video last year about skin cycling. I can't remember the doctor will put it in the show notes. That's the one who invented like the name skin cycling, but she is the best one to follow because she talks about this protocol. And it's worked really well for people. I tried it last year, but I wasn't like I wasn't disciplined and I need to be more disciplined. But yeah, I heard it's really I haven't been using retinol for a while. So I need to get back into it and do that. Because I did hear I mean, you see.

Katie Chandler: 5:54

Yeah. And I want to have you try to try now. And that's the one that I want to try.

Amy: 5:58

Yes, I've tried Trent Nolan. I've been I probably have been using it on and off for the last year or so I used a company called cure ology, C U R, o l o g y. And you can because it's prescription so you can just order it online. And I use them for a while I still have a lot of bottles and I have to get back to using that because that I think was pretty good. And it's a little bit stronger than just retinol. But it also had some other ingredients. So it wasn't really that harsh. So yeah, that's a good reminder to start doing the skin cycling with the Trenton Nolan or retinol and see how it goes. I also like haven't been doing a lot of stuff on my face because I was telling. I was telling you Katie I got like this, this rash. just side note, this is so random. But when we're in Israel, some of the days I had like a cold I had a sore throat. I checked medication, you know, whatever Advil and stuff and it was fine. But then a couple of weeks later, which I didn't even realize was linked to it. I got this like it's called gut tait psoriasis, which I didn't know what it was. But it's not. It's not psoriasis, that like comes back like the autoimmune it's just specifically related to a virus that is in your throat like a strep or some sort of viral infection in your throat. The the dermatologist told me that every time he's seen got to eats rice, it's it's linked to some sort of strep throat infection. So I've never seen anything like it. I had these, I still have them, they're still healing. And you can see these red dots. But I had like, these red, almost like tear shaped drops, arms, legs, chest, stomach, couple of my face, everywhere. And so it wasn't really uncomfortable is a little itchy, but not bad. But it was just like crazy looking. And I was like I thought it was just going to go and go away. I just thought it was like, I don't know, dry skin from the winter. I had no idea that it was related to that. And I was so glad I went to the dermatologist because he was like, no, it's actually probably, I mean, related to what you had a month ago or whatever it was. So he actually put me on amoxicillin for 10 days and like a prescribes like cream, which I've been putting on. So I'm still finishing out the amoxicillin and agreement is helping but it's still not gone. So hopefully it will go in the next that's crazy. But anyway, yeah, I wrote that. So once that's all done with I'm gonna start my skins.

Katie Chandler: 8:09

Again. Nice. Okay. All right. What's your day?

Amy: 8:13

Yeah, my next trend that I read about or and know about is scalp and crown care. So this has been, you know, all over over the last year. But one of the things that I read from Pinterest predicts they said that Gen X and boomers will prioritize scarification which is a focus on the scalp and crown of your hair. Which I've seen a lot of stuff around this and I know last year we interviewed or was it gosh, I think it was like 2001 I looked back it was episode 21. We interviewed Dr. Reese Rubin, who was the founder of seen scalp care. So we are ahead of the crowd I still use I still use it to it's incredible and yeah, she obviously saw this was emerging and now it's like such a big priority for people because again, according to printers predicts things like scalp massage techniques, clean scalp, scalp treatment for dry scalp, natural hair mask for growth, clean scalp build have been up in search volume over the last, you know, year or so. So that will be a big focus for people and also kind of related to this is reducing that stigma of hair loss because again, there's been a lot of conversation around hair loss, hair shedding. One study showed that 22% of people hospitalized from COVID experienced hair loss, while many less severe cases also reported increased shedding. So like that's been a big topic. So I think again, there'll be this focus on really taking care of your scalp and products that are going to be there already invented but even more products coming out to address hair loss and thinning hair and all that kind of stuff. So

Katie Chandler: 9:55

that also just happens to women naturally like especially after a pregnant Disease and then as we get older with hormones shifting and everything as well, hair loss is a major factor. So that's Yeah, that's very interesting. Yeah,

Amy: 10:07

I've seen a lot of TiC TOCs recently of people showing their scalp routine where they like oil their hair, and they massage it and they do like a, like an exfoliator on their scalp once a week. And that's like a whole routine. So I don't do that. It sounds

Katie Chandler: 10:21

like you'd be relaxing also.

Amy: 10:23

I know exactly.

Katie Chandler: 10:24

My next one is the little nail trend that I'm seeing a lot of I'm seeing it all over tick tock and I'm starting to see it around town. Glazed nails, I'm sure you've seen it. Have you seen the glazed now? A little bit like a like a doughnut? And look, it's big on like, I think I want to say Haley Bieber probably started the trend, but now I'm really seeing it, you know, like locally, so I feel like when it's off of the celebrity, that's when you know that the trend is starting to spread around.

Amy: 10:55

And is it like the nude nail or it can be any color, but it's just has like

Katie Chandler: 11:00

a glazed look. But I'm seeing a lot of like, white or silver or gold with the glazed look. It's pretty. I don't know how to ask for it. I don't know where

Amy: 11:12

I now I was just gonna say what do you ask for? Because I actually need to get a manicure. I'm like, well, maybe I should try that out. I don't really know

Katie Chandler: 11:17

her, I guess Yeah, she'll send a picture. And I'm pretty sure it's called the glazed donut now, so we'll we'll confirm that. We'll put it in our show notes so that you know where to go. How to ask for it at your nail salon.

Amy: 11:28

That's fun. Yeah, I was reading something about not specifically that but just nails in general and trends of people having shorter nails.

Katie Chandler: 11:37

I saw that on the shorter nail, which thank God because I can't grow my nails to save my life. I know they break soon as they say like the centimeter on them. Right? What do you have next?

Amy: 11:47

Okay, so what I have next is something I read in well, and good, which is mobility workouts are going mainstream. Meaning searches for mobility exercises, mobility training, increased 50% on YouTube and Google in the past year. And I guess there was this video, which I missed. But again, we'll post it in the show notes of this doctor who shared a video of three simple moves that you can do before bed, and it got like 10 million views and went viral. And it's really just kind of like they're saying it's part of your well rounded fitness routine. So like strength training, cardio and flexibility. And then this mobility piece. So like, it's actually defined as a joint ability to move actively through a range of motion. Mobility has long been part of modalities like yoga and pilates. So it's kind of like if you think of the mobility involved in like, cat cow or thread the needle on yoga, things like that just becoming more to the forefront because I think people you know, we're sitting a lot, and they want these exercises to really get that flexibility and mobility back. Sorry. That's that's Vinnie

Katie Chandler: 12:52

is I wonder also, if that's similar to like, fashion movement, like what Lauren? Lauren Roxboro does. And I've also seen Shelly Marshall do it where yeah, like, you're literally just kind of swaying around almost like you're dancing as well. And like moving your hips around, like in rotation and everything. That's right, and I started doing that and you can really feel it kind of loosen up your body, and it feels good. I mean, and also you you end up moving your bodies, your body in ways that maybe you don't with exercise. I think that's like the cat cow is not something you would never really do in exercise aside from when you're doing Cat Cat. Right. So

Amy: 13:32

and when you do it, it feels so good. But yeah, you're right. Lauren has tons of videos on her feed about mobility exercises. So yeah, good call. What do you

Katie Chandler: 13:41

have the next one is an I would be shocked if this is not on your list is peptides, the use of peptides.

Amy: 13:51

It's not on my list because I feel like well, Nirvana Sisters, we do have an episode coming out. I think it's going to be the week after this airs on peptides. And I cannot wait for you to hear that. But I feel like we talked about it. Did we talk about it last time? Or do we not I know it's coming I

Katie Chandler: 14:07

haven't talked about it. And for those of you that don't know. Alright, so there's a lot of science behind it. And it's very hard for me to articulate it. So it's a great thing that we've got this new episode coming out but it's it's different forms of amino acids and all of these natural occurring peptides that are in your body that doctors can now give to someone to help with things like inflammation and weight loss and muscle recovery and immunity and so on. And the episode we have coming up to discuss it is super interesting. And then I also did a consult with with joy wellness, who is who we are going to be airing our episode with soon. And I think you did AMI as well and we need to bring the doctor on to talk about the science behind it because it's very, very interesting. So I Think we're gonna have probably two episodes about peptides. But if you have been following the Kardashians, which it feels like, literally, unless you're under a rock and a cave, in the middle of, I don't know, Syria, you can't not follow the Kardashians. And they part of what they're doing is to, you know, like Kim Kardashian, like she's lost a lot of weight recently. And I kind of think she's going a little overboard.

Amy: 15:28

Was that how she Yeah, I

Katie Chandler: 15:29

kind of think she's going overboard, don't you like she's getting a little too thin. But it's like celebrity thing. And so of course, as I said earlier, when the celebs start doing it, people start wondering what the heck is going on. And it becomes a trend. And the cool thing, though, is that there are more of these wellness, functional medicine doctors that are making this readily available. It's not cheap, it is expensive, but it's accessible. And I think we're probably going to start to see a lot more of it.

Amy: 15:58

Yeah, there's a lot, a lot of virtual companies doing it. And I think, yeah, to your point, I mean, hopefully, insurance will start covering some of these things, too, because they really do help with a lot of things. We Yes, like Katie said, we'll have this episode coming up. But we'll also have our own journeys on peptides, because I'm going to start doing something soon. And we'll talk about it on the show this year. So excited about that. Okay, my next one, which we've talked about a little bit on the show, but not too much is hot and cold therapy. So I'm reading and hearing and seeing that hot and cold therapy is about to be accessible to the masses. So like, there's a lot that goes into hot and cold therapy, and I don't pretend to obviously be an expert in the philosophy of it. But it really does help with reducing stress, it like speeds up your metabolism. And so actually, it's funny because I had been reading a lot about hot and cold therapy. And I've been at the end of my shower. I don't know for the last couple months, doing like a cold shot like a freezing cold water, which is brutal, but like I've been trying to beat my record, which I really can't get past 30 seconds. And you're supposed to do it probably for like a minute or two. But it does increase my energy for the day. Like I feel like a burst when I get out of the shower. So that's just like one small way to do it. That's free. But there's so many different things, you know, there's ice rollers, there's, you know, these infrared spas, but then there's companies I forget the company name that a higher dose, like they have those infrared blankets that you can get much more affordable than obviously getting a big infrared sauna for your house. But there's just a lot more devices that are coming out that helped that help with you know, eliminating toxins and reducing inflammation and boosting your immunity and all of those sorts of things. So it's, it's, um, you know, practice to utilize as part of your routine and was funny, I was reading an article, I think it was in mind body green, and someone had mentioned, the editor favorite, which was the solo wave one, which is funny because Laura and Roxburgh. Roxburgh talked about it when she was on our show the solar wave, and I ended up buying it, they actually had this deal on the holidays, it was like buy one, get one. So I bought one for me, and I bought one for my husband to use. So I haven't used it too much. But it's that red light therapy, one that you put on your face, so it like kind of gets warm and you put it over your face. So I haven't used it enough to have an opinion on it. So maybe it'll be in a future product junkies. But anyway, I just thought it was funny that that that came up because we just talked about it with Lauren shoes. It's like part of her five minute flow, she does that one too. So more to come on a hot and cold therapy and how you can implement also,

Katie Chandler: 18:35

cryo therapy is which you know, places like restore hyper wellness offer cryo, right, and they're a really simple and affordable way to do it. It's probably a one time investment as people are doing punch baths in their backyard. And like, you know, you fill up a big it's, it's an outdoor bath, it's probably copper or something. Yeah, he literally fill it with ice water and people go outside and just plunge and come out. So it's I couldn't ever do that in a million years. But I know a little bit of the science behind dynamics and why it lowers your stress levels is because when you're actually in the moment of the cold therapy, it piques your stress response. And so what ends up happening is you build a tolerance to stress. So in just essentially levels up your body's ability, your physiological response to handle stress period, like any kind of stress, which is the really amazing thing about it. So that's that That much I know about the cold therapy, it's great for inflammation in many things.

Amy: 19:38

Yeah. And according I know, I had listened to a whole episode and again, we'll put it in the show notes with neuroscientist Andrew Huberman. And he talks it's like I think he does two episodes on hot and cold exposure. I listened to it a while ago and he suggests doing deliberate cold exposure for at least 11 minutes per hour total. Each session should be between one and five minutes in length. So yeah, good luck. But that's like his recommendation. And he also said, What did he say here that I wrote? He said, Yes, he said, you can achieve the benefits of cold exposure and the water should by doing that, and the water should be uncomfortably cold yet safe. So, and he's got a whole philosophy on the hot stuff too. Like he his morning routine. It was like, you know, he does the cold plunge and then he does the infrared sauna. Like he goes back and forth a

Katie Chandler: 20:26

couple times. Yeah. It's interesting that at a spa once before it was, yeah, me too. I

Amy: 20:31

did it over vacation this winter. They had like a hydrotherapy like session, and I did it. And it was incredible. All right.

Katie Chandler: 20:37

All right. My next one is from Forbes magazine. And this is part of their to the 2023 Wellness trends. And that we've heard this from a few people now, micro workouts, which is great, because like, I always do a micro workout. It's like 1520 minute hit here or there, whether it's low impact, whether it is high impact, just trying to squeeze in throughout your day, what you can to get your movement in, and maybe that's 15 minutes in the morning, and then 10 minutes in the afternoon, or maybe all you're doing that day is 20 minutes. But to quote Adrian Richardson, he's the Senior Content Strategist for Fitbit, Google says these short takes on fitness add up to big results, and are a delightful and fun way to get moving. And I mean, if you think about it, it's just so much easier to make happen with our busy schedules and our busy lives. So also, we were talking about that, again, with Lauren Roxboro. About the you just kind of like fit in what you can throughout your day. And next thing you know, you've done like a 40 minute workout if you add it all up together. So I love the idea of micro workouts. It's it's I think the days of like, feeling like you've to go in and crush it in the gym for an hour or two hours, just you know, walk out of there. Like you can't know, you know, legs shaking and can't walk. But those days are gone. At least for me. They are so

Amy: 21:57

Yeah, exactly. No, I read a lot about that too. And I think we've talked about Melissa health a lot on the show. But that's like a great way to do these micro movements. Because you'll have like a five minute arm workout. And so if you're at your desk, and you do some stretches and do that for five minutes here, and then you meet going to walk later. And then yeah, it all adds up. And I think that's a great way to get all your movement in. I love that I read about that, too. Okay, my next trend, which I had heard recently, on a podcast, and I've also read a bit about it, but workouts that align with your menstrual cycle, which is really funny because I feel like probably you and I do this intuitively. But it's really like this. There's been an increase in all of these like period tracking apps. And basically it's, you know, doing the type of exercise that your body needs during whatever, whatever what is it called the luteal cycle that you're in for your, for your menstruation. So sometimes that could be cardio, sometimes that could be a walk. Yeah. And I had I had read that like working out the same way every day isn't exactly conducive to someone's menstrual cycle. So again, it's just like, recognizing that you're always fluctuating and then adapting your body to what your body needs at that at that point. So as an example, I had read about someone who had said she was doing high intensity workouts the first week after her period, and then she's winding down and doing something else the following week. So just an interesting trend that I keep hearing about. And, and another trend, I'll say that's part of working out and sort of part of these Well, I wouldn't say it's a micro workout, but it's kind of in the same vein that I'll mention because we posted about it last year was the incline incline walking challenge, which is the 313 for 30. So it's you're on a treadmill, you're going three miles per hour, you're doing it for 30 minutes at 12. Sorry, did I say 313 30 or 313 12. But essentially, it's this idea where I mean I've been doing it so you're on a 12 incline so it feels like you're doing a hike and you're doing it at you know three and you're doing it for 30 minutes. So when I saw that on tick tock and posted on Instagram last year, I started doing it and so now I've incorporated it, I tried to do it once a week, it's really hard, but it feels really good. And I also like it because it's like set it forget it you just put the put the tripping on 12 And you just walk in like I'll watch the Kardashians or just like do or listen to a podcast while I'm doing it at least I don't have to think and I just kind of like do it and it's a really good way to get sweaty but like also feel really good but you're not running where you kind of get so winded it's a really good way to get a bit more of a high intensity workout. So I just thought that was cool that I saw that incline walking challenge listed as one of the I

Katie Chandler: 24:37

think I have been seeing a lot about this exercise cycling as well. And it's you're right like it's kind of just if you're intuitive with your exercise I feel like that's what as women what we're doing when our bodies can't you know sometimes I'm like really revved up and I need an intense workout and sometimes I it's I'm dragging to do something so I just do like a nice slow yoga Though and it's it has a lot to do with hormones so to sync it up is really smart and also when you're overdoing it in the gym like you're messing with your cortisol and everything. So that has a lot to do with like, like you said, the micro workouts and just kind of taking it down a notch and not killing ourselves in the gym anymore ticket results. We don't have to, you can get results.

Amy: 25:19

I know I want you to try the 12 drive the 330 12 and I want to see what I need to try out though. I really like it. The first five minutes for me are always the hardest. I'm like dying and then after that, it's it gets easier. But yeah, I want to know what you think about that. And you tune around a sister's family. Let us know if we want to if you try that. Yeah,

Katie Chandler: 25:36

agreed. Or yes is my next one. I think we're gonna start to see a lot behind sleep hygiene. And when I say sleep hygiene, like oh, yeah, people are definitely paying more attention to their sleep to how they fall asleep, how they stay asleep. There's a according to Forbes, there is a big trend called Sleep sinking. And that's when you adjust your sleep cycle to the rhythms of nature, like the sun and the moon and tuning it into your circadian rhythm. And you know, we saw that you were one of the first people I know with the what is called hatch the sunrise timer. And that's when you it's a it's an alarm clock that literally like lights up like the sunrises for when you set it so you slowly wake up. Have you been using that? Do you use it all the time? Oh, is it every day? Yeah. And the other you know, mouth taping people. So this is like a whole thing, right?

Amy: 26:33

I've heard Lauren Bostick on the skinny confidential, she always talks about this because she now tapes while she's meditating. But so you literally just put this tape on your mouth and intentionally breathe through your nose, which is probably really hard to do. I feel like it'd be like,

Katie Chandler: 26:46

I know, I haven't read it. It's also for your teeth as well. It's good for your teeth, like mouth breathing, it breaks down the degradation of your teeth. Yeah, which is interesting that so, you know, tape up the old mouth. And then the other one is I feel like people are becoming more aware of sleep apnea. And this is not just for necessarily like older people, very overweight people, there's obstructive airway sleep apnea, which I found out I have, but the reason why I think this is going to be more of a trend to just pay attention to it within the sleep hygiene is because now you can do at home sleep apnea test. Now they have small little like, portable, easy sleep apnea devices, all of these things, right. So my father's had sleep apnea for a long time. He is like he looks like an elephant with this giant thing sticking. It's a mask that he would put on at night that's connected to this whole concoction. It's horrible, uncomfortable, miserable. But if you have really bad sleep apnea, you have to use it because otherwise, you're it's bad for your heart. It's cardiovascular wise, Sleep Apnea is like one of the worst things for your heart. So now that they've made advances, I think it's just going to tie into the sleep hygiene, focus and people really paying attention more and putting an importance on what we can do to sleep better. Sleep is everything.

Amy: 28:09

Yeah, I always hear about sleep apnea, but I don't really know what it is like other than like snoring. But do

Katie Chandler: 28:15

you stop. So I tell you exactly what it is you stop breathing because your airway is obstructed. And when you stop breathing part, why is it obstructed but people that are instructors are like little overweight, because the weight like literally can push into it. So I found out that I have a very small airway. So my I use those Invisalign mouth guards. And they were how it changed. My bite ended up actually making my airway smaller. So that's why it's become a bigger thing for that. Yeah. So when you stopped breathing at night, a it may or may not wake you up, but what it always does is it raises your cortisol because you're obviously not breathing. You cannot breathe for seconds at a time. And that over time, these are constant like shots of raising your cortisol affecting you physiologically starts to affect your heart. And for some people, they they stopped breathing like 200 times a night. It's insanity. Yeah. Oh

Amy: 29:15

my god,

Katie Chandler: 29:16

I did my test. I don't know maybe in the spring and I think it was like, like, at times that I stopped breathing or something. And you just ignore it. Yeah. So you end up never being rested and you don't really know why because you don't always totally wake up. So it's kind of wild. I mean, there's it's definitely a good thing for people to be aware of and that there is something you can do about it.

Amy: 29:37

Yeah, I read a lot about sleep to being a very hot topic, sleep hygiene, sleep, wellness, all that stuff. And I think too, there's a lot of now devices to track your sleep like there's one. What's that? Where that trend is really also or? Right So yeah, that's that's, that's a big one and I think we'll continue over the next few arrows as people are really paying attention to that, Deb and I, okay, so the last one I have, I just thought was kind of funny and I can very much relate to it. And Katie, you probably can do as reading and pure, round article about some trends. And one of the things they said it was coined by this workout place, I guess, in New York called the NES, but they call it the AARP special. So it's, it refers to people of all ages, eating dinner earlier at times previously only preferred by preferred by older people. So I was laughing when I read this, but like they were saying that this person was saying that we're already seeing a shift to earlier dinner reservations across the hospitality industry and the additional information people can get from wearables, people are more informed of the effects that late dinner has on their sleep readiness and recovery. So they said expect to be seeing a lot of wellness gurus eating early with plenty of time to digest and set themselves up for a successful sleep routine. So I can totally relate to this. I love to eat dinner. Yeah. So I just thought that was so funny. And the tagline I

Katie Chandler: 31:06

could literally eat dinner at five o'clock every night. And we did a couples dinner a few weeks back with a friend of mine. She's fairly new friend. And it was with the kids. And I said what time let's do an early dinner because we have the kids. I'm thinking she's gonna come back with Okay, how's 534 30 I was like, You were Beth, we are now.

Amy: 31:26

You're like, you're my girl.

Katie Chandler: 31:28

We literally went to dinner. 430 It was fantastic.

Amy: 31:31

Yeah, that's amazing. Well, they say that you're not supposed to eat. I think it's like two or three hours before bed. I was also listening to something the other day where they were saying, You should stop eating when the sun goes down. So I do I mean, it's just it's obvious when you stop eating, and then you go to bed and your stomach isn't full. Like you feel so much better in the morning. Like how many times have you been to like a late dinner where you're eating this heavy meal and then you can't sleep? It's horrible. Yeah, loving.

Katie Chandler: 31:55

My last one is definitely in line with this month because it is dry January, but I think we are going to start to see a big trend of sober curious, and more and more products for those that are super curious, but what it feels like we're having a mocktail, or even there's now products that have like nootropics and adaptogens and Botanics in them that are supposed to kind of give you a relaxing feeling or even sometimes lift you up. It's a big trend with again, these celebrities making these brands you have Katy Perry has destroy Luna de la sobs has photos a lake lively has Betty buzz and Bella Hadid has Kenny forks, which I have tried. And I like can you Forex, Adam loves it. It's a little pricey. It's $57 for a pack of 12. Yeah, that's kind of absurd. But I think the point is, is that we're just gonna see it more readily available. And a lot of people are just kind of like, not so interested in drinking as much alcohol, which I think is great. I, you know, it's like Gone are the days of I think the social society, the pressure of always feeling like you need to have when you're out at a party or something. So I think it's a good thing. It's definitely a wellness trend. All right, well, this is a good, awesome little 2023 forecast. And I would say that we will definitely be featuring a lot of what we just talked about in our upcoming episodes this year. So we'll get more into the nitty gritty of all of it.

Amy: 33:26

And if you all have seen trends, let us know, DMS, tell us what you've seen. And we'd love to look out for all these trends and keep you guys updated. So yeah, hope you enjoyed this show. Lots of new fun stuff coming up in 23. We are excited to start the new year with you all. So I have one little exercise that I did not exercise but thing that I did. We posted it on Instagram the other day, and I thought it was super interesting. So I don't know about you all but planning for the new year and goals and vision boards. I used to, you know, have a journal where I'd write things down. And I haven't done that for like a year or so because I just find it like mentally draining sometimes. And I know like people do these vision boards and it looks like so elaborate and fun. But I put this on the other day because I saw this tictac are saying this and I actually thought it was really genius. It was like, Okay, here's like a quick way to put together a vision board just like go on your phone, find 12 images that you like put them all kind of like on your phone together and then take a screenshot of it and put it on your homescreen on yourself. It's

Katie Chandler: 34:32

a good idea.

Amy: 34:32

So that's what I did. I don't know Katie if you can see this Yes, because you're constantly referencing it. So let me get my notifications off my screen to show you my screen. So I tried it well you'll see my notifications but see how I have like a vision board.

Katie Chandler: 34:47

So you screenshotted different things and then you put them all together. Yeah,

Amy: 34:51

well I Yeah. So I basically like if you if you kind of like favorite photos and then like duplicate them or just copy them and put them All in like an album, basically, if you want, there's a couple of different ways to do it. Will reshare the will reshare, the the Tiktok that I'm talking about. But yeah, and you literally just put it on your home screen, because I used to have a different, you know, more kind of serene home screen. So when I first put this on, I was like, I don't know if I want this on my home screen, because I feel like it's annoying. And it's giving me to dues, but then I changed my mindset around it. And I'm like, No, actually, it's a really good reminder of the things I want to focus on this year, whether it'd be like movement, or you know, any beauty things or, you know, focus I have like a little thing about protein, because I wanna focus on eating more protein, stuff like that. So it's actually like a really good reminder. And you pick up your phone a million times a day, I just thought it was such a good idea. Instead of doing you know, journaling it this was just kind of like a super quick way to do it. It took me like two seconds, and I just found some photos that I liked on my phone. This person said she just wanted to like her Instagram and looked at things that she liked or that she saved. And like just save them down and put it on her phone. And I just kind of went through my phone and my Instagram and see kind of the things that I had looked out over the last year and did it so anyway, I chose I love that. Not a trend but a 2023 exercise for everyone. Yeah, I

Katie Chandler: 36:12

have to say I was I've been working on a mood board and it's taking me forever because I'm not buying a lot of magazines and the clippings and the whole thing like I don't you know not a movie but a vision board. So yeah, that's great, and I'm going to do it. Alright, well I love it. Thanks for listening Nirvana sisters family and we are excited for this year ahead with you so happy happy new year.

Amy: 36:34

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 84 - Breaking Down The Brow With Celebrity EyeBrow Artist Daria Kruchinina

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 84:

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and Katie and we are here today with the eyebrow guru expert. Darya cucina, none I probably said her last name wrong, but it's all good. She's telling me that I said, well, so okay, I'm feeling good. We're so excited to talk to you today, Daria, because we haven't talked about this topic on the show. And eyebrows is such a thing that we don't really know too much about. So we're excited to learn from you. For our listeners, Daria is an award winning makeup a natural brow artist. She began her career in Russia, where she worked with top models and prestige, fashion and beauty brands. Seeking international experience. Daria took her talents to New York in 2017, and quickly made her mark as a freelancer collaborating with beauty icons like Natalia vindman Jacoba, which I can't even say you have editorial work appearing in numerous publications worldwide, including Vogue, UK, Vogue, China, Vogue, Russia, and many, many more. And I know that you work with many, many stylists, many celebrities, etc, etc. So we are super excited to have your expertise in the show to tell us about all things. Eyebrows. Welcome to the show, Daria.

Unknown: 1:47

Thank you ladies appreciate having me here on your podcast. I'm really, really excited to share all my experience and knowledge with you today.

Katie: 1:57

We're excited to hear it. So before we get into all of our millions of questions, we just want to take a step back and do our nirvana of the week was just really just something that gave us joy this week, made us take a pause, put a little smile on our face, and I will take it to Katy to let us know what hers was this. Thanks. I was just thinking about that. And I think it was over the just the past weekend like The Last Sunday we took the kids to the pumpkin patch. And you know, we're on the east coast and in New England, and Westport is like it's like you're in a Lifetime movie. Like it's such quintessential fall it you know, it's my favorite season after being here for a year. It's really beautiful, the foliage and everything. And then the pumpkin patches. It was just beautiful. So just see the kids running around and picking out their pumpkins and having apple cider donuts and there was a little petting like farm situation. And while it was very cute and festive and for the season, it was just Yeah, it was yummy. What about you, Amy?

Amy: 2:56

That's such a good one. I haven't done that in a long time. I love those pumpkin patches, though. It's so like, yeah. So I would say we hits a really nice milestone here at Nirvana sisters we have published well now it's probably over 7677, maybe even 80 episodes by the time this airs. So Katie and I are running so quickly building this podcast in business. And it was just nice to kind of get a notification of like you hit a milestone you've posted 75 podcasts. It was just cool. We've been working really hard over the last two years and our two year anniversary is almost coming up. So that was a little something that brought me joy this week. What about you, Daria,

Unknown: 3:37

I really enjoy hearing what you ladies did. It's amazing. makes me so happy. So my highlight of the past week was meeting with my friends who I didn't see for seven years. Oh my gosh. They live in London. I right now based in New York. And they had a flight here. So we spent amazing three or four nights out just exploring the city and I took days off. So yeah,

Katie Chandler: 4:03

yeah, that's great. fills your soul and love it. Alright, well, let's kick it off. First of all, let's start at the basics. Tell us about what you do and your specialty of natural eyebrows.

Daria: 4:19

So honestly, when I say when I try to explain to my new clients or to people who are not in the beauty field, even for those who honestly in the beauty field, what I specifically do

Unknown: 4:33

it takes me like a couple minutes to get through it because I work on the natural eyebrows, which means that I provide shape tint walks lamination and sometimes threading. But the thing that makes me very different from any other eyebrow specialist is the technique that I use for shaping which is which I call signature. I brush shape. It is made with a tweezers. So I basically tweeze eyebrows but not just around how we usually do it. But I open the eyebrow and look through the hair and remove the hair that we don't need that this hair usually either too old, too thick or trimmed before. So instead of just plucking around the eyebrows and creating the typical thing like the shape, I go in the eyebrow and create feathered natural looking eyebrows.

Katie Chandler: 5:33

Oh yeah, that's interesting, because I have been really curious about how this new eyebrow trend of like the longer fuller more grown out. And I've tried to do that but it's so uneven and kind of wack and I assume I probably need you to get in there and take out the ones that don't make sense in order for that to happen. Right?

Unknown: 5:57

Yes, I would say there are so many different techniques come into the market. And sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes it completely does not make any sense like we have this trans like bleaching eyebrows every year right so mad gala or I don't know the autumn trends, we keep seeing different things happening. But I believe to have a good shape to have a really clean eyebrows and I talking about clean not on your skin but in your eyebrows. This is what makes any face brighter. You have lifted kind of eyes, open eyes brightened look and you just look fresh. This is how this is how I'm trying to explain these things to my man clients straight guys clients constantly are afraid that it will look too feminine or too manicured. So it takes it takes long time. It takes long explanations showing like examples, but it's definitely worth it. Nice.

Amy: 7:03

Okay, so how does one at home get natural looking brows or how do they sort of maintain maybe in between brow visits, but I know like Katie was saying there's been like this emphasis on this natural brow and how do you what do you recommend for people at home like looking to keep their eyebrows in check

Unknown: 7:27

for my clients in between appointments I recommend to moisturize eyebrows. So basically there are a couple things that you can use couple of treatments and ointments that you can apply and it will provide the moisturize for your eyebrows because we apply a lot of masks and conditioner to our hair right but my eyebrows and eyelashes, that's true. So I would say just keep it moisture noirish do not trim I'm very very against of trimming eyebrows. And I don't know just normal maintenance, I would say monthly or like for some people once in two months appointments are enough, but nothing difficult. If my clients prefer to have some eyebrows routine, like makeup routine, I would say I would provide the specific list and I usually send the eyebrows guide to all my clients or people who are interested and I'm very happy to share with you like people who listen to the podcast for free the guide How to maintain what to use and it's all divided into shapes, colors and like you know options, pencils, gels, clear gels,

Katie Chandler: 8:42

a lot of options.

Unknown: 8:45

So I'm I'm really happy to share

Katie Chandler: 8:47

nice I love that.

Amy: 8:48

And then how did you were mentioning some of the things to do to keep your eyebrows moisturize and condition what what type of products would you recommend for that?

Unknown: 9:01

I recommend to use natural product it is called tuya This is the brand is step three after elimination but what exactly this product does is that it has a little bit of oils and it is wheat oil. It has argan oil but it is not heavy. So the problem with moisturizing eyebrows and a lot of people get misunderstanding that you cannot apply 100% oil like castor oil or flaxseed oil or peach oil on your eyebrows because it's simply not going into the hair. It's not going to the cortex it's not it's not doing anything it just sitting on the top like you know

Amy: 9:48

so castor oil does not make your paragraphs I've been using no one.

Unknown: 9:56

And what is really important about all More than 100% oils, it could have the consequences as allergies. So for example, this is what I, this is what I was through when I just started to grow my eyebrows back because I started my career with horrible experience myself. And this is how I became eyebrows artists, I was like, let's let's do it myself, no one can do that I will do it. And it was a big misunderstanding in the beautiful that if you apply castor oil or our argan oil or flaxseed oil, your eyebrows will grow or eyelashes? No, it will not. And second, when you apply those oils for your lashes, and you go to slip, it's naturally because we have the gravitation, right, it's still works. It's got it can go to your eyes, or very close to Derma. And could clog your pores on the on the line where the lashes grow and could cause allergies in the future. So my recommendation for someone who would like to grow eyebrows or eyelashes is to moisturize to use serums during the morning or the daytime instead of the nighttime. And do not use 100% oils. Just use professional things. Like

Amy: 11:21

the product that you were just talking about is something that could help with hair growth.

Unknown: 11:25

It I wouldn't be honest, it's not providing the hair growth. I didn't care for the hair that you already have. Got it any serum any, any product that promises you, I don't know 200% Extreme lashes. Yes, it will help for the amount of time you use in this product. As soon as you're going to stop, your hair will be normal. What is not great about this option of choosing serums that trying to help you to grow things, like grow your hair is that we have a specific amount of follicles in our eyebrows and eyelashes during the life. And if you try to speed up this process, there is the chance that by the age of 70 or 80, you will have less eyelashes or eyebrows naturally because you already overstimulated your growth.

Katie Chandler: 12:20

Oh, that's interesting.

Amy: 12:24

So then what do you do if you want to grow your eyebrows? And you don't want to use one of those serums Do you just keep them conditioned and

Unknown: 12:31

you keep your eyebrows and eyelashes condition and you do massage? So when I when I'm talking about massage, you know this single single brushes from Sephora or like single mascara wands. Yeah, so you just brush it up. Really like you need to feel it on your skin and then just like, like, push get

Amy: 12:50

in there. Yeah, yeah.

Unknown: 12:51

So you brush it up, you brush it in a diagonal way and you brush it down, like two minutes each eyebrow and just massage in a circular way. Because this is what we do with the hair. we brush our hair, we go to treatments, we do all this stuff. And we need to remember about our eyelashes and eyebrows. It

Katie Chandler: 13:12

seems like it would feel good to or to do that. Right?

Unknown: 13:15

Because it's the stimulation for you. Like literally you stimulate. Yeah, nature.

Amy: 13:21

Right. So that helps to stimulate the follicles which will then grow. Okay, good

Katie Chandler: 13:25

to know, I want to know how someone figures out the perfect shape eyebrow for their face. I've seen formulas before and I'm curious what yours is?

Amy: 13:35

The formula? Yeah. Is that correct? No. Okay. All right, let's hear it. Katie's doing Katie's doing the point up from the nose and then the angle like what you always see. Yeah.

Katie Chandler: 13:49

Take a pencil. Right?

Unknown: 13:52

I haven't. Yeah. So the typical formula that we can find somewhere on I don't know social media platforms all over the internet. And I believe those pictures honestly, they've been there forever, like from five to 1000 Yes, maximum. So it's like this one, you put it to your nose, you do the arch and you do the end of your eyebrow. The problem with this method is first that you cannot measure it correctly. Because if you a little bit tilted here, right, it could be here my orange could be on this point. But if I move it could be here also. So how could you know and it depends where you look. If you look straight, you will have one point a point. I mean the arch and when you slightly move your eyes and you need to measure it somehow you need to put the mark like it could be not even over the time we have this interest in fashion and styles. So sometimes it's a little bit wider. It's it could be a little bit more straight, a little bit more arch. So honestly So, what I say to my clients is that we need to see what the person has. If you have amazing straight eyebrows, what's the point trying to get extreme there is no point because there will be not enough hair on the top of the eyebrow and we would remove too much in the bottom of the eyebrow. So instead of trying to be like you know, this trendy eyebrows shapes for 2020 20 We're just trying to maintain what we have naturally and make it look as good

Katie Chandler: 15:33

as possible. I like that I have always kind of liked the straighter eyebrow on myself and then I also thought there's all these trends right that you were just saying that what's this trend were like now they're like going up and everybody thinks it makes you look really lifted. What is that called? There's a name for it.

Unknown: 15:50

I honestly, it's been forever, like okay, not forever. For the last three years we have this trend when people started to work tapes to make up also, I see this everywhere. Like people were tapes and stuff like you see my normal eyebrows and then they put the tape and it's gone like this right? Where's the eyebrow is going a little bit up so you have the more straight eyebrow less arch. But at the same time, it looks a little bit odd

Katie Chandler: 16:23

you know whose eyebrows now jelly and naturally it's like the Kendall Kendall Jenner I think her she has like very so that's what I saw on social media and the other one that I that I really do love that I think is very chic and looks great on everyone is like it just kind of like grown out and just like super, to your point super, super natural, but like thicker and fuller and longer. So brow is what it's called. So brow.

Unknown: 16:46

No, no, no, I didn't think this is the same. So I would say the the first one that you mentioned, like grown out supernatural one. It is referred to models environment. So every time I do talk, top models, eyebrows, I never remove too much hair underneath. I'm never creating the like, no, the full shape will live in some options for the makeup artist who is going to work on set. But so brow look is actually elimination.

Katie Chandler: 17:21

Okay?

Unknown: 17:23

So people who I believe don't want to do elimination, they create, they can create the same effect with a soul bro. And so bro originally was the name of the brand, but not but now it's like, you know, any brand could say so bro. Okay. And

Amy: 17:40

yeah, I don't even know what lamination is. I've heard of what it is.

Unknown: 17:45

So let me nation is the camera. This is the conversation I had with my morning client. She scheduled everything like everything, all the possible options, and she's my first time client. And I'm usually very straightforward with first time clients. I'm like, Hey, what is the goal? How do you want your eyebrows to look like? What is? How do you want to maintain? Do you want to take any? Any possible like new things? Do you want to add something to your beauty routine? She was like, no, no, no, no, no, I want like easy maintenance. And I want elimination. But elimination is not is maintenance because elimination is a chemical process, two step process for your eyebrows. With the first step we apply the chemical that helps basically to ruin the hair structure. Because in that case, we can move it we can make it flexible. And if someone has eyebrows that going down or too much sideways, we can straight it up, but not 90 degrees, like this way maybe like 65 degrees, right 45 Even. So we're the first step we just ruin the hairs structure. Unfortunately it is what it is. It's not a spa procedure. It's not wrist restoration or something. And with the second step, we apply the ointment that helps to keep the structure of the hair back and to provide the normal hair pH balance. And with a third step, which is the same two year or ointment. It's like the oily the oily third step ointment that helps to give it moisture because lamination dries the hair. So in New York specifically, I'm not sure about other states, but in New York specifically in the area where I work. I see a lot of ladies coming to me with burnt eyebrows. And when I see burned, it's literally Ginger, Ginger red color because the hair is burned from the inside. And in couple of months it's starting to fall off why this happens again, because lamination is not a spa procedure, it's not. Treatment elimination is a chemical chemical procedure. So I believe elimination should be done with a professional who understands the timing, the specifics of your scheme, the specifics of your eyebrows, and the look that you want to keep and maintain. Because it requires extra moisture for your eyebrows, it requires the client to purchase this ointment, and actually to apply it every like once in a three four days. And coming back to the soul bro. So the soap brow they help this is like the actual soap, you brush, you go through your eyebrows backwards first like this way, and then you brush it normally like in the in the direction of your hair growth. It helps to create delamination look for a day, it definitely needs to be washed. In the end of the day, people cannot sleep with this because the soap is drying your hair structure. So the hair is getting a little bit more fragile, dry. And I would say people should use if they want this lamination look but don't want to use the chemical they can use so brow for maybe like twice a week, but not often.

Amy: 21:28

And it is the elimination help like does it.

Unknown: 21:31

But elimination helps to create thickness illusion, or to redirect the hair. So for example, for my clients who have really odd hair growth, for example, from this side, sometimes hair grow in this way, we can use lamination but only like 40 degrees or 50 degrees. Because if you will swap the hair 180 or even 90 degrees, it's going to just fall off. Because the air cannot do it redirected this much. There is a certain proportion that we can use and can apply.

Katie Chandler: 22:06

So that's more distinct and get the eyebrows to go the way that you want them to go. It's not so much like a look of fashion style a trend like the soap brow is correct me if I'm wrong as the soap or other trend where it just looks kind of like oily and in place and long. And like sticking up words and everything. Yeah, I really liked that look. I've been trying to figure out how to.

Unknown: 22:32

So brow helps to achieve this over laminated. And when I say over laminated because good lamination should not should not look super slick, it means that the hair was burned, and it's eventually going to fall in couple months. So yeah, so brow can help to create lamination look without like with minimum damage. Okay, with minimum that so

Amy: 22:57

you mentioned something earlier about cutting brows. So you're saying that's not a good thing to do. So my eyebrows are curly, like I feel like they grow and they get curly and I haven't cut them in a really long time. But I used to go to people that would like thread or wax or whatever. And then they'd like cut up here just so they were like tight. Why is not bad.

Unknown: 23:20

I mean, it's a very serious condition. So this is why most of my clients keep they just traveling from I have clients coming from Florida from LA, like at least once in three months. So this is the circle that you in the circle called trim, and trim. Why? So your eyebrows are getting curly, right? It bothers you it's getting long, you cannot style it, you go to the place, and they brush it up entering. And in three, four weeks you like oh my god, it's again curly, right? Yeah, I didn't know what to do with this. So this is the circle how to break the circle. Why first? I will explain why your eyebrows are getting curling? Probably naturally. You have a little bit wavy hair. Yeah. But what's going on with eyebrows that are trimmed? We have the hair that okay, it's I know it will sound very basic basic information, but we all know this. So this is the skin layer, right? We have the hair growing from the skin. The follicle is based in the skin. So it's growing long. You don't like it, you trim it. So the hair keep growing from from the skin right from the follicle. But the tip is already flat. It's not pointed, it's flat. And the hair is getting sicker because it cannot naturally fall off. Because the hair that we lose in it's fallen off because of the weight or because The damage so the hair is getting thicker and thicker, and because of that it's starting to grow. So instead of trimming again, I would recommend to do good shape. That means slowly removing trimmed hair. And I may be trimmed twice in my life for someone because it was, you know, just one specific hair or like the hair that I cannot remove because it's creating the base and the structure of the eyebrow. And it should be trimmed in the diagonal way not to not flat. Yeah, like, if someone is brushing and doing this shouldn't be trimmed like this. It should be trimmed with a specific scissors like

Amy: 25:45

this. Yeah. Bunny. My eyebrows, like, over the pandemic, I just like didn't get them done. And I actually think by accident, they got better because they got longer. Because they haven't done anything with them. And they're almost like, I mean, I still need to get them shaped but I don't really feel the need to cut them anymore because they're just like kinda there but I think I accidentally did a good thing by not cutting them.

Unknown: 26:11

I mean, that's great. And honestly, most of the people in our industry in eyebrows industry all over the world, they still trim eyebrows because it's very easy fix

Amy: 26:23

right brush,

Unknown: 26:24

all like from from the beginning to the end, you just brush and you trim. That's easy for the professional, but I prefer a different approach because I believe that we're here to create long term beauty not just easy fix for all of us. And I know that it takes about a year to regrow all the trimmed hair in your eyebrows. regrow I mean still have an appointment once in a month and a half or like a month. Because you need to remove this hair you need an the new hair thing good thing not trimmed. So it takes kinda a year to regrow trimmed eyebrows but it's definitely worth it.

Katie Chandler: 27:12

What do you think about all of the different I mean I know you prefer to pluck but threading I've never had threading done have you had threading Jenny me? I don't really

Amy: 27:21

Yeah, that's usually what I do. Is it

Katie Chandler: 27:23

is it better than waxing if you know if somebody like can't tolerate the plucking what would you suggest

Unknown: 27:32

sometimes I do spreading for my clients but only for people who have allergies for walks and this is obvious if my client has the allergy for natural or artificial walks we definitely try to clean the baby fours at least here on the top of the eyebrows by spreading but the thing with the threading is I do not like to create the shape with a thread like the you know traditional way how in India they do or in the south of Russia for example, we have a huge community that are very into threading they all have this thinner eyebrow look which was was in a trance long time ago but not anymore. And with a specific and with this specific signature eyebrow shape that I do, it's not enough used I still need to go through the eyebrow and block some hair that we don't need. And some of my clients are really like crying, the cursing but in the end they all very happy and I'm like okay okay just do whatever you want you want to cry I want to talk all this bad things okay, that's fine. In the end of the appointment everyone is happy

Amy: 28:50

and I'm sure so you do only plucking you don't do waxing or you do you do wax?

Unknown: 28:55

I do I do like sometimes when I see that we need to remove that pause or it would just look much cleaner. But if my client has some condition like if the skin is irritated or too dry, or I don't know it's changing of the season and I see it's not going to be good. We skipping waxing. Yeah.

Amy: 29:19

And is I don't know if this was like an old like Wyldstyle but isn't plucking supposed to be the best isn't waxing like can't think if this is probably just like hearsay and not true but can't wax and give you like more wrinkles than plucking. I feel like I heard that back in the day. Did you ever hear that one? And I've always plucked like I've never I mean I've waxed once in a while but I usually pluck or do threading or something.

Unknown: 29:41

I honestly think it depends what kind of wax is used and applied and how it is removed because that's the thing with the thread and actually what I do not like about threading and the hard works that removed with this, you know the paper stripes?

Amy: 29:58

Yeah, yeah,

Unknown: 29:59

I did not Like when they need to hold it and to stretch the skin, right? Yeah. So this is the thing was threading if you would calculate, like, if you would start threading at 14, and you thread till 60. Right? How many times you stretch your eyes and when you do blowing it up? Yeah, you need to stick like good point.

Katie Chandler: 30:22

What do you think about tenting? Eyebrow tinting? I've done it once.

Unknown: 30:27

I mean, if it's, if it is a correct tint color, that's good. If the tint could report both horrible anime

Katie Chandler: 30:37

I, that's when I first had it done. I was like, Whoa, and it was way too much. But now when I look back at pictures on it, I actually thought it looked nice because I've blonde eyebrows and it felt filled them out. This whole conversation is reminding me of something I did as a child to my eyebrows. And I have to tell you guys, I was reading like a Cosmo or glamour and there was just talking all about plucking. And I was maybe eight or nine. And I was too afraid to pluck so I shaped them. And then I accidentally like they just because I like accidentally went too far. And so like I shaved one and so then I had to shave the other one.

Amy: 31:14

Oh my God, that's awful. We need to see a picture of that I

Katie Chandler: 31:17

actually have a school it was right around school photo time. So actually, but I was with my family and I had cousins in town. And I was just waiting for like somebody to call it out. I didn't want to tell my mom. And one of my cousins said, Oh my God, what happened to your eyebrows? And then I was

Amy: 31:35

oh my god, I never knew that story. That's so funny. So how long did they take to guard ever? And

Katie Chandler: 31:39

I still feel like yeah, I feel like my eyebrows are so so thin. And it's probably because I shaved them.

Unknown: 31:47

It happened to me too. I was like 14 or 15. And I remember my mom coming back from work and I plucked and somehow I had only this area and nothing after the art now. Oh my god. I looked like this, you know, like, like a crazy person. Daria, it was it will never grow back. What did you do? And I started to cry. I burst into tears. So it took me like, half a year to grow back.

Amy: 32:17

Oh my god. So speaking of dying eyebrows in the same realm, what what do you think of eyelash extensions?

Unknown: 32:25

Oh, honestly, I don't have anything against eyelash extensions, because in most cases, right now it's done in the right way. It looks natural, at least like the lash artists that I'm following. It looks natural and good. The only problem I think in the industry right now is lash elimination, and lash burm, which I see as a big problem. I mean, again, I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. And I have no idea. I have no idea who is doing that. But we have couples specialists around who who applied too much. And for too long, the lamination process. So what's happening, I see clients who step into my office, and they come for example for eyebrows appointment. But I could see that the elimination didn't go well for eyelashes, because they see the scary to do

Amy: 33:23

on your eyeliner. So close to your eye. It's scary,

Unknown: 33:27

I would say in the way that it is super close to your eyes, you need to understand how to maintain this thing because there is a special silicone pad that they apply. And then they brush up with the like glue and the first step ointment, your lashes up to hold it to like ruin first, the texture of your eyelashes and then to fix it back. So what's happening what I see and this is really, really a big problem in the industry right now. People who provide the service cannot apply the silicone pad actually close to the growth of your lash line. So it creates this L shape in the end of the procedure. And what client would have is the difficulty to apply mascara and this L shape thing. It will create the option or the potential potential option to break your lashes because it's getting very fragile in this degree. Because our hair normally doesn't grow like this. We have natural curl, but when it's buckling this and basically broken it could just fell off.

Katie Chandler: 34:49

Yeah, yeah. Very well. I am going to come and see you and get my eyebrows done really soon. So I need

Amy: 34:57

and can you put it on camera Katie? Watch because When I come to New York, I'm gonna go to you too. I used to have this great person in New York a bazillion years ago and I just haven't found anyone good since so we'll be visiting. Yes. Welcome

Unknown: 35:08

ladies.

Amy: 35:10

You're in New York City. You're Are you in the city or in Williamsburg?

Unknown: 35:15

I'm in Williamsburg. But it is one stop from the city.

Amy: 35:18

Yeah, no, I used to live there. That's great. And I know you also know like all the makeup and beauty trends for the fall. So give us a little give us a little insight into what you're seeing. That's like the new or the, you know, some fun makeup things that you're seeing.

Unknown: 35:35

Um, honestly, I am this type of person who believes that everything is already created. So we have kind of the same tiles over the years. And as always, during the autumn season. It is reds, red, it could be red lipstick, a little bit more red. I would say burgundy color for your check. Cheeks. Blush maybe. And my thing my favorite thing is to apply the same blush for your lips for the blush area and a little bit on your eyelids. It looks really fresh and it looks you know like normal. It's not off. Another big trend in the industry right now for the makeup is liners. But colorful liners. So it is not boring. Okay, not boring, but it's not just classy black. But dark brown. Again, burgundy Gray, and maybe some I don't know reds.

Amy: 36:39

Do you mean liner or your eye?

Unknown: 36:41

Yeah, why not? My I just colorful liners. And no makeup makeup is always every year in high demand. So yeah, it's pretty good options. We have

Amy: 36:55

this I like the idea of doing a fun liner because it's true. Like I feel like I always put on black but like to have like a burgundy or something would be fun.

Unknown: 37:02

Try dark dark brown or brown. That's

Katie Chandler: 37:06

what I stopped using black so long ago because for whatever reason it always I always felt like it looked too harsh. And then so I switched really dark brown and it just kind of blends better. But yeah, soften the no Minca Yeah, yes,

Amy: 37:21

that's like my goal. Always the no makeup makeup.

Katie Chandler: 37:26

Daria, thank you so much for being with us. This was so fun. So tell our listeners where they can find you. Do you have what's your you know, your Instagram handle? We'll have it all in our show notes as well.

Unknown: 37:38

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you being here and talking and have this amazing conversation. I'm happy to share my experience. So I I'm always on Instagram or like email, but I have the office in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. So people can stop by the office to make an appointment.

Amy: 38:01

And is your Instagram at Daria Creech. I'm not even gonna

Unknown: 38:05

doubt this is Christina dot prod. Kru c h i n i n a that prom.

Amy: 38:12

Okay, we'll put it in our show notes too. And you have a website as well which will lead people to Okay, so let's do a quick wrap session. Okay, you ready? What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

Unknown: 38:24

Sleep well eat well be yourself. This is my wellness hack. Yeah, I love those. Good one.

Katie Chandler: 38:31

The next next one we caught our five minute flow you just got out of the shower and Uber is paying do they're fine five minutes away What are you going to do to get into that Uber on time.

Unknown: 38:43

So I honestly I hope that by that time you have the moisturizer on so it's kind of like prepped, you know, if not just have moisturizer in your arms and apply it to the to the lines so like fine lines, massage lines, you just applying it in the way you lift in your face. The same with a quick BB cream or my favorite is Chanel foundation. It's super thin, really nice. And I would say a little bit of blush, as I said on the cheekbones on the lips a little bit on the eyelid. Same with my favorite product. This is Charlotte Tilbury filter. It's kind of highlighter, but it looks supernatural. I don't know I would I think you can squeeze in mascara application and cool week Bro. Bro gel application. Yeah, that will be the thing. Nice.

Amy: 39:42

And how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

Unknown: 39:45

I started to meditate. Two months ago I started meditation. And I feel it really helps. You know? It really helps. Yeah.

Amy: 39:55

Do you listen to guided meditation or do you do your own meditation

Unknown: 40:00

I do the breath work in the morning. Yeah, I go to a local yoga studio. So that helps me to be in the moment and to be in the local community at the same time. Yeah, well,

Katie Chandler: 40:13

thank you so much for being here. This this is such a fun conversation. And now I'm going to be obsessing over my eyebrows until I see which I'm going to be in the city next Friday. So

Amy: 40:21

oh my God, I need to like do a brush up I need to need to judge

Katie Chandler: 40:28

Alright, so before we let you go, we'll wrap with a little mantra. This is just kind of a cute month since we've been talking all things beautiful. Letting go is hard, but being free is beautiful. So kind of inverted that says eyebrows. Yeah. Maybe we should do that when I literally in my brain inverted a couple words, so it made more sense.

Amy: 40:52

What do you mean?

Katie Chandler: 40:53

Did I just I said it's Friday.

Amy: 41:00

It's Friday. Okay. The quote is, it's Friday and thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 83: Product Junkies December - Holiday Edition - Things We Are Loving Right Now (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 83.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Unknown: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation back to the show Nirvana sisters family, it's December and you know what that means holiday time. And we are back with a product junkies episode for December. We're going to talk through some of our favorite latest products that we're trying and loving. These could be gifts, they could be gifts for yourself, they could maybe help with holiday travel. So with that being said, we will jump right into product junkies December. I'm going to start with you, Katie, what do you have on her? Right? Well, let's see. I'm going to start with things that you're going to need for your next holiday party. Oh, you're gonna go out you're gonna want to do your makeup a little bit, right? Like the fun of these holiday parties is kind of getting dressed and you know, going the extra mile and having like a fun fabulous night out. So for that I have a really excellent lipstick like very glamorous, neutral but sexy lips situation whooping and it is the beloved Charlotte Tilbury it's her lip Lester and pillow talk. And it's just like a very sexy neutral that has just enough pink just enough of a pop. And it's a really nice texture as well. It comes in like a lip gloss tube. It's not super shiny. So I kind of like when there's a little bit of a matte to it. Like it's not Yeah, super super glossy. Yeah, so it's they they're marketing it as a dreamy nude pink lip gloss for a luminous luscious Pillow Talk pout and it's $22 and it lasts it stays on which which I really liked. So this is just a really great like go to color for a night out. Yeah, you know, I didn't know that Charlotte had that in a gloss form or whatever they're calling it. I just knew that pillowtop lipstick and and like liner but I didn't realize they had Oh, that's so pretty. Yeah, that's a good news. Like I could put it on heavier and it would be a little stronger. Right Are you lying on top of something. Okay, and what's the product and the Charlotte Tilbury lip is that a gloss it's the lip Lester lip luster. Okay, love. Okay, so I have this new thing I did a little research at Sephora the other day because I've been looking for a bronzer that is a liquid because I feel like I have a lot of blushes that are liquid or cream but it's hard to find a bronzer because usually it's like more of a contour stick but the contour stick color isn't like exactly your bronzer. So I found this iconic London shear bronze formula and I know how to describe it and it's in this little tube like this. And it's a really pretty bronze and it's an it's somewhat shear very natural. But you literally just take a tiny tiny amount I mean this bottle is going to last forever. Take a tiny amount and just kind of put it here and it's just like a nice little bronzy glow. Tonight if you don't want to do a lot of bronze because I feel like on an everyday basis you know me I'm always looking for like every day. This is really good. So if you just throw this on and maybe throw on a liquid blush, it just it's nice. I've just been liking these liquid and cream blushes and bronze is more so than the powders because I just feel like they look nicer on the skin. They're not so dry. You could you could do a little right up here on your forehead to Yeah, just a little touch and it'll make your whole face look like he had been on the side yeah so and this is very buildable so you could just put on a little bit for just like that little funky skull but you could put on more just to like you know make it heavier or mix it with another with another bronzer. So this is again it's iconic London and it's $27 and this will probably last me like forever so really good purchase. I hadn't heard of it before I just found it as I was doing a major search around Sephora for liquid or cream. Bronzer. So good one good one for the holidays. Good one for holiday parties to to match with the pillowtop nude. What's next on your list ad All right, well, this goes straight into the same situation for your holiday party. I have a really great glamorous smoky eye that I found at the drugstore. It is Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 hour long wear cream eyeshadow say then it's only $7.99 I love and they have have some great colors. This one is high roller Oh print and I wear this when we were in Israel. It's very much like like when we went out to dinner it's a really nice creamy Chateau which I love because they're just so easy to put on. You can literally put them on with your with your finger. And it just has a nice like sexy smoking is so good and I love this hydrating. I feel like when it's a cream, it's more hydrating. It doesn't get Creasy Yeah, no, I totally agree. I mean, wow, that like what a big difference. It makes your eyes. Yeah, I like barely even putting any on. But I used it during the day as like an eyeliner with a really thin brush and then I put it on at night like a shadow and it's just a night it's a very nice creamy consistency. It's, it's I would compare it to like, NARS is Fimi eyeshadow really? doesn't last long. How's the stain? Yeah, no, it totally holds up. I mean, look like this half of my face is ready for a party and obviously looks so good. I love that. That's a good one. We love a good start fine. And it's one of alors best of beauty for 2020 You know, couple years ago, but still, it's holding up. Yeah, I love that. Now I have to even out my eyes. So I'm gonna do my other side. While you talk, what do you we can show our listeners what you're doing. Okay, so I have like, it's the same category. So I'm gonna do two reviews and one and one of them we've kind of talked about a long time ago, but I ran out of eye cream. So I was looking for a new one always looking to test new ones. And I remember that when we had a loan on the show, he talked about the inky list caffeine eye cream. So I bought this and it says it's best for tired eyes. And the inky list is so great because I think the ingredients are really good and it's also very affordable. So this is keyless caffeine eye cream, it's $10 really good ingredients. And I just started using it the other day. So this one says it's best for tire dyes that helps to reduce the appearance of tire dyes essentially so it has a really really nice feel to it. I also have decided that I can't stand when eye creams are in a pot and so many of them are in pots. So I always tend to default to the ones that are in tubes. I just think it's so much easier to apply so much easier to travel with. It doesn't get like in your nails. But anyway, this texture is really nice, really hydrating and I have noticed it does make my eyes look less tired. So depending on the day, I will use this or I will use this other incredulous product which I just got, which is the brighten eye cream. And this one says it's best for dull under eyes and it helps to brighten instantly over time. And this one I'll use like if I just feel more dull. So it just depends on the day. Because lately in the winter, I'm just feeling some days I'm tired. Some days my face just looks air. So this one again is in a tube. This one is $11.49. What I really liked about this is the applicator. See how there's like this? Oh yeah. So when you put it on, it's like even without the cream, it just feels good because it's cold because it's metal. So it's this metal applicator tap, you put a little bit in like literally just a tiny little drop. And then you'd like spread it around here. Hold on, I'll show you. There we go. Do you keep it in your in your little fridge in your bathroom, I don't I actually haven't used that for a little while I have to get a new one it kind of broke. See how you just kind of like put it on. And first of all, it just feels good. It's kind of like a nice little self care moment. And secondly, it really does help to brighten so I've just been using both interchangeably to see what I like better, but I have decided that I don't think that there's one eye cream for every day. I think it just depends on your vibe. So that's why I bought Chu and I liked doing it with brands like the inky list because they're cheap. The ingredients are good, good, good packaging like easy to transport. So I've been testing these to brighten eye cream and caffeine eye cream and I'm a fan. So that's what I've got an ice cream. It's a really good price point for an eye cream that exactly does what it does. If you want to try a few and you want to like have a little bit of a variety. Yeah, for sure. I'm gonna get that one it looks I have like sinus pressure today. So I feel like that would feel so good right now under my nails really good. Nice. Okay, yeah. All right, well, my next one, my next one would be a good gift for your sister, your best friend your mom. It would be a great item to purchase if you're going on a long trip for the holidays and you need to wear something comfy on the plane. And Amy, you saw me in this recently. I wore it coming home from Israel. And this is it's like it's such a good steal. It's a great find. I got it off of Amazon. It's called pretty garden women's 2020 To fall fashion outfits that the brand is pretty good. We will post the link to peace sweat suit. They have like a bunch of different colors, but it's really really cozy like medium weight fabric, not your traditional like sweat suit fabric that you think it is just very soft and kind of like silky. And the fit is really good. You know when you're good and the whole outfit looks so chic like it was cute pensive it doesn't look like an Amazon purchase. Totally. It was 38 Oh my god, half of them insane pants on top. And, like of course it's a Dolman sleeve which is like the big kind of like bat wings situation and then the sweats have nice little pocket and they're jogger with like the cup on the bottom. And they come in a million colors. I mean, like really cute stuff. And I went with black just because I feel like it's classic and no one could tell that I weren't on the plane there and on the plane. But yeah, yeah, I think I'm gonna get it for my mom for Christmas. I think she'll really Yeah, I was just but yeah, that's such a great gift for girlfriends or moms 100% Yeah, highly recommend. I love that. I'm gonna have to check that out how many colors like a million maybe you'll get one as a girl. Oh my getting a little prelude to the gifting. They have I'll tell you how many they have like a beige they have multiple green shades. They have multiple Gray's multiple blues they have pink they have like lavender, they have maroon I mean there's a whole array of really cute they have white which would be you know great for the summer. So yeah, okay, it was so good. I had a good head like a comfortable sports bra on under it and I felt like I was in my pajamas the whole time which was you know, yeah, so long for such a good fight. Yeah, well speaking of gifts, still in the eye subject there's one thing that I did want to mention as a holy grail for 2022 I've decided I did review this in a product junkies episode maybe in the beginning I can't remember but it's the Milani supercharged brightening under eye 10 This is Oh yeah. The best concealer I will say that I've used this year. So it's almost like a color correcting tint. But for anyone with dull dark circles under their eyes. I've just been using this like Katie as an example. I just use this in Israel every day when we were on our trip. I never put on concealer. I just use this real Yeah, your skin looks Yeah, so this is I just find that when it's more of a color corrector it takes that darkness out and it brightens your eyes so I found that I really don't need anything other than this. And the formula is so much it's almost like it's very hydrating so it's not you know some concealers are so dry. This is very very hydrating. So it's almost like a serum you're putting on it's almost like skincare in a way and it really covers up those dark circles and then you know if you're going out at night maybe put on a little bit more concealer but you might not even need it like some days like you know depending on the night before. I can just wear this would be fine. I would say 90% of the time I can wear this and be fine but I just had to mention it again because it's such a good good product. It's the Milani supercharged brightening under it when it's 1099 you get to Ulta they have a few different colors but it's again more of like a tint less of a concealer but I use it as a concealer and it's such a good every day and so like this is like such a fun gift for girlfriends because it works for everyone. And it's just a fun little gift to give away to give to friends family whatever. So anyway, just wanted to highlight this is like a 22 favorite. Yeah, I have that also and I have used it a lot and actually I forgot about it. It's in my drawer somewhere I need to get it back out now. It's like I forget about it too. And then I started using recently and it's it's so good for travel too. Nice. All right, well back onto the travel deal. This was another one of my hacks on our long flight so if you're going somewhere for the holidays, you're gonna want to order this stat oh it is the T RTL travel pillow. Of course it was like Instagram. You know marketing. I was like they're listening. They know that I was about getting this. Yeah, every five seconds and so I ordered it but it's like it's the coolest neck pillow because you wrap it around your head like a scarf. I'm gonna do it wrong because I'm on camera of course. It's like a scarf that you wrap around it has velcro on on each end. And on one end of the scarf inside is this shaped thing that cradles your neck and your like the sight of your way in your in your cheek and then you snap it on. Like a scarf that is so in your head. It's like looks like a half neck brace. That's exactly what is that's Yeah, it's like a half neck brace. That's probably where they got the brilliant idea. And your head just completely like stays in place the whole time when you're sitting on a plane. Oh my god, you know, you have to sit up, right? It's like because of this side is wrapped in like a scarf. Your head doesn't wobble. That way. We don't get those pains in your neck. Yeah, and you don't get woken up because you're going like this every five seconds. Right? You know what I mean? Just keep it like. Yeah, the ones that go around your neck, they're just like squishy. I just don't think they're that great. So and also what else? The other thing that was really cool. Like when I turned to lay on my side, it kind of conformed to the seat. So it was really, it was really comfortable. Yeah. And then you got some old time picking like me. I searched like a solid seven hours. Unreal. Like, how much does that cost? 4249. Okay, not bad. Right gift? Yeah, it's a really, it's a it's an essential like, anytime I'm on a flight that's longer than like, I don't know, four hours from now on. I'm taking cozy like it looks like it's warm around your neck. It is. It's the fabric is fleece. Ah, nice. So it is super cozy. Yeah, that is needed. That is such a good invention. I love that. You know, it's genius. Best Travel Pillow ever. That's a great gift. Okay, so I am completely switching topics. I'm gonna give you two things again, because they kind of go together. And it's very random. But it's a good find. So I think I told you about this. And I'm actually eating this right now. So I found Okay, so I love bagels. And I don't eat them that much, obviously, because they're so bad for you. But once in a while, you know, you get that good craving for a bagel. And sometimes they do just have that bagel. But if you want to bagel more often, I found this product at Whole Foods called the better bagel. I think it's new. I hadn't seen it before. I mean, here's what it looks like. I'm showing you my sandwich here because they made a little sandwich with eggs on top. But I've never had a bagel that tastes good. That's like, you know, low carb. So the idea is they call it this is what they say transforming the most carb heavy foods into the least meat the better bagel and so essentially, it has five grams net carbs, one gram sugar that you know high in protein. It's 40 carbs, but it's 35 grams of fiber. So really, it's five net carbs. And it's 26 grams of protein. So it's great. I know. So I've been obsessed with these. They have all different flavors like the one that I'm having now is an everything bagel. They have plain I think they have cinnamon raisin and chocolate. So she could find totally, I mean, it's not exactly like a real bagel, but it's the closest I've found and it's yummy. And so I've read a lot of what's in it. Okay, so the ingredient list I didn't think was very bad. So I'm going to read the classic. It does have wheat, okay. But here here's the ingredient list water, wheat protein isolate. Modified wheat starch, modified food starch, agave fiber, extra virgin olive oil, yeast, sea salt and enzymes. That's not bad. At least it's like stuff we can pronounce. Yeah, you know, it's not too many ingredients. It's not a list of 50 things. It was at Whole Foods. So I figure I can't be awful. So again, not eating these every day. But when I want to bagel this is what I'm eating now. So I'm obsessed. And by the way 35 grams of fiber is like nearly your daily nutrition need for fiber which so that's great. Yeah, I know. I guess the fibers coming from the the agave fiber which I've never actually heard of, but I know sounds clean. I don't know. And then yeah, they have classic which is plain everything cinnamon vegan chocolate chip. So I showed them so like a good fun product especially as we're like getting into winter and holidays and you want more of that cozy food a little heavier food. I thought that was good. And then with that, and we may have talked about this on the show before I can't remember but I've been topping it with the Kite Hill chive cream cheese. Yeah, favorite. So good. We've talked about this brand before we love all their products. The chive cream cheese is really yummy. So I'm currently having the better bagel with the Kite Hill chive cream cheese and a little egg on top. So kind of loving this situation so and does the bagel doesn't like because that's a lot of fiber for one meal. It doesn't bother your stomach or make you feel like crazy full or anything afterwards like probably no more than no I don't feel crazy full. I feel full. Like I feel like it's good because sometimes you just crave a car. It definitely feels like you're eating a good car, but it's you know, five net carbs instead of 40 like a normal bagel would be. Yeah, that's me. Yeah. So I am obsessed. It's my new favorite product at Whole Foods. Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, my last one. Interesting, because it's not our traditional recommendation. It's not really a product. But it is self care tool. And it is like totally in line with wanting to like, feel good and look good, especially like maybe at the end of the holiday season when you've done your party circuit. And maybe you ate all the holiday cookies and drank all the holiday drinks and everything. This is a good way to maybe just slowly get back into your routine and to feel really good. And to get your face snatched after shoving all of the junk food in your mouth for the month while you've been partying. And it's an app. This is my new favorite app. Oh, it's called. Hold on a second. Wait to go. Alright, one second. I had it here. And I accidentally extended it. Actually, I'm just gonna do it from my phone because I haven't on my phone. So it's the lovely app, l UVLY. And what it is, is it's a face yoga, and face massage. Oh my gosh, and genius. I'm obsessed. It's so genius. I started doing face yoga. Like last week when you know, we got back in town last week. And you and I were both just like, totally wiped out just like crazy. I couldn't do anything I couldn't work out. But I just sat there. I was like, I gotta do something i. So I thought, Oh, let me do some face yoga, because I'm about to turn 41. And I just, you know, let's like see if I can do something with these wrinkles. So I found this app 10 minutes a day of a different face yoga routine every single day. And then it also comes with a 10 minute lifting face massage, which is the same one all the time. But it feels amazing. And I use Shelly Marshalls fabulous face oil. And I follow and it's great because the app is it's a picture of it's a video of a woman sitting down and she's showing you everything to do while there's a voiceover telling you everything to do so it's very easy to follow. That's good. It's great. And they also have like one minute breathwork skincare insights like all of these great little tips for your skin. It's free. How to relax your face. I think I paid like, I want to say it was like I think 299 for the month or something. Okay, so I think it's totally reasonable. Yeah. And and it's worth it. I have legitimately noticed the differences. Well, yeah, I mean, I know we talked about this in our episode with Shelly Marshall. I don't know if it was last year or the beginning of this year. And it was all about face yoga. And she was saying like, what a big difference it makes. And I don't even think she was doing Botox and stuff anymore, because she's been doing face yoga so much and I follow her stuff on Instagram, but sometimes it's like, yes, that consolidated an app. So it's hard to find and know exactly what to do. Right. I because I think she has a web I think I think she has some exercises on her website too. But I love that idea of having an app that you can just show them and it's a day and actually but to plug Shelley because she I went she was the first resource that I went to because you know we love her and her website she does have a new subscription model where you can get all of her videos teaching you how to do everything and just because I've have my phone around me more often I just like an app was a little bit more streamlined. But like all day long we highly recommend beauty shaman Shelly Marshall, but yeah, so she I mean she she has kind of the reason why I wanted to give it a try and I noticed a difference in my fine lines around my eyes pretty instantly and my neck and feel like I have like this double chin several times and I've well no but it's like the it's this muscle I was doing all this research on it. This muscle right here the older we get it like loosen right and so it just doesn't look as defined. So I've been doing that and yeah and I'm obsessed so now it's like in the morning when I'm having my coffee when the house is quiet I might do my little 10 minute face you're like the lymphatic drainage in your face. Exactly. That's my age such like I am on the lymph train like I feel so strongly in it being very powerful especially for my autoimmune because your immunity lives in your lymphatic system and I have I just feel so much better after I do like my dry brushing and my shower and all of that so it would only make sense that it would help with the face and you know I get my face gets really puffy and everything is probably from lymph. So I'm inflammation. Highly recommend. Yeah. I was it's funny, I was watching, I'll try to post it if I can find it when we aired this episode, I was watching this tic tac the other day of this girl who's had been doing face yoga for the last year. And she showed her face a year ago now and it was looked so much different, like her face a year ago was like puffy or just looked a little bit more inflamed. Like she was holding fluid in it. And now it's a lot more to find. And so it was like a really good before and after, to really show that if you stick with it, it does work. Yeah, I think I think consistency is definitely key. Like, I don't think you can do it one day a week and expect to get results. I think consistency is like in every day. It's like folding it into your practice of whatever else you're doing. Just add it on to the list of all the other things we women have to do I know right. But then we've got to do it a couple of days a week, at least it's like, yeah, I mean, thank you. But I would say I would imagine that like the least like three days a week would give you results. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good one. And that's a really good takeaway for the holidays too. Because you're right, it's it's the season and all of a sudden, like the next few weeks are going to be drinking and eating and all the things which is so fun, but it will be good to come back and have tools to access like face yoga and like our from a reset that we love and all of those things to come back in the new year and start fresh. So good one. Absolutely. Well, Nirvana's sisters family hopefully this was helpful to get some gifts and some fun little things for your friends and family and hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you for everything over the last year. We have more episodes coming in December. But if we don't get a chance to say happy holidays, and thank you for all of your support and feedback. We love it. And we will talk to you soon. Oh, I'm gonna say this. Oh, we promised that we would give a little recap on our trip or Israel trip. So I think expect to catch up episode from us in January and we'll chat about the holidays and our trip and everything good and sure it's good wine with you because it was yes, epic. It was epic dress. We're still recouping but it was epic. Yeah. All right. Happy holidays. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you've just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 77 - Product Junkies October Edition - What We’re Into (And Not) Right Now (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 77.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts I'm Amy Sherman and I'm

Katie: 0:19

Katie Chandler so let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:27

go back to Nirvana sisters Nirvana sisters family it's Amy and Katie and it is October and we are here with our October product junkies episode we're excited to jump right in. We are reviewing our latest things that we're loving right now and I'm gonna kick it to Katie to start us out.

Katie: 0:45

Start us off I'm trying to think if I which way I want to I want to go I'm gonna go with my three and one and you'll see why I say three and one as we go along. New makeup brand that I'm obsessed with maybe you're seeing it on social media because they're definitely they like their marketing and social media is on point that's what reeled me in and when I say it's a three in one I will slowly over time. introduce to you this like three product stage three product step process for your cheeks, okay for like, contouring the whole thing. Oh, so Marin, have you heard of merit? M er T M E R it?

Amy: 1:29

Yeah. Did I just Oh no. Yeah, I love merit. They have beautiful packaging. And I've been wanting to try it. I have been doing Westman atelier. Yeah, which I am not reviewing, but I will review but it has like a similar look and feel. So

Katie: 1:41

the whole thing with merit is that it's that like, no makeup makeup look that's really easy to throw on and just like blend in and boom, you're ready to go like talk about a five minute flow. This is like a two minute flow. Yeah, so this first product is their bronze bomb. It's a shear bronzer, and it goes on. It's kind of like an a lipstick tube almost. And it's really like shear and blendable. It has like a lightweight satiny finish and you contour your face with it, you know, like this line, the line on your forehead, etc. And then use a good blending brush and it just melts into your skin, it melts so easily and seamlessly. And it looks very, very natural. And it does a very good job of contouring. This one. I think that branded as it happens to be healing vegan and cruelty free. And the bronze bomb shear bronzer is $30. It comes in like I want to say six colors maybe. And the other really great thing about merit, their color matching, like tool guide on their website is very, it's very well done. It's very, very clever. They give you a lot of images to help you understand what color you should get, which I really liked that.

Amy: 2:58

So I have a question because I because I have the Westman Atelier a bronzer stick, which is very similar, which I love. And my question is, do you just use it for contour? Or do you use it as a bronzer too? Because I get confused. Can you use the contour for I use it

Katie: 3:13

for both? What do you do and I have seen these girls like on social media show you the way to do like the differences. And if you want to use it yet, we're just contouring, then you just kind of do like thinner lines like I would do here. Right like that. And then along your jawline, and then kind of just like a little bit up here. And if you want to do thicker and you want like the bronzy I just got off the beach look, you just do you just apply more like it's a really it's literally that simple. Like you just kind of make your your your lines thicker and fuller, and blend in a little bit more.

Amy: 3:53

But that's not bronze or though because you put bronzer in a different location on your face.

Katie: 3:57

Oh, well, I guess you know, it's super versatile because I think because it is so sheer that you could put it on any location and play with it, which is really nice. I mean, I always tend to look better with a little bit of a bronzed glow. So I use it kind of more for that. But I am using it in contouring. Yes as well. That's because it melts into the sky now.

Amy: 4:19

I've been trying to use as a contour to Yeah, and it looks supernatural. I love it. Okay, that's great. I've been wanting to try that. So yeah. All right. What do you have? Since that's the first step second seconds. Wow. Wait,

Katie: 4:31

oh, are you doing I'll do I'll do I'll reveal as we go along.

Amy: 4:35

Got it. Okay, so I will do if we're talking about skin I'm going to talk about a product that I recently got which I'm really enjoying which is the OSA Hyaluronic C serum. It's a serum it's by OSA Malibu which we've talked about on the show great brands clean and this is the hyaluronic C serum. It's $88 But a little goes a long way. It's really fast absorbing and it's a really, really nice Hydrating Serum because I have a lot of serums but I don't think I had one that was hyaluronic acid. And this one is just it feels just when you put it on your skin, it just feels very very moisturizing in the fall like I'm starting to get a lot drier. So I've been putting this on Morning night I went to get a facial and they had this there and I asked her I was like, What's the best like Hyaluronic to put on morning and night and she recommended this and I've been using it for a few weeks. And I actually really, really enjoy it. Yeah,

Katie: 5:35

nice. I recommend love a good hyaluronic acid. All right, my next one is part of my three and one. So Plaxton is merit. And it is their flesh balm cheek color. So this is the reason why I say it's a three and one because this is just another step to like getting that nice like contoured bronze blush like highlighted situation. That's a Bing Bang Boom deal. It's super fast. So it's so cute because they come in these. I don't know, it almost looks like a lip balm. Oh, it looks like yeah, maybe when you just kind of like put it I put it higher up on my cheeks above where I've got the bronzer situation going and blended in. And it's the exact same consistency as the bronzer. This is $20. And you know, it's like, you swipe one, you swipe this one, you blend, boom. It's very, very just easy and streamlined. And actually, they are this product is an Ulta Beauty 2022 award winner. So it's a good one. And they have five shades to choose from. And again, vegan, clean, cruelty free. This has vitamin E in it. So remember, we've heard about this unification of these products like putting these great things for your skin inside of the makeup products, which is really exciting. So I love that one.

Amy: 7:04

That's great. And I love having these little as we call it our five minute flow products because for example, if you're going on a trip, you could just bring like that, that and one thing. Good. Okay, so I'll stick with the skin theme. And the next thing I have is called the Obagi physicals events 50 mineral sunscreen. It's like a tinted. Yeah, sorry, mineral sunscreen, lotion, SPF 50. So it's lightly tinted, lightweight and share. So again, this was from like another treatment or facial or something I had a while back a while back, but I don't think I reviewed it. And it's a really nice tinted moisturizer. It's very, very light, and very like kind of creamy, but it like thin and creamy. So it doesn't because I was looking for a new sunscreen because I love as you know the unseen sunscreen from Supergoop. But I was just kind of getting sick of it. I don't know it just like sometimes I would find at the end of the day it would like kind of I don't know, I just wanted to try something new. Yeah. which never happened to me before. I don't know why. And I love also, the other favorite one I have from Supergoop, which I've talked about a million times is the low screen which is also a tinted sunscreen moisturizer. So I use that a lot. But sometimes it's a little too glowy in a way, this one's kind of like glowy, but not too much. So I've just been putting it on sometimes in the morning, or if I'm going out to dinner at night, I just want something to smooth out my skin. And it's really great. And it has an SPF 50 Because I was getting sick of like putting on makeup and then putting on my sunscreen. So this is a really really good one. And it's a really great brand Obagi I feel like I see it in a lot of the kind of like places where you get facials and stuff like that. And it is $59 And again, SPF 50. And it's also mineral based, which is great, and I've been really happy with it. So adding that to my list.

Katie: 9:05

Alright, so this is the last of the three and one the last of the merit that I'm going to review today, but there might be some more coming at you in next episodes. This is again a part of the like cheek situation and it is the dayglo highlighting balm and they only have three shades but I mean it's for highlighter it's not doesn't really have to have like a lot of pigment into it. But so this then goes like on the highest point of the cheekbone. And you know, the light catches it really nicely. And this one Yeah, that's a really pretty color. I don't know it's like kind of like champagne color. It's 30.

Amy: 9:44

So you just put those three on and now Yeah,

Katie: 9:47

I did buy their blending brush. It's a really good one. And it's just like it blends and melts into your skin so easily and so quickly. And it looks just really Natural I've like, you know, I've been doing the whole selfie thing and all different lighting to, to test it because I feel like that's the only way you really know. So yeah, yeah, I love it. I'm in. I'm in on merit.

Amy: 10:11

And how much does that swan

Katie: 10:13

is 30. So they're all about the same price point.

Amy: 10:17

They're all very reasonably and Dr. sighs

Unknown: 10:18

Yeah,

Amy: 10:19

yeah. Because I've been testing out the Westman until a which I love and Lauren Miller recommended the highlighter and one of our product junkies episode months ago, but I just tried, I've been trying the console, and the blusher on the end, like another product I can't remember. And it's beautiful. And I love it. But it is expensive. And Merritt seems like very similar at a much better price point. So I'm really, you know,

Katie: 10:41

the other good thing that I was concerned about when I first got it, because it is so blendable and kind of melts into your skin, I thought, This isn't going to hold up, like by the end of the day, it's going to be off, you know, like it's going to literally melt off of me. But it does it legitimately stay these days holds up for the whole day. I mean, I might reapply here and there for a little bit of I'm gonna just like go out to dinner or something. I need to be done a little bit more. But it's good. It's good quality.

Amy: 11:09

Okay, what do you have? Okay, so I'm getting into the hair category. Now a couple of new hair products. I've tried that I want to talk about the first one, I have a sample of it, and I'm going to get the bigger one. It's the way Oh,

Katie: 11:22

you say I've always wondered how you say that one. Yeah,

Amy: 11:25

and it's, they're leaving conditioner. And I bought this for a trip because I A wanted to try the B I liked how it was small and I like the bottle. But this has been great. First of all, it smells really good. Second of all, it's I'd like for someone who doesn't wash their hair every day. I'm sure you don't either, because you have thick hair and it doesn't really get greasy. This is a great way to just judge up the hair. So I'll just put on a couple of sprays in the morning. And it just kind of like puts the moisture back in my hair. And I love that it's a spray instead of a leaving conditioner that you have to like rubbing your hands on whatever speaking of getting ready quickly, you just literally spray this on and it's good to go. So I love this. And I'll do another one because it's in the category of hair. So that I love the other thing when you are washing your hair and you're doing a blowout I've been dying to try this on again, I'm really into like the little sample bottles. This is the WoW Dreamcoat. super natural spray. I don't know if you've seen this. It's, it's like always gets these high reviews. I've heard a lot of people talking about it. And essentially, it's like a spray that you put on after the shower when your hair is wet before you blow dry your hair. And it only works if you're blow drying your hair like the guy activates it, but it makes your hair really shiny bouncy gives it a lot of volume. I've only tried it like once or twice and so far, so good. But I really really really like it has like my hair looked so good after I did it. And I didn't really spend a lot of time drying it, I just use my Dyson and just kind of went through it quickly. But it definitely gave it like an extra shine and an extra volume. So I'm really liking this right now. And then the last one I have speaking of like leaving conditioner and then something just squaring your hair, when you're going to dry it. This is a everyday hydrating hair balm by igk. And it's vegan and cruelty free. And it's essentially has it's it's leaving conditioner similar to the one by the way, it's a little bit thicker, but it really doesn't weigh down your hair. So for me with like dry, coarse, frizzy hair, this is like a little bit of a heavier kind of feel. And so it just kind of depends on how my hair is feeling and say for every day that leaving conditioner use but this I'll use when my hair is feeling a little drier, I'll put it on the ends. So I'm really liking this too. And the price is for all of these which I forgot to mention. So for the igk it's called mistress hydrating leaving conditioner, hair balm $29. The Wow, the color well dream coat, super natural spray $44. And the way leaving conditioner is $28. But my advice would be to get all the samples because at Sephora, they have so many samples now all the stuff that I've just buying so many samples now because they actually last a pretty decent amount of time I actually had a hair oil from the way that I bought from Ulta months ago. And I think I just finished it and it was this big, which is like what one and a half ounces.

Katie: 14:22

So you're talking about Yeah, in the checkout line at Sephora, where they have all of Nike checkout

Amy: 14:27

line. They have all the samples, they have all the really good brands and the brands you hear about. Also at Ulta they have it because I got a little sampler of the hair oil. So that's my latest thing. I've just been trying these little samplers and then I'll travel with them. I'll use them and if I liked them then I'll buy the big one. Unless I know I really want it but so that's been like a good hack, if you will all these samplers I just love that all these brands are now doing these sample sites. I love

Katie: 14:52

so smart. You brought that up because you know we were recently talking about that we don't wear perfume anymore. Like it's Tuesday. On Campus headaches etc I've been smelling this the scent on women like passing the pie around town and I was I just like fell in love with it I was obsessed with it but I didn't want to buy a big bottle because I was afraid that I won't be able to tolerate it like what we were talking about. Sephora now has sample sizes like not the little teeny tiny sample size that you're thinking of. It's like it's like this big so it's maybe six inches long and it's just a tube that's maybe as thick as this is of perfumes of all of these different super high end expensive perfumes so I found the scent I was just went through and smelled them all found the one that that I've been smelling on people and I bought it and I love it and I can tolerate it like can't tolerate it every day. What is it what's the sad I call it is and I've never heard of this brand until actually someone gifted me a candle it's the Mason Louis Murray brand which I'm assuming it sounds very French This is the number four it's it's in French so I'm probably gonna butcher it was de Balan court is the scent means

Amy: 16:13

whatever it's not small Ira

Katie: 16:14

it says the highlights are. It's a earthy and it's an earthy and woody family. Fragrance family and as like warm Woods scent type. Sandalwood vetiver whatever that is Amberwood I don't know it's just a berry. It's just kind of like, mysterious and sexy. And I like how it smells. And it's not super

Amy: 16:41

it's I love it. And I love that you can wear it and you know it doesn't bother

Katie: 16:44

me and I got it in this perfect little sampler size.

Amy: 16:48

That's so cute. I love that. And that's so good for travel too. Is it like a rollerball, right? Yeah, so spray Oh, yeah, better. So you can just like walk through it. And it's just very, it's funny. I even said it's also Yeah, yeah, I can't wait. I can't wait to smell it next time I see you. I actually have a I have a perfume that I'm actually testing out now which I'll update everybody on if I like it to see if I can tolerate it. So far. I'm tolerating it, but I'll stay for

Katie: 17:15

another time. All right. One, it's really silly. But I'm obsessed with these things. I have bought three of them and I just have to share it with my Nirvana sisters family. For 480 and 85. on Amazon, you can get the coziest slippers that I do. Obsessed with these. Here we go. I love them. They're there. Okay, so they're by par lovable. They're the women's cross band slippers soft, plush, very cozy open toe shoe and faux rabbit fur. And I have bought two gray pairs. Like wore them kind of you know that I can still wear them but they're not as fluffy and soft. They lasted a long time now. And now I've got a nice beige. Yeah, I'm wearing two beiges and grays this year, which is very new for me. So this is a beige pair but at this price, you could buy all 12 colors and just rotate them. Yeah, I'm

Amy: 18:16

that that's

Katie: 18:18

the thing that I like them is that you slide your foot into them like a flip flop and they stay on your foot like a flip flop whereas like I've always had a hard time with slippers. I don't know like the round toe ones off and then the ones I have to actually put on and they're not that comfortable. These are great. Yeah.

Amy: 18:35

That's really funny. I have those I don't know if it's the same brand but I got them at some point. And I have a camo color and that just reminds me I'm like maybe I should get another pair and like keep them in in the yard of the house. So I don't have to always look for my slippers because I feel like I'm always losing them or the dogs have them so I love that and those are so cozy. Okay, the last thing is something that I was testing that I do not like so I wanted to share it with our interesting family. So this is a brand I'm sure you've seen it on Instagram. Be tayo I

Unknown: 19:10

haven't

Amy: 19:11

it's this brand Malema. You haven't seen this. And a Ely s and they have I really wanted to like it. They have all of these different products for like lifting and firming and this one specifically is called be tight lift and firm booty mask and it's supposedly supposed to give you a firmer looking booty. It's a best seller. It's clinically proven to reduce the appearance of cellulite and help visibly from the look of skin around the booty in the thighs. Now I don't know if it works or not and I'll tell you why I stopped using it. So first of all, I've seen it all over the place and like of course got influenced to buy it and then I had a friend who I spoke to who also has that she has a for her stomach. There's like a stomach one. And she said it had tightened her stomach and she can tell when she's not using it that It makes the difference and I'm like, awesome. So I tried it obviously for like the cellulite on my thighs. And it's essentially kind of like a mask. It's like a thick cream and you just put a lot on and rub it in and all of that. The thing with it is it burns, which I don't like. And it's supposed to be I mean, let me see if I can just pull up the ingredients really quickly. Okay, so in the ingredient list, it says it's free of parabens, SLS, phthalates. It has pink. I can't say this pink pepper slim, which helps smooth the look of fatty skin. It has hyaluronic acid, which we just talked about. It has Guarana seed extract, which wakes up tired skin. Those are like the main ingredients. And then if you click there's like a bunch of other ingredients. So when I was first reading this, I was like, Oh, it seems like it has a nice ingredients like whatever. But it does have this sensation on the skin and they tell you that that it has like a warming sensation. But I just think it's weird, did it so like did

Katie: 21:08

my comrades burned uncomfortably or just kind of like a tingle?

Amy: 21:13

Yeah. No, it burned uncomfortably for me. So I don't know. It could just be my skin is sensitive to it. But then I asked my friend, and she had used it on her stomach. And she said, yeah, it does burn a little bit. You just like power through and you get used to it. I'm like, okay, so I used it a couple more times. And I was just like, I don't know, I had it on. And then like, my legs were kind of like burning, and I was like, Okay, well, it's working. So that's good. And then I put on jeans. And I'm like this is kind of uncomfortable. I'm like, I don't want to do this. So I still have it. Maybe I'll try it again. But I'm kind of just not into it because it burns and it just feels it almost feels like an I know it's not this. But it feels a bit of a chemical burn when you put on something like that happened to me once I put on like Ben gay and I went in the shower, I didn't realize you're not supposed to get it wet and like burned. Like it had that feeling of burning. That's what this felt like to me. So I'm like, How can this be good for you? Just a little bit.

Katie: 22:04

It's interesting, but also like the timing in once you did it like you did it before you were gonna have to put jeans on and go somewhere. Maybe if you did it at night when you could like how long do you have to have it on?

Amy: 22:16

It's just it's almost like you use it as your moisture. So you don't take it off. Yet. You just use it. Why wouldn't you? So it's not like you put it on and take it off. Right? So I and I have done it with like Just Sweats before because same exact thing. And it burns for like, it's not like five minutes. It's like half an hour or so. And then it goes away, then it goes away. So maybe it gets better over time. I have to like research more and anyone in the audience if you've tried it, please DM us and let us know. I'm just curious, I'd love to survey because, you know, for a lot of people it's gotten really good results. But so you feel now the reviews are really good

Katie: 22:53

even get the chance to see if it's effective.

Amy: 22:56

I didn't really give it the full chance. I only I've only used it maybe five times because I was just like this is so uncomfortable. Like I don't want to deal but maybe for other people would be different. But anyway, so that was my non recommendation of a product. Don't fall for it. It burns and if you don't want to sit around feeling a body part burn, then I wouldn't probably recommend that.

Katie: 23:16

I like this don't that we're going to that you just added I think that I might be able to bring one with me next time too.

Amy: 23:24

Yeah, because I think in the past it's like well, we'll we just don't talk about the things that we don't like but I think it's good to throw in here are there things that we like strongly do not agree hands, right. So anyway,

Katie: 23:36

all right. We will leave our listener Yeah, that was a good fun October junkies episode and we will be back in November with the next one. Hope everybody has a good Halloween.

Amy: 23:49

Hi. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 69 - Product Junkies September, Back To School Edition - Things We Are Loving Now And Putting In Our Cart (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 69 - Product Junkies September, Back To School Edition - Things We Are Loving Now And Putting In Our Cart.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:29

Hello, September. Welcome back to Nirvana sisters podcast. It's Amy and Katie. And we've missed you all. We've been doing a best of series in August, which has been so successful. We've gotten so many downloads on all of our favorite episodes. So thanks, everyone, for continuing to listen and support us. We are here to talk about product junkies for September. And the theme is really back to school and in my opinion, streamlining at least the products that I have to review with you today, Katie, so

Katie: 1:00

it's funny that you say because of streamlining that's genius for like back to school and fallen everything I mind was leaning a little bit more towards, I don't know, just doing the little things for the kids to help. kind of nudge them along and get them into their groove. It's like not really streamlining so I've got some beauty. I've got some some like self care, so it's a little mix up. But my first one this morning Reese woke up and she came to me in the very first thing she said to me is Mommy, my lips are chapped. Which is crazy, because she's only been in school for two days, but she doesn't have any ever chapstick or anything with her and so I'm gonna get her. My new I'm obsessed with this product. I'm gonna get her and Maddie. This. It's the elf right or die lip gloss. Have you tried it? Oh, no, it's, it's really, really. I'm obsessed with locks. It's a lip balm. It's called Lip Balm. Actually, I'm wearing it now. Lip Balm. Okay, it has really nicely. Yeah, it has a glossy, glassy finish, but it's not tacky, like lip glosses. So it's just kind of like a nice consistency. It's very smooth. They have a bunch of different colors. This is the clear one, and has like a little mint to it. Oh, and I love it. This is a really, really good product. It's only $6 I got it at CVS. It's It's solid. It's really good.

Amy: 2:19

They have the best Yeah, the best product. So I have a question Does that like, Can you taste it at all? Like, you know, sometimes with a bomb you it kind of like gets in your mouth and you can taste it?

Katie: 2:28

Not really, I don't taste it that much it and I think it has a bit to do with the consistency of it. It's just a really good, thin consistency. That's not tacky. So

Amy: 2:38

good. Yeah, that's a good one. That's probably a good one to to like keeping your car because I feel like I'm always looking for chapstick or something in my car. I don't know. You're sitting there and you're like my lips are dry and then you don't have anything. Okay, that's a great one. I love that. Yeah.

Katie: 2:53

I'm obsessed with it. It's really good. What do you have for us him?

Amy: 2:56

Okay, so I'm starting out with a gift that Katie gave me. Thank you very much. So sweet just sent me a surprise gift one day this summer. And I wanted to share with everyone what a good gift this was. So there's a brand called Urban stems that sends out really beautiful flowers, really modern flowers, really chic flowers, and they have all these different fun ways you can do it. So Katie had sent me dry flowers. And the specific ones that she sent me are called the Kayden. And they're so pretty, because they're kind of like white with pops of hot pink. And she knows I love my hot pink. So it was just so beautiful. And I put it in my office right away with a really pretty vase. And then the coolest part is you can do an add on and so they have a collab with glow recipes. So she also sent me this Glow Recipe, watermelon glow pink juice moisturizer. And I think I had reviewed their other products and one of our product junkies like the nice and my serum, which I love. And this sort of has the same consistency but it's more of a moist, it feels so good on the skin. And so it was such a good combo and such a nice treat to get it I was so surprised and it was so sweet. And if you have a gift to give a teacher or a friend or something like that I would highly recommend this specific setup from urban stems or the site in general. The Kaden right now is on dollars plus the Glow Recipe ad is like 20 bucks, but they have so many good combinations. So urban stands highly recommend great for gifts.

Katie: 4:29

Yeah, and you turned me on to urban stems. We've sent urban stems to some of our listeners and our I mean some of our guests rather right. Yeah, we love urban setting, right? Yeah. All right, and it's so many yet sticking in the theme of beauty. This doesn't entirely have too much to do with our like back to school theme but it's such a good one. You know, how Bethenny Frankel on tick tock does all of this comparisons of like the high end low end product, I'm obsessed so she got me into it that I might have I've always used Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, which we all know is like a holy grail. Right? It's great. I think Lauren we've been using it for years. So I picked up the elf hydrating camo concealer and the satin finish the other day the same time I got this lip gloss. It's almost identical.

Amy: 5:20

Yeah, it's very hydrating. Like was it easy to match your shade?

Katie: 5:24

It was they do they have, they don't have, you know, a million colors, but they do have a decent selection. And it's very hydrating. And the nice thing about it is that like very little bit goes a very long way. You don't need a whole lot like for under my eye. I do one, maybe two dabs and I get full coverage. So it's it's a really good product. And this was you know, also I mean, alphas like such a great price point. Yeah, this was and it's thin, because it's really hydrating. And it doesn't get in your creases and it holds up. Yeah, it like lasts throughout the day, and I paid $7 for it. So I mean, that's it, you know, it's so bad. I'm always gonna get my Nars concealer because it's just like, I can't live without it. But this is a good substitute, you know? So yeah, that's good one.

Amy: 6:14

Yeah, it's funny you say that because my Nars I have but it's old. So like, I need to replace it. And I was in the store the other day because I had wanted to try the closest concealer I tried it I didn't like it even though a lot of people love it. And I exchange it because I love that brands but then when I came home for some reason it was like the wrong color. So now I gotta exchange that. I've been trying tons of concealers we could almost do like a whole show on concealer. I feel like we are both obsessed. Yeah, well speaking of Bethany Frankel. Brechtian I found on her channel as well and I ran out to buy it or I went online to buy it, it was sold out, and then it finally gotten stuck. Its solvency Oh glassy. So the brand is called Express. It's a highlighting blush, the texture reacts with the pH of your skin. So it makes it provides a dewy blushing tint, and color, but it varies depending on your skin tone and your pH. So it also contains a dose of caffeine which gives that extra boost in hydration for your skin. So I'm going to show you, I'm going to show you it and I have been using this since I got it is so cool. Again, you don't need a lot. You just need a little bit, but I'm going to show you. We're just gonna put a dab here and adapt here and see how it goes on clear. Yeah. Can you see how it's turning into like a rosy?

Katie: 7:37

Yeah, I've seen this on Instagram. So it really does do what it says it's gonna do.

Amy: 7:42

It's amazing. And it's like really hydrating, and it feels good. So you could literally speaking of streamlining just leave the house wearing this. So I can see that nice. See that glow. And it's clear. It's like, Look at this. Like, wow, oh, I don't know how it works. And what's interesting is I know that it works because some days the color is different. So it's different for everyone. So I think it just depends how your skin feels that day or something. Like sometimes it's even more of a 10 sometimes it's less of a 10 It's very interesting, but I love it because every time you put it on it looks good because you're not trying to like match your blush. So anyway, highly recommend

Katie: 8:20

it. It's amazing. It looks just like the sun stock.

Amy: 8:24

Yeah, it's I'm telling you, it is the best like Bethany's video of it is hilarious. She, you know, she's so dramatic. She was like, saw it. Flash like, yeah, it's great. So it's $26 I got it directly on their website, great product. Okay, what do we do next?

Katie: 8:40

So I have one that you know, this is kind of for the kiddos and I use it myself and it's to help them get back into the you know, the back to school routine of going to bed earlier. The sun is still up, you know, it's not these, like long, I can stay up as late as I want summer hours anymore. So we're trying to get them to wind down and get into the bedtime nighttime routine. So every night I'm spraying this on their pillow. It's called calm sleep mist. And it's the same brand that makes the magnesium supplements. Oh yeah. Called a magnesium alga.

Amy: 9:12

Yeah.

Katie: 9:14

It smells it's it's an elixir of lavender chamomile, Clary Sage and frankincense. And it's a very, like it's a very dreamy, relaxing scent. I've been using it nice for your girls. Yeah, that thing.

Amy: 9:29

Do they like it?

Katie: 9:31

They love it. Yeah, they love it. And it's $20 I got it again at CVS. Can you tell that I'm obsessed with our CVs? We were really good. CVS. CVS,

Amy: 9:40

CVS CVS beauty is like killing it. They're the best

Katie: 9:43

solid. Yeah, it's good. So but yeah, I love it. It's very like relaxing scent. And

Amy: 9:49

by them and by boys. I wonder if they'll even notice, but I can try to get their routine of them not staying up so late. So speaking of nighttime, my next product is the care estas ate our magic night serum. I don't know if you've seen this first of all, How gorgeous is that glass just makes me happy. It's just so pretty. What it is, it's like the serum that you put on your hair. At night it smells really good. First of all, it's almost like a it's a it's not really a mask because it's not heavy but it's a serum and it's a hydrating treatment. So essentially you just put it on at night like all over your hair, I really focus on the ends because that's the driest for me. And my hair I've been using it I haven't been using it as consistently as I'd like to but I have been using it in the days that I use that I do wake up with softer, kind of more silky hair so I think if you do it every night your hair will really start to improve so I just started trying this but I really really like it so far and it smells really good too. It really did long time you only need like a little pump and especially if you're just kind of doing it on your hands it's great so I John and I go to bed sell fairly good. Yeah and Karis das a lot.

Katie: 10:58

There Karis. Das is steep price wise, but they deliver. I really feel like that brand that are solid. Yeah. What do you wake up with less tangles in your hair? Because you know, Maddie has the care like you do doesn't help with that.

Amy: 11:12

It probably does. I mean, I don't wake up with tangled hair. Because I've always slept with my hair like this on the pillow up. Sleep with my hair down on my face. So for I don't know, it's just more company. So my hair is kind of, I never get tangled. But yeah, I would imagine it doing wonderful.

Katie: 11:28

You just gave me some insight into how you sleep. And now I'm really interested to sleep flat on your back the whole night with your hair up over the pillow.

Amy: 11:37

No, around constantly. But even if I'm on the side, I automatically kind of move my hair like it. I started my back and it's sorry. If I start on my back and my hair is up like that. And they move to the side. It just kind of moves. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. And then at night, I just done that. It's just comfortable because I don't like anything on my face.

Katie: 11:58

Yeah, I know my hair has like literally wrapped around my neck before.

Amy: 12:02

Yeah, like drives me nuts.

Katie: 12:04

Okay. All right, I have another one here. And this one I have just recently this is kind of for like health and everything. I've just recently started to try to get the girls into it. I put it in their smoothies. It's something that we've you know, people have been using and hearing about for a very long time. It's collagen peptides. But what is special about this brand for me, it's the brand is called Suzu I think that's how you say it. There's no added anything in this collagen. This is just straight bovine collagen, which means it comes from a cow. So there's no like sweeteners, there's no flavorings, there's no artificial anything. And when I've tried that before, you can usually like It tastes bad. This just has no taste, it completely dissolves into my coffee and dissolves into the smoothies. So I'm starting to get the kids into it because it's really good for your gut. And as we know, your gut affects your brain and all of that and it's good for your hair and your nails and your skin and the whole thing like it's, there's like there's really no reason not to use it. So this is a good one. It's $30 I got this on Amazon.

Amy: 13:13

It's between like collagen and collagen protein or is that the same thing?

Katie: 13:17

It's the same thing. Some of the collagen protein powders might have added protein like like a whey protein or an aqueous college

Amy: 13:25

or that have protein in it.

Katie: 13:27

So this yes, this does have 10 grams of protein. So it shows the percentage of all the amino acids and it looks like there's a little bit of everything in there. So this might be a complete protein and it's for bone health, joint mobility, skin and cell health essential amino acid source there you go hair and nail strength and healthy gut support. Okay, so

Amy: 13:44

I have two things that I'm going to review together because they can go together when you're thinking about your morning routine. So as I was mentioning earlier on the episode all about streamline so that door to you know, I'm going back to the office now a few days a week so it's like you know, get ready get the kids out the door do a streamline routine. So this is something I haven't reviewed it necessarily on product junkies but I probably post about it a million times which is the necessar which is a natural deodorant and I have found it very hard to find a good natural deodorant I don't know about you, but I've been using necessar for the last few years and I there the reason why I'm reviewing it this time is because this is a new way that they formulated it which is so much better. The first one was like a thicker bottle and like white so when you put it on it wasn't like cakey and get in your clothes but it wasn't didn't like slide on nicely and it worked but I didn't like love the texture. This texture is it just a deodorant gel, and it just slides on so easily. It's cooling and it really in my opinion for all the natural God instead of this is the best one I've tried and it's necessary and the free you can get an answer but this one is eucalyptus, which I like because it's an but it's not. And yeah, it's great on to get it on sofa or website, I think it's first. So yeah, really good product. I've been very happy with the reformulation and the way they've done it and I highly recommend the job if you're into natural deodorant. And then the next thing I'll recommend, which is my last thing is actually very funny because it's something my husband bought that I have now started using. So you know, I love a body oil to put on your body after the shower. And I still love the OSA and I have one other one by skin and senses and those are my two like go to his however, he bought this one. It's this brand Jr Watkins. And this one I love because number one, it's a body oil mist. So if you're talking about doing things quickly, like the other ones are pumps, which is fine, but the mist obviously is quicker. So you just missed it on, takes two seconds, rub it in for one second. And you're done. This one is coconut honey. Smells so good. It's free from silicones and mineral oil. It's 98% natural says, and it's great. So he was using it and I started using it. And now I've like taken over and started using this bottle, so I'm gonna have to buy more, but it's 899 on Amazon. So highly recommend great product like get out of the shower, just spray it on smells good. Rub it in one second and you're done. So love it. That would be my last reco streamlining your routine.

Katie: 16:27

Well, my last one is definitely going to school motivated. It's, it's a company that I love. And it's I bought the girls backpacks from them. And they also have like regular handbags and travel things and everything the brand is called state, they use recycled products. 45% of their backpacks are made from recyclable goods, which is incredible to me like the inside of the lining, it says like this was once a water bottle, which is just really cool. And the other great thing is that a pretty large portion of the proceeds goes to charities that they're involved with. They're involved in Seeds of Peace time's up Bottomless Closet, they provide backpacks for children that that can't, you know, get backpacks themselves, so on and so on. So I just really love they're also like super durable, great quality, they hold up mountains from last year, it's still in really great shape. We do a new backpack just because it got nasty a camp. It's held up but it kind of stinks from the wet towels and everything. So we go you know when again this year and you know, they're the price points a little steep. It's $95. But it's it's a it's a really good bag. It's really cute. And again, I love that piece of it goes to charity. But having said that, I just want to say this is something that I saw a friend of mine posted I thought it was really smart. You know, just because you get the new backpack doesn't mean like the old pack backpack doesn't carry all the same amount of dreams and hopes and everything so kids can show up to school in new backpacks, old ones new shoes, old shoes, it's all great stuff. They all carry hopes and dreams and ambitions. So yes,

Amy: 18:05

and you know what you can you can use I have like old backpacks from the kids that we'll use for like sports or you know other things. So it's not like they're not being used. I love that. Yeah, and I feel like I've seen that brand online and they really cute designs, right?

Katie: 18:19

Yes, yeah, I'm obsessed with the kids of backpacks. I can I'll share pictures on social when we move

Amy: 18:25

okay, so that was our that was our back to school slash streamline September product junkies episode. I'm so excited to try all the products you recommended Katie and yeah, hopefully this was helpful for you all. Let us know what else you want us to review. We're continuing to look out for for all these fun new products that we're loving lately and see you next time. Thanks, everyone. Bye. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 62 - Do You Know What Chi Means? We Didn’t Either. Breaking Down Traditional Chinese Medicine With Dr. Jenelle Kim (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 62 - Do You Know What Chi Means? We Didn’t Either. Breaking Down Traditional Chinese Medicine With Dr. Jenelle Kim.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation Welcome to the show Nirvana sisters family. Today we are sitting down with Dr. Janelle Kim. She's a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, a ninth generation doctor and herb ologists, which is very cool. We're excited to hear what that means. And the founder and chief formulator at J. B. K wellness labs, Janelle helps her patients incorporate Eastern philosophies into western lifestyle for optimal health. So I can't wait to dive in and hear what all of that means. So thank you for for coming to

Dr. Janelle Kim: 1:05

having me. I honored to be here. And so excited for our conversation.

Katie: 1:09

Well, we'd like to start off with our nirvana of the week, just a little something that brought you joy today or this week. Just a little highlight. And I'm gonna go ahead and ask Amy, what was your Nirvana that start with you him?

Amy: 1:22

Well, let's see. Um, well, I would say so my kids go to summer camp. And it's been like a while June just with the end of school and getting them ready to go to camp and all the stress and anxiety and just craziness but they left for camp over the weekend. And it was definitely bittersweet. And it's definitely quiet in the house. But I would say my Nirvana was just getting those first pictures of them enjoying and having fun. And I could like exhale and be like, okay, they're doing, they're doing good. They're in their nirvana. They're running around. They're outside and super happy. So that was definitely my highlight and nirvana of the week. What about you, Katie?

Katie: 2:05

That's really sweet. Because I feel the pressure and the stress of like saying goodbye to them on the plane, I'm sure for you. And this isn't the first year so it's probably getting a little bit easier. But to see them happy is I'm sure such a nice relief. So mine is camp related as well. The girls that for the first year are going to day camp and we dropped them off on Monday. They're there all day nine to four, which maybe isn't like the longest day for my eight year old but it is probably for research is for But picking them up. That was my Nirvana the first day and then hopping in the car like smiling ear to ear so happy. had the best time felt great about it couldn't wait to go back tomorrow. It's just like a sigh of relief. We're doing the right thing. They're good. So that's, that's nice. What about you to know, we're

Dr. Janelle Kim: 2:48

certainly all on the same page. Because right when you said that the first thing came to my mind was also my two young boys. And there is something about picking them up. I every single day, I get butterflies in my stomach. It sounds interesting or funny to some, but I have a feeling you both totally understand what I'm saying. And just see their little faces, especially the little one, you know, because he still hugs me and gives me you know, a huge embrace and tells me how much he loves me. And it's funny, because now my nine year old is kind of similar, but in totally different way. And it's so interesting to watch them, you know, at different stages, and it's definitely something I'm so grateful. It's very grounding in pretty much brings me into the very present moment, no matter what's happening in the day. So I would completely agree that that's my

Amy: 3:30

sweet.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 3:31

You have a night always nine and five. So yes.

Amy: 3:35

Nice. Yes. Awesome. I know. I love that. I have two boys as well. Yeah, they are 12 and 14, so are no more than 15. Sorry.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 3:44

No, tell me about it. I just turned nine and five. April and May so fast. It flies.

Amy: 3:52

It really does.

Katie: 3:54

Alright, so let's get into it. I'm excited to hear about this because I don't know about you AMI D I don't know a lot about Chinese medicine. And I definitely don't know a lot about our biology. Am I saying I'm saying that correctly? Right or biology or about to be in our biologist. So Dr. Ken, would you prefer us to call you Dr. Kim or Janelle or Dr. Janelle. But Janelle? Absolutely. So Janelle, help us understand, like, what are the cornerstones of Chinese medicine? And what does it mean to be an apologist? So

Dr. Janelle Kim: 4:28

those are definitely big questions, and I love them. So the cornerstone of Chinese medicine and understanding the body, the way I would describe it is understanding how everything functions and flows as one whole body right? So mentally, physically, Eastern medicine actually even gets into spiritually not so much like the outer realms of spirit necessarily, but that we connect in many different ways with our body. And it's how we, the way I like to explain it and when I speak around the world, is how we can make our body function at its optimal and flow. And that's how I would break down Eastern So it might not be exactly how everyone else does, but especially to the outside world who doesn't know so much about Eastern medicine. I love that explanation. And so then it utilizes herbal medicine, and acupuncture other modalities as well. We hear about cupping, and guasha, and all these different techniques that are now coming into the Western understanding. But it's using all of these modalities, these ancient practices that have existed for 1000s of years, again, how to make our function, how to make them our body functions, optimum and flow properly, because I always say, if everything functions and flows, even your skin cells, to your organs, to your muscles, and joints, then you have longevity, and that to myself, in my humble opinion, should be all of our goals. So I love that.

Amy: 5:44

I love that. So is it sort of like, and we're I think we're seeing we've actually interviewed a lot of people on many of those subjects. And so is this sort of like this Mind, Body Spirit, holistic Well, being when you hear the word, Chinese medicine or Eastern medicine, I think that's

Dr. Janelle Kim: 5:58

very inaccurate. I do every single aspect of it, because everything comes from, you know, Chief, everything comes from the universe. And we're a macro, we are microcosm of the universe, and the universe is a macrocosm of us. And so yes, when you kind of look at it that way, you start to break everything down. And it is very holistic in that manner. So that's where I said, you should go ahead, I think you're taking the risk.

Katie: 6:22

What is, yeah, help us understand what she is, I've heard the word. But what was amazing,

Dr. Janelle Kim: 6:28

because 20 years ago, when I started in the beauty and wellness industry here in the United States, if I said she people would look at me and wonder what in the world is she talking about? Right? So she, again, exists everywhere around us and within us, from the Dow or the universe, for those that resonate with this understanding, right from the universe came Qi first. And that's how everything breaks down, then we're speaking of the universe, and our bodies. One other principle, you're here that you'll you will hear about is yin and yang, right. And so I don't want to go too far into detail. But a greater kind of a bigger perspective way of understanding is that from chi, then came that symbol of yin and yang. And that is the dichotomy, that duality of everything in our entire world. And it's really important to understand that duality, that dichotomy of the two when understanding our human body as well. So what I mean by that is, we have our universe, for example, a very simple principle to understand, Yin and Yang is like day and night, right? Yin and Yang is loud and soft, even youngest, feminine and masculine. And within each is the other is they're constantly changing. And that's why if you are familiar, most people are nowadays, with that symbol, it almost looks like two fish, and on one side is black, and one side is white. And then they have two little eyes almost. And that literally symbolizes what I just said that there is constant duality all the time. And so now looking at the human body, we have that in our bodies as well, we have those components of yin and yang. And what I mean by that is, Yin is more substance, right? It's like our body fluids is our blood. Yong is activity. That's our chi. And so when you kind of think of it this way, you could almost imagine that, of course, the Western way of understanding, we have circulation, and we have our arteries and our veins and our pumps. And that's everything keeps moving. There's so much more of course to it. But we have that understanding, then Eastern medicine, one way to understand it is that chi is exactly what makes blood flow. That's why I'm talking to you right now. Right? So and when it comes to movement, which is one of the three kinds of EMS are the three pillars I talked about medicine, meditation, and movement, through movement, especially through chi gong, people can actually feel cheap. So it's not really something so, you know, it actually can be tangible. It's not something you necessarily see. But every single thing on this desk at tree, you know, you and I, we all have CI, and so I hope that's a easy way to understand she is. Yeah,

Katie: 8:48

I kind of took it as it's the balance of the energy and the physicality that we have within ourselves. And that's all around us. Is that absolutely kind of

Dr. Janelle Kim: 8:59

defined as vital energy, you'll see that a lot. So, so Exactly, right. Okay.

Amy: 9:05

So interesting. I never that that symbol, the black and white symbol, I think you just said it means chi, the US that yeah, the Yeah, I never realized that. I guess I've just seen that symbol in the context of yoga or meditation and sort of knew what it meant. But the way that you just described it totally makes sense with like, the, the black and the white. And it was very

Dr. Janelle Kim: 9:27

interesting. My favorite thing is to, you know, have things make sense. That's my favorite thing as well. And that's actually one of the reasons I love Eastern medicine and Eastern philosophy. It can be a little different sometimes from the ways in the western world about what we understand. But it always goes down to principle. You know, we're all human. We all are born into this world, no matter what our beliefs, what our ethnicity, what are age, all of that we all it all comes down to principles. And so I find that when I share those principles just as much as I enjoy, and it just resonates make sense. I see that No matter where I go in the world, so I'm so glad that you see that as well as well.

Katie: 10:04

Yeah. And what are the three M's that's part of your philosophy and your practice, right.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 10:10

So the three M's are basically like the pillars that hold up the whole house, right? And they are medicine, meditation and movement. And so medicine to me, is ultimately the formulation, my lab, everything that I've devoted my life to on the herb ology end, right. Meditation is actually the book I just put out, for example, it's the philosophy, it's the way of life, I call it living meditation. Right? So I'm sure we can go into that I won't go too far. But just as we sit down and practice different meditative techniques, or want to be in that certain mindset, living meditation, there principles that have been passed down my lineage for centuries upon centuries, of course, not just my lineage, but they exist, right for 1000s of years. And it's ways to look at every single moment with a certain kind of mindset, knowing that you will always have a choice, right. And so that's kind of the philosophy of life. And finally, it's movement, right ways to truly move our body, it can be any kind of exercise, but particularly movement, again, that's kind of been passed down by our ancient sages for centuries, as ways to really not just exercise externally look good, have strong muscles have a sleek body, but also to really exercise your internal organs and strengthen that chi. And so what I say are those three atoms, medicine, meditation and movement, if we incorporate those into our daily life, constantly, because that's the way it really is, then we can achieve longevity, happiness, health, balance, no matter what is happening in our life, doesn't mean we don't have down days or hard moments. But we realize that through that we can get ourselves out of it. Right? So

Amy: 11:45

I love those three pillars, because they're easy to remember. And it's something you can always think about, if you're just kind of like your Yeah, she is off or you're feeling, you know, just different, you could kind of go back to that which which I like. One of the things I was reading about when I was reading about you was that your father was a Korean monk, and raised this remote mountain raised in a remote mountain tempo, which is incredible. So I want to hear about that. But then there was something else that I thought was so interesting, where you said he taught you about, I don't know if I'm saying Right, right, but don't cheat or drunk on your thoughts. And I'd love to hear one

Dr. Janelle Kim: 12:22

of my favorite principles. So in the book, I break down kind of the practice or the way of life, the living meditation, it's my young son, just to be clear, the Korean art of living meditation, and young son translates as meditation. But to me at that living meditation, that's why I keep discussing that, right. And so the way I break down the book is into chapters, of course, but I call them keys. And there are eight keys. And those are the keys that we can practice in our daily life to achieve that constant state of loving meditation. Right. And so key number three, is absolutely one of my favorites, which is what you just said, Amy, it is stop being drunk on your own thoughts. And the Korean phrase is Don't cheat. And especially in this day and age, in my humble opinion, I think that if we all were aware of this, how much different our lives our world, our relationships, everything would be. And ultimately what it means is just like we can be intoxicated by alcohol, for example, we can become drunk, we can, we have to be aware that we can become drunk on our own thoughts, that it's, that's why I love that we started with that yin and yang. It's always a state of balance, and we hear it all the time. But again, if we stop for a moment, and really think about what that means balance, even looking at that symbol, it means every moment we have to be aware of ourselves or not, it's our choice. But if we choose to be aware of ourselves, we have to be careful that even if we feel so strong about something that we don't become, don't worry about it, we don't become so extreme in our thinking, How often do we see that, of course, we might not agree with something, and we feel know what you're doing is incorrect. But there's a fine line where all of a sudden, you're in that same boat, and you don't even know you're standing there. It's always important to expand our perspective, put ourselves in someone else's shoes, how do I know how that person feels? And I may not know completely, but if I stopped for one moment, whether it is our children, whether it's our spouse, whether it's a good friend in business, and I stop and think for one moment, I want to see where you're coming from, it does something to our minds. It's a self discipline that creates different habits. And again, at the end of the day, it's our choice if we want to take it to be dolci and become totally drunk and stuck on our thoughts. Not bendable. You know, it doesn't mean we can't be steadfast, right, of course, but just see the other side. And that's what that key number three, stop being drunk on your own thoughts.

Amy: 14:38

I love that that's so powerful. And I love the phrase that you just said, Don't become dodgy about it. Because I'm totally going to use that with people and they're not going to know what they're talking about the startup company.

Katie: 14:49

Does that also, does it also apply to like becoming drunk on your own thoughts of things that your self obsessing over like if there's something that you get Just incessantly or like picking on yourself about or thinking about something you're going through or constantly being in a negative state, is it? Does it apply to that as well, not just in regards to going back and forth.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 15:12

I really love that you say that, you know, you may be one of the first people who have brought it up in that way. So direct in that manner. And that's exactly right. We absolutely can can also have it pointing back to us that that, that negative effect, right, almost like the symptoms of getting too caught becoming too extreme. Absolutely. And so once again, we see how these tools, because that's what they are, you know, that's why I feel very compelled to share them. These are, yes, I am part of this lineage, I'm the first woman in this lineage, I'm the first to ever share it, you know, east and west, I probably should have shared Well, my father did grow up for a period of his life in the remote mountains of East Asia and Korea. It's like a movie, it's my own father. And it seems like that sometimes, you know, my mother, on the other hand, is American. So I believe, you know, I came into this world. Again, it was my choice, but but I've taken it on almost as a duty to realize that I am able to have that east west that I come from this lineage of 1000s of years, then a little bit more easy to grasp centuries of these tools that help us to see a little bit more clearly, and hopefully make them relatable to as many people as possible, you know, so I love and like you said, see. So

Katie: 16:24

it's really beautiful. And you are I love, I love the relatability that you're bringing with your books and everything as well and the one of the M's medicine, so that is where the the apology comes in. Yes. And so what kind of herbs is this? Are you using adaptogens, and things of that

Dr. Janelle Kim: 16:43

sort. So adaptions is something that I have spoken about for quite some time now. I will backtrack a little bit, that makes a little bit more sense for everyone. So of course, I was born into this, but it wasn't until Fast Forward seriously. I was a young adult that I realized, and it just hit me like that, that this is the direction I wanted to go in my life. And it was just like that you hear people say that I certainly had that experience. You know, it was that moment in time. And I had to make a choice. And that's how it felt to me. And I chose I was actually on the direction to study Western medicine. And I decided, You know what, my whole life, I've seen things and it didn't hit any kind of until that moment. I've seen so many things treated, or how can I say I want to say it properly. But I've seen so many conditions balanced, let's put it that way that people were not aware of or in my surroundings. And it kind of hit me as a young adult, I have to share this people have to know about this in this part of the world. And so that's where I kind of went into Eastern medicine and got my on my road to becoming a doctor. That didn't happen until a couple of years ago when I was about to have my second son actually holding that doctorate. But But yes, in our country, we understand Chinese medicine, I often refer to Eastern or traditional oriental medicine because I come from a lineage of Korea, right. And so of course, I've devoted myself to understanding Chinese medicine existed there before it moved into Korea, but Korea is known for certain acupuncture techniques and definitely known for advancement in herbal medicine. So just kind of putting that out there. Now in this country, we think of them kind of one in the same acupuncture herbal medicine. In East Asia, they're a little bit more while they completely come from the same route. As I've kind of already explained, you choose. And then this country you see that a bit to usually go like to the Department of acupuncture or to the Department of herbal medicine and my lineage are we definitely have acupuncture techniques, secret ones as well that have gone through my lineage, but really my family my lineage focused on that herbal medicine aspect. And so to kind of break that down a little bit, answer your question in a moment about adaptogens Katie, you know, I speak around the world about different herbal ingredients. So important. We have so many I mean, every medicine to some extent, could be traced back to plants, right plant medicine, but also super important is the understanding of formulation. And that's what I really devoted my life to. That's what my lab does. We contract manufacture products from skincare, body care, internal medicine, meaning supplements, tinctures, you know, topicals, for muscles and joints. And all of that is really based on certain formulas. So of course, the understanding those individual herbal ingredients, but like the recipes, the perfect and secret recipes that have been passed on for centuries. And so that's something I think is really important and I've certainly, I hope I've made some headway. I believe I have definitely been at kind of the forefront in the beauty and wellness industry. Having people understand that in any product. Again, internal external topical skincare haircare you can have the best ingredients, but if they're not formulated properly, if the ingredients don't synergistically work together, it might not be as good as people may think. And there's so many products out there that are just kind of put together. I don't want to say thrown together, but that's what I probably should send. Right. And so so that's kind of the understanding of herbal Medicine. And then finally, you speak of adaptogens. That's something I definitely talked about for 20 years. 20 years ago when I brought this up again, that, you know, talking about herbal medicine was over everyone's head. I mean, I started in the spa industry. You know, we were creating products that were in four seasons, Ritz Carlton's, you know, all of the your beautiful hotels and resorts. And I remember being at the forefront of natural products, which first of all, it's hard to believe there was a time that natural products like people didn't even really get it. What are you talking about? It wasn't that easy to make them. There weren't a lot of options of ingredients, herbal ingredients, are you kidding me? People would come over literally and tell me, you know, Janelle, at the time, I wasn't a doctor, this all sounds great, but I don't think people are gonna get it, I'd get rid of the Asian thing. And I would kind of just look and smile. And I went back to you know, we're all human. And I know that what I have to share, if I do my job properly, it's going to make sense. And it's going to make a big difference. And here we are 20 years later. And you know, Korean beauty is the biggest, you know, beauty industry, basically, in the world and eastern and western, it's all integrating. So it's such a funny thing. And adaptogens were part of that. It's a way another way to understand. So adaptogen adaptogenic herbs can be traced like that word to like the 1940s 1945, if I remember correctly, but definitely in 1945 1947, around that time. And it was by Dr. Lazarus, and this understanding that there's these plants that help us to adapt, because when they grow in the earth, would they have to go through their adaptability, how they survived how they lived, when we put them into our body, it helps us to do the same. Create that balance, right. And that's, again, I can go into many details, but I think this is the best way to understand it. That's what an adaptogen is it helps our bodies adapt under stress. And there's a certain category of herbal ingredients that go into this category of adaptogens. Now, why I said 20 years ago, I I wish to utilize that understanding as a way to help people understand herbal medicine. That principle exists, you know, since the beginning of herbal medicine, that is herbology. And so if we want to understand it as adaptogens awesome. And I think we're still at the very beginning of that, you know, so I use a lot of adaptogenic herbs in our formulations, again, from skincare, to capsules to tinctures you name it because of those particular herbal ingredients in that category. Their ability to help us balance they're very powerful. A lot of certain adaptogenic mushrooms I speak on a lot. I've been reading a lot of articles about that, you know, mushrooms are a hot topic. And certainly there's different ways of understanding the different types out there. But I still think we have, particularly in our country, not even scratched the surface of adaptogenic mushrooms, you know, your ratios and Chaga and lion's mane and, you know, and then you have your beautiful your stragglers, ginseng, Angelica. I mean, I could keep going, but those are some of the important ones. So

Katie: 22:57

yeah, that's why I brought it up. Because there it seems like in the last few years, it's become just more prevalent. And, I mean, you see it all over social media, it's it's gotten to be pretty trendy, and it's found in a lot of really beautiful, natural clean products and people seem to be loving it. And that's, it's really the only verb out of the herb ology that I was familiar with. So that's why I started there. But I'm sure there's a massive abundance and you actually reminded me while you're while you're speaking about her biology, I was doing acupuncture years ago when I was living in the city and it was in the summer and I was kind of like intolerant to heat and my acupuncturist I believe. I believe she was Chinese, she gave me a tea that she said if I drink this tea will help my body to like, expel the heat that I'm not able to process and it it did. It worked. I loved it. I drink it all summer, really hot summer in the city, but I completely forgot about them.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 23:58

And that goes it's fascinating like our very first minute of conversation that there's there's hot and cold to you and then Yan Yan is more cold Young is more hot, you know, and you constantly have to balance that. Sorry.

Amy: 24:12

Yeah, what I was gonna say which was also interesting just for like breaking it down for for people who don't know the space as much. I think when I hear adaptogens or herbal medicine, I think of it as like something you ingest. It's more like like supplements and things like that. And it really just opened my eyes to like wait, that's actually in beauty products and so many other products not just like things you're ingesting for your health. So that was Yeah, I guess naturally those things are in other products. I just just really think about it that way about like

Dr. Janelle Kim: 24:48

a medical doctor correlation. You can have these incredible ingredients and you hear on many different platforms or ways of understanding for lack of a better way of putting it that it does it depends on how much it can penetrate right how wash your body absorbs it. And that's where I talked about that importance of proper formulation. Because when you ingest an adaptogenic herb it goes in it literally simulates through your digestion, right? And you, you take out the nutrients, again, if it's formulated properly, and it agrees with you, so on and so forth. And so the one thing with topical, is there is a little bit more attention that has to be put on that understanding of making sure it penetrates and absorbs into the body, if that makes sense. You know, so it's even more

Amy: 25:31

of a question. And this might be hard to answer, but I think our listeners might want to know, so if you were talking to someone about, you know, using herbal medicine for different things, like could you name something that most people would benefit from? Like, it's something they're ingesting for their health, something for their skin, and like, okay,

Dr. Janelle Kim: 25:51

absolutely learn hair. And so, please remember, like I just said, it's one thing to have just one ingredient, it's another to have proper combination, right? Because, and I will answer your question, Amy. But I really, this is really important, because often, or almost always, almost always, because there are situations where taking just ginseng, for example, you know, all by itself can be so powerful, right for energy, depending on what kind of gyms and especially for women's for balancing hormones, right. So there's one that I just named, but you have to be careful, especially when it's just one herbal ingredient different than some of our drugs, if you will, because those side effects can be a lot more extreme in comparison to most plant medicine, but plant medicines are still very powerful and important. And what I mean by that is you can have Korean Red Ginseng, which is one of the most powerful ingredients, I think now around the world we notice and in Korea that is so prized. I mean, one small root of Korean Red Ginseng could be easily half a million dollars, I'm talking about how powerful it is in the body. Right, especially for for example, as being woman on the phone today, balancing different hormones, printing, energy, libido, whatever that might be so many different aspects. But here's what's interesting, if someone who has high blood pressure takes a whole bunch of Korean Red Ginseng, it could be really not so good for them because it increases your chi and raises chi. And with with a high blood pressure is a really kind of easy one to understand. That's why I'm giving this example, you can see where raising your chi strong is not really the best thing to do. And so that's where I just want to note that. So Korean Red Ginseng is a huge urgency in general is one of the most it's Ren Shen in Chinese medicine and Ren is human. And so literally, if you look at a ginseng root, they say it looks like a human being, which is really interesting. If you look at it, you can see it like the arms, the head, the leg is really interesting. And that's how herbal medicine 1000s of years ago, that's how they came up with these names and this understanding. So that's a really important one. For hair one in general, would be hibiscus I put that in a lot of our hair formulas for skin as well. I mean, skin and hair are kind of an extension. It's kind of one in the same. But hibiscus is so good for blood circulation. Right. So I mean, there's so many more, but I'm just kind of calling those that come to mind Angelica.

Amy: 28:09

I haven't heard about that already. And so that's a new one. I mean, I've heard of it, but not in the sense that you're describing.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 28:14

And then remember all your examples. Example For immune. Oh, yeah. Skin. Yes. So struggle is Angelica, you know, those are ones that you'll definitely find in the formulas that that I create at the lab.

Katie: 28:28

And I love that you're mentioning that you still have to be mindful and careful. Like even though these are natural, and they're herbs, they can be very powerful. I know not to completely go back to the adaptogens. But part of the reason why I'm so familiar with them is because I have to be careful because they affect your cortisol and I have a condition where I don't produce cortisol. So I actually can't really use adaptogens much like my other person could, which is kind of a bummer, because there's so many great products of the minute that I you know, read but but yeah, it's a good thing for the listener to pay attention to and to maybe check with your doctor first before starting something,

Dr. Janelle Kim: 29:04

you know, after Yeah, another great thing when you're out there looking for supplements like one thing because people asked me that often. And you know, we contract men, we work behind a lot of brands. And so we that means a lot to us, we keep that confidentiality, but you know, you kind of can see our stamp when you will see these formulas out in the world. But another great thing for people to do is to really look into who these companies are, who they're formulators are, you know because then you can start to trust a company. You know what I mean? A brand otherwise it is overwhelming. You know, there's so much out there. And if something becomes especially nowadays trendy, everyone jumps to doing it, you know, and

Amy: 29:40

so were the formulators is that noted on the packaging, because that's interesting. I always think of like brands that I like that I think have good ingredients from what I know but I've never actually looked further than like what lab is actually formulating. It's

Dr. Janelle Kim: 29:55

not always listed. To be honest. Usually you'll find if it really matters, I'm thinking of a few of our Our clients right now, usually you'll find that we really care about their formulas, their ingredients, they really have a purpose for that product. And now more and more you see it, because it resonates with people's everyone's kind of catching on, you look into their story, you know, who is the person behind it? Why are the happiness? What's their unique thing? You know? Is it high quality ingredients? That's a great one. Is it? I know some of our clients will speak on. It is the synergy between the ingredients, you know what I mean? And that is super key. So, yes, it is definitely something a good practice. Because again, I totally acknowledge it can be very overwhelming, stepping into a beauty store, a supplement department, whatever it might be, because there's just so much.

Amy: 30:42

Yeah, I was gonna ask that. If someone wants to go in their town or city to start utilizing some of these herbal medicine, what would you suggest? Like if they are already going to acupuncture would most likely that acupuncturist maybe have I know, my old acupuncturist that I used to do? I need to go back to this is reminding me had like, all these herbs raised on kind of what you needed. But like, if someone's not seeing an acupuncturist that has that as their like, where would you go to find good quality or charm,

Dr. Janelle Kim: 31:12

I mean, I'll just kind of make it as simple as possible. It is true acupuncturist will, or biologist, for example, they will look at your individual condition and really start to balance. Of course, every just like there's doctors who are so great and skilled at what they do. And there's some we're not as skilled. And so I want to acknowledge that the same thing happens with acupuncturist or biologists, you name it any kind of practitioner, right. And so that's a good way it's a little different. Like the formulas that we I create at my lab behind the brands are ones that can be handed out in general, right. So there's certain herbal ingredients like you kind of mentioned, Katie, I don't want to get too far into this. But it's important for people to understand that you know, if you have a certain cold, like, say you have a cold and what your cold is presenting as as a sore throat, well, technically, the way you treat that cold with a sore throat is different than treating a cold that doesn't have a sore throat, and you seem to have a really runny nose, I hope I'm not getting too detailed. But it's important for people to understand there's a difference in symptoms, because one cold has hot symptoms, that's the sore throat. And so you're not going to use a much a hot herbs, you know, too. And so that's how in depth herbal medicine can be. So for those types of more specific imbalances, cold is a little different, because we can put out supplements that can kind of boost immune system in general, right. That's a great place to start that kind of your acupuncturist or biologist, certain practitioners, you can then go to other places that offer it and really look into the supplements that exist and have people on the floors and what I mean is like Whole Foods, I think we have all over the country for the most part, especially east coast, west coast, right? Your your natural markets, I don't know if you have, for example, Farmer cup, but that's a great place and in the West here, that we have the I will definitely send people there when they're looking because the people I know that that are biologists, the herbalist on the floor are very, very good at what they do. It's very important to them. So that's kind of I hope this is answering the question, but you find good natural products store or if you're searching, if you don't have that option, and you are kind of looking online, do a bit of research and find I mean pharmerica is on for example, you know, I should you think I work for pharma guy keep saying your name. Because this was coming to mind right now. But that's where going back to what we just said, look into the story of that company, look into where their ingredients, you know, what matters to them. And that's how you can kind of narrow in on what works for you. And at the end of the day. Yes, so in Whole Foods. And I would have liked a bit, this is really important. At the end of the day, pay attention to how you feel is the most important thing. It goes back to that living meditation and those three pillars, you know, so often we look to our experts, which you should, in our practitioners or doctors, our yoga teachers, for example, and do that because they studied and they have, they have things to share. But at the end of the day, you need to be aware of yourself. So that means if you take what you think is the best ingredient and everyone says it's the best, and you take it pay attention week with something new into your body. And if after a couple of days or even that day, you start to have a headache. And you cannot figure out why all of a sudden, you know, I never get headaches and now I have a headache. I do not care how great that ingredient is. It's not balanced with your condition at that moment. And we really have to watch that the anatomy and then you start to become in charge of your own health. So I just wanted to say that super important.

Katie: 34:31

Yeah,

Amy: 34:31

yeah, we talked about that a lot on the show like really listening to your body and if someone is saying like oh, it's just this or it's just that don't worry about it. You're like no, I you need to. It's that mindfulness and that intense intentionality you have within yourself where I think a lot of people seem to be kind of chewed into that now, more so than before and I think people it seems like are asking their traditional doctor I was like, Well, what about this? Or what about this? You know? Because, yes, there's a lot more education out there. And there's a lot more people talking about, like attitude with the West, and

Dr. Janelle Kim: 35:11

even, you know, Western doctors, you know, yeah, you know, I don't know, I'm often on panels with, you know, Western Eastern. And I believe that any good doctor is just going to want the best for that patient, you know, and some of us, it's easier to get that advice than others. And that's, that is the way it is, you know, but in general, for sure. You see the world I, like I said, much different than 20 years ago, or maybe a little more when I first began and, you know, which harder path?

Amy: 35:38

Yeah, I hope that some of these more Western traditional doctors start getting into more, I mean, the good ones already do ask those questions that aren't outside of like, right, they're willing, because it really does make a difference. And they're looking at Mind Body Spirit, not just like

Dr. Janelle Kim: 35:58

the integrative cynics are a serious thing. I mean, it's happening, you know, and definitely, when you walk into certain Western medical doctors offices, you're definitely seeing doctors who are doing exactly that, you know, opening expanding their mind and recognizing, you know, these medicines have existed for 1000s of years. You know, it's so interesting when, because it yes, 1000s of years ago, they were not doing clinical studies. This is true. They did not put it down in that manner. But there's something to say, right? I mean, I think more and more people are seeing that now more than ever, especially after last couple of years, we've all walked through that there's something to say about these medicines that have worked on humans for literally 1000s of years. You know, so yes, there might not be this, what the Western Way, which is a very good way, don't get me wrong, having clinical studies, finding every single fact. But sometimes there's a little bit more to it. But that's holistic, also the way we look at everything. So there's three, absolutely. It's funny.

Amy: 36:54

Katie and I both had COVID Around the same time, and one of the things we both saw, I think was floating around Tiktok was, and I don't know if this is, well, I guess it's horrible, but it's different, like the oils. So it said, if you had no taste or snide, neither of us did to us. I think it was peppermint oil, and rose oil, rosemary, Rosemary oil every day in your nose and like she did it and it both worked.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 37:19

Stimulating to your tea. It makes everything function again. So it's an interesting thing.

Amy: 37:23

Right, exactly. Yeah. That was like, amazingly, yeah. And I

Dr. Janelle Kim: 37:27

think a lot of writers world is seeing more and more options is, you know, there's certainly some negative aspects which we're not trying to go down this path of social media and how small our world is with technology. But it does certainly at the same time, there's that duality, that dichotomy, again, of the yin and yang, are certain ways now that through being closer through technology and the internet and social media that we're learning these you just have to fact check that a bit, you know, in fact, that's one of the things that my team certainly has to say, you know, Janelle, Dr. Kim, if you can speak on this, do you agree or not? That happens a lot, actually. For different things, trends that we see whether it's a trend, or it's real, yeah. So

Katie: 38:10

that's, yeah, and nothing. And parents do that. And, you know, I feel like, we could talk about some much of this for hours. And I would really, really love to have you back to talk in detail about acupuncture. Because I think that is such a vast topic, right. And I've, I've done it, and it's worked for me, and I know so many people that have helped. So we'll have to do that another time. But before we let you go, tell us just a little bit more about what Jay JBK wellness labs does. And also, do you have Is it a branded CBD luxury skincare

Dr. Janelle Kim: 38:43

JBK wellness Labs is not named after myself, which many people think is named after my great grandfather, those are his who was an incredible practitioner of herbal medicine, and acupuncture for that matter. And we are contracted manufacturers, which means we make the products behind the brands. And again, I kind of touched on that already. But you know, they're our clients are carried in your high end resorts and spas, to your whole foods to now actually they're having like prestige and luxury departments and target and Walgreens. And so it's an interesting way for exactly what we're talking about to be, you know, to be available for more people, which is kind of neat. So brands kind of spanning all industries. And so that's what we do in everything that we do is rooted in that understanding of herbal formulation, of formulation of products in general clean beauty, of course, you know, natural health products, of course. And so that's basically what JBK what we do, so we're not a brand, so we're behind brands. And so when you talk about the first ever Yes, I created the first ever CBD luxury skincare. I mean, basically I started the CBD industry myself in my lab with the people who started CBD back in. My first son was almost ready to be born so over 10 years ago now, which is a long time in the cannabinoid industry. And that's a whole other conversation to network. that I jumped into right away. But then another thing where I thought, you know, this is going to be something and I'd rather be educating about it properly. But I didn't really want to be like the queen of cannabis, you know, so, but an alternative. And so so not to go too far down that road. But that's so JBK we do a lot in the cannabinoid industry because we kind of helped to start it. So we were the first to make the sav muscle and joint role on so on and so forth. And all these, it's a beautiful thing, because every time someone comes to us to make formulas, it's always unique, it is truly the most amazing thing. So we, they come to us, oftentimes with an idea, they'll come to us with formulas that they kind of want us to improve upon, for example, or they'll come to us with a really important ingredient. I mean that and that's just to name a couple of examples. And then we formulate and then we produce the products. And that's the headquarters are in San Diego, right where I reside. Right now, we have a lab in Orange County. And actually, we have one in Portugal, in Europe for our European clients. So yes, and we just started actually, we're really excited about this, and I'm happy I'm remembering to share, because for over 20 years, I've been in this industry. And when you when I say contract manufacturing usually have to have higher minimums. So we don't have to get into all the details of it all. But in order to work with us, or to make custom products, you have to order a couple 1000 of one product at a time. And that's not easy for everyone. And this has been on my mind for a long time. And so over the last couple of years, and one of the things that, you know, during the pandemic, I don't always think of it this way. But it's the truth that we were able to create a JBK was a private label a white label division. And that means a lot to me, because what that means is more and more people are able to put their brand on some of our most favorite formulas that I've created over 20 years of my lab. And so, you know, that's kind of a big thing. And so I'm really excited about that. That's kind of a new thing that we've done in my lab. So

Katie: 41:54

congratulations

Amy: 41:55

for future when we come up and your bonuses, maybe the product.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 42:03

I want to create a formula to help women balance their, you know, emotions, balance their hormones, to have more energy, whatever that is. That's exactly how it starts. And people trust you and then that's how it goes. So

Amy: 42:15

I love that and what is your book called again? And where can people

Dr. Janelle Kim: 42:18

you my book is called the young son, the Korean art of living meditation. It's kind of a long one. That's why I just remember Dr. Janelle Kim, living meditation, bright blue simpler. It's basically through Penguin, Random House and Watkins. And so you can find it on the Penguin Random house.com website on my website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, basically, anywhere books are sold. So I'm very grateful that has come out, you know, just in January, so

Amy: 42:45

very excited. Thank you, Amy. Hi, congratulations. Okay, so getting into our wrap session before we close out. Janelle, what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack? I can. That's that's a hard one at my I do have so many.

Dr. Janelle Kim: 43:03

If I had to pick one right now, one of my favorites is remembering and understanding that true beauty does come from the inside out, you have to use very clean important products topically because it is our largest organ, our skin. But also we really have to pay attention to improving our condition internally, increasing our circulation, increasing our chi. And of course, to me, that means supplementing with herbal formulations. You know, being aware of my body knowing when to take certain ones. So I don't want to go too far. But yes, it's inside out which we're seeing much, much more in our beauty and wellness industry right now. So I'm so happy for that.

Amy: 43:41

Yeah. 100% Yeah, that's great. Okay, the next one, we call our five minute flow, which I guess could contribute to your CI. But here's the scenario. You just got out of the shower and dried off and Uber pings you and says they're five minutes away. So what is your quick beauty routine?

Dr. Janelle Kim: 44:00

That's funny, right? My locks up. I have one

Amy: 44:03

you just got out of the shower and dried off. And Uber just alerted you there five minutes away. So how do you you know, what's your quick beauty routine? What do you put on what are your kind of go to? And I'm shaking my head or that's every day forget?

Dr. Janelle Kim: 44:17

Yeah, that's called children. And podcasts Even my kids had to camp at 9am which is exactly when we were supposed to be on so that was literally my morning. So I do I get ready in five minutes. And that's just the truth today. We're lucky I put a little eyeshadow for you ladies to look, you know, all dressed up. But the i Everyday I use my herbal toner. It is one of the most important products I think I mean, again, that's so hard. I have the whole I'm Korean beauty right so I have the whole every step. But I always use a toner in the morning if I don't work out rather than just washing my face. There's no alcohol, it's all herbs. So it's just basically, you know, cleansing with a cotton pad, but at the same time all those good herbs onto my skin. So that's what I start with. And then honestly, I like a little concealer because it just makes me look a little brighter and a little natural blush. And I go on with my day. Like literally that's that

Amy: 45:11

and are these all brands that you make in the lab so it's not like a brand skincare for sure. Probably

Dr. Janelle Kim: 45:17

another one I love it's my later again, that's the I keep making a joke. It's the Korean beauty that is a Korean beauty hack and I very much stand by exfoliation is key. And so those are all products that I create my bathroom looks like a lab literally I have a little bottles everywhere. But as far as makeup, we we keep wanting to go down a direction are a little bit too busy. So I do I go for brands out there and the ones that I like, right now. I like RMS beauty. So very clean. I find that you know I don't like to reapply like don't look at myself in the mirror throughout the day because I figured what what in the world can I do anyways? This is how I

Amy: 45:55

layer your skin's unbelievable so

Dr. Janelle Kim: 45:59

yeah, like a little blush just because I'm all skin tone. And that's about it. So and then maybe a little lip gloss. Some

Amy: 46:05

love that. Okay, and how do you maintain your daily your bond I

Dr. Janelle Kim: 46:09

love by the way, that that is what you call your entire platform on everything that you do. And so how to maintain that is through living meditation. I mean, we're totally on the same page living meditation is the ultimate goal of reaching that state of Nirvana that state of honestly balanced, we started this way and I suppose well, and this way that you know, everything comes from the doubt and for those who are not familiar with the Dow, I suggest that you become familiar in some way because it is a really powerful and was people love it. And it really is just the universe, right? And the universe is everything and nothing. It is literally that Enzo circle which is on my logo. It's that like kind of brushstroke and that's to me, also is nirvana. Right. So to that state of from nothing comes everything and from everything comes nothing. And so I am able to constantly keep purifying myself creating good habits, having a self discipline through living meditation, which is why I put it in the book.

Katie: 47:05

That's beautiful. I just want to say before we hand the mantra over to Amy that you can just you really exude Janelle such kind of peace and joy and you're glowing from the inside out. So you are living proof of everything that you can say. So we're really grateful for having you on. Thank you so much for for being here with us today. And I think our listeners are gonna love everything you taught us and, and really, I would love to have you back and we can dive into it. I'm

Dr. Janelle Kim: 47:32

really grateful to be here. It was a wonderful conversation. I would absolutely love to come back. So I hope that was helpful. That's for sure.

Katie: 47:39

Was Thank you. All right, Amy. What's our mantra we'd like to close with a little something to end on.

Amy: 47:46

Yeah, so I don't know if this is a mantra or saying something I found on Jay Shetty, Instagram, but it's very appropriate to what we were talking about specially we were talking about being drunk on your thoughts, which kind of stuck with me. So here it is. If you want to be happy, don't take stuff personal. Let stuff go. Let people be focused on you. Your mental health, your spiritual health, your well being physically and financially.

Katie: 48:11

I agree. Yeah, yeah. All of the above agreed, right.

Amy: 48:15

So thank you so much. Thank

Katie: 48:19

you.

Amy: 48:20

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 61 - Product Junkies July Edition - Things We Are Loving Right Now (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 61 - Product Junkies July Edition - Things We Are Loving Right Now

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:28

welcome back to another episode of Nirvana sisters, product junkies, it is July and we have some fun reviews for the month. So I'm going to kick it off to Katie, we're just gonna get right into Oh,

Katie: 0:41

I didn't expect that. I thought you were going to start us out. Okay. I'm going to start I'm going to start with food because Okay, I have had this product. It's been around for a while. But I just really want to give them a shout out because I'm a dairy free girl. And being a dairy free girl, you still love cheese. You still love yogurt, you love all the things but you can't do it if you're lactose intolerant like I am. And all of these brands have been trying for years to make a good like copycat. And there's finally our legitimate brands that do and it's Kite Hill. Kite Hill is my like number one go to and I just know that. It's like the word needs to get out there. If you can't do dairy. They have dips. I'm a dip person. I love a good oh, I've had their damp the Kite Hill. Yeah, you love a good caramelize or French onion dip. They have it Suzuki, they have a ranch and now they have a queso. That tastes so much like real queso. It's insane.

Amy: 1:46

You Oh my God, I didn't have a sofa. You can eat

Katie: 1:49

it cold. You can eat it hot. It's like I feel like a dairy eater again. So Oh, and also, I have to try to make butter. They now have a plant based butter that I bought last week. That's really good. And my cholesterol is kind of high lately because of my genetics. So it's good for me to switch to the plant based butters. So anyway, it's not the most exciting product review, but I just felt like I really needed to shout it out. Yes. No, I think that's really refreshing and just nice to be able to like enjoy dairy again. Even though it's not dairy that sort of feels like to

Amy: 2:21

me Yeah, I need to I I've had some other chips. I've had the French onion and there's like another one. That's good. I can't remember what flavor it is. And I forgot I haven't gotten those in a while. Oh ranch. I think they've branched up that's good. And then I used to have their yogurt. What's the nutrition like? Like, because usually they're pretty low in sugar

Katie: 2:39

too, right? They're actually Oh, they also have a spinach and artichoke dip. That's the one that I tried recently that like blew my mind. It's it's really clean. It's awesome. And they're all made from almonds. Like some of the products that you know like the mica knows brand is made from cashews kettles made from almonds. They do better with almonds and cashews. So for example, Spinach artichoke dip, it tastes so spot on it's almond milk, spinach, coconut oil, artichokes, modified corn starch, salt, garlic powder, yeast extract, onion pattern, natural flavor, locust bean gum, lemon juice concentrate, guar, gum and cultures. So it's it's like it's the common stuff that you're seeing in a lot of these products. I think without a lot of the garbage. It's dairy free, soy free, gluten free, vegan, kosher, non GMO, no artificial colors or preservatives, and made from live and active cultures, which means it's going to have some probiotics in it as well. So I think it's good. Okay. And, and, like, calorie wise, it's like, also really nice and guilt free. I mean, you know, not that it matters. But for two tablespoons. It's only 30 calories. It's like two grams of fat. It's no saturated fat to carbs. It's easy. No sugar, one gram of protein. You know, it's like, it's, yeah, that's going on. Around.

Amy: 3:53

Okay, good. Love code Hill. Good. Good. Good product mention. Okay, the next one I'm going to mention. We talked about it, I said it I was hinting this to earlier today. And I've been using this for months, but I was saving it to tell you about it. And it is athletic. Oh, I know. I've converted myself. I mean, athletic greens is all over the place. I feel like I've seen it everywhere. And I never tried it. And I was listening to Andrew Huberman who I love. And he talks about athletic greens all the time. And he's been using it since 2012. Those of you has so I always hear Andrew Huberman talking about it on his podcast, which is the Hubert Huber Minh Lab, which I've spoken about before. He's a PhD, neuroscientist professor in the Department of neurobiology at Stanford. So I trust everything he says, and he's his podcast, just as an aside is so good because he breaks down really kind of complex things into like, ways that you can understand and he always provides context to an issue he's talking about and then gives you really good insight, recommendations, etc. But anyway, he always talks about ethics. greens. And so finally I was like, Alright, I gotta try it. Since I've tried it, I've had it everyday sense and how do you feel on it, it has really helps me I feel so much better. Because what I've been doing is well, just for everybody to know athletic greens, if you go to athletic greens.com, you can read all about it. But you can do it on a subscription. Or you can just buy a one, you know, one time package, I bought a subscription thinking I would just cancel it if I didn't like it. And the subscription, which is $79 comes with the starter kit. So this jar, which I like, because you have to you have to keep it in the fridge. So this jar with the scooper. And then it also comes with this, like shaker. So I just use this every day, I have a system, which you know, I love a system and travel packs, which is great. So I'll bring it with me on my trip next week. So I've been feeling really good on it. Because what I've been doing now instead of drinking my coffee, first thing is I get up in the morning, and I have athletic greens. And the reason why I like it is because you only need like eight to 12 ounces. So it's not like a whole thing of water, it's like maybe like a half a jar of water, you know, 12 ounces, whatever. So I do that. And then I just feel like very hydrated and like good. And then I have my coffee maybe then or an hour later. So it's like a good start to my morning. So I really like it then. But it has every mineral nutrient you could need from greens. And so especially like if you're traveling, it's like the one thing that he talks about. And I've heard other people talk about it too. It's like the one thing they bring with them because they know they'll get all their minerals. And so you know, you're getting everything from it in one place. So even if you have a salad and stuff like that, whatever, but at least you know, you're getting it all in one place. And it's also I believe it prebiotic and probiotic. So my digestion has been much better on it, which has been a big one for me, because I never find anything that like really helps with my digestion. And this has helped with my digestion. So I've been taking it like every day for three months. I haven't missed a day. Well, I was I enjoy it. I think it tastes good. Yeah, I was looking back and I've gotten it. This is like my third month. And I'm almost done with this. And my fourth one is gonna is being mailed today. So I really like it. It's easy, it tastes good. I mean, it's like not sweet, not, it's just kind of like, it just feels good. It's very hydrating. And I've just gotten into the routine. And what I do is I just keep the jar in the fridge like in this one spot that I have. And then I use this shaker like the thing that comes with it every day. It's like a plastic bottle. You just put the greens in, put the water and shake it and drink it. And then I just clean it right there and put it right back in with like a little water. So it keeps it cool. And I just do the same thing every morning. It's like no big deal. And I love it. It's actually been making me feel a lot better.

Katie: 7:42

I have to tell you, I've used it. I was ordering athletic greens, like at the very start of the pandemic when I got into podcast and DAX Shepard's podcast. So they advertised, so I ordered a time. And I liked it. But I had some other stomach stuff going on. So I didn't we weren't simpatico at the time, but maybe I need to try it again. Give it another go.

Amy: 8:04

Yeah, and like I think these things are interesting because I think certain things work for some people and certain things don't like I remember we were talking about in another one of our shows the secara metabolism powder, which you love. I used it and I didn't like it. I mean, it was like fine, but I didn't it didn't make a huge impact on me where you love it. So I think it's just like you have to find the things that are right for you. And I was like, super excited to find something that actually like, I can feel a difference. And I feel better on it when I drink it. And my digestion is much better than it used to be. So that's huge. And then I feel like I'm getting all of the superfoods and vitamins and minerals that I need. So huge support. Athletic Greens, right? Oh, so the subscription is $79 a month. But if you do a one time I think it's 99. So I just do this subscription because it's cheaper and then you don't have to think about ordering like a jar that they send you and it's great. I like the jar Yeah, it's nice and I like the scooper. It has like a good weight to it. And I like the shaker like it's all good. So I'm really excited about athletic greens. So that's, that's that one.

Katie: 9:08

What do you got? Mine is a supplement kind of ish. It's electrolytes. The brand you know the brand I've given it to you before, but we haven't talked about on the show yet element T or element. It's I love this brand of electrolytes. It's actually was created for the ketogenic community. I can't remember exactly the name of the people that started it, but they did that because if you were doing keto, you had to have like more sodium. It's just like keto it's really important to watch your electrolytes. So this group started this brand of electrolytes and it's 1000 milligrams of sodium which is high for electrolytes. Most electrolytes don't have that much 200 milligrams potassium 60 grams of magnesium and they come in all of these great flavors but what I love the most about it is that it comes in raw and flavored one because of favorite ones typically have.

Amy: 10:01

That's the one that yeah, the flavored ones. The one that you started like

Katie: 10:05

super delicious, but they always have like stevia, which a lot of people do find with stevia, I don't like me and sugar alcohols or whatever, it's just, it doesn't match. So they have an unflavored one that has no stevia, and it's just the straight up electrolytes which I love it and I subscribe to it so I get it every other month for $39 And then if you just do it one time, it's $45 but it's a huge box of 30 packs so you have you eaten up one a day and they have grapefruit salt. I feel like you would love that flavor. Yeah, oh great. Salt citrus salt, watermelon, salt, orange salt, raspberry salt, chocolate salt seems kind of weird but whatever. Lemon habanero mango chili. So yeah,

Amy: 10:54

yeah, interesting. I didn't know they had all those flavors. I actually just got the unflavored one that you got me on, which I love and whenever I'm feeling dehydrated, I drink and it makes a huge difference. That's yeah,

Katie: 11:04

great. Good. lm n TLM. N

Amy: 11:07

T. Great. Okay, so getting into beauty a little bit I have a few things. So my first one is this Tom Ford lipstick and gloss which are so beautiful. They are like the perfect nude. You know we're always looking for the perfect nude. I found this I think I saw it on Tik Tok when Mikayla recommended it a few months ago. I think it was her. And this lipstick is called blush nude. It's a soft pink beige. It is like the best color it's so luxurious too. It feels so good on your lips. It's so moisturizing. It's $58 so a little pricey for lipstick but honestly this lipstick lasts forever so it's such good quality. And I love the color and then you match it with the glass Luxe lip gloss and this color is called in the buff which is like a nude with a gold pearl if you can see this and that combo it is like the most gorgeous nude and this is $58 as well. I wear it I get so many compliments all the time people are like what are you wearing? What is on your lips it's just such a good year rounds great nude and also the packaging is already a full on like heavy and luxurious you know highly recommend Do

Katie: 12:32

you know if they have like different various nude shades of that same one Do you know because you know some like some nudes are it depends on your skin tone to find the right nude like I wonder if Yeah, I could wear the same nude that you could wear?

Amy: 12:46

I don't know I mean they definitely have like a lot of lipstick colors and I'm sure they have other nudes I just this is the one blush nude. That seems to work for a lot of people because I've seen a lot about it online but there's probably other nudes as well. And then the the the glosses they have tons of colors too. But this one in the buff pairs really nicely.

Katie: 13:08

Check it out. So yes, I love it. Yeah. All right. Well, that was a high I have a low high low little drugstore find. Oh my god, I love it. That's great. So this is L'Oreal True Match Lumi lotion, natural glow enhancer. And it's 1599 I think I actually got it CVS for like 1399 this is on alters website that I'm looking at right now. It's a great little bottle of like very highlighting luminous lotion, and I actually use it as highlighter on my cheekbone. But then like if I'm going out and I've got a you know, like a tank top or something I'm like I put it on my shoulders and I put it on my chest like lotion. You can use it either way. It works really really well though, as a highlighter, and it's a nice consistency. It's really pretty. It's like I don't know it's kind of hard to see here. But this is light glow. Number nine Oh,

Amy: 14:16

okay. I think I have that one. It's so funny that you have that because I literally just bought that one and the darker one because I wasn't I bought it online so it was like hard to tell. But that's interesting that you use that as a highlight and on your body. I never thought to do that. I've just used it on my face just Oh really? Like always. I wasn't Yeah, I just like one day mixed it with my sunscreen and used it just as a moisturizer idea, but I guess you could use it really

Katie: 14:43

funny. It's I mean, I don't even know like I didn't even realize that it was considered a lotion until I looked at it today for this exact purpose. I thought I bought it for a highlighter but it says instantly hydrates eliminated this for an all over fresh, healthy naked skin glow. So There you go.

Amy: 15:01

Yeah, I'm gonna use it as a highlighter though so now that I got the two colors that's actually good because maybe I'll use like the one of them as a highlighter and one is like, you know exactly like the darker one for my body and 100% I never thought to put it on like your chest and shoulders. Yeah, it's a good idea like, and it feels really good feel not at all.

Katie: 15:19

It's it's very light.

Amy: 15:21

Yeah, that's a great drugstore. I love that. Okay, next, I put this on our Instagram a couple of weeks ago when I was stocking up on all my favorite products. And I always you know, as we love beauty shamans, one of our favorite brands, so I tried her soul veil SPF 25 Because I needed a new moisturizer. And it is delicious. I love it so much. It's $75 and it's the it has such a good feel to it for moisturizer specially for the summer. It's not heavy, but it's not light. It's like that perfect texture. And the smell is so good. Again, it's not strong, but it's just like this light smell I honestly every time I put it on my face I like put it in my hands and smell it it's like a little and then I put it on my face. It's just so good. And I was worried about the 25 because you know I'm super into some protection and I thought 25 wasn't enough, but I actually recently went to the gym and I was like Is 25 okay to wear and she's like yeah, it's fine to wear on a daily basis she's like, but if you're going to the beach or like you're outside all day like playing golf or at the pool she's like wear something more but she's like for an everyday moisturizer 25 is totally fine. So I was like Okay, great. So anyway, I highly recommend that if you need a moisturizer with an SPF. I also love which we've talked about a million times Supergoop but Supergoop is just the sunscreen so sometimes when you just want to like have one stop and moisturizer and sunscreen together it's like hard to find a good one I know Elta MD we've talked about a lot too but this one I'm obsessed with

Katie: 16:52

I have to get it I love this because I feel like so I have drugstore fi and so I feel like you are definitely on the high end today and I'm on the low end Yeah bringing you both spectrums listeners. My next one is another drugstore find in fact I have found it at the grocery store. And recently I my hair has felt so good. It's been really really silky. And I don't I mean I didn't necessarily do anything differently other than I've just been using this religiously for some time now. So it's the brand is Haske and this particular product is a keratin protein smoothing hair oil and it says it softens and renews its for damaged over processed hair which obviously you know, I get my hair highlighted. It's alcohol free and instantly absorbing and it's just like a really nice finishing smoothing oil in the littlest amount I mean I really use like barely even what's the bride HASK h a s k so I use this I use scene haircare we love our seen haircare right shampoo and conditioner. I'm like, religiously. That's all I use. And then I use this and I can just

Amy: 18:11

and you use that when you're hurting wet or dry or like

Katie: 18:14

it's like a finishing oil. And I don't have to do any just put it on your end. Yeah, I don't even I don't blow dry it. I don't curl it anymore. It just like falls with like a nice, smooth wave. And sometimes it's that and you reapply it every day just to like to be hydrated or you don't need to. But if I need to I don't like like right after I get my hair highlighted. Yeah, I

Amy: 18:36

probably use it more. Okay, and you got it.

Katie: 18:39

I've heard this one in particular, I think literally at the grocery store, but I have bought it at CVS before I've seen it in a ton of places. It's $2 $2 $2 I swear up $2 No kidding me and it works. It's legitimate. That is like you know, Moroccan oil brand like more expensive. It's it's really good. It works.

Amy: 19:01

Okay, I gotta try that. Love it. Okay, well I do have a good drugstore finds it as my last beauty category product. So another brands that I love, which is sun balm, love is the sun bum face mist. That's funny, refreshing face mist mist sunscreen, broad spectrum, SPF 45. Do

Katie: 19:22

you have stairs and I almost brought it for review.

Amy: 19:26

So funny. Don't you love it? It's great. It's so good. So for our listeners, it's like this 3.4 ounce bottle. First of all, it has that some bomb smell which is like that coconutty whatever. Smell and I just love that it's a mist because it almost feels like you're putting like a rose water on your face and it's just like such a good refresher. So I always have it in my beach bag or like if I'm out you know at the pool or something and it's just like cool and refreshing and gives you that coverage and you don't have to like reapply sunscreen. I love it so much. So anyway, it's some bum 59 denying and it's just yeah, refreshing, faceless and you know what? SPF 45

Katie: 20:04

And using that on the kids all week this week for camp because it's, I'm getting them out the door in the morning. The last thing I have time for is like smoothing out the face lotion sunscreen. It takes forever. So I've been splitting this on them and they're totally fine. It's not bothering their eyes. I mean, it's made for the face of course, but it's kid friendly to Ray just

Amy: 20:24

spray it on there and go. Yeah, you don't have to rub it in. So nice. Love. Alright, my

Katie: 20:29

last one is another drugstore find. It is by NYX you know that brand NY X? Yeah, and it's their jumbo eye pencil. And I have it in two shades. This is like a pearlescent white that I put on, you know, like the inside and what do they call them area? The water? Yeah, like inside. Right, exactly. And then also like right in here right where your eye corners. And then I have the most beautiful deep purple that I use as eyeliner and kind of like smudge it around as like an eyeshadow. But the font they have, like really fun colors and pinks and purples and greens and blues. And you could get really funky with it. But super cheap $5.50 and at last I worked out one night and it lasted the whole night. And it just felt like gave my eyes a good pop and a sparkle. So it's a fun one.

Amy: 21:25

Yeah, I love that brand that they have great stuff. What's that color called?

Katie: 21:29

That was white color is called. Not the best name cottage cheese. They could have gone with anything and they went with cottage cheese. Yeah. But it hasn't got a nice.

Amy: 21:48

Alright, well, that's easy to remember. Oh yeah, that's really

Katie: 21:55

my purple one in the other room. But the purple is really beautiful. It's like a deep eggplant purple. Whoo. Okay,

Amy: 21:59

so well, we'll put that in the show notes. Because a good purple is hard to find now Good to know. Okay, well, my last product is like super random. But it's a really good hack. So when I went skiing over spring break, I bought this. You're gonna laugh. I bought this boot bag. from Amazon. It's a boot bag. And it's really Yeah, like it's literally for ski boots. So you put your ski boots on the side and you put your ski clothes in the middle. And it's a backpack, and I bought on Amazon, it's 5999 Okay, $60. And the materials like on I mean, it's like cannot rip, it's so tough the material and the brand is called outdoor master. So random. I know, because I just bought it and I was it's not like cute. I mean, they have like Navy, black and whatever. It's not a cute bag. However, it is the best replacement for toiletries and shoes. So what I've been doing so I used it in when we went skiing, like what it for what it's for. But then we had another trip for like, I don't remember like a weekend or something. And I just threw all of my because for me shoes and toiletries are like the worst thing to pack. They never fit. It's so annoying. I can never fit in. I'm always carrying on. I never have the right bag. So what I do now is I put all my shoes on the sides here. And they fit because this is tall. And so you can get like a couple pairs of shoes and each side depending on what you're packing. And then in the middle, I put my toiletries and I just stack them up. And it's like the perfect bag shoes and toiletries and I just bring it on the plane and you're like on a weekend trip. Can

Katie: 23:33

you close up the sides or you can't close up the sides? Like like when you're when you put your shoes in? It's inside. They're not like sticking out. Oh, yeah. Very cool.

Amy: 23:44

It's it's a huge deep pocket like massively deep. So you put it in here and then yeah, just zipper it up. And then there's also on there's a lot of like pockets. There's also a pocket here, like on the side. So what I do with here is I'll just like throw in like what we were just saying before like an athletic greens packets or like just different things I need. And then the middle pack getting in there. There's a pocket up top here for whatever, cell phone passport, stuff like that. And then this sorry, this is loud mic, but has this whole deep section. But the reason why it's so good is because it's all so you can really get a lot in there. And so I actually used it to go on a weekend trip and that was all I brought. So I brought like a few because it was like a beach trip. So I just brought like a few things that I put in the middle through my toiletries on top threw some shoes in and I was good to go. So anyway, it's such a good hack to use it as a traveler like

Katie: 24:35

also. And it's a backward it's Oh, it's a backpack, but also I feel like it would sit nicely on top of your suitcase as you're like rolling it through the airport. It looks like it has like a nice black bottom when it could sit there nicely. Yeah, but I like that it's a backpack

Amy: 24:50

and it's got these pads for the back. So it's um it's comfortable because I've I've patched it before and it's been pretty heavy but it's been comfortable. So it's like a funny shape because it's like like a kind of like a triangle you know like a half triangle so it looks a little odd but who cares it's one of those like really convenient good things so anyway random one but I thought as people are traveling and they need like a weekend bag it's a great one or carry on that okay all right well that was fun good product junkies Jul episode talk to you guys in the next one have a good day we thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 60 - The Dirty Skincare Secret We Bet You Didn’t Know About With Liz Whitman, CEO And Founder Of Exponent Beauty (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 60 - The Dirty Skincare Secret We Bet You Didn’t Know About With Liz Whitman, CEO And Founder Of Exponent Beauty

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:28

Welcome back to Nirvana sisters, Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and Katie. And we are back and very excited to meet Liz Whitman, who is the CEO and founder of exponent beauty. This is the first of its kind, self activated and sustainable skincare solution. And we're super excited to hear all about this innovative brands product, and it's hot off the press, because it just launched in April. So we are so excited to meet you. Welcome to the show, Liz.

Liz Whitman: 0:58

Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Liz is an entrepreneur, she's

Amy: 1:02

launched many brands, and she's really carved a space in the industry. So we're super excited to hear more about all of your extensive background in beauty and wellness and self care right up our alley. But before we do that, we want to just take a step back and do our nirvana of the week, which is really just a moment that brought you joy this week. We just like take a step back. Before we get there. I will lead to Katie to see to hear about your nirvana. Great. Thank

Katie: 1:28

you, Amy. I think my Nirvana this week was, was it yesterday or the day before I took my four year old to the beach. She's been out of school all week, and my eight year old is still in school. And you know, like she's doing camps and everything that summer. But this week, she's home and we've just had some really nice time together. And we went to the beach, the two of us we build sand castles and collected shells and had a little picnic. And it was really fun. It was so sweet. So that was that was mine for sure. What about you, Amy? Super fun.

Amy: 1:58

Well, mine I would say was this morning, because I think I've mentioned this on the podcast before when we had our dermatologist on, but I have gotten like many basal cells over the years, I have really sensitive and I guess prone skin to basal cells. So I do a skin scan every six months. And I was just posting on our Instagram channel this morning that everyone should go every year to get a skin scan. But I go every six months. And I had a good report this morning. So that's just always exciting to like, you know, go through the skin scan, I have to make sure everything looks good and like not have to worry. So that was my good news of the day. So I was very happy to have good skin, which I'm sure you know all about Liz, what about you?

Liz Whitman: 2:36

That's huge. And I just want to double click and say that I do agree that people should go get checked often. And most people don't think about it. So that's awesome. And I had an awesome week and unusually awesome. Because we had our team off site in San Francisco, for exponent, all of us work remotely and with the pandemic and being a small team. And we're sort of spread out and so to be in person and have that kind of energy in person. It's just It's so fulfilling. And then I had the best time. I love that.

Katie: 3:10

Yeah, that's fun. I'm sure it's great to have everybody together in the same room. Bouncing views. Yes. Yeah, that's a lot of fun.

Liz Whitman: 3:18

In the early days, particularly when you're small, there's like a tribalism that like kind of happens as you all kind of come together. You know, you don't have that many people. And so you have to be rowing the boat all in unison. And it's tough to do and build those types of relationships remotely, I'm

Katie: 3:32

sure. I'm sure. All right, well, and

Amy: 3:35

you just get so much so much. So much done being together and bonding and communicating so many good ideas that came out of that, right?

Liz Whitman: 3:43

Totally. Yeah, it's too many. So now we have to prioritize which ones we're gonna do.

Amy: 3:50

That's nice. So tell us about exponent beauty and like what gap you are seeing in the market to come up with this really cool idea?

Liz Whitman: 3:58

Yeah, absolutely. And I don't even know if I would characterize it as a gap and more so as kind of a dirty skincare secret. And in the industry. I had been in the industry for about 15 years I and it's well known that antioxidants, which are the active ingredients that you often find in clinical skincare ingredients like vitamin C and retinol, the good for you stuff that we all seek out, are super fragile, when exposed to air, light and water. And the industry has worked really hard to stabilize those ingredients. And but I had this kind of hunch after using a lot of products that were kind of over promising but not delivering that there was sort of something not quite meshing in terms of the way these things were formulated. And so I ended up actually testing the top 25 Selling clinical skincare products on the market products that you have absolutely heard of probably us might be using right now I don't know, and sent them to an independent lab to test the concentration of the actives On day one through day 60. So from the moment the consumer takes the product home, what's actually happening on the day to day as you're using it. And the headline is that those products lost about 40% of their active ingredient concentration in a mere eight weeks. So stability is not an unknown thing. I think what was shocking for me, and perhaps more importantly, for my chemist, and my product developer, was the order of magnitude, right? That it lost so much so quickly. And so exponent really exists to fix this issue, right, which is to deliver active ingredients, the way that they're really meant to be delivered, right? Which is fresh, and potency every time.

Katie: 5:44

That's so brilliant, because so is it when you are you saying like when you bring the product home, and you take the lid off of it? Is that is that like, is it kind of similar to food, right? When we bring the food home food? It's the same idea, the expiration date kind of starts ticking from that point.

Liz Whitman: 6:01

Absolutely. I mean, in fact, the expiration date starts ticking from the moment it's manufactured, bottled up, goes through the supply chain, let's call it 18 months until you buy it, bring it home, then you open it and you kick off and even more rapid path of degradation.

Amy: 6:18

Did you see when you first like when you first opened it? I know you said over eight weeks, it was like 40% Last or whatever? What was it roughly when you first opened it? Since I have to go through that whole process? Like totally. So

Liz Whitman: 6:30

as you know, some products will state the concentration that they put in some don't. Right. And so of the ones who stated we were able to measure what that initial concentration was. And that was about 15% lower than what they stated.

Amy: 6:43

Now, why they say on like a vitamin C to keep it in a cool dark place.

Liz Whitman: 6:50

Probably yeah, exactly. I mean, the reality is, you could put your skincare in the fridge, and that will actually like slow down that degradation pack. It won't eradicate it though, right? Other ways that people have tried to slow it down, putting it in an airless pump, putting it in an amber jar, to protect from UV light. And, you know, combining certain molecules, so compounding vitamin C with Vitamin E or freundlich, in order to try to stabilize it. We tested all products that use those methods. And those methods again, help, but they don't eradicate the issue.

Katie: 7:28

And I would also imagine that there's a lot of products that use stabilizers, which maybe isn't necessarily part of clean beauty, right? Like I mean, you see that in so many things, it's that there's preservatives and foods or stabilizers and medication. Do you find those in beauty products as well?

Liz Whitman: 7:44

You do you do? And again, those will have it beyond the actual clean beauty issue with that right in terms of the stability, they will help but again, will not eradicate basically, as soon as it's premiere with water. Boom, that's where it all kicks off.

Amy: 8:00

Wow, wow. And what are the main I know you mentioned vitamin C, and how many ingredients are there that are this, for lack of a better word like perishable that we need to know about?

Liz Whitman: 8:10

Yeah, so anything that's an antioxidant, will be in that category, which is a lot of things. Um, so long list, long list, the hero ingredients that you would normally find in skincare that would suffer from this and is vitamin C. Retinol, which obviously hugely popular anti aging ingredient, and resveratrol, green tea, enzymes, probiotics, Vitamin K, Vitamin E to a degree, and then a bunch of acids as well. And which is a totally separate kind of world from from the exponent world. But acids as well would be fragile. What your your glomming on to, I think the best way to think about it, which is like, you know, we've all sort of come to the conclusion that fresh food is better for you, it tastes better, it's got more nutrients, etc. And so beauty I sort of tend to think lags the food industry by about 10 years, you saw that with natural and organic as well as a trend, right? And we're sort of living in that world right now in beauty, where people are really concerned about what ingredients are in their products, are they particularly unsafe? And I think what we're trying to do is, you know, transition that conversation, not just from, you know, what is in there that is potentially harmful. But what is in there that's truly truly beneficial. Sort of like the super food SAE kind of like status state of the food industry. We want that to be the focus within beauty.

Amy: 9:40

Yeah, that's really interesting, because you're right, the industry is behind and I don't think I've really thought about them that much. And I would imagine our listeners and most consumers are not thinking about it, they see like, whatever on the label 10% 20% They're like, great, you're not really, you know, thinking about it until you finish it and I don't know that's that's actually I'm very, very interesting. So hence x amount of beauty. So tell us what you've created to

Liz Whitman: 10:09

totally. And it's an it's been a labor of love. We've been in r&d for about three years, because this isn't an easy problem to solve, right. And, and so our solution is self activated skincare, whereby we've actually powderized all the active ingredients, all the antioxidants that we just talked about, in powder form, we've kept them in or unstable, right, so they are maintaining their concentration indefinitely until you activate them. And so our system allows you to activate an active ingredient with hyaluronic acid serum, which is very, very hydrating in the moment, and, and so the powderized form factor is kind of what allows us to stabilize everything. Um, but the experience is really the critical part, because no one's going to mortar and pestle a bunch of powder in their bathrooms lying around a whole big mess. So we spent a lot of time creating our packaging solution, which is our activator system, you can think of that as sort of the world's sexiest dispenser. It is a precision dosing system. So essentially, with a simple push twist, you dispense a precise amount of powder, and a precise amount of liquid in the proper ratio for a single dose and to apply clinical benefits to this game.

Katie: 11:31

It's really beautiful. You pour it in.

Liz Whitman: 11:34

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we also thought, you know, besides functional benefits, we wanted to make it really attractive and counter were they so?

Amy: 11:43

Yeah, for sure. That's always important. So you, you put it in this device, mix it and then use it. So it's just like a fresh dose in a way sort of like when you go to a spa and they mix it right there is that the ACS kind of Yeah,

Liz Whitman: 11:56

yeah, definitely. And just to clarify, it's, you don't have to add anything to it each time. So you, you get 45 doses of powder, 90 doses of liquid, and you load it up once and then each time that you come to it to use it, you're just doing a push twist, you're dispensing from a bulk each time. So there's no like, it's not like Nespresso on it. Like that. Yeah.

Katie: 12:21

Yeah, that's genius.

Amy: 12:22

Cool. So what is really cool, what are

Katie: 12:25

some of the different types of powders? Just I'm sure how many do you have?

Liz Whitman: 12:30

Yes, so we have five. And so these are five serums. And so a serum is sort of the first layer you want to put on clean, damp skin, underneath and SPF for moisturizer. Each one of our serums has, you know, major anti aging benefits. So they have all been clinically tested to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. And then each one has an additional benefit on top of that. So first in the lineup is our newest product, which is our Time Rewind retinol, retinol at 0.25% in every dose since we can do an optimal dose. And so that's going to give great benefit for fine lines and wrinkles and Retexturizing the skin add the next step is our brightening boost vitamin C product and so this delivers 10% l ascorbic acid in every single dose. In addition to fine lines and wrinkles, it's been clinically proven to help with discoloration, brightening and radiants benefits. And third is our firming filter co q 10. Antioxidant. cokie 10 is an ingredient that's super popular in supplements and is used less frequently in skincare, even though it's got fantastic benefits. So we're really excited about this one. And it will help with fine lines and wrinkles but also have a firming effect on top of it. Then we have comme revival, green tea and resveratrol. So both green tea and resveratrol blend, and this is awesome and potentially the one that Amy should get because it's great for sensitive skin. So in addition to fine lines and wrinkles, benefits and it'll also have a redness reduction. So those ingredients are both anti inflammatory as well as an anti aging which is awesome. And then finally we have clear comeback enzymes and probiotics. And so this will actually help the clog pores and reduce blemishes.

Amy: 14:29

Wow. So how would so how would someone use the products like what would they use every day? What would they use? Like what's the Yeah How are people using the different products and for what I mean not for what but like in what in the am the pm etc?

Liz Whitman: 14:43

Yeah, so we have a couple of like natural combinations I would say and for am and pm routines. And I should note that the activator system is completely mix and match. So actually about half of our gamers have more than one powder that they're using. As an interchangeable top with a hyaluronic acid base, so a great pairing for anti aging benefits would be the vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night. A great caring for sensitive skin types would be calm revival green tea in the morning, and firming filter co q 10. That night. And, and then of course, our probiotic and enzymes is just a great treatment for folks who are worried about the clogging pores or blemishes. And we have people who use that twice a day, if that's their main concern. And I also use it sort of on an occasional basis when I'm traveling in drier climates, and and I'm just getting clogged and I'll use it for about a week and swap it into my routine. And but all of our products can be used interchangeably. The only one that I would sort of suggest really needs to be only used at night is retinol. And then we do suggest using vitamin C in the morning only because it gives you the additional benefit protecting against free radicals throughout the day. So if you use it at night, you'd still get great benefit from it, you're just not getting that protective benefit during the day.

Katie: 16:11

Okay, and what is the vitamin C test kit that I saw that you you have is that something that's coming out, or it's currently available?

Liz Whitman: 16:19

That's currently available. So I mentioned that this has been this three year journey. And in terms of grading these products, and I mentioned the primary research that we had done, you know, in the early days to verify the problem. So in the lead up to launching the products we actually published and a research hub called the exponent standard. And we took all of our primary research, we did a lot of lab work and published it there. And consumers were coming and you know, engaging with our content, and then writing in and asking lots of questions like, if these products degrade, what should I be using. And this was an advance of us having a product to recommend. So we then ended up actually creating some tools to help consumers find effective skincare. So this is truly separate from the product line, just very objective research had to help people find the best products out there. And those tools include a product recommendation list of the 82 out of 500 products that we researched and looked at that meet our standards for efficacy. And I'm happy to tell you what that is. And then the second tool we launched is vitamin C test kit. And so these are test strips that you can use at home to test the concentration of vitamin C in your skincare products, whatever you're using. And so that'll help you figure out okay, is it at a starting concentration that's doing anything for me? Is it still good after a couple of months or whatnot else. And it's just a self serve tool at home, it does have a QR code. So folks have been uploading their results to us, which is awesome, because we use that data to actually add or remove products that we recommend from our product recommendations list.

Katie: 18:05

That's so cool. And it's also really generous of you to provide that for, for the consumer to be able to get this information for themselves. But I would imagine that it's going to reveal to them that their products aren't as powerful as they thought. And so the next move is they'll come to you and be ordering more of your powders and everything. So it's really genius. It's, it's a great idea. And it's also probably really surprising for a lot of people to find out what exactly they have in their arsenal. It's not everything they thought it was hacked up today,

Amy: 18:38

I was just gonna ask the question, because you're mentioning the results. So what are people seeing, like the before and afters of the results they're seeing based on like using their old products? And then switching over and kind of tell us about that a little bit.

Liz Whitman: 18:50

Yeah, absolutely. So and what's been great about the kind of UGC that we're getting on before and afters from our products, is that our timeframe for actually seeing results and seems to be like pretty quick for skincare. I mean, typically with skincare, you're looking at like eight weeks to see results. And a lot of our products after two weeks, you have visible results. So people are, I think just really excited to be able to see something, how many times we'll be at, you know, these products, and we're expecting these miraculous results and we're trying to look but it's like imperceptible, etc. And so that's been amazing. And of course, as I said we did clinical studies on these products to begin with to make sure that they actually will deliver results. So I'm seeing that. And then other vitamin C testers folks who've tested other people's products over the last couple of years. And absolutely, we've just been so excited to see how they're reacting to ours. I will say though, Katie Yeah, I mean it does, it does open their eyes. But on our product recommendations list, there are a few other vitamin C products out there that we do recommend as well from other brands and we Don't get any, you know, affiliate fees or anything. So you fully shoppable go check it out. Thanks. That's good. Yeah, that's good.

Amy: 20:09

All right. The transparency. Yeah. Right. Yes.

Katie: 20:11

Genius. So and then the company also focuses there's a focus very much on full of versus free of, and thus, I couldn't really greatly appreciate because so much now you it's all about clean beauties free of the parabens, this and that, and this and that. And that's very heavily advertised, which is great. Thank I mean, thank goodness for that. But exponent beauty is focusing on what you're full of, which I assume is just powerful punch of everything that we're buying the stuff on the first place, right.

Liz Whitman: 20:40

Yeah, exactly. So I mean, I explained the exponent standard, and the research hub, like our entire mission is just to educate consumers on and raise the standard for effective skincare. So free of the clean beauty movement. I am super, super supportive of that, obviously, we should expect that our products don't cause harm. It's just to me, that's only half the equation, right? The other side of that is great, okay, there's nothing harmful in here. But what's actually in here that I can expect benefit from, right? And how do we create some measurement around that? And when I look at the industry, there's just so many certifications of that stand for the absence of things free, that's free of that. And I just keep questioning why is there not a standard for, you know, efficacy, right? This is, what is clinical stinker. It's an ill defined term, right? Like, how are we measuring these benefits. And one of the big things that I get, you know, particularly frustrated on is the use of clinical results. So I mentioned that our products have been clinically tested a number of times, there's actually a really big difference between clinical testing, which uses instrumentation to measure actual benefits and consumer perception testing. And in our category, in both cases, that takes place in a lab setting. So brands can quote consumer perception testing as if it's a clinical results when it's not. Anyway, longer story, but part of the exponent standard is is sorting through those 500 products that I mentioned, calling it down to add to all a few those products have been properly clinically tested and to show benefit.

Katie: 22:21

Amazing. I want to know what your skincare routine is because you have gorgeous skincare skin rather, literally. So what do you do? Yeah,

Liz Whitman: 22:34

I do try to keep it relatively simple. I do not have a 10 step routine by any means. And I think fewer better products for everyone would be would be a nice move. So in the morning, I actually don't wash my face because I've washed my face at night and I use a micellar water and or toner I just like splash it on. So that's step one. Step two, I use one of our exponents serums typically I use calm revival in the morning because I have sensitive skin and a bit of rosacea. And then I put on an SPF on top. And everyone should be wearing SPF every day. I don't care if you're only outside for five minutes, please please please.

Amy: 23:18

And if it's cloudy, that doesn't mean anything. Please.

Liz Whitman: 23:23

And then I put an SPF on top. And then at night I cleanse and I do we're you know some makeup light during the day and so definitely need an oil cleanser to kind of get it all off. At night at I use a different exponent serum. So co q 10. The firming filter one at night. And then I put a light moisturizer on top just because I like the feel and I kind of want to trap everything in. And then once a week I exfoliate. And I use a sort of grainy exfoliation. Yeah.

Amy: 23:57

Yeah, what SPF do you use?

Liz Whitman: 23:59

When I use questions? Yeah, so So my favorite brand is Elta. MD and so I use their SPF which is 46. And it's amazing product. I don't know if you're familiar with it. Every dermatologist friend and

Amy: 24:14

colleague that I have had a dermatologist on the show who recommended it. Yeah, it's amazing. And it's like the gold standard.

Liz Whitman: 24:22

Yeah, they have a clear one and they have a tinted one. And this is the craziest thing about the tinted one. So hard to get a universal tint and but like girlfriends of mine across the Fitzpatrick scale in terms of skin tone, we can all use it and it looks amazing. It's very light. And so particularly when I'm in a rush, I just put that on and it gives us a little bit of sort of not retouching effect. It's not like wearing foundation but just kind of smooths everything out.

Amy: 24:53

Right smooths everything out. Yeah. One of the other things I noticed on your website, which is really impressive is that you're a B Corp. which I know is really hard to get that certification. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about that? Because I think that's very important nowadays.

Liz Whitman: 25:08

Yeah, absolutely. So, um, benefit corporation, otherwise known as B Corp, and is a type of corporate status in the US where you have to actually go through a very rigorous certification process. And basically, they're looking to see if you meet the highest verified standards of environmental and social transparency and accountability in your business practices. That sounds very, very technical, I like to think of it as companies that really want to structure themselves around this concept of a triple bottom line, right. And so obviously, we're a for profit company. So we're thinking about making profits. So that's thing one, but we're also thinking about impact on planet and people. Right. And so that's, that's our triple bottom line focus, it took us about a year and a half. And to get B Corp certified, we were certified even prior to launch, which is somewhat unheard of, it was very important to me personally, I've done a lot of work with B corpse in the past. And so I knew that that was something that we wanted to do. And the way that we got verified is because our packaging has actually eliminated plastic waste. So we didn't talk about it. But the activator is fully refillable, or refills, cutting glass jars with aluminum caps, which are the only infinitely recyclable materials out there. And the activator itself is a system that gets reused again and again. So I am super, super proud of this. And I think what I was kind of surprised about to be honest, is I knew it was important to us and to me to do this the right way. And I didn't know how much it would resonate with consumers, right. And I'm not sure if we're like really voting with our wallets on sustainability in the beauty category at this point. And it's been really wonderful to see how people have glommed on to it, how they're respecting it, how they're commenting on it bodes well for all of us and for the for the future of the planet as well.

Amy: 27:10

Yeah, it's definitely, I think, especially to the younger generation, they're very aware what I've seen very aware of companies that are in this space, truly, and it does make a difference to them, which I love. And there is so much waste and beauty. So congratulations on that. It's really good to see. Thank you.

Katie: 27:31

Now, you're also a mentor and an investor in a lot of like young startups in the beauty space, which that has to be exciting. What are some? Are you seeing a lot of very, like innovative products and cutting edge things that are, you know, on the horizon that we should get excited about?

Liz Whitman: 27:49

Yeah, I love being an investor in the space, I do seed stage investing as part of X Factor ventures, and we're small seed fund focused on female founded businesses. And I do look at a lot of consumer and naturally a lot of beauty. And, and there are there are some very exciting things happening. I think, you know, first and foremost, folks are thinking about creating brands and product lines for specific consumer groups, and particularly underserved consumer groups and making sure that we're having a much more personalized kind of consumer and brand match. And I think that's really, really exciting, particularly in the realm of color cosmetics, making sure that we have, you know, a range of tones to suit every person's needs, and I think is critical. And we're seeing some really interesting things happening in the clinical skincare space in terms of biotech, starting to spin out new technologies, and for again, benefits in skincare, which of course, I'm excited about that part of the skincare world. And then we're seeing some really cool new innovations on the packaging front as well. So similar to my my enthusiasm for my own B Corp status. And there are some really interesting sustainable packaging companies that are coming out to really help the beauty industry start to clean up its act. It's really hard, you can't find stock packaging that's like actually sustainable. And so new materials innovations happening and playing with, you know, sort of soy based bamboo based kind of materials that could actually be used in our category. And I'm obviously personally really excited about that. Because if that comes out, and it's really like accessible and inexpensive. I think more and more brands will obviously choose to do the right thing. Yeah,

Amy: 29:42

that's great. Well, two questions. Firstly, I mean, it sounds like you know, you just launched in the brands doing well tell us about how their response has been and like how the ramp up has been, what you're seeing so far and then also what advice you have for female entrepreneurs listening to this that are just getting started and For example, when I create a product, yeah,

Liz Whitman: 30:02

yeah, absolutely. And the launch has gone super well, I'm so thrilled. And we've kind of exceeded our expectations. And I think some of the things that I started to kind of nod to earlier that surprised me, but in a good way, like I said, the sustainable messaging and seems to be resonating. It never really was something we didn't do it as like a marketing ploy. Right? We did it because we just wanted to do it. Right, it actually means something to you, which is Yeah, and the fact that it means something other people too, is just really, really awesome to see. And I think the other thing I've been surprised but pleasantly surprised about and is folks understanding this idea that it's a system, right and that it's got this mix and match capability. And because like I said, with my skincare routine, I tried to keep it to fewer better things. And so there's real value if people know that they can actually tailor their aim and their PM. And it's kind of like having three products in one, right, you've got the hydrator and then your two actives. And that's been really, really awesome, too. And then finally, we've gotten a lot of interest from dermatologists, Esthetician ones, and retailers and pretty early on, which is very cool. So that kind of opens up new, a new lens for how we want to think about growth and down the road. And advice for female entrepreneurs, I get asked this question, a decent man, this is now my third startup. So that makes me a masochist. But that's something we can talk about over grade one. So I've done this a number of times. And you know, one thing I would say is just like, make sure that you are really committed to wanting to do this for a decade, right. And it is not as glamorous as sometimes the press makes it seem there. It's a lot of hard work. I mean, the two of you know that, right? And, and and it's really got to make sense for you, as a personality, in terms of your lifestyle, and everything else. In terms of vetting an idea. My advice always is like, the best businesses are solutions to extremely acute problems, right? They're not nice to have, I would really think of it that way. Like your solution needs to be a painkiller, not a vitamin, right? And if that is true, then I mean, you know, world's your oyster, it means you're actually solving a real pain point for people. And then the third thing I would say, and this is hard, right? And is really, really make like friends and family and colleagues and network connections, feel very comfortable giving you real feedback on your idea, right? Like, go out of your way, like read up on consumer focus groups, and how to run them and how to ask questions without leading the witness, create an environment where you're like, tell me all the reasons why I shouldn't do this. Like that's a different way to phrase it, right? Because otherwise you end up in kind of an echo chamber, right? Where everyone's like, Oh, that's a great idea. No one wants to hurt your feelings. It's your baby, you know, and but you're just not gonna get better if you're not open to that.

Amy: 33:17

Yeah, so that's, that's great advice.

Katie: 33:19

All of it is yeah, I the product piece of filling a hole if it's a painkiller, not a vitamin is really like such a genius way to think about it. Because fixing a pain for some, that's what's going to really explode. Right is when it's really, really, really needed. So that's all such great advice. Thank you.

Amy: 33:43

So tell us how to find exponent beauty. Is it? I know you mentioned you're looking at retail and all these other areas? Is it? Is it just online? Is it? What's the what's the plan? Yep,

Liz Whitman: 33:54

right now, we are just online at exponent beauty.com. And so you can find the full line of five serums there. And in our research section on site is where you can find our product recommendations list for the exponent standard if you're looking to fill out your routine, so I would encourage you to check that out too. And then as I mentioned, of course, looking at the professional channel, so dermatologists esthetician offices, so we may be there sooner than you expect. So if you have your favorite you can ask them about us and see if we're there and and reach out down the road but for now, exponent beauty.com

Amy: 34:34

Also, I cannot wait to try it.

Katie: 34:36

Yeah, and your website has great how to like you know when to use retinol, what time of day and things like that. It's a really useful tool, the website in addition to have all of your amazing products so we are super excited.

Liz Whitman: 34:51

Yeah, I mean, again, for me my motivation obviously first and foremost is just to help people find effective skincare right at Otherwise, why would we publish all of this useful information, all of these product recommendations list and, you know, I hope a fraction of folks will fall in love with us too, but and our product line. So yeah, please do use it as a resource. And that's what we're there for. You can also always contact our customer delight team. Believe it or not, sometimes I get in there on some of the gnarly ingredients, questions and product recommendations questions. We're always happy to do a consult as well.

Amy: 35:27

That's great to know. Okay, we're gonna get into our rap session, which is a star quick hit questions. Don't think about I'm just answer ready. Here's the first one. What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

Liz Whitman: 35:39

Drinking water.

Amy: 35:43

Good one.

Katie: 35:45

And accessible to all.

Amy: 35:47

Exactly. Very important. That's great. Okay, the next one we call our five minute flower. So you just got out of the shower and dried off. Uber just alerted you. They're five minutes away. So what is your quick beauty routine? Like what do you put on what are your go to Holy Grails to get in the car and get out the door? And I know you talked about your skincare a little bit. But if you're you know, going out for the night, let's say what's your what's your quick get ready routine?

Liz Whitman: 36:12

Oh, you changed it up. But that nighttime question now I'm like trying to think about

Amy: 36:17

it. Or let's say a daytime brunch.

Liz Whitman: 36:21

Yeah, okay, daytime brunch. Alright, I jumped out of the shower, I put my hair in a microfiber towel, which dries it really really fast. While I put on my serum, and then my Elta tinted SPF, I don't have time to put on anything else. So that's just going to be my coverage. I would try to get some mascara in there if I could. And based on the timing to run out the door, hair dry brush brush, and then in sort of a top bun, which I'm going to hope is going to dry on its way to the brunch, and then I will let it out. Lived in and organic waves.

Katie: 37:00

Love it. Perfect. Alright, and the last one we want to know is how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

Liz Whitman: 37:09

You know, I think I need to get better at maintaining my daily nirvana. It's like a conscious practice to make sure that I'm trying to take stock of kind of what went well, what can I improve on? What am I grateful for? And and I don't do it every day, and I should. And I really admire people who do

Amy: 37:30

it. Yeah, it's definitely hard, especially, you know, busy entrepreneur or running, you know, launching a brand, I'm sure. But yes, we always, we always try to just tell people take a step back for five minutes and breathe. You know, it's just something to like, make sure you're not burning out. We actually just did an episode a couple weeks ago, that launched about the vagus nerve and keeping within the window of your vagal tone. So every ever since I heard that I was like, gotta make sure you're in that window or else you burn out. But that's great. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. So we will end with our mantra which we'd like to do at the end of every show to set the tone and say goodbye to our listeners. Katie, what do you have for us?

Katie: 38:12

So this week, and just to reiterate, I've said this recently, some are mantras, some are reminders, some are just little affirmations. This one is difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. And I think oh, what it sounds like Liz your road to creating excellent beauty has not been an easy one. And you guys have rocked it and the brand is here and we are so excited praise. Thank you for being with us today.

Liz Whitman: 38:40

Thank you for that. That's really wonderful. I'm going to take that one with me and repeat it at the end of the day. That'll be my first attempt at practicing my daily nirvana. So thank you. Thank you.

Amy: 38:55

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 57 - Product Junkies June Edition With Celebrity Makeup Artist, Lauren Miller (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 57 - Product Junkies June Edition With Celebrity Makeup Artist, Lauren Miller

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and I'm so excited for today's June product junkies episode. We have special guests celebrity makeup artists, Lauren Miller. And for those that don't know her, she did episode 14 with us called inner confidence and outward glow. So definitely check that out when you get a chance. But she is back to give us all of her product records for the summer. Super excited to hear what you have. Lauren, welcome back to the show.

Lauren: 0:52

Thank you, Amy. I'm so happy to be here. As everyone has noticed, the weather is kind of changing. And I feel like it's time to reevaluate, you know, my kit and my makeup and my my client's makeup. So I just obviously always have I have new pics and fun products but I definitely was like focused on skin this time around. I mean, I really feel like lightening up the makeup. You know, just allowing the skin to breathe when it's warm out and humid is the way to go.

Amy: 1:25

So give us your first record Lauren.

Lauren: 1:28

Okay, so my first recommendation is this is what it looks like. It's called hydropeptide solar defense tinted sunscreen. I love the texture of this. It's a it's a completely physical hair job to hold it up. It's a completely physical sunscreen, so there's no chemicals in it. But I absolutely love it. It color adjusts. So it's a neutral like white. It's you know, it comes on the skin, I'll show you it's on the skin. It's like a I have for those who aren't watching, just are listening. It's like a white. It's a white satin screen. But as you blend it into the skin and as it warms up it kind of salt. It adjusts to the color of your skin and it's so interesting. What I love about it is not just that it gives a great glow. But you know, if you look at the ingredients, I mean there's just there's us ie green tea, aloe, hyaluronic acid, so if we're in the sun, it's just a really soothing, and like nourishing sunscreen. It smells amazing. And it just gives it just gives the prettiest glow. I love it but it doesn't feel oily.

Amy: 2:40

So is it really is it a sunscreen? Or is it a moisturizer? Like was it a moisturizer with SPF or justice? Nice

Lauren: 2:47

riser.

Amy: 2:48

Okay, that's what I did a new one.

Lauren: 2:50

Yeah, it's great. I like I like the fact that this you know, can go on every skin tone. And I also like that you can reapply and it doesn't feel heavy and it hasn't broken me out. So that's a huge, that's a huge thing. So I love this, this is my first pick the brand and this I should tell you this came from a facialist a local facialist but I believe it's hydropeptide.com

Amy: 3:16

you can get it there. Okay, so you can buy it online. Awesome. And how much is that?

Lauren: 3:21

I believe it's like 49 Okay,

Amy: 3:24

great. And let me ask you a question just about how you apply that do you just put on all your skincare first and then apply that last and then put your makeup on from there?

Lauren: 3:34

So it depends on what you're doing. If it's an active day, you can do a serum and then just use this as your as your moisturizer a lot of people are going to find they streamline their makeup routine come summer so this would be a perfect it really does it gives a lot of hydration so sometimes I just put a serum on and then I this is like my moisturizer slash primer. I can add makeup on top if I want. You don't you don't have

Amy: 3:57

to. Okay, that's good to know because it Yes, I feel like I've been experimenting lately with like different serums instead of moisturizer in the summer because it's getting warmer. Okay. So as we're talking about the sun, I found a really good I'm always on the hunt for good self tanner. Because I am like the palest person ever. So I randomly found the self tanner. It's called be tan like be dot tan. And there's all these different versions like depending on how dark you want to be, but this one's called which I think is hilarious. pasty to Tasty. Okay. And it says it's juiced up with niacin amide and peptides. So, and this one is like two out of five on the dark scale. It says mega hydrating tanning treatment for more strides smoother skin and darker tan results. So I think I found it on Amazon just like randomly searching. It's really good I normally don't like it's a moose formula. So when you spray it you know you spray it on the tin glove and put it on. It's a moose formula super easy to put on takes like two seconds and it doesn't dry out my skin it's not streaky. It's really good color. I'm wearing it out and if you can see it my arms but it's yeah your

Lauren: 5:10

color your color. I was gonna say you look you have a good glow.

Amy: 5:14

Yeah, and it's an it's from this. It's so easy. I haven't streaked. It doesn't smell because I'm super sensitive to smell, it doesn't smell and it hasn't transferred to any clothes and it dries super quickly. So it's kind of like an amazing product. And it's also vegan and cruelty free. So they have all different ones like I saw online, they have one called Dark AF. So all the names are just super funny. And I love a brand with a good personality. So anyway, this one btn PC to tasty. I found it on Amazon at $17. I'm already like going through this bottle so quickly. But it's a really good one to order whenever I haven't used it on my face because I don't know I'm a little bit weird about that. But I have been using it on my arms and legs and you really have to apply like once or twice a week depending on how tan you want to be. But it's it's great. I really love it.

Lauren: 6:00

I will give you a tip on face. self tanner for the face. As long as you I would skip any kind of vitamin C or any serum any any treatment. You if you want to apply self tanner to the face. You You can either mix it with your regular moisturizer, or just apply a really good coat like exfoliate your skin. Apply a really good coat of moisturizer and then put your tanning product on.

Amy: 6:23

So you would just use like a mousse like this, but just put a little bit on over and

Lauren: 6:28

like if you didn't want to have to buy another product then you could do Yeah, they're my personal favorite for face self tanning is little drops. You can drop it in. Yeah, I have that. Those are great.

Amy: 6:39

What brand do you have?

Lauren: 6:42

Hmm, that's a good question. I have to look in my medicine. Yeah,

Amy: 6:45

I have. There's two that I've tried. There's one called isle of paradise, which I've been using for years that are dropped that I like and then there's another one called I think it's tan locks. They're both really good. Like that's what I Yeah, yeah, it's really good. So I it's funny because I use that a lot during the winter because it's more of like that buildable situation which is good for your face. So it's not so drastic. So I like kind of use that in the winter for my arms and legs and whatever and just like gradually get a tan but this one's like as soon as you put it on your tan, which is good for the summer. Okay, what's next Lauren, what else you got for us?

Lauren: 7:22

Okay, so my next product is such a good multi use product. I I discovered this actually like a month ago. It's called it's by Westman, ads Lea, and Gucci Westman. If anyone you know, has heard of her. She's a famous makeup artist. She's I've actually never met her. But I absolutely have been following her for years and love her technique. And this is a I'll tell you the official name of it. It is called lit up highlight stick. Hmm. And it has a cute little magnetic top it is the most beautiful highlighter. It has a really Dewey quality to it. So I I mean, let's face it, we're all getting a little bit older and a dry you know, I used to use a powder highlighter that was like my go to same particularly, particularly in the summer, when either you're going to be in the heat or you're going to want to touch up a creamy product is always so easy and I think preferable to use. So this is the most gorgeous if you can apply to the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the cupid's bow on the chin, but it's just it's really sheer, it doesn't have a ton of glimmer to it. It's just enough so it's like that golden sunkissed look, and I absolutely love the texture. So it's a stick man.

Amy: 8:51

It's like a cream,

Lauren: 8:52

it's a stick. Okay,

Amy: 8:54

and when you let me ask you a question, how do you apply that because I have a few highlighters that are sticks, but I probably do it wrong and I find them like tacky because I put them right to my face. So how what's like the best way to apply it?

Lauren: 9:06

Yes. Okay, so you certainly you could apply it to the face but it will give you that very thick feeling what I like to do is I just sweep the stick across like my three fingers or two fingers and then I just kind of tap it into the skin and just keep moving my my fingers around and just keep tapping and sort of melting it into the skin. When you apply product and you take it out of its it stick it helps to break it down and break down some of the oils and get get it a little bit more shear. So I always like to take and that goes for concealers as well. Stick concealers I sometimes cry I see if I'm doing a makeup lesson I see someone say this is how I do my concealer and they take it and it's like right under there. Yeah, yeah. While that can certainly give you a very good color pay off, you need to be really hydrated and really blend it out. So in terms of highlighters, yeah, it's best to use it apply with the fingertips, you can kind of move it around and just remember creamy products are forgiving you know you can blend them into the skin a little bit they're a little bit more forgiving in terms of texture but if you go straight to the face you're gonna get a lot of pay off too much I

Amy: 10:22

want to try that it looks so pretty what and where can you get it? Is it

Lauren: 10:26

this where do they sell this? You can order Well, I got I picked this up when I was in New York, but you can certainly I believe you can get it at Sephora, or multiple. Oh, this color is actually called nectar. There's a few connectors when it's factor. Yeah. I should find out.

Amy: 10:49

Yeah, no worries. I just didn't know if it was like if they sold it at Sephora or if it's just direct through the website.

Lauren: 10:56

I believe you can do direct or I think Bergdorf Goodman like any of the department stores. This is definitely a splurge product but I think it's really worth it and these sticks last a really long

Amy: 11:08

I was just gonna say that looks like it's a good amount like that could last like years. It looks like it's really sick.

Lauren: 11:14

Her products are clean. They don't have a ton of they have don't have parabens, they are cruelty free. It's important that it be clean. I know it's something that I I never thought about before but I started

Amy: 11:27

started. Yeah, that's great. So speaking of highlighter, my next reco is this Fenty beauty highlighter. This is a powder highlighter, it's called the kilowatt freestyle highlighter. I don't know if you know this one, Lauren, this particular color is lightning dust and fire crystal. It's like a combo here. Let me just show you I'm sure you've seen it, but so pretty. So I just started using this and I agree I kind of like a cream highlighter, but I always to the point I was just making like I don't always apply it right. And so I've tried liquid too. And I like that I have all different kinds of highlighter depends on like the mood and the vibe. But this one, I probably use to your point like more at night, not necessarily during the day with the powder. But this one I actually use more for my eyes. So I'll do it like at the top of my eyes, like right underneath my eyebrows and I'll do it in the inner corners. And I find that it just brightens the eye a little bit so I don't I sometimes use it as a traditional highlighter but not as much because I feel like it's not that maybe it's like a little bit noticeable, but I think it's really noticeable when you do it around your eyes. So it's just such a pretty highlighter neutral colors. And again, Fenty beauty, Sephora, and this one is $38 It's such a good one and lasts a really long time.

Lauren: 12:42

Yeah, that's a great product.

Amy: 12:44

What's next?

Lauren: 12:45

Okay, so we'll go on this is something that I have been struggling with. And I don't know if you get dry eyes or you know, have a problem with like makeup residue, I discovered and I know we've spoken about Kodaly as a really great skincare line. I found their toner, their new rose water toner, it's actually safe for face and eyes. And so once I do, I actually double cleanse and then I use that toner, and particularly in the summer because I actually use an SPF eye cream. And I use a lot of SPF just everywhere and I feel like nothing ever fully comes off. And so I use that toner I have been a huge fan of that toner because I can put it on my eyes and lips as well. And do

Amy: 13:31

you put it on like after you clean your face at night or use in the morning to

Lauren: 13:36

know at night. I like it at night I use it with a cotton. It I just it really cleans the skin and pulls off every trace of makeup. So that's something I've been super excited about using because and also I've noticed that like because of allergies, my eyes have been really dry and it's really soothing. And it's hard to get that area right around the eye that's dry it's hard to like moisturize it but that's something that it just gives like a little bit of moisture but but it's safe around the eye area. So that's a really good product.

Amy: 14:08

And do you see you double cleanse and then you just spray that all over and like you can keep your eyes open and

Lauren: 14:13

well it's actually it's like a regular toner liquid so you would put it on a cotton and just close your eyes and use it everywhere.

Amy: 14:20

Oh, okay, I'm thinking it's one of those sprays.

Lauren: 14:23

Yeah, yeah, it's okay but it's it's very rare to find something that's safe for the eye area.

Amy: 14:29

Yeah.

Lauren: 14:30

Okay, that's it that's that's a great one.

Amy: 14:33

And say the name again it's called a rose toner.

Lauren: 14:37

It is a the moisturizing toner. Moisturizing water.

Amy: 14:41

Okay, love that good to know. Yes. My I've been noticing that too that my eyes and like the inner corners of my eyes like everything's so dry from this weather. I mean, I have drives too. But yeah, this time of year. I feel like I'm so dry. Okay, so if we're still talking about eyes, then I will talk about I guess I'll kind of do a two and I'll do I'll do a three in one because they all kind of go together. So I've been for those that follow us on Instagram like testing out many concealers because I'm always on the hunt Lauren knows for like a good concealer. So I've tried a bazillion and then I'm realizing that now because I watched so much of like beauty talk and all this stuff that like a lot of people do different concealers depending on where they're going or what they're doing or like whatever So anyway, this is one that I posted recently about which was like blowing up I think it was on Tik Tok the Milani super supercharged brightening under eye tint and this one's in peach. And it's $10 I think you can get it at Ulta or wherever. And honestly this is great. It's almost like it's a concealer but talking about moisturizing the eyes it's very very moisturizing so it's almost like skincare, that's a concealer but what it does since it's peach, it kind of takes out like the darkness and any red or dark you have under your eyes. So like I used it today. I mean it just sort of like evens everything out and then like if I was going out maybe I'd put like a brighter concealer with it. But it's just a really nice under I 10 I mean it's $10 and like the bottle is nice and big and it lasts a long time. But it just feels really good. So it's almost this like, I feel like I mean they call it an under eye tint they don't really call it a concealer because I feel like it's like a skin slash concealer situation. So I love it. So I've been using this a lot like on an everyday it's kind of like a good everyday throw on concealer. And what I'll say and Lauren knows I love this brand. We've talked about it a lot. I use the ENISA it's just the ENISA concealer brush which is going into my holy grail territory because this is literally the best brush for concealer i finds I mean I use like a beauty blender to do my face and stuff and sometimes they use it under my eyes but I find that this is so much better. It like doesn't stray you just like it gets right into that corner and all the way around and it's just like so soft. It feels so good and it never gives you those like bumps or creases it just like really smooths out your eyes. So this is like literally my favorite concealer brush and

Lauren: 17:20

it's three of these are my kit. I do yeah,

Amy: 17:24

they're so right. It's like the perfect size. It just hits the right area. Yeah that's so funny you have that go ahead that

Lauren: 17:32

nice that makes such a it's such a well made brush it's it's really dense and it doesn't it doesn't fall apart.

Amy: 17:40

It doesn't it's such good qualities such a good such a good products and then rounding out my eye series. I have this which I think I got this in like for free when I ordered something with Sephora like a long time ago. It's the Sephora color colorful crayon contour. It's just like a it's like a waterproof eyeliner. I guess that you put it's just it's white or white ish. I guess I don't know what color this is actually it just says contour eyepencil 12 hour aware. I think this color is I'm just looking to see oh it's called Blonde Ambition. And I just put it in the water lines that was called was yeah, I just put it right there. And it really brightens my eye. So between doing the concealer, this and a little highlighter my whole eyes brightened because I find that like if I do a liner under my eye or like eyeshadow on on my eye can like make your eye look smaller but this just kind of like gives a pop and I love it and I remember Lauren we were talking about this once and you said that you also have like a nude eyeliner like this that works nicely. So I don't know that's a little trick I've been using lately which I just feel like makes my eyes look alive. And that's I don't know how much it is but I got it I literally feel like for free at Sephora but I'm sure they they have them and sell them and they're not expensive.

Lauren: 19:05

I loved I always loved the freebies. There. I know they tend to I oftentimes that's how I discover new products because you know, they definitely give them out like strategically because they are they handpick those products that they give out the white eyeliner to extend the whites of the eyes or a good nude. Usually like on a darker skin tone. I say do like a peach or a nude pencil or just if you want a more subtle look but I love that trick. That's such a great trick. I want to talk about contouring and bronzing for the summer. Yes, as much as I love and I know I've mentioned in the past some great powder bronzers moving to again like a cream form. And I feel like even people who have oily skin can benefit from using a creamy bronzer. I believe this product is oil free but it's the Soft sculpting stick from Mario makeup by Mario. And he has several shades. If, if anybody knows Mario, he is like a long time. He's he's been in the makeup world for a long time with Kim Kardashian and various other celebs. But he has a flawless technique. And he finally came out with these, this makeup brand. And I just love the soft sculpting stick. It's like it's almost like this, it's actually in my kit upstairs. I should, I should bring it down. But it is that he has the most beautiful colors and you can again do soft contouring more you can go in and blend it on if you go onto the high points of the face to give a little bit of color like a bronzer. So it's just an easy you know, I like to use it on the perimeter of the face you can do under the nose, or on the bridge of the nose on the sides to narrow it's just it's it's Think about it like your contour but it just has the most beautiful texture. It's so blendable and again, if you are running out the door or if you're just want a really natural look for summer and for hotter, you know, warmer weather. It's a great product. I love it.

Amy: 21:14

And what do you apply it with? Do you play it with your hands or what kind of brush

Lauren: 21:18

fingertips or, or you can use any kind of synthetic brush I actually have to check because I have the blush sticks from him as well. And those have an abrasion on the end. It's like one end is product and one. But you know, I didn't even open it up to see it may have a brush.

Amy: 21:37

Yeah, because sometimes I find when I'm using those kinds of products, obviously I'm not a makeup artist and I don't really know how to do it well but it's like the brush is so important. Like is it like do you use like a tighter I don't know what it's called

Lauren: 21:51

like a tighter you wanting or like you want it tightly packed tight. Now you right either angled or flat, tightly packed flat brush that you can go in and you can draw, you know, draw your contour, you want to feel your cheekbone go right underneath. You can go on the jaw line, a little bit on the tip of the nose. And essentially, wherever you would want to contour your face, you know the perimeter of the face. Yeah, anywhere where you want to warm up warm up the color.

Amy: 22:25

But I n would you also use that. Sorry, would you also use that as just like, a bronzer to like you just wanted to put it on your cheeks.

Lauren: 22:33

That's what I love about it. It's really the colors are so beautiful that you could kind of skip a bronzer and just use that just use a little more generously.

Amy: 22:41

Okay, and does that come in different? shades? Yes,

Lauren: 22:45

it comes in all different shades. I love that it's for every skin tone. And he has nailed the colors because a lot of these broads or sticks are very orange. The have a little bit more of a bricky like just they're muted, so they don't read orange like they don't they're just beautiful tones. So check those out. You can get those at Sephora.

Amy: 23:07

Yes, I love makeup by Mara a few of his products and they're just gorgeous. I mean the the quality is really, really great. I've been actually testing out speaking of bronzer as the say, I think it's a beauty bronzer. I forgot exactly what it's called, but I ordered the wrong shade. And so it's too like dark. So I need to go in and exchange it for a lighter shade. But yeah, I'm always experimenting. So that's good. I'm going to try that one for sure. So speaking of browsers, and lightning and making the face look dewy and lovely. My last product recommendation is the drunk elephant. It's called de bronzey anti pollution sunshine drops. And if you know of these comes in this little never use

Lauren: 23:56

them but I've heard of them and they look really interesting.

Amy: 24:00

So I had seen this online and I'd been wanting to try it and it's great. So I just put like a little bit I guess you could do it without moisturizer for I just mix it in with my moisturizer and like just a little dot and it just gives the face like a really nice glow Abrons like if you don't want to do self tanner on your face that day or whatever it's just like an instant. Pick me up bronze I love it make sure your face look really healthy and glowy and again just for like the summer running out through our moisturizer on with this and an SPF and like little concealer you're good to go. So this is a great product. It's drunk elephants. Sunshine drops $36 Sephora, and I actually just saw recently that they came out with another version of this and it's like, more like blush color like a like a rose color. So it's almost like a pinkish so maybe it's more of like a blush situation. So I want to try that too. Anyway, really good product and I don't have a lot of drunk elephant products but this one is great and it goes a long way. It's a small bottle but you just need a little a little bit

Lauren: 24:59

more Yeah, they have beautiful products. I feel like we're out of clean beauty kick today.

Amy: 25:05

i We are well there's so many good ones now.

Lauren: 25:08

So I know we haven't talked about lips my absolute favorite I just tried and I love I've now purchased all of them for my kit is Ilia beauty philia balmy gloss tinted lip boil. Oh, it is so beautiful. They're I think they're like six colors. I love the I'll tell you because I wrote down the neutral nude, and Linga which is like a berry mob. They are. And they have a little bit of lip plumping in them. But they're all I love that girl. And I you know, especially I don't know, I just love I love lip oils. I'm like really into lip oils. They are the one

Amy: 25:50

who initially told us about lip oils because I never heard of it until your honor episode and then ever since I've had I've gotten like, I think the Mac one or the Nars one that you suggested and now there's another one to try. Love it.

Lauren: 26:05

Yeah, so I'm glad that yeah, I forgot I mentioned that last time. But this one is Yeah, Ilya Yeah, I mean, I think you can find it at any Yeah, maybe

Amy: 26:15

four Yeah. And they come You said there's six different colors and you have them all.

Lauren: 26:21

Yeah, I have all of them there they have like a coral a pink a bright pink. I mean they're all different colors. I just love the there's just enough color but there are so nourishing and I love the plumping factor and personally with lip products now I'm getting really excited about using natural products because that's something obviously that's right by our mouth like we yeah you know we had sweet we like our lips we have we have it you know it gets inside our bodies so I really love to go clean with blood products so that's a that's a and

Amy: 26:54

is it just like a shear or is the color like

Lauren: 26:58

it's very sheer pigment but there are there are a couple of bright colors I mean there's you'll definitely see color on the lips especially with the bright pink are the coral but I just love it gives a really pretty hydrated and like glossy look without being sticky or yeah it's just super natural it's It goes well with any of these products that like give you that really soft kind of effortless look.

Amy: 27:20

Yeah, for so good summer. So good. And can you feel any of the plumping in hell sometimes with this plumping lip lip glosses, you can feel it like I mean, I liked the feeling but you know that feeling where it's like Monday or whatever

Lauren: 27:34

it does have I think it does have a little bit of like minty this but it's not a burning or singing.

Amy: 27:39

Yes. Okay. I love that. Well, we have done a full face and I feel like these are such good products when we've done biotics we talked about self tanner too but like these are really good products going into the summer. So hopefully this was helpful for everyone in our June product junkies what we're loving what we're loving lately episode. Thank you so much, Lauren, for sharing all of your recommendations. You always have the best ones every time. Every time I talk to you I'm like okay, I need to go get this I need to go get this but you always kind of master that like no makeup makeup like neutral, beautiful glowy look so thank you so much for being on the show and giving us some good summer recommendations to try.

Lauren: 28:19

Thank you so much for having me and I feel like I need to go out to the store. I like your recommendations too.

Amy: 28:24

Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 49 - Product Junkies - April Edition (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 49 Product Junkies - April Edition.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:29

Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. So Amy and Katie here and we have a special episode we are starting to introduce something called our hashtag product junkie sessions. And this is the first one this was based on a lot of feedback from you all saying that you love to hear other product reviews at the end and the different things we talked about there. And so we're doing a bit of a we're gonna do a quick quick flash round of a bunch of products that Katie and I have been loving lately. If this is something that you like, we'll continue to do it monthly. Katie and I are always trying out different products. I want to make sure that we're bringing you kind of like the goods and the bads of all the things starting with a quick round I'm going to I'm going to send it to Katie to give us her first product reco of this episode.

Katie: 1:15

All right, this is great. I'm super excited because I have some products that I'm like obsessed with the first one here the first one all right, I was looking at pictures of myself from years ago and I was thinking why does my skin look like that? It was really like really clear my pores are really small gonna have a pore on my face and I was I just couldn't understand what had changed. And then I remembered I had this product that I was obsessed with back then and for whatever reason it just fell out of rotation and I totally forgot about it. So here she is again, or the company rather good old Sunday Riley I don't know how many times I've talked about them I'm upside I do love Sunday Riley Yeah, love it's there Martian mattifying melting water gel toner and interesting gives your skin this really nice matte look. And it also really legitimately minimizes your pores so your face just looks I know it's like the smoothest and my skins ever looked and I don't know why I stopped using it I have no clue maybe I like couldn't find it one day and I was too lazy to order it online and then forgot about it. But as soon as within probably a week of using it it my skin game was

Amy: 2:30

back on like it okay so it's Sunday Riley and what's it called Martian

Katie: 2:34

Martian mattifying melting water gel toner.

Amy: 2:39

And is it in the morning or at night

Katie: 2:41

I use it in the morning I use it during the day for like how I want my skin to look during the day and it says it's for oily to blemish prone skin which lately mine really has been in this is helping instantly transforms from a cooling gel to a water toner as a clarifies removes oil and tightens the appearance of pores for clearer cleaner skin. And let me tell you, it delivers. It really does.

Amy: 3:05

I need to try it. I'm

Katie: 3:06

as much as that it's $25 and they have it that's it. Yeah,

Amy: 3:11

that's very reasonable for Sunday. Riley it is.

Katie: 3:14

But also I should note this is for 1.7 ounces. It's a pretty small thing. But if you're only using a little like dime size once a day dime size does that it's all you need. Okay, and yeah, and they have other things in this like Martian family that I haven't tried yet. But yeah, um, I like this will never go out of rotation again in my life.

Amy: 3:39

That sounds great. It's funny, my friend Erica. I was talking to her about products the other day and she said she got a product similar to that by Clinique that minimizes pores I don't know if it was a toner or a CRM or something but interesting, I will have to try that. Okay, next product let's give each other and this week take a picture. Take a picture of this one because it's a fun bottle, we'll edit the sound texture spray. So first of all, the packaging is so cute. I love it. It's so colorful. But this is actually like a really good spray if it's like second day or third day or whatever and you just want to like judge up your hair and give it some volume and texture This is great. So my hairstylist Teresa shout out introduced me to this not this brand but this specific spray she had introduced me to another spray years ago from aura bay that I still use, which is good but I actually like this one better. It's just a little bit more texture II so whenever I use it, it adds like volume in it's great. I think I might have used a little bit today but it's it's great. So it's a mica undone volume and matte texture spray $27 You can find it on Amazon probably Sephora, etc, etc. So good little hair hack,

Katie: 4:47

do you so do you use it on like clean just dried hair or do you use it like a couple days later? Like a dry like a dry shampoo?

Amy: 4:58

I think you can do both. I think it works better on dry hair I'm looking at the directions and it says dry finishing spray builds instant fullness and matte texture for perfectly. How do you say this word to us led Taos Walsall. Okay, for perfect not editing

Katie: 5:18

that out.

Amy: 5:21

I can't say the word Telcel high volume hair, use it shake spray in sections all over dry styled hair tarsal is so you I use it like you could use it after you blow out your hair. I've done that too. Like I've blown out my hair and then just use it to like judge it up. And then I'll use it like day to day three, whatever. So you could use it anytime. But you do use it on dry hair. Yeah, I mean, it's almost like a dry shampoo or conditioner but more of a texturizer

Katie: 5:46

right. So when I wash my hair, I let it air dry and then it doesn't get that good texture for like a day or two. So that would be a way to do that. Because I had never washed my hair the same day. I have an event for that reason. I need something like that. Yeah,

Amy: 6:00

I always do second day hair too. I find it always looks better the second day, but this definitely helps with that. It just like pulls that texture out. Yeah. Okay, what do we got next?

Katie: 6:07

All right, well, speaking of hey, this. So lately I've been getting a lot of compliments on my hair, you wouldn't be able to tell right now my roots are so grown out. But this actually fixes that problem. I like I just said I washed my hair and then I have super thick hair as Do you. So really I wash it like once or twice a week max otherwise it gets dried out. So the way that I keep it going and fresh is with dry shampoo. And I've tried a billion different brands. And this is my new fav This is a super cheap drugstore. Find. It's Batista. I use their Oh yeah, they're brilliant blonde. Which is great, because when my dark roots come in, it actually like hides my roots. So the great thing about it is that obviously I can stretch the washes and but it also it also gives me volume. And like covers up the roots and makes it really fresh and great. Yeah, I mean, I'll show you right now.

Amy: 7:03

Wait, is it sorry, did you say it was a dry shampoo?

Katie: 7:05

It's the Batista dry shampoo blonde blends smells like our color tracks. Yeah, look, watch.

Amy: 7:12

Okay, cool. Demonstrating

Katie: 7:16

look like I mean, I mean, like blended a bit, but no more. Wow. Isn't that wild?

Amy: 7:22

That's so cool. I need to get that ASAP. Yeah,

Katie: 7:25

I'm obsessed. And they have got like CVS, yes, CVS, you can get it literally at any drugstore. I feel like it's I mean, and let me see. It's $10 and then they How

Amy: 7:36

does it How does it wear? Like if you put it in your hair today? Like is it still in tomorrow? Is it like get weird and gross are

Katie: 7:43

wears really well. I'll put it in sometimes, like a couple times a day, I have to do it. And the only thing that I do notice is that when I do go to wash my hair, I really need to do like a double rents to clear up any just like product residue, you know, right? If it gets a little sticky or something. Yeah, but like, because it's dry shampoo. It keeps your hair going for a long time. Like I mean, I can get away with one wash a week with it. And then totally it's

Amy: 8:12

it frustrates me it's like playing double duty. It's like doing your roots plus it's a dry shampoo. And I don't I don't use dry shampoos that much because my hair like I could wash it once a week and it never gets oily but I do use a dry conditioner which I've mentioned before from dry bar which is really good. But I want to try that because I My roots are I feel like the older I get the more and more my I need to get my roots or like my highlights done more often. So that's a great one.

Katie: 8:36

Yeah. And they have like they have it in brown. They have it in different colors they have they also have dry conditioners, which I'd never heard of until I was on their site earlier. So I need to look into a dry conditioner, especially for metal anything could be really good for her. So yeah, there you go. Yeah,

Amy: 8:52

I love a dry conditioner. It's not it's just as a different feel than a dry shampoo. It's not as like thick. It's just a little bit more smoothing. Okay, so speaking of hair than and getting out all of the dry shampoo that makes your roots blonde. I have another products. This is a hair scalp massager. I've seen this. So I actually got this shout out to Taylor rose aka healthy who got who we had on our show because she's doing a lot of content lately about hair and using Rosemary which I started so I'll report back to to get the results on that. But on her site, she had a link out to this specific hair scalp massager I got on Amazon, it was $6.98 and it's great. I've never used something like this before. First of all, it's nice and big. So when you put it in your hand it has like a good feel and then you literally just like massage your hair with it. First of all, I love the massage part. It feels so good, so much better than just like washing your hair and like scrubbing with your fingers. And I do feel like it does a better job at cleaning my hair because I usually just do it so quickly and Ramona veers fingers through it, but this really like gets in there and I think it like stimulate your hair follicles. It's really good. So I just put shampoo on this now and then I wash my hair with it and use the conditioner with it too. It feels really good. It's a little little little Nirvana in your shower. So what's it called this product? It's called I'm sorry if I didn't mention it. It's called just the hair scalp hair scalp massage shampoo brush, by Mack soft scalp care brush. So we'll we'll provide all the links of all these products so you all can check it out. But great one

Katie: 10:28

nice. Okay, hair. All right, well, I'm going to pivot to skin back to where we started. Alright, Trader Joe's find supergene love it. It's always there. Their dermatologists formulated hydrating Hyaluronic body gel cream. Oh this is my new like everyday go to body lotion. And it's really it's really nice like it's definitely moisturizing and it leaves kind of a nice I don't know just like a cooling effect on your skin. It's not super heavy you know solutions you put on there like really thick and it feels like you got to rub them in and rubber man and rubber men right

Amy: 11:09

and then like you have to wait to put your clothes on because they get sticky exactly that

Katie: 11:13

this is not that it's nice and light and and it really is very hydrating. I mean it's like still winter where I live which is shocking. And my skin is really never dry because I'm using this so it's from Trader Joe's and it's only 699

Amy: 11:30

I love Trader Joe's so on we've been finding so many Trader Joe's products frankly like we I think we talked about the the eye cream and the rose spray. Yeah, they just randomly have like good products. Is that product thick or thin?

Katie: 11:41

It's kind of it's funny, it's like in between it's kind of hard to explain. Yeah, because it's a gel cream. A gel cream like that's fine like the little cooling Yeah, like it's I mean you can see it's on my finger right now. And it's looks like it's thin and I guess it kind of is but it's like it was clear. It's as hydrating as a healthy a heavy one would be Yeah, I love it.

Amy: 12:06

I definitely want to try that. Okay, so speaking of body lotions and oils I've been using this one for a while and I haven't talked about on the show. It's the OSA undara Algae body oil nice. Have you seen this I love this body oil. It feels so good on this skin. It's $48 you can get it at Credo Ulta Sephora etc but let me talk about the the oil so my skin is really dry so I do use moisturizer but sometimes I like to use maybe a couple times a week in oil just because I feel like it's more hydrating and my skin doesn't get as dry when I use an oil but a lot of times I like what will what I do with this is because sometimes I don't like to put the thick oil on my skin it just feels like too sticky. So what I do is I put a pump of this and a pump of moisturizer and mix it together and then it's like a smart combination of like cream and oil and it my skin feels so good when I use it it feels so like just plump and moisturize and I love it so I've been using it for a while as you can see it's helpful and it's a really really good one a little goes a long way so it is $48 But it does last a long time. I also have another one that I don't have in front of me and I can talk about it on the next episode. There's another bottle oil that I have from skin and senses which I think is a little bit less expensive and I also really liked that one so I can talk about that one but anyway really good finds. Again it's the Osia Undaria Ondara algae oil

Katie: 13:33

and what lotion do you mix it with?

Amy: 13:36

It's funny I don't have I don't have it to show you but I can send a link to it. And it's I found this suave lotion which is super cheap because I used to use you remember the and you have a to the bliss butter and Shea cream like that thick moisturizing cream I like love that lotion I used to buy it all the time. But I was like sick of buying it you can't like find it in the stores to buy it online. It's it's they would sell it in these big jars is really expensive. So the suave stuff that I found is almost it's not a dupe for it, but it has similar it has a similar smell. It has shea butter and has coconut and it's paraben free you know all natural it's like from the suave naturals collection so I really like it and the consistency is perfect for me. So that's what I've been using lately and I mix it with the oil so I'll put a link up for

Katie: 14:24

that tonight. So do you know what say I feel like our listeners have heard sky bark so many times that we need to give them some sky can assume your office. Take a picture she is let's get her in there

Amy: 14:34

crazy woman topic she has to she's so bad cashmere. She just got something in our mouth Put on Skype probably wants to go outside. Oh here she is.

Katie: 14:50

I cannot believe she's like quadrupled in size since I saw a huge

Amy: 14:54

Yeah, look at her. She's a big girl.

Katie: 14:55

Oh, she's so cute.

Amy: 14:57

She's like 26 pounds now.

Katie: 14:58

Oh my gosh.

Amy: 15:00

Okay, all right, I max on the skin route.

Katie: 15:03

I'm done on square one, actually. But I have. So I have a product that I promised I would review a long time ago I story about it. Actually, I posted about it, it's volume. It was their, their health intelligence test that I did, that you they send you a kit. And they take a stool sample and not the funnest, and then a blood sample. And then you send it back. And they have all of this amazing technology that tells you exactly what pre and probiotics your system is missing and needs, and what vitamins and minerals and antigens your body needs. And then they customize and send you probiotics and vitamins. So it's not cheap. I mean, when you when you think about what it actually is, I think it's a very good price. It's 199 to do the testing, and then the supplements and everything that come back, I think the first go around, they give it to you for like $70. But it's a lot. It's like, for example, this one package. I'm supposed to take this whole thing in a day it has eight in it, there's no way I could take eight vitamins, like one in here does the job. I feel it working.

Amy: 16:24

What what vitamins. So when you do the stool sample and the blood sample, what does it tell you about your store? Because I know we talked about that on the period guru episode and I was like, oh, I should do I should do that testing to see like what I'm missing or all of that. What is it? Does it tell you anything or just recommend something, it tells

Katie: 16:40

you so much information, it's insane. You download the app, it gives you all of these scores, whether or not your gut microbiome is like a good average optimal or not optimal, your cellular cellular health, your mitochondrial health, immune system, your stress response health, your what's your biological age, mine's 35, thank you. And it's and then it goes deeper, and it tells you foods that you should be eating and foods that you shouldn't be eating. And then in regards to like the stool test, it basically tells you like what your microbiome like what the imbalances are, and it gives you what you need to balance that in the customized probiotic. And then and so

Amy: 17:28

with the probiotic has that been helping you?

Katie: 17:30

It has, you know what the probiotics really heavy and actually, my stomach's been pretty good lately for like the last year I've taken out eggs kind of like was it a huge life changer for me. So for the probiotics, I'm not using them that much because my stomach has been doing very well. And when I do use them, it did feel a little bit heavy. But the disclaimer is they say you have to give your system kind of some time to adjust to them, which I think is fair. The vitamins, like for example, in my vitamin is 300 milligrams of curcumin, 35 milligrams of B 649 milligrams of a Kobo manera extract 201 milligrams of vitamin C and it goes on and on. And apparently this is like the exact dosage of what my body needs. While meanwhile, they're pretty strong. And I'm also just you know, I'm hypersensitive to stuff I put in my body. So that whole like trying to do aid, no shot, so I paid Yeah, like $75 for all of these. And I'm taking one pill from this pack a day. And there's 30 of these pills 30 of these patterns. So it goes it's gonna go a long way.

Amy: 18:34

How did you find out about this company? Like, what's the

Katie: 18:38

it was in that's kind of embarrassing, but it was really good Instagram advertising. But it was targeted me properly. But I went in and I did loads and loads of research and qualified them and read all the reviews and everything and the science and it's like it's backed. I mean, there's there's a lot of like peer review studies that are backing all of it. So it's legit. Okay, that's good. Great. Yeah.

Amy: 19:00

Okay, so speaking of. I have a the a bunch of skin stuff. But since we're in the supplement vitamin space, I'll talk about this brand, which is my new favorite semiotica Oh, yeah. So I have mentioned this brand before. And I've heard the founder interviewed several times on, I think it was the skinny confidential podcast and he goes super deep into the science and all of the backing and so totally legitimate. And these two supplements, one of them is the symbiotic aka b 12, and B six cellular energy. And the other one is the D three plus k two plus CO Q immunity and heart health. And these two I picked because I take B and D Anyway every day, but this is according to the founder and this company which I heard the whole explanation. The way that this is administered is lipids. somo which means through the mouth, so it's a pump, and you just put it in your mouth and it tastes yummy. You just do like 12 drops a day of each. And so that, I guess is a better way to take these types of vitamins. The other thing about this and I'm gonna butcher this as I don't really know how to describe it, but this b 12, mix with a B six, it's a better way to administer the B like it, I don't know, there's some rationale. They help each other i But if you absorb, they help each other. And that is the same thing with the d3. So I was just taking d3, but this has the k two and the CO Q and I think co Q is what you just I forgot what the it stands for like CO

Katie: 20:42

it might be co cretin. CO Q is maybe yeah, so Oh, no, I'm sorry. Coenzyme Q 10. So yeah, so this

Amy: 20:51

one with d3 has k two plus CO q 10. And the K two is a vitamin, which I don't know much about, I just like listen to the guy. And it's, you know, made sense to me. So, and essentially it says Like if you, you know, take these together the d3 Ketu and CO q 10. With the B 12. They help each other. So the d3 supports immune health support strong bones by assisting in the regulation of calcium and supports cardiovascular health by reducing arterial plaque. So that's the D three and then the B 12. So the B 12. It's the beach of plus B six can help with boosting energy improving your moods supporting heart health. And again, it says you know to take 12 pumps daily. And these two so when I was listening to the episode, he basically talked about his whole company and all the stuff they had about a few other things I bought like a vitamin C supplement, I bought magnesium supplement a few other things. But these were the two that like he said appeal to most people and that everyone should use so because they asked him on the show. Like if you had to pick two or three, what would you pick and it was like these jewels, something else. So anyway, I tried it two months ago, and I really like it, I replaced my I usually take like a gummy vitamin because I don't like to swallow a big pill. So I replaced my gummy vitamins with these. And I can definitely tell a difference with my energy, my mood, everything, I think it's definitely made a difference. In fact, I've ordered it now. I had one I ran out of it, I ordered another and now I just started I subscribed to their like bundle and save. So I get it every month. The only rub with this company is it is not cheap. So the vitamin B 12 is I mean, it's not too bad. But it's like if you do this, Subscribe and Save. It's like $43. And it's you know, not a huge amount. It's it basically a month, a month's worth the d3 is $69. So it is quite expensive. But if you've read and do the research and listen to some of these episodes I listened to I think it's worth it. I've also eliminated all my other vitamins and supplements. I literally use these two and it's like the vitamin C and whatever a few other things, but it's sort of equaled itself out because I'm not buying all of this like gummy vitamins and things. So yeah, I'm really, really into this synbiotic A company I think their stuff is it's super clean the way he describes all the way that they get their minerals. It's super legit, and I love it. So that is my supplementation product reco lately,

Katie: 23:16

I think you know, investing your money into a quality supplement product that you know the source and you know, what's in it is really important because supplements and vitamins are they don't go through like FDA approval. So you can buy a supplement and it can just be complete garbage. So I don't the price doesn't scare me so much. And the really cool thing about the fact that it's a spray that I heard you say it like was so long, I don't know if that's like a cell wall. Yeah, so part of that is the perk behind that is because they can they can give it to you with less filler with less junk, it's more of a straight shot and then just the way that your body absorbs it is faster, it's more readily available in your system. So I think

Amy: 24:02

I can I can definitely tell a difference and these are both I know the vitamin B says it's keto and vegan. I think the other one is too nice. So really, really quality quality product. Yeah,

Katie: 24:13

I love that. Well I just have one last super quick one that is just kind of like a fun little bit. It's my new favorite candle. It's the it's the root brand I find it here at Fresh Market. I don't know I mean they have their own website root candles.com part of their aromatherapy seeking balance like capsule collection and you can get a you know, an eight ounce candle for $23 It's a little steep but it lasts a really long time. It's a scent of eucalyptus now

Amy: 24:42

I think that's a good price for our candle. Yeah, those

Katie: 24:44

are right, like I pay $65 for my favorite Diptyque candle. But the cool thing about this is that it increases overall brain activity and relieves congestion. And I swear when I like this sucker during the day when I'm working, I don't know what it does, but it stimulates something like it helps me With my flow the scent in the air I really like I kind of spares if I can't light it when I'm working so anyway it's just a fun one it's a good thing to have in your house

Amy: 25:08

yeah that's a good one and I think that's a reminder any like I have so many candles and I never like think to put them on I just like we put them on sometimes at night for having dinner but like it is a good thing to do while you're working put you in the zone. Yeah, for sure to in a good flow. So I have a few products and we're gonna go through them really quickly because we all gotta go. So first one I'll recommend is this Glow Recipe watermelon glow, nice cinnamon dewdrops, obsessed, obsessed, obsessed. I've seen this like all over it's something I've wanted to try. It's like a serum you put on that basically, it's it can serve as a primer or just a serum. But as soon as you put it on, it's like your skin is glowing. And I love that glowy dewy look. So highly recommend $34 Sephora, you know glow recipe.com another one and this is like an amazing dude. So everybody, listen to this one. We all talk about the SkinCeuticals vitamin C and folic acid. This is a dupe of it. It's called the Dr. Brenner C serum vitamin C for like I think is around like 160 $170 this Dr. Brenner C serum is $20. Wow, got on Amazon. And I found it through, I had posted about a site which we'll put the name in the show notes because I can't recall the site right now. But there's a website that you can put in certain products and it takes the ingredients and it matches it with other products that are very similar. So this was a match by like 99%. And I've been using it and I don't see a difference. I actually almost like it better. It's it's a really, really nice quality product. So highly recommend this for do for this SkinCeuticals vitamin C E for reliq. And two other things quickly. So this I got from our friend, Shelley, a beauty Shaman. So this is one of her tools. She posts about it a lot, but it's called the this is called the obsidian rock roller. And I am obsessed. I use it all the time. So I just brought this out skiing with us with all the altitude I was so puffy. And I use this every day. I used it on my kids, they loved it. I mean, it's on my neck though. It's basically like it's kind of like a guasha and like a cupping. I'm feeling all at once and I just feel like it's like a lazy guasha. So for me, I just sit here and I use it all over my face and it's so like it kind of sucks in your face and it definitely works for swelling and just like to get kind of like stuff out of your skin. I use it on my neck first like Shelly always says and then I also use it on my shoulders when they're sore to like massage my shoulder. So I was just using it on my kids the other day on their shoulders in the back of their neck. It's such a good one. So I've been using this a ton of time. It's the obsidian rock roller on beauty shamans website. It's $98 Such a great beauty tool. I love it. And the last thing I will say is I've been using for a while now this L'Oreal True Match nude Hyaluronic tinted serum. Okay, so this is a serum but it's tinted. The only thing is is doesn't have SPF like the there's a another one that I have to that's not to say but the other brand that I always mix Ilya, Ilya, I always get those two brands confused and that one has SPF and is good, but I actually like this one better because it's a thinner formula. So this is by L'Oreal. And again, it's just like a serum. And so you put it on your hands like a serum and you just rub it in and it just kind of smooths out your face. I mean, I don't really wear foundation and this is like a good like, I'll wear this at night. Sometimes you could just you could wear it every day. It's super light. It's just kind of like, you know, puts puts together your luck almost like a tinted moisturizer but it's a serum so it's not so thick and you just like put it on and it really makes a big difference. It's

Katie: 28:40

great. It just smooths out so drunk so I lie and write Did you say L'Oreal?

Amy: 28:43

It's a drugstore fine. Yeah, it's, it's $15 Target Amazon, wherever and it's a great one. So it's great one to put on after you've done all your glowing tools and everything else. So that's it. That was our episode. And we hope you enjoyed it. Definitely give us feedback and we'll be sure to do another product junkie section session next month. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 40 - Vogue Mexico Editor-In-Chief Karla Martinez De Salas on Inclusivity, Diversity, Fashion, Beauty, & Well-being (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 40 - Vogue Mexico Editor-In-Chief Karla Martinez De Salas on Inclusivity, Diversity, Fashion, Beauty, & Well-being.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:28

Welcome to this week's episode of Nirvana sisters. This was a fun one, I get to catch up with Carla Martinez to Salas who is the head of editorial content at Vogue, Mexico and Latin America. And I realized as I was editing this at the beginning of the show, I didn't mention that she was with Vogue, which I thought was an important note. I hope you enjoyed the episode. Welcome back to the show Nirvana's sister's family. It's Amy and Katie, and we're here with Carla Martinez. Desai. Last. Did I say that right, Carla? Yes. And Carla is the head of editorial content for Mexico and Latin America. So excited to speak with you, Carla. So Carla, and I know each other from back in the day, we went to college together you have a Go Wildcats, and we probably haven't seen each other in, I don't know, 2025 years. We were just saying before we started recording that. Last time we saw each other was probably when we were both living in New York and in the in the street, like hustling around. But it's so good that she's here to talk to us about her fabulous, incredible, amazing journey in the fashion industry. So a little bit about Carla. As I said, she went to UVA with me, we were actually in the same sorority and she was my little sister. So I sort of call that out. So I feel that I did a very good job raising, you know. So Carla started her career as an assistant at Vogue us. And then in 2002, became an associate fashion editor from 2005 to 2010. She was fashion director for teen magazine of New York Times. Then she later took the fashion direction of Interview magazine, then went to be the fashion and accessories director of W magazine in 2011 2011. And then in 2015, Carla moved to Mexico City with her family, where she started working as a freelance in, I'm gonna say this wrong, but you can you can correct me Carla Cooperativa shop, an online store that specializes in readymade pieces by Latin designers, which is so cool. And then she became the editor in chief for Vogue, Mexico and Latin America in June 2016. And since then, has continued with the exclusive editorial line of the title. So she has been in charge of Vogue, Mexico and Latin America. She has been interviewed many times by major publications and been on TV very notable appearances across the board, it was recently included in the fee of AF us list. So that's business of fashion us list of the 500 international fashion leaders. And since then you've been in charge of the magazines management. So Vogue, Mexico and Latin America was also awarded the Best editorial content for Mexico's fashion digital awards. Congratulations on that. And you also a part of Project paws, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in New York, which has a goal of creating extracurricular activities for low income children, and see your daughter Wall Race in order to promote peace. So that's just a quick little snippet of her incredible accomplishments. But there's so much more and thank you for coming on the show. Carla, we've been chatting for months trying to get her on. So we're so glad that you're able to join us and super inspired by you and all that you've been doing. So welcome.

Karla: 3:44

Thank you, Amy and Katie for having me. I know it's so I can't believe you did do a very good job. As my big sister as I wouldn't say that that kind of whole sorority rush process was the like, prepares you for job interviews in a way. And kind of got you ready for the real world in that like, you know, you just graduated from high school. You at least at Arizona it was such a huge school and so difficult to navigate that you kind of wanted to have like a little community where you could go to and yeah, and

Amy: 4:23

a home base. And yeah, and I just remember you Carla, you're always so chic. Even back then always put together always looks good. I remember you being super into fashion then. So I love that you've followed your your passion and love for fashion and all things Lux.

Karla: 4:42

I know I was looking at a picture of a college trip that I took to Paris. And I remember having like a camel coat and I feel like I would wear that in Tucson and people would be like what are you wearing?

Amy: 4:55

I feel like I remember that code now that you're saying it I'm not even kidding you

Karla: 5:00

And when we all and then a lot of I mean, you guys were at least a lot more from like, you know, from the East Coast like I grew up in El Paso, which is certainly like, I think it was like a step below Tucson in terms of FAFSA. So I don't know, I think it's funny because I always tell people that like, I kind of got like, my education from magazines in general. And like, you know, my mom liked kind of more tabloid magazines and like, what Princess Caroline was wearing of Monaco or something, but, but she wasn't into like, the big like, she always liked reading that Hello are like Allah. Which, but, you know, I feel like really, really, like helped me grow up in that way. You know? Certainly I'll pass it was not somewhere where you where I learned about high fashion by any means.

Amy: 5:55

While you certainly have had the education since then. So Carl, I want to start out with something we called our weekly nirvana or Nirvana the week where we just talk about something that brought us joy this week, something that just sparked a little joy and put a little smile on our face. Because we always want to make sure we're looking at all the other good things that are happening so I can start, or actually I'll flip it to you, Katie, why don't you start? All right. Well, thank

Katie: 6:18

you, Amy. And Carla. It's so great to be here. We're really thrilled that you're here. I mean, this is a big deal. Vogue, like I feel very honored to have you for exciting role, boss. It's huge. So let's see my weekly Nirvana it happened on Saturday, I had a lymphatic drainage massage and Reiki done at the same time, and it was really kind of amazing. It was a whole experience. The whole thing lasted for hours. Like which was unexpected. Yeah, it was it was kind of wild. Like there was there was the the pre session of like talking with the energy healer. And then she did some spiritual healing. I don't know the terms for it. But these I turned clockwise a few times, like these really wild things, but it was very relaxing and calming. And then we did the lymphatic drainage and the Reiki massage and it was cool. I mean, I definitely felt I understand now the feeling of Reiki. I don't know if I know Amy, you haven't had Carla, if you have ever had Reiki done No, I

Karla: 7:23

haven't. And yeah, and I love people here have been talking a lot about something called cap that I

Katie: 7:29

know we haven't heard of us or that

Karla: 7:31

kind of like a like a koonta loony Kundalini kind of yoga process. But where the teacher kind of guides you with like energy and like touch. Oh, that's exciting. I'm just gonna do I haven't done it yet.

Amy: 7:45

Yeah, send it over we yeah, we interviewed Athena Baris. Her episode, launched a couple weeks ago and she's a Reiki Master and just read a book. So we were learning all about it through her but neither of us has done it. So Katie ought to fill us in more about that. That's super

Katie: 7:58

cool. Yeah, it was great. It was it was an experience for sure. So what about you, Amy? What was your nirvana?

Amy: 8:04

Well, this is kind of silly. But it did bring me joy. So I'm traveling later this week for business. And I haven't traveled in so long. Obviously, we've all been locked down. So it's nice to finally go on a trip. But I'm going on a longer trip than usual. And I always get super stressed before I travel. I just feel like there's so many details to take care of. I'm sure Carly, you can relate. But anyway, I packed early, which I never do. I packed Sunday morning, and I'm leaving Wednesday. Oh, wow. I'm always last minute. Katie knows I'm like throwing things together. I'm stressed and crazy. And I was like, I need to like think through because I have a lot of events and different things and locks. And I'm like, I need to think through this. I need to try and close I need to like be strategic in my packing, which I never am. And so I did it Sunday morning, and like I just have a couple more things to do. But I was like, so happy afterwards and so relieved. And I'm like, Okay, so now the night before I leave, I'm not like a crazy person running around the house. So that was my Nirvana the week. What about you, Carla?

Karla: 8:58

i Well, did we have the day off today? So I went to I always I feel like I do yoga once or twice a week. But usually I have to run out early because I'm stressed and there's like a million things going on. You know, like you have to be ready by nine to get to work. And today I did like the whole hour and a half class. And you know, there's like so many things in yoga that you're working through. And it's funny, I was doing the pinch up pose, you know, the kind of four arm stand and I hadn't fallen and I know how to fall you know, you fall like kind of in a backbend. And I felt totally fine and like when I left the class like I was, so I was so happy that like I was able to fall and not be scared if that man Yeah. And it was just nice. Like that kind of whole energy in the class was like, there were like five women. It was taught by like one of my favorite teachers. So I feel like that you know when you find that kind of like Nirvana in your like exercise or kind of in yoga, I find that always to be really nice.

Katie: 10:08

Yeah, 100% I completely agree with you on that I enjoy really going to like small private studios as well. And I haven't been able to find one here. I just moved to Connecticut recently, I haven't found one yet that like really speaks to me, like the one I had where I used to live. And it's, it's true, like the setting and the people and it all kind of, yeah, it's important. And also,

Karla: 10:29

like, I feel like just during COVID Like, I was doing it online at my house and in certain ways, like I was doing things better, but then you kind of miss that energy of like, other people and like, obviously, when it's like friendly, and there's no stress, right? I feel like and when you can't find that. It's frustrating.

Amy: 10:50

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Someone they're guiding you. So you knew you're doing everything right. Well, that's great. That's so nice. Okay, so we're gonna get into some like quickfire questions. And then we'll get into some some topics we want to chat on with you. So tell us a little bit. I mean, I gave your intro, but tell us a little bit about what you're doing now Vogue and like, and also kind of your personal mentors, like how you've gotten to where you've gotten so successfully, and kind of like, who's inspired you? And who uses like, your kind of personal board of directors, I like to say, um,

Karla: 11:22

well, I feel like God, I feel like, like that community at Arizona was such a great place. And like, I remember everyone kind of doing internships in the summer and like, really pushing to like, what are you going to do after you graduate? So I guess I lived in New York for 15 to 16 years. And, you know, when the opportunity came to move to Mexico, it was my husband grew up in Mexico City. It's, it's funny, his mom is actually from Connecticut, but she's as a young girl to Mexico City. And, and he, you know, was like, listen, like, I want this to be like a totally mutual decision. And, and obviously, I was super scared, I had like, never actually lived in Mexico, which is funny, because, you know, I've been coming to Mexico my whole life with my family, and my parents were from Mexico and moved to the US when, you know, before my siblings and I were born. And once we came, you know, we came for his job. And then in the end, I got this opportunity, which I don't know, if I would have would have gotten to New York, or certainly it would have taken longer, I think. But I think, you know, I always had, I don't know if you guys feel the same way. But I always had that. And I don't know, if it's just New York also is like, you're surrounded by like, amazing women that, that kind of have it all right, like they have families and yes, obviously, no one does it perfectly. And I don't think that there is an idea of the perfect mom, right? And, and all of them were just like, so inspiring to me, and all these places that I worked in, when I was an assistant in vogue us and, you know, obviously, I didn't have a lot of contact with Anna Wintour, then but now I do. And, you know, I feel like that it's it's so like, exciting. It was really exciting to have grown up there sort of say, you know, for that to my first job, because I really feel like it was a master's. And all the women that work there like Virginia Smith, who's still there, you know, she had, she had a child. And they were also like, hard working. And then I worked at the New York Times, which is amazing. And like a really, kind of it was that idea of like, what we like what is everywhere now, which is lifestyle, which when I feel like when you when we graduated was like fashion, right? And now lifestyle is like home and travel. And, you know, I worked for a woman named Jan Christiansen who also was an amazing role model because she was kind and you know, she had a child and, you know, we just like you saw all those like struggles and like, I kind of you know, saw these women that like some of them had a hard time getting pregnant, but like they kind of, you know, made it happen. And they were really great at their jobs. And they were also like, great entertainers and friends. So I feel like those women that I that I had, like that I worked for were were people that like I really looked up to and admired and really helped me kind of pave my way and find my voice. And then then I went to go work at W and that was the last job that I took before I moved to Mexico. And you know, I feel like along the way I have like really amazing peers like Ricky de Soleil, who's now the fashion director at Nordstrom. And we were all kind of just trying to find our voice. I feel like one of my best friends from growing up who went to UT Austin. Her name is Audrey Ponzio was kind of like, you know, you're one of the few Latinas in fashion. And I didn't even realize it at the time. I you know, I always, I never wanted to, you know, be I never wanted to say like, I'm Latina deserve this job. I just, it just kind of happened. And I always had like, really positive experiences, but I did. One of the things I did notice, like, you know, working at these different places was, yeah, I was most of the time, one of the few Latinas in the room. And that, you know, it's when we talk about like diversity and inclusion in like media, you have to talk about it, like, in the workplace, right. And like, what that means, and, and I feel like all of those experiences really prepared me to kind of moving then to Mexico where, you know, the Mexico I mean, people here like to say that, that there's no racism here. There's like classism, which is kind of the same thing in a way. And, you know, the son of like, your housekeeper would never get a job at a, you know, Conde Nast. Whereas in the US like those opportunities, like you can be, you can be any, anyone can be anything they want. And so that was something that always like, stuck with like, I always had it very present. And so I knew that I wanted to make the magazine more representative of what people are really like, here. So that's, that was, I feel like my whole journey in New York, just like being in fashion, and then kind of learning that fashion is not just clothes, that it's so much really helped me to kind of bring everything that I knew, to Vogue, Mexico and Latin America, if that makes sense. That was no, that's

Katie: 16:49

it. I was wondering, do you know now if, you know, in the States, W and Vogue and everything us, is it? Has it become more inclusive? Is there is there more diversity is did you kind of break the glass ceiling there?

Karla: 17:03

I think so. I mean, I remember, you know, when I started working in New York, like literally, I was like, God, how did you know I remember, what am I, my first boss at Vogue was like, oh, you know, here's your resume that like Anna signed off on and it said, like, Aw, okay, no. And I was like, Oh, my God, how did I slip in, you know, like, everyone here is like, tall, blonde, you know, an heiress, a child of a model, right? model, you know, and it's not something that ever, like, bothered me, like, I always knew that. I was super hard working, and I loved fashion. And I really wanted to be a part of this world. It's not something that ever, I'm sure it created, like, insecurities that I didn't know at the time, but I never had like any, like, I My experience was only positive. But I think it's also because I was also like, a really hard worker, and I was up for anything. And, you know, and that's what it took, like, I feel like that in that school in particular, like, if you were really willing to put the time in, then it wasn't the place for you to work because, yes, maybe your dad called someone to kind of help you get an interview, and you got the job. But like, if you weren't willing to like work a 12 hour day, like you wouldn't make

Amy: 18:26

right you're out. How did you get that first role as an assistant? Because were you interning or something like that? Because the breakthrough role, I would think to your point, it's like, you send a resume and and like, everybody else does, too. Like, how does that happen? Yeah,

Karla: 18:39

so it's funny because I actually, I remember, like, my sophomore year, in college, a friend of mine was like, Oh, I'm gonna go intern at Nicole Miller. My mom got me this internship. And I was like, oh my god, what am I going to do? My dad's a doctor and Oh, patho like, I'm gonna go back and like file, you know, folders all summer. And I started calling like, different fashion houses from W that I saw like W magazine. And someone by like, the good grace of God, like, picked up the phone and was like, Where are you from? And I was like, I Well, I'm from El Paso, but I go to school in Tucson, because I'm from Tucson. Wow, God, can you fly up here? And I was like, of course, like, when do you need to see me and I remember calling my mom and be like, I'm going to New York. And you know, wasn't like, I mean, you know, it wasn't like, going like, or maybe it is now. I mean, I don't know. But like, I was 19 And here I was like going to fly across the country to go to an interview. And my mom like called a friend of hers her daughter and was like Can my daughter stay on your couch? I mean, literally, it was like, that's amazing. Go like Mexican mom like asking like a friend of a friend if like I could crash on her sofa. And I remember I stayed at my friend's at my mom's friend's daughter's house. And I got the Interview and like from there, I like was in touch with a woman from human resources. And she remembered me. And then when I moved to New York after moved to Paris for a year, I called her and I got the job. So I feel like I always try. And I mean, I feel like we've all had these similar experiences. I always try and like pick up like answer like that DM on Instagram, right, or like, message on LinkedIn, because now we're in our like, that was our kind of way and we didn't have those tools. And so now I feel like I always try and like pick up the phone and like, give someone not pick up the phone but return a message. That's great. You're paying it forward.

Amy: 20:44

Yeah. And I it's funny, I have a similar point of view when it comes to like when people contact me and things like that. There's a there's a podcast that I listen to Ed my lat I don't know if you know who he is. He's like a entrepreneur leader. And he has this philosophy and I'm probably butchering it, but it's something like, you're always like, one step away from so like, the point is, is like one step away from like, reading an email that could change your life or meeting someone or that person picking up the phone. It's like, you never know. And you're always like, one step away from something good or bad. So

Karla: 21:17

I feel like when we were graduating, it was harder though, because Oh, my god, yeah, be one step away. I mean, you know, I feel like now, I get

Amy: 21:26

so accessible now. Well, now everything's accessible. There's Instagram. There's LinkedIn, like all these things. Like when I moved to New York, I moved to New York and my friend Jessica, remember Jessica from college, and she was working at this ad agency, and then get me a job. And that happened to be on a movie account, which I was interested in, and like, you know, marketing, blah, blah, blah, went from there, but it was all just kind of like who you knew, or like who you called, it was just you had to be probably a lot more resourceful. I'm sure. Yeah, you have to kind of stand out more because everyone's doing the same thing. But yeah, you definitely have to be scrappy, and resourceful. I mean, Katie moved to New York, and when how old? Were you occasionally? New York? COVID-19. 19?

Katie: 22:03

Yeah, it was, it was kind of the same thing. Like, I just got kind of got lucky that, you know, it was for modeling. And this an agency happened to call my agency and said, Sure, we'll move on. And then they ended up being like a horrible agency. But hey, they got me to New York.

Karla: 22:18

Yeah, sometimes, like the way would you like, arrive isn't necessarily the way that you know, but again, it's also much easier to find a job when you have a job, right? So I would always tell people that like, if you really want to move to York, then maybe try something out and you can leave, it's just, you know, getting that foot in, it's easier, like once you're there, right?

Amy: 22:40

Exactly, exactly. And you work really hard. Okay, so what have you seen? Like how have you seen the industry change over the years you've been a lot of places and like I'm sure the industry has changed in a positive way but like what have you seen as some of the biggest changes over the years I feel like

Karla: 22:56

I really believe like, I you know, as I was saying, like before, like when I first started working, I was definitely like one of the few like Mexican girls in the room and that has changed a lot. I feel like you know, just in terms of like designer, even designers, if you think about it, there was like Karolina Herrera Oscar, Nurse Cisco, right. And now you have like, Maria Coronae. Whoa, Willy Chavarria, who is like a Mexican American now creative director of Calvin Klein, you have like Joanna Ortiz, and from Columbia and like Sylvia Taurasi, and like just so many different people that like now make up you know, the fashion industry and like they're letting they even like last September when I went to Fashion Week, and it was after an app and a year and a half break of like, COVID and not being able to go to shows. There were so many young, cool, like African American designers, like I saw a girl from college that was working with this young designer from Jamaica called Theo Theo philia baillio I'm pretty sure it's from Jamaica. But just like, the front row is was different. I feel like for a long time, like the front row looked exactly the same. And now there's, like, young, like, different kids that like, look that don't, you know, everyone looks different. And that's really cool. I mean, I was thinking, like, you know, when I worked at Vogue and like Andre Leon Talley that died a few weeks ago, you know, he was really like, I mean, I don't think we even realized at the time what a big deal like this, you know, very like bold kind of loud African American man like how much he paved the way for other people, you know, people of color in general I mean, it the fashion industry, I feel like for a really long time was this very, like exclusive club, and now,

Amy: 24:46

like have skinny tall people.

Karla: 24:48

Yeah, like, people and now that's really changing and just like the front row also, but also like, I remember like, three, two or three years ago like probl girl only, like had three, two or three plus size models walking down the road. And I was like, oh my god, like this is this is so beautiful that he's like, so, you know, got out of this like space of only skinny models. And now I feel like if you don't have like a plus size or like a normal size model, not just like a super thin model on your runway, I feel like it feels uncomfortable. You know, like,

Katie: 25:26

you did see more of that body positivity as well,

Karla: 25:29

definitely, I feel like that has totally, like, I feel like designers are so much more aware of it and conscious. And, you know, five years ago, you know, someone like Lizzo probably wouldn't have been on the cover of all the magazines. And like, that's, that's really changing. And I feel like, you know, for us, like we put this American Mexican indigenous woman on the cover that was the star of Roma in 2019. And one of my best friends, like, if I can't even be I mean, I can talk for an hour about the engagement we got from putting this woman on the cover. And it was like people from around the world from different indigenous groups were like, this is such a big deal. And I remember the one thing that like really stuck out, like stood out with a friend of mine saying, like, thank you so much for putting someone that looks like me on the cover. And I was like, that's really impactful. Because yeah, for a long time, there weren't people that looked diverse, like it was one type of beauty and, and I think the industry and like after also Black Lives Matter last year, and you know, I think that hard conversations had had to be had and like, that made a lot of change in the industry. Of course, there's like a ton of work to do still. But um, but I do feel like the it's changed a lot for the good. Yeah, that's,

Katie: 26:57

that's good to hear. You mentioned Lizzo being on the cover. When do you think the shift from like, I mean, there was a point where the fashion magazines, the covers, were only models, right for a long time for as I was growing up, and then it's the celebrity culture. It's now it's very much focused on celebrities, do you, wouldn't you when did that shift happen?

Karla: 27:17

I feel like, you know, but I was reading something, an interview of when I think it was like 99. Like I think we were just like, like very early in our very early in our professional careers. I remember like when Vogue. Stop putting so many celebrities and like when I started working there in 2001. Like it was definitely majority celebrities with the exception of like Giselle, or Christy Turlington. And I think we're still seeing that, but we're also seeing, like, you know, people like female entrepreneurs, or like, in the case of American Vogue last year, that put in May, I believe, Amanda Gorman. So I feel like there is like, you don't have to just be making movies. It's more about like musicians and artists and poets and you know, different women. That I feel like inspiring women, right? I feel like it doesn't have to be like that, that model of like, only celebrity when the movie comes out is right feels like old you know, of course you want to time your cover to something to a project that someone's working on. But I feel like it's not like it's not just that it's like many more types of women including models, right? Do you feel like

Amy: 28:38

Right? Yeah, I mean, I think it's so cool to see who's always on the cover and like why and it has changed so drastically just from like what I've seen over the years not being like a major fashion person but like just seeing the change and like to Katie's point Lizzo and all of these people I mean, it's great it's just I love how inclusive it is and how I mean I think too that's that's a change just generally speaking with the luxury industry like every all these luxury brands are trying to be more accessible less so about this like club you can't get into it's more of like this inclusive nature because people are now turned off by that that's like right school, it doesn't feel genuine and real doesn't like you don't specially with social media. It's like you're a part of a community now like, it can be aspirational, but let people learn at this point. I

Karla: 29:30

feel like before it used to be like, This is what you we think you should wear it you know, and now it's like what are we all wearing? Like how does you know how do we feel like what is the kind of idea behind why we're wearing this kind of denim or something? You know, I feel like it's not that like it's not the kind of inaccessible kind of magazine at the top. It's it's more about like As you said, like building a community and, and kind of very much friendlier.

Amy: 30:04

Yeah, which is great to see. So let's move over a little bit and talk about, like wellness and beauty. Because I'm sure you're exposed to all of that with with your work. So like, what does that look like, in Latin America in your region? Like what's important to people there versus here? And what are you seeing are the trends and well being and all of that.

Karla: 30:26

It's interesting because I feel like we kind of it like the we're so close to booth I look after Mexico and Latin America, which, which is very different, even though we all speak Spanish. Yeah, and, you know, Mexico is very, like, a little bit like, everyone here knows what's going on in the US. So we kind of follow those, like, if SoulCycle is really big, and like it, just like in a month or two, it'll become really big here. And it's certainly like, that idea of, of wellness and, you know, eating healthy, like walking, you know, moving your body, right community exercise, like, that, I feel is like a huge shift as well, I feel like people are really, you know, excited about, also, like, where do your beauty products come from? Like, how, you know, how can you have less impact, right, like, environmental impact, and those are things that are all really developing here, but it's interesting to see, you know, I call it kind of the gateway drug, like perfumes here are super big. So that's like your piece of luxury, right. And then like, obviously, like skincare and makeup, whereas in the US, it's more of like, the bag is like that intro point. But here, and obviously, like, the salaries are less so like perfume is, is a huge deal. And that was something that I learned, like, even in like coverage in the magazine, like, we didn't cover perfume as much as in the US as we do here. But here, it's like, kind of how that designer makes, like, gets the foot in the door. But it's really interesting, because people are, what I've seen is also people really love those niche designers, like people know about, like, you know, Virgil at off white, and that kind of has a huge cult following that you think is like very, like, you know, exclusive to, like New York are the big cities, but it's not like, like people love, like the off white and like the sneaker craze, like it's interesting to see like, it kind of happens a little later, but it definitely happens.

Amy: 32:36

And what about Latin America? How's that different? Well,

Karla: 32:39

Latin America is a bit more like Argentina, for example, like, the thing I've seen a lot is like, they have very established fashion brands, because of the you know, it's far from the US. The tariffs to, like, get into the country aren't so easy. So it's kind of like Brazil in that way that, you know, imported stuff is really expensive. So they really developed their fashion brands, which is good, you know, and then I, what I've seen the most with, like Peru and Chile, and like Colombia, is that people are really socially conscious. Like, they want it to be like organic cotton. They're really like the sustainability conversation. Like to start brands is much like you hear it and much more, which is like a nice surprise.

Amy: 33:25

Yeah. And does that carry over into the skincare space and beauty space in terms of Yes, being organic, and there's

Karla: 33:33

so many more brands now that are trying to do like the Glossier or you know, of Latin America. And like, that's been really exciting to watch is like these young kind of entrepreneur, like, these young brands, like coming into their own. How much?

Katie: 33:51

I might, I'm not sure if I'm phrasing it the right way. But the spirituality of Mexico and also Latin America, does that play into the wellness space as well, like, because I know, I have some friends that are from Chile, and when they go to Chile, they see their shaman and things like that. That's prominent.

Karla: 34:13

It's funny that you asked that because I feel like here like the kind of alternative medicine is always like, you know, I like even like an example. Like my daughter was having these, you know, those night terrors. Yeah. And my mom was like, we have to take her to like, we went to my small town where my mom was from and she goes, we have to take her to the healer. You know, what do you mean mom as she took her to the healer, and she like rubbed her with an egg, and like my mom's like, in two weeks, she's not gonna have nightmares. You know, it's a big part. It's a big part of our and even like, I always like to say that like, alternative medicine like those kinds of essential oils have been happening here for like ever, you know what I mean? Right? It make them like essential oils, but Um, even like in terms of like, when I was growing up and like coming to Mexico, like, I feel like all the milk was just organic because it just was, you know, like, my mom's town, they they literally took like milk from the cow forever, right? And then, you know, obviously, like NAFTA happened and those things happened and, and people hear like love what's American so that for better or worse right, you know those things have been but yes I people are here are like, very like spiritual in that sense and they like to you know, they always want like a, like a second opinion but that second opinion from like the Cheban or the healer?

Katie: 35:40

That's amazing. Yeah, that's, that's really beautiful. It's a really gorgeous part of the culture that is lacking, I think, in America. You know, I wish I wish there was some more deep rooted culture in that respect.

Amy: 35:53

Yeah, I totally agree. Because I think they're definitely people like us who love all that stuff. But it's not in the culture. Whereas like, if you're talking about Reiki, or whatever we were just talking about before people are like, Yeah, you know, they sort of look at you like,

Katie: 36:09

there things are, but things slowly become more pop culture also late, which is interesting how that can play out. All right, well, what are some? Actually no, this is this is an interesting question that I'm very curious about, because I feel like your industry comes with a lot of pressure, especially with your job. And your job is incredibly high power and aspirational and inspirational. So what are some of these pressures? You must feel pressure with creating content and, and reporting being the barometer of culture and fashion and beauty and lifestyle? I mean, that that's a lot. But what is it like taking that challenge on?

Karla: 36:46

I feel like, yeah, I feel like that, what, what I was reading, like, one of the questions, and it's like, we were just talking about how media has changed, I feel like, just constantly kind of inspiring people. And like, at the same time growing our audiences, and you know, that like, the challenge of like growing a website, which is now obviously super important, and, you know, we've grown like more than 80% in the past five years, but just that pressure of growing the website, but at the same time, remaining true to Vogue, and its core values, without falling into the trap of like, I have to cover this because this is what's going to bring me my numbers. So I feel like that is something that we're always kind of, not, it's always challenging, you know, how to, you know, talk about, you know, so and so seeing with her boyfriend on the street of LA, then maybe you change the focus, and you're like, So and so knows how to wear the best, the perfect jeans for, you know, her type of bodies. And those are things that like, we've like managed to do. And now we have like shared content with Bogle with different folks across the world. And so we can take like, a lot of the more investigative pieces, because we also have like a very small team. And then we kind of focus on the, the articles that will be big, like do well in Latin America. So with this kind of 5050 balance, we've found, like a good mix. And like, last month, we were like the second largest job after the US. So wow, that's exciting. Also, like, you know, how are we going to do next month and the day after, you know, so it's constantly like, looking at what we're doing and saying we're doing this right, but we also don't want to just talk about sneakers and jeans. So like trying to find that balance.

Katie: 38:42

I'm curious how much I'm sure you've found this question before. Is it as intense as it is portrayed in the movie that don't even need to say the name as it is at that? Tough or not? Really?

Karla: 38:56

I mean, yeah, I think, you know, there's, there's a pressure because also, like, I think in the movie, and I don't remember if they explain it, but in the end, it's, you know, the fashion is an industry and so people's jobs depend on it. And, you know, it's not just, like, it's not just a dress, right? It's a dress that a designer made that's going to hit stores around the US and and or around the world and what that means, right? Like what, like that sales part? And so I think it's exciting. It was, it was definitely you know, an I feel like the industry is very hard working because people make it out to seem like oh, you're running around and like a beautiful town car and like, you know, wearing you know, five inch heels and like running around New York City. It was not certainly not that glamorous. I would say I would say that. You know there was a lot of times that we were like doing a car in a for a trip that one of the editors were going on and we were wearing like sneakers and jeans like riding up every single, you know, all 500 of the pieces that were like in the car in a or, you know,

Katie: 40:07

but also just because it's glamorous doesn't mean it's not hard work. I mean,

Karla: 40:11

hard work can be really hard work. And, you know, I feel like the thing about working at Vogue was it's amazing and like now, you know, we're a much smaller team, but like, you know, it, I liked that it was never it was never just a dress, you know, it was like something that the editor had like a specific vision for when the shoot came back and you saw I don't know like I remember that Alice in Wonderland shoot that any Leibovitz shot with like Natalia Vodianova, it's like her and her blue dress that was made and that, you know, Grace Coddington, like, really specifically asked for that when the new big this picture is like, you know, 15 years old, and I still remember it. And that yeah, they are. Yeah, I think it's really like, in that way, like creating like iconic pictures and like, telling these stories through fashion that didn't just make it close, right? I think it was, it was so much more than that. Yeah.

Amy: 41:10

So you're so busy and running around and doing a million things. So like, what practices are you doing to stay balanced, and to stay present with your family? Since you are so busy? And you seemed really balanced?

Karla: 41:25

For I don't know, I mean, I feel like now, like, ever since, you know, this past year and a half that we learned how to work differently. And like, I feel like, you know, there's no reason why you can't work from home, like on a Friday night. Whereas two years ago, I was terrified to even ask that. Or, like, you don't have to go to a work trip, where you get flown for a party, like you can say no, right? I feel like that those ways, but I just try and like, not kind of put my daughter's like in, you know, the kind of, I don't try and like Instagram at them so much. They have like their own account. And like, I try not to bring them into mind personally, I mean, just because Mexico is like, not, you know, you never know, who's watching you. And just like really, like, what's helped me, which I'm sure you guys can relate to is just that quality versus quantity. Right? Like if, you know, if you're in it, like try and find like activities that you enjoy doing together. And that even though you know, you might have to travel for five days, when you come back, then you have that like bonding time with your kids, I feel like that's always super important. Like, bedtime has always been important. And like, you know, I am one of those. Also, like, I'm a big believer of like, if my nanny is here, and she can help me and like going out for a run, you know, and she helps me with them. Like, it's okay, I know, you know, and I can go out for a run because that run will probably bring me mental, you know, helped me clear my head, like I try not to get into that kind of mommy guilt so much addicts. You know, like, if you want to go to yoga, and you need they can stay with their fathers like playing or watching TV, it's fine. You know, we'll get like, so kind of worked up about those things.

Amy: 43:15

Yeah, I think too, was like the last year and a half, like, that's helped so much with the guilt because I feel like I have it so much. And now you're working from home. Or if whenever I do go back to the office, it's never going to be the same as it was like, because working from home is so much more accessible and easy now. So just being present, like physically is helpful, because you don't feel like oh my god, I'm like at the office, and I don't know what's happening at home. And I don't I'm not hearing the conversations. And so I think that's been a huge change for so many people.

Karla: 43:45

I think in the beginning, it was hard because they were like, I'm sure you have like homeschool and like, you know, it was impossible to like, you know, make sure that they were connecting, especially because they were four and a half and like for them to pay attention. But I feel like once you learn how to manage it. I feel like that work life balance. While yes, I feel like a lot of us are working more. It's still like now you can say like I'm going to work two days a week from home. Right and

Katie: 44:15

it's on your terms, right? Yeah, we were just speaking to in an episode that's gonna be airing shortly a parenting coach about this and what you said was exactly either Amy or or the coach said it was quality versus quantity. And that's like, you know, dedicating the hours to the work and being there instead of micromanaging the children at the same time and vice versa and dedicating the hours to caring for yourself instead, instead of hanging on by a thread. It's so important, but it's yeah, it's the quality. I love that and it's a great quote that we'll be putting on Instagram. So we would be remissed if we didn't ask you who your favorite new designer trends like what are some of your faves right now?

Karla: 44:59

Um But what am I, you know, I really like it's funny because I feel like your the way you dress probably changed like drastically, I mean, even from like New York to Mexico change so much because, you know, in New York I feel like people wear dresses and skirts and like a pantsuit. And now, I feel like here like not so much like, I'll be wearing a dress and people will be like, where are you going? To the office, you know? So I feel like that has like, really, really changed. And I feel like I'm always wearing like now, I was telling Katie before you got on me that the weather in Mexico is funny and like it since it never gets really cold. There's no heat in home, like in your house. So it's like 35 degrees in the morning. And then they'll go up to like 72 So you're freezing inside. So it's like kind of like a weird, it's like LA kind of Sanford right layers. And so it's a lot about layers and like sweaters. But I really love I mean, like my dream wardrobe would probably come from like Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen. I feel like I love what she's doing. And I love what she's been doing with denim. I love Mexican American designer called Jonathan Cohen. That grew up in San Diego and now he's based in New York. I love Proenza schooler there was actually an article about them today in women's wear business of fashion. I think about a lot of these like mid price brands and like what, you know, like American fashion and what's happening with American fashion and yeah, it was it. I think it's really interesting and it'll be really interesting to see this fashion with like, how many more designers we see but yeah, I like I would say like Proenza Jonathan was saying this guy, Willy Chavarria, that's at Calvin Klein. He's doing menswear and he's kind of changing that. The like what like menswear, Calvin Klein, and he has like, really kind of cool casting ideas. But I guess I if I would, if I were to say like, who would be my dream kind of wardrobe. I would definitely say Sarah Burton net McQueen. Nice. And Fashion Week's what next week? Yeah, it starts Friday.

Katie: 47:18

Okay, that's exciting.

Amy: 47:19

So we'll have to follow you on Instagram. So

Karla: 47:21

we'd also love because I feel like she just like designs for women. And it's fun and like, is Lulu JOHNSON

Katie: 47:32

I love that you there's you love so many. But it's hard to narrow it down which of course, is appropriate.

Karla: 47:39

You know, because like sometimes for me, like I feel like wearing a skirt. And then other days I just feel like wearing like jeans and a jacket. You

Amy: 47:46

know, like she looks amazing and chic and everything like and like, even from like 25 years ago, always

Karla: 47:54

I had gotten dressed up for you guys. I was wearing this like pink silk shirt and then I took it off because I got called as I was walking around and the art week is start art week is starting here in Mexico. Tomorrow. It's kind of like the about Basel of Mexico. So

Amy: 48:11

that's cool.

Karla: 48:11

A lot going on. I mean, you know, it's obviously on a much smaller scale and like, you know, with all the precautions, but I feel like we see like thing I feel like with things coming back like little by little people will want to get dressed up again.

Amy: 48:27

I know that's nice. Yeah. Okay, so we're gonna move into our rap session, especially some quick questions. Okay. So the first one is, what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack? Wellness or beauty hack, like shortcut or tip or what's your kind of favorite?

Karla: 48:44

Oh, oh my god, I have a good one. So, my sister worked for Karolina Herrera and you know, she looks amazing and is I don't know how old she is. But she's, you know, kind of

Katie: 48:56

looks gorgeous like timeless. Yeah,

Karla: 48:59

he always said told my sister to never which I do a lot but I need to every time I do it I remember her. She always said never to dry your face with a towel. You know like you grab your like she always says that the gentle Pat's like everything. So now I apply it like always like moisturizer. And like when I you know have like, these rituals? Like, I feel like I always remember the the non towel just to be a little more gentle.

Katie: 49:30

Yeah, and like that. Yeah, like that. Yeah. All right, this next one we call your five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and Uber ping do and they're five minutes away. What are you doing to like, get out the door and get in the car on time.

Karla: 49:42

I do this a lot.

Amy: 49:44

I was just gonna say. I think you guys could

Karla: 49:49

relate. But I remember a friend of mine used to get so mad when she used to see people putting makeup on on the subway. She's like, you have those that minute at home for God's sakes. Just But usually I kind of I guess I'm always rushing as I was saying about the yoga class like I'll like do an hour and 15 minutes and like rush home to be ready by nine. So when I have like five minutes I would say I think about what I'm gonna wear in the shower. When I get out I obviously am like huge on moisturizing. I use a great Sicily Moisturizing Cream SPF no matter where you live this is like one thing that my dermatologist and Dr. Tim, NGO Luke from Royal Fern told me is like you cannot leave home without it, whether it's like two degrees or 102. So that and then I love this kind of Chanel liquid foundation I've been putting on that I like it's like very loose and like feels like also moisturizing and then always concealer. And always lipstick even though that kind of face mask thing is annoying. But if I have to like, be ready quick, those are like what I try and do the most

Katie: 51:06

those years ago to like that. Nice. We need to get like we have to have your favorite products, the names and because people are gonna want to know Yeah.

Amy: 51:16

Love it. Love it. Okay, and you kind of touched on this before, but how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

Karla: 51:23

Um, I like need to work out in the morning. I feel like that's something that I don't know if it was Tucson that did this to me, but like everyone always worked out. It was like, in Super shape, but like to me, I like love getting up and like, the first thing I do is have coffee. Even though I just did that Chroma cleanse and they were like, avoid coffee if possible. I'm like, the if possible is right. So that's like my kind of ritual in the morning. Like, no matter if I have like 15 minutes or 45 is just to have like a quick Nespresso. And then I get up and I go run or do like, Tracy Anderson videos, online. Okay, like for yoga, and then I kind of helped my girls get ready. And we rush out of the house. And that's, that's how I you know, I love walking to I just feel like that brings me like such peace. Like, especially during COVID When people were like, you know, locked in their homes. I would always go for a walk.

Katie: 52:26

Yeah, did Tracy Anderson method is it's good. It's intense. Like, yeah, right.

Karla: 52:32

I mean, it's I love that the streaming I feel like all of those like classes that like adjusted to like have the streaming moment.

Amy: 52:40

Wow. Yeah. Great. Great day. So Katie. So Carla, at the ends of our show, we usually do a product review or like something that we're loving right now that we want to tell listeners about. So Katie has something for us and I don't know what it is either. So I'm excited to hear what you have to review for us today.

Karla: 52:58

skincare product or anything,

Amy: 52:59

anything, anything related to like skincare, beauty, wellbeing, wellness,

Karla: 53:04

I was just saying I just did this. You know, I feel like you know, after Christmas, we're all kind of feeling like we need to reset like we go to our place at the beach and I don't know how to go to the beach without eating like chips and salsa every day. So I come back feeling not very healthy. But I just did the chroma cleanse. It's like a five day cleanse. Have you heard of it? It's

Katie: 53:29

I haven't No, tell us

Amy: 53:31

today. Really, like pretty looking at it. Like it's so

Karla: 53:34

beautiful. Yeah, like in this, but it's really great because I feel like it's not even like weight loss. It's just kind of to get your mind back to like, eating like a normal person. Not you know, or at least for me was it was well balanced. And like they send you it's five days and you have like soups and kind of like protein like veggies, but like they give you like a matcha latte in the morning and then like a like a shake a super greens, elixirs that kind of helps you get like all your vitamins. And when you finish like you don't even crave anything bad. Like you just want to have like, the item that you want to keep eating like veggies and fruit.

Amy: 54:18

It's like a reset kind of Yeah, yeah. It

Karla: 54:20

felt really, it felt really nice and not in that like you're starving yourself. You know? Yeah, I have to shut that out. Reset.

Amy: 54:30

Yeah, it sounds good now.

Katie: 54:31

Yeah, that is up to check it out to the network. What's the name of it again? Gramma.

Amy: 54:36

Ch ch O. O Ma.

Katie: 54:40

Okay, next. All right. Well, let I have one two and it's I'll just do it really quickly because it's not a beauty product or anything super exciting, but I've been trying to work on my sleep hygiene and trying to like fall asleep easier. That's my thing. I can't fall asleep. I can do once I'm out. I'm out. But getting there is tough. So this one It's by natural and it's relaxed plus night calm they have mult sorry, like part of the sticker came off but they have multiple products for all different things for for like for sleep and for joint health and brain health and then for mood and stress and this is actually for mood and stress not so much for sleep, but I take it to help me wind down and get the wheels to stop turning to law into a nice sleep and it works and legitimately worse it has. And I'm like I'm not the easiest person to put to sleep so I know it's good. It has l theanine five HTP and a small amount of melatonin which I like that it's a little because melatonin on its own does give me a hangover I'm like groggy the next day. Really? Yeah, it makes me like foggy me too. So

Amy: 55:46

I can take it Yeah.

Katie: 55:47

And then it also has a little bit of lemon balm extract and you know I gotta see yes, it's like $20 that a pill or like a gum it's a gummy and it's a pretty clean gummy. It's it's organic tapioca sugar, or an organic cane sugar, pectin, citric acid, vegetable juice, coconut oil, like there's no sugar alcohols and garbage in it. And it does taste really good. But yeah, it's 100% Drug Free non habit forming for like, I want to say maybe two weeks.

Amy: 56:17

I find it helpful. That's great.

Katie: 56:18

I found it very helpful. I've been playing like I've been trying different things here and there. I tried a different one last night. And it was I ended up like also taking it works. Yeah.

Amy: 56:30

I love it. good reviews. Thanks for chroma and for what is that called? Again? Katie. Your

Katie: 56:36

your is natural relax, plus night calm.

Amy: 56:39

Okay, well, we'll post all this in the show notes. But yeah, it's awesome. So Carla, thank you so much for like sharing all your wisdom and for spending time with us. It was so amazing to hear about your experience and how far you've come and I always love your voice. It's so like distinct and it's so great to see you and to hear you and we definitely have to meet up next time we're in the same thank you for being on the show. We always like to end with a mantra just kind of set our intention to close out the show. So Katie, what do you have for us?

Katie: 57:08

Alright, so this one is just something to remember and it is a quote I should add by Eleanor Roosevelt. It is happiness is not a goal. It is a byproduct of a life well lived. So I feel like you know like you're speaking to working hard and you know that I'm bringing up my phone left happiness.

Karla: 57:27

Thank you guys so much. I hope Thank you, you in person.

Amy: 57:32

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.