“I began modeling at 16 years previous. I signed with the company that was one of many larger businesses on the time in New York, which was Wilhelmina. My dad and mom had at all times advised me that I couldn’t mannequin perpetually, and I must select a profession path, and I ought to begin that.
CAREER
By 20, I had saved sufficient cash to open up a medical spa. So I used to be at all times very curious about skincare, magnificence, and medical-grade procedures like lasers and issues like that. I went to esthetician faculty and obtained my esthetics license, so I’d know a little bit about it. We had every part from facials and microdermabrasion and chemical peels, LED lights, and issues like that, to laser hair elimination, laser vein elimination, non-surgical facelifts, and laser pigmentation elimination. I simply fell in love with it. I opened it up in Texas and determined I’d by no means actually stay in Texas full-time once more.
I ended up promoting it about three or 4 years later and stayed in New York. I got here up with an concept, and I pitched it to a manufacturing firm referred to as “Inside Trend,” the place we’d be behind the scenes at completely different runway reveals, speaking to make-up artists, hair stylists, and designers, and it aired on E!. So it was a twisted path the place I went from modeling to medspa proprietor and again into that aspect of issues.
Years later, I used to be pregnant with my first baby, and I began enthusiastic about stretch marks as a result of I already had them and didn’t need extra of them. So I began making merchandise. I’ve at all times been nice with ingredient lists; I can look in the back of nearly any product like a chemist. I used to be doing that with completely different physique lotions that say they forestall stretch marks. I’d discover out what their advertising and marketing ingredient was and surprise why it was at all times the thirteenth [on the list] or why that they had to make use of this type of preservative when there are such a lot of cleaner preservatives on the market?’ So I made a decision to make my very own, and I went down this rabbit gap of turning into obsessive about substances. However not simply obsessive about substances—obsessive about which ingredient does what factor. I ended up with an Excel sheet balancing fatty acids, omegas, and retinoic acid versus linoleic. Once I felt that I had that steadiness, I began ordering and asking for uncooked substances from giant producers, and they might not need to promote me the quantity they’d make for one particular person. So I had to purchase, on the minimal, a five-gallon bucket. My kitchen ended up being an at-home little lab. I made many variations—in all probability 100 in a few years or extra. I at all times had a lot extra stock. I’d ship it out to pals in LA or New York and completely different pregnant individuals, and so they’d at all times come again with success tales after which ask for it for his or her pals.
That’s how our physique butter was born. It was actually only a product I used to be making in my kitchen, for myself, for a really egocentric motive. That turned the go-to for therefore many individuals. I’d be away and folks would nonetheless be asking for it. At one level, I used to be like, ‘I’ve to place this in a lab as a result of I’m fearful about what substances I’m out of at-home.’ I felt like if I didn’t get this made and ship it to them inside two weeks, the stretch marks can be my fault, in a method, as a result of I had all of those pregnant pals. Finally, it turned a model, and Mutha was born with our first product, the physique butter. Then, we had our physique oil, which was all concerning the pores and skin’s elasticity. From there, we have now about ten SKUs from physique care to skincare, with a core know-how developed by a chemist from MIT. Once we did skincare, we knew we needed to go in, so there’s no method I may do it in my kitchen. I used to be in therapy rooms myself as an esthetician, and I really feel like that in all probability influenced the product growth aspect essentially the most since you need merchandise that give outcomes and do what they are saying they’re going to do. There’s simply no method that I may have that credibility as a result of when somebody places one thing on their physique, they need the science behind it greater than the rest. It’s not about making a being pregnant cream that was all about hydration. It became an actual pores and skin undertaking and having MIT concerned was essential.
I simply wrote a guide about being pregnant referred to as Your Physique is Magic, which is every part I discovered [during my preganacies]. I began with an OB/GYN, and within the first 20 weeks, I began doing a number of studying. I stated, ‘I’m going to do this midwife path. I need to interview one.’ It was a two-and-a-half-hour dialog throughout my first session. I discovered far more about my physique in that interview. At that time, I simply went down this entire pure house delivery path, what nutritional vitamins to take and why you don’t take one prenatal vitamin. I got here up with a complete diet plan, and we have now many contributors, from a doula to a midwife.
SKIN
I’m an enormous fan of double cleaning. Every time I put on SPF or make-up, I’ve to take away it with a double cleanse. The order through which I do it’s both I’ll use a gel after which oil, or oil after which a gel, relying on the humidity. I’ll end with a gel if I’m someplace extra humid, and if my pores and skin is drier, I’ll end with an oil cleanser. I just like the La Mer Cleaning Gel and the Tata Harper Nourishing Oil Cleanser.
If it’s morning, I like a morning cleanse with extra of a cream cleanser or an oil—one thing very hydrating. I’ll use Augustinus Bader’s Cleaning Cream as a result of it doesn’t strip the pores and skin, and I’m solely eradicating skincare merchandise, oil, and stuff from sleeping. In order that’s a single cleanse. My subsequent step, whether or not morning or night time, is to make use of the Mutha Cell Rejuvenating Essence, after which I am going to the Mutha No. 1 Serum. I typically finish there and go straight to sunscreen. It’s a really lazy, quick skincare routine, however that’s the truth of some mornings with 4 youngsters. If I’m going to make use of sunscreen, I’ll use Elta MD. If I desire a glowy end, like when I’ve a number of video calls that day and I’m doing a no-makeup look, I’ll do the Supergoop Glow Display screen.
I’ve at all times been nice with ingredient lists; I can look in the back of nearly any product like a chemist. I used to be doing that with completely different physique lotions that say they forestall stretch marks.
If I’m doing an extended routine or whether it is nighttime, I might need a face masks after I cleanse. I’m at the moment utilizing a product we are going to launch later this 12 months. At night time, I additionally use P50. I like our Mutha Cream or the Cream Excessive at night time; I can select relying on if I’m in Colorado or Palm Seashore. I take advantage of the Cream Excessive in a colder atmosphere, after which in lighter, extra humid environments, I’ll select the Cream. I at all times do Up All Night time Eye Cream within the morning and night time as a result of it has this glow. It’s so nice. I am going all the way in which across the eye and do the eyelid additionally. As soon as every week on a Sunday, I’ll do the Pores and skin 111 Face Masks. I like their sheet masks rather a lot, and so they have nice under-eye patches. I additionally just like the Peter Thomas Roth gel pads which are mild blue. I incorporate these relying on what I’ve occurring or what my pores and skin is doing that week.
MAKEUP
For make-up, I like to have the No. 1 Serum beneath my make-up each time. I feel it’s an ideal hydrator, and I can inform the distinction between once I don’t use it and once I do. Your make-up goes into eye wrinkles, or you will have the parentheses across the mouth, and that doesn’t occur as a result of the No. 1 Serum is so hydrating. I take advantage of a bunch of various foundations, however I have been liking the Lawless Clear AF Basis. It doesn’t get cakey, it doesn’t get within the smile or eye traces, so it’s a really light-weight and spectacular method. I like, love, love the Gucci Westman blush sticks, and I like her brushes too. I take advantage of that blush in Petal, and he or she additionally has a contouring bronzer in stick type that I like. For eyeshadow, I feel that Pat McGrath has the very best eyeshadows as a result of they’re tremendous, tremendous pigmented. I like Make-up by Mario Eyeliner, it’s tremendous, tremendous pigmented, and it’s one stroke. You don’t should go over it, you possibly can’t see by means of it, and you’ve got whole management due to the applicator.
I like Victoria Beckham’s No. 4 Lip Liner. Then, there’s this Chanel product referred to as Liquid Powder, but it surely’s in your lips. It leaves this matte, velvety, smooth end, so it’s like, ‘Is she sporting one thing or is she not?’ It provides a very good glow with out being a lot. For highlighters, I feel that the Sephora model makes actually good highlighters. They’ve a bunch of them which are referred to as Dawn, Sundown. They’re pigmented. Too Confronted makes an ideal translucent powder, and it smells like peaches. I at all times set that with what I feel is the very best setting spray: Anastasia Beverly Hills Setting Spray. It has this gold, glittery bundle, however there’s no shine or something. After spraying it, you’re a little dewy, and every part units in. I like Victoria Beckham’s eyeliner additionally. I feel she makes glorious eyeliners usually. Her Bordeaux Eyeliner is the colour of a Bordeaux wine, and I’ve a brown eye colour that may have some lighter colours. It helps to deliver these out and is extra fascinating than the normal black-brown. Huda has so many nice palettes. She has a brand new palette, a lightweight purple, and I’m obsessive about it. Huda additionally makes a wonderful lip stain, so should you don’t like sticky and don’t prefer to reapply, her lip stain is sweet. It’s like a gloss, but it surely dries flat.
For a no-makeup look, Supergoop makes eye shadow, which not many individuals have tried, and it’s in a pot. You should use it in your fingers, and it doesn’t make your eyelid all one colour. It’s obtained some iridescent colours in it, and I like these eyeshadows rather a lot as a result of they’re enjoyable on a no-makeup day.
I’ve at all times simply carried out my brows and tweeze; I don’t wax or have a selected routine. Each few years, I prefer to see Anastasia [Soare] or somebody together with her crew to form them in the event that they’ve gotten off someway. There’s a girl in LA, Audrey Glass, who does microblading. It’s by no means an excessive amount of. It’s simply what you want and offers you that nice base. I like Forehead Wiz by Anastasia Beverly Hills, and I’ll nonetheless use that on prime. I even have this contact in New York; she’s a secret weapon: she’s going to by no means name-drop purchasers, however she is aware of who to go to. In the event you want anyone for brows, she matches you with whoever you want. It’s very specialised, however she goes by Magnificence Dealer. She’s on-line, and he or she matches you to surgeons or recommends skincare therapies. So if I need to know who will microblade my brows or who to go to for this and that, she’s the reply.
HAIR
I’ve curly hair, and I am going in phases the place I’m solely sporting my hair curly for 3 months. Folks suppose you don’t should do something to curly hair, however you will have to take action a lot with it. Typically once I blow it out, I can go every week with one blow-dry, and I can brush it and restyle it with out having to moist it day by day; I discover it to be much less upkeep. My curls really feel extra excessive upkeep as a result of regardless that they’ll air dry, they want a lot moisture and product. I layer it, part it and brush it, and there’s a complete curl routine. If I’m not in my curl routine, I’m doing a number of conditioning. I take advantage of Olaplex’s full line as a result of I do suppose it helps my hair. I like Wow’s Dream Coat once I’m down in Palm Seashore as a result of it’s extra humid right here or throughout New York summers, and you may coat your hair with it and blow it out. Additionally they have one for curly hair, and it’s a twig, so it’s tremendous skinny, and it actually does make my curls very beautiful, but additionally their Curly Dream Spray is unbelievable. You’ll be able to blow dry your hair, and even in humidity, my hair received’t curl again up like it’ll with out it. I like Advantage Shampoo additionally once I’m not doing Olaplex-type therapies. One thing I began utilizing on curl days and straight days is K18. I feel it’s made my ends a lot nicer. Then, Bumble and Bumble has a curl butter, and I feel it’s thick, and my hair does nicely with it for curly hair days.
When blowing my hair out, I both use the spherical Moroccanoil Ceramic Brush with my T3 blow dryer, or if I’m prepared to do sufficiently small sections, Dry Bar has a blow-dry brush that’s multi functional.
BODY
I get massages, and I do them not for rest however extra therapeutic as a result of I just like the deep work. I’m an enormous fan of dry brushing, so I like a great dry brush at the very least a couple of instances every week earlier than the bathe. At Mutha, we simply launched an exfoliating physique bar. It’s a part of our Nudist assortment, a brand new assortment that’s all about KP or the bumps you get on the bottom of the butt or the again of the legs from sitting, or the bumps you get from swimsuits, or on the again of the arms. It’s a physique bar, and it has a lot of little renewable wooden pulp in it, so it’s very smooth, but it surely’s an exfoliating agent, and it has a lot of niacinamide and nutritional vitamins in it for the pores and skin. I’m utilizing that day by day as a focused therapy for the place I’ve these bumps. If I’m in a extra humid local weather, I’ll solely use physique serum and be very hydrated all day. It’s obtained an exfoliant in it, and it has a lot of fruit acids and M-tight know-how, clinically confirmed to stimulate your blood circulate by 375 % within the first 75 minutes you’re sporting it. It helps with lymph circulate, so should you like lymphatic drainage or are obsessive about flushing toxins, depuffing, and issues like that, this is a wonderful physique serum to do each day upkeep. After that, if it’s at night time, I’ll layer the physique butter. If it’s daytime, I’ll put oil on, however I’m massive on moisturizing the physique throughout AM and PM. I additionally do slugging with our physique butter for the toes, and I’ll put socks on prime.
It’s humorous as a result of my youngsters nonetheless have essentially the most luxurious tub routine. They at all times need to take a shower. They’re not showering but, so we’ll do bubble baths, tub bombs, or tub oils. I feel it’s good for calming them at night time. I’ll strive something I can to make them wind down, and so they suppose it’s enjoyable as a result of it’s tub bombs. So I make these at house. I make rather a lot, and that’s a undertaking I do with my youngsters. Then, they use physique butter once they get out of the tub. My seven-year-old has had it day by day for seven years; I swear he can have the very best pores and skin of any man. I don’t even know if I’d’ve stored making it previous being pregnant or turned it right into a model, however one particular person in my life was at all times hooked on it, and it was my husband. He nonetheless, to at the present time, makes use of the physique butter after each bathe. He says it’s the one factor that helps his pores and skin, and he has very dry pores and skin. “
— as advised to ITG
All images taken by Alexandra Genova in New York Metropolis