I launched CLOVE +  HALLOW out of my spare bedroom a few years after transitioning into a cleaner lifestyle. I had just recovered from a debilitating illness that stole my life away for six months; only with the assistance of holistic medicine, something I had never before considered, did my life turn back around. It was an eye-opening experience that made me very ingredient conscious, and I became passionate about finding clean alternatives for everything in my life. As a makeup artist, replacing all of the cosmetics in my personal and professional kits presented a huge challenge: shade ranges were boring or limited for my diverse clientele, most products were too sheer to work for everyday women, and worst of all, everything was so expensive! That's when the idea of CLOVE + HALLOW started rattling around in my head, and like pretty much everything else in my life, I simply took a leap of faith.

"I take pride in knowing that I can 100% stand
behind every single product we launch."

What challenges have you faced running an affordable, clean, non-toxic makeup brand?
What challenges haven't I faced? I honestly think we've dealt with every kind of issue at one point or another, but a recent one was a set of new product launches that had a stability issue and needed to be reformulated. They were long-awaited products and I was an anxious mess over having to delay even further, but I take pride in knowing that I can 100% stand behind every single product we launch. Other than that, our biggest ongoing challenge is expanding our team and scaling our business without losing the feeling of being a small, intimate community.

What does your typical day look like?
Busy! I wake up around 6:30AM and try to squeeze in a workout or film some content for my personal blog before I head into the office each morning. My day can't begin until I've had at least one La Croix - lime flavor, of course - and I spend at least an hour each morning corralling my never-ending email inbox. Some days I'm doing really cool stuff in the lab or traveling for work, but most days I'm usually heads-down in meetings or deep diving into a spreadsheet. Once I get home, I like to cook a hearty dinner (my favorite meal of the day!) for me and my fiancé before winding down with a bath or good book - or both!

What morning routines or evening rituals do you have to keep you balanced?
This isn't a ritual so much as a rule that I try to follow in the mornings: don't hit snooze. Sometimes I'm weak and will give myself an extra 10 minutes, but I find that I usually feel better if I force myself to get up when my alarm first goes off. I think it helps by making me feel much more in charge of my day. My only consistent nighttime routine is to do my full skincare routine, no matter what. I know it sounds crazy, but I don't sleep as well when my makeup is on - it's like my body knows that I did something bad. And once my makeup is off, my body knows it's time for bed and I fall right asleep.

CLOVE + HALLOW Conceal + Correct
comes in 10 buildable shades!

What’s one skin care product you can’t live without?
There are two items I can't live without - one is a beauty product and one is a supplement. I really I don't know what I would do without my CLOVE + HALLOW Conceal + Correct; I have super fair and very translucent skin so I have lots of redness and deep blue circles around my eyes. If I wear nothing else, a spot of concealer makes me feel put together. My other must-have is a good probiotic; I swear that taking a good probiotic consistently has cleared up my skin, healed my tummy, and helped me sleep/relax easier. 

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If you liked this interview, you might like our recent interview with Roberta Lindal, founder of La Petite Ecoliere.