H is for Love by Bee Simonds
PREVAILER OF NATURAL BEAUTY, I HAVE MY FEELERS STRETCHED OUT AT ALL TIMES. LIKE A BUTTERFLY ATTRACTED TO FLOWERS, I WAS SUPER INTRIGUED BY THE BRAND H IS FOR LOVE.
IT APPEARED TO ME AS A BEAUTY BRAND THAT HAS A LOT OF SOUL. WHEN I DID SOME RESEARCH AND CHATTED WITH THE FOUNDER, THIS BECAME CLEARER. BEE STARTED HER BRAND OUT OF PASSION AND PASSION IS CONTAGIOUS.
I AM THRILLED TO HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH HER. HERE A GLIMPSE INTO BEE’S WORLD THAT WILL BRING HER CLOSER TO YOU TOO.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
My name is Bee Simonds and I own a luxury plant based skincare line called H IS FOR LOVE! I'm originally from California, but I live now in Spokane, WA with my two kids Dahlia and Weston, and a fierce female german shepherd named Willow. I grew up with a very even mix of girl and boy influences. My childhood best friend was a boy and we played all day outside digging up worms and playing in tree forts. I was also very into girl things, fancy princess dresses, and dance classes. That balance of male/female is very much present in my life today. I find beauty in clean lines and minimalist design, but I fully embrace the feminine; both can be seen in H from scent profiles to branding.
WHEN DID YOU START H IS FOR LOVE AND WHATS YOUR BRANDS MANTRA?
I started formulating the line after finishing cosmetology school. I discovered there that the beauty industry is full of toxic chemicals that aim at nothing more than covering up the aging process. Ironically, those chemicals actually speed that process. It felt wrong on a lot of levels. So, I set out to create a line of skincare that would honor our bodies and nature-two things that are meant to be together. Aging is not something to cover up or deny, it's something to celebrated! Lavishing our skin with clean, active botanicals is engaging in a process that nourishes skin and soul. It's really the only kind of skincare that diminishes the appearance of fine lines and has to potential to fade scarring. After two years of formulating, at the end of 2015 we launched the line! Our mantra is NATURE IS ENOUGH - and it's just so true.
YOUR BEAUTY LINE IS ALSO A SELF CARE LINE: YOUR TOP TIPS OF CARING FOR YOURSELF?
Anything you do to better yourself and to give yourself love is guilt-free in my book! I have several ways I make sure to get in time for myself. As mamas we can all go until we're empty, but there are some powerful things we can do to fill back up when we set aside a little time. The first thing I do in the morning is make sure I'm awake at least 30 minutes before my kids. Most of the time I get up around 5-5:30am and read. They say reading in the early morning sets the tone for your day. I tend to read something that's inspiring and enriching during this time. Journaling thoughts is also a great exercise because we think the most clearly just after waking. I also stretch for 10 minutes on my mat each morning. It's not a ton of time, but it's enough to keep me feeling alive! I eat very cleanly and so do my kids. I make an amazing cacao drink (no coffee for me) every morning that's basically like dessert and that makes me incredibly happy. (Cacao, gelatinized maca, coconut sugar, ceylon cinnamon, grass-fed butter, mineral salt, a powerful medicinal mushroom mix and some adaptogens mixed with whole & local grass-fed organic milk.) I H IS FOR LOVE to care for my skin morning and night without fail, and I mask several times a week, of course.
H is for Love
NATURE IS ENOUGH
MOST IS THE MOST FASCINATING COMPONENT IN YOUR LINE?
I'm truly fascinated by every ingredient we use, but if I had to choose one it would be a very rare ingredient called white turmeric. It has many different names depending on where it's grown, but it's highly anti-bacterial, brightening, and what's more, it's very hard to find. The real thing is elusive to say the least! It can be found in PROPOLIS Regenerative Face Mask; that mask, with it's cast of powerful ingredients, is a miracle worker.
PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF BOOKS, FILMS OR PODCASTS?
I live by the Goop Podcast. I also love How I Built this on NPR.
I'm currently reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, and GRIT by Angela Duckworth. I just finished How To Shake The Sleeping Self by Jedediah Jenkins, and Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. I highly recommend them.
Films...I haven't seen anything lately that has moved me much, but two of my favorites are The Fall (starring Lee Pace--not a movie named FALL that's a different one), and BARAKA directed by Ron Fricke. Both truly beautiful films.
OKAY TELL ME, WHATS YOUR SECRET FOR YOUR GORGEOUS EYEBROWS?
Ha;) thank you. They were pencil thin two years ago and I thought they’d never grow back. I used H is for Love RAPHA oil on the end of a spoolie every night for a year. The castor oil draw blood to the hair follicle and the extracts and oils soothe so it doesn’t irritate when left on. After they filled in, I got some professional color I use to tint with every few weeks. I also use Ecobrow to fill and Jane Iredale gel to shape. I don’t pluck ever. Not even totally random strays. I also follow @kristiestreicher for brow inspo.