1. Victoria, it was an honor to review your new line. I love the products! Can you please tell us a little bit about you and your awesome new bath and body line, Ambreose?
Thank you so much Alex!! It’s also such an honor to be interviewed on your blog! It’s my first and I’m so excited!! Well, about me, I’m 29 years old, currently living in Southern New Jersey . I’m originally from Detroit and I’ve been here in Jersey for about a year. I’m a graduate student studying for my Master’s degree in Higher Education. I am also a licensed Esthetician (I hold my license in Michigan
My bath and body line is called Ámbreöse Collection and it’s my baby! I created it because I was not finding what my skin needed in the stores, so I decided to make my own! It’s a natural skin care line. The only artificial ingredient is the fragrance, but the products can also be ordered unscented. There are currently four products available in five different fragrances: Whipped Shea Butter Scrub, Body Polish, Whipped Body Frosting, and Body Silk Moisturizing Bath & Body Oil, with everything priced under $20. I plan on introducing collections specially formulated for the feet in the near future.
2. Do you have a current skin regimen that you stick to and do you use your own products?
I most certainly do! It’s so important to stick with a regimen because our skin is our largest organ. It’s very important to take care of it. I have extremely oily, acne-prone skin, so for my face, I wash every night with raw African black soap using my hands. I have found this to be the best for my skin. I have even started using it to cleanse my entire body. I actually was diagnosed with cystic acne, which is the harshest, most severe form, and since using the black soap faithfully, I have noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of breakouts I have. That soap has worked wonders for me. About every 3 nights, I exfoliate using an exfoliating pad. I like to do that at night because I want to make sure I get all the day’s dirt and makeup out of my pores. My skin feels ultra smooth afterwards. After rubbing the soap all over my face, I wet the pad and using that same lather gently rub the pad all over my face, except for my eyes. After cleansing, I pat my face dry with a clean paper towel. I then moisturize with a really light, oil-free moisturizer. One of my favorites is Ole Henriksen’s Sheer Transformation. I get mine from Sephora. It’s kind of pricey ($40 for a small jar), so I only treat myself to that every once in a while. When that runs out, I like to use CeraVe moisturizer in the mean time. I get that from CVS. It’s more reasonable, around $13 for a nice-sized bottle. When I do get a break out, I like to spot treat with benzoyl peroxide. Any brand will do, preferably the one on sale. It’s antibacterial and helps dry out my acne, especially when I have extracted a pimple. In the morning, I just steam my face with a hot towel. After that cleansing at night, the steam in the morning is all that is needed. I just take a hot towel and place it on my face 4-5 times and follow with my moisturizer. And that’s it for my face. I keep it simple.
For my body, I MOST definitely use my products! I was my first customer and best customer! My favorite is the Whipped Shea Butter Scrub. I use that once or twice a week all over my body (except for my face) after I’ve done my cleansing. I love how it makes my skin feel! Then I rinse off really good to remove the sugar crystals, step out the tub and pat dry. I like to use the body oil after the Shea Butter scrub. Since the sun has started shining, I like using the Body Polish on my feet. It’s a more aggressive exfoliant. I like to do that once a week and follow with the Whipped Body Frosting. Like I said, I’m currently working on introducing a line made especially for the feet, so I can’t wait for that!
3. Are your products targeted to people with a certain skin type? What products work best in your line to keep the skin smooth and soft?
I would recommend my products for all skin types. Those with sensitive skin would want to limit the use of the scrubs to once a week or even once every other week, since they don’t require as much exfoliation. The Body Silk body oil and Whipped Body Frosting is ideal for all skin types. To me, the two products that will keep the skin smooth and soft would be the Whipped Shea Butter Scrub and the Whipped Body Frosting. Those two products are phenomenal and unique and my personal favorites!
4. How long have you been in business and what made you start out on this venture?
I officially launched my business this past February. So it’s still very, very new. I decided to start this venture because I was not satisfied with what I saw in stores. Even though my face is oily, my body is severely dry and I had not been able to find anything that was giving me the results I wanted: smooth, soft skin that stayed that way. So when I was studying to become an Esthetician, I began to learn about ingredients in cosmetics. Around this same time, I also stumbled upon the natural hair community and began learning about the harmful ingredients that are in cosmetics. I was disgusted! I was like, I can’t believe this is what I’ve been putting on my skin! And I just could not bring myself to continue to use the stuff because I knew it was doing absolutely nothing for the health of my skin. So I started researching different ingredients that were good for both the health and beauty of the skin. I started out making small batches for my two best friends, my mom and my sister. And it just took off from there! Then eventually I decided it would be a good idea to turn this into something bigger and Ámbreöse Collection was born!
5. Where can we find you and your product line on the web (or stores)?
You can visit www.ambreose.com, or to go straight to the online store, you can visit www.shop.ambreose.com. I also just recently started a blog focused on skin care and overall health. That can be found at www.ambreosecollection.blogspot.com. And you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/MzTori728
6. One of my favorite products from your line is the whipped body butter (OMG, it’s to DIE FOR. Imagine Cool Whip but for your skin). What are some of your customer’s favorite products? Which is your best seller?
And you are right on Alex! My number one seller has been the Whipped Body Frosting in Sugar Mama! Everybody loves Sugar Mama! Another favorite seems to be the Whipped Shea Butter Scrub.
7. What advice do you have for women who want to venture out and start their own businesses?
My advice would be to stop procrastinating and do it! A former co-worker of mine told me about 5 years ago to do at least one thing each day that leads to me achieving my dream. Whether that was reading a magazine article, learning a new recipe, learning about a new ingredient, something every single day. And that’s what I began to do. Also, it’s very important to build your brand. With our day jobs, we tend to focus on that all the time. When we meet someone and they ask us “What do you do?”, we say, “Oh, I work for so-and-so”. I figured out that I had to start presenting myself as my own company. When people ask me what I do, I started telling them about my company and what I did. Our day jobs have enough people promoting their companies; it’s your turn!
Thank you so much Alex!! I truly appreciate it! Don’t forget about the coupon code “ghb20” good for 20% off until April 15!
No comments:
Post a Comment