I hope you’re all enjoying my in-depth interviews with some of the most important and inspiring women in the green beauty industry as much as I am!

I get so excited to learn the why and how they began their personal journey to create and turn their ideas into thriving business ventures.

I’m going to go ahead and say it, these women that I interview really embody the definition of Superwomen. Sarah Villafranco fits the the description perfectly.”A woman with exceptional strength or ability, especially one who successfully manages a home, brings up children, and has a full-time job”.

Sarah was one of the first people to send me some of her incredible products to review. I’ll never forget how excited I was when I received her package in the mail. The first thing that impressed me was how beautiful the products looked not to mention the love I felt from the hand written personal note she included. Then of course the products performing at the one hundred percent level solidified it for me. The rest is history as they say. I’m an Osmia Girl for life, that’s for sure. I love every single product I’ve tried from her line. Sara’s love and creativity are apparent and literally felt from each soap, lotion, oil and each item she created from Osmia.

I can’t wait to someday stop by the Osmia Organics studio in Carbondale, CO, for tour and a real face to face visit with Sarah. I also can’t wait to see her at the next ‘A Night For Green Beauty’ Event in LA in August 2014!

It’s with so much respect and humble gratitude I introduce you to, the wonderful Sarah Villafranco~

1.) What event or moment made you first realize that you wanted to create Osmia Organics? Was it a “moment” you had? Or an innate feeling you had forever that lead you to this specialized artisan industry?

I think it was when I took my first soap making class.  The second I saw soap being born, I began obsessing over making it myself.  I have always been fascinated with chemistry, and combining it with luxury skin care and the therapeutic effects of pure essential oils is my fantasy job!  Now, the business provides multiple channels though which I hope to educate and encourage people about healthy living, non-toxic skin care, and environmental responsibility – in a sense, I’m practicing the medicine I always wanted to practice.

 

 

2.) We all have to know; what does your daily beauty ritual consist of? Please do tell! Include all products…

I wash my face with Black Clay Facial Soap  – it seems to keep my perioral dermatitis symptoms at bay. I wash my hair with an SLS-free shampoo (I like the Broo and Desert Essence lines for my thick, crazy hair).  I use either the Detox or Protein Exfoliating Mask once a week.  In between, I use our Luz Facial Smoothing Powder (for Spring release) if I need a quick little polish – and, it’s great for the lips.  Out of the shower, I use our Active Gel Toner, followed by the Purely Simple Face Cream.  For the body, I follow with whichever oil I’ve picked from our collection, and slather it on when my skin is still sopping wet.  I usually finish with Honey Myrrh Lip Repair.  As for “styling”, I sleep on my wet hair, wake up with what my daughters call Wild-Woman-Hair, and hope it settles into Loosely-Tousled-Hippie-Girl-Hair by the time I leave the house.  I am not much of a makeup user.  I have never worn foundation, and I wear eye makeup about once a month.  I almost always wear one of our lip glosses (Whisper lately), and I whip out the eyelash curler when I want to feel super fancy.

3.) If I were to unbeknownst to you, follow you for a day, what would a typical daily schedule look like? Example: what time do you wake? What are your go to meals? Exercise of choice?

I’m up by about 6:45, no alarm needed (unless you count the adorable 7 and 10 year old alarms that live with me).  If I’m taking the girls to school, we leave the house by 7:45.  I usually manage 2 pieces of GF toast and a cup of Earl Grey tea with almond milk most mornings.  I drop them and try to fit in a workout before going to the store.  Typical workout?  Run, either on the bike path or hiking trails, for about 60-80 minutes. Sometimes I sprinkle 100 burpees through the workout – they make you feel so strong!  In our short but gorgeous summer, I ride my road bike 25-30 miles in the mountains – the incredible scenery takes my mind off my exploding lungs.  I shoot for outdoor exercise whenever possible, but if I have a super busy day ahead, I hit the treadmill, bike, or yoga mat before I leave the house.   This is my sanity – I almost never sacrifice a workout.

Then, I’m at OO for the rest of the day – answering emails, helping customers in the shop, trying to keep up with phone calls and social media, planning our expansion, strategizing with the team about OO’s growth and future plans. I don’t really stop for lunch – a habit from the ER.  I just graze and snack all day on nuts, fruit, energy bars, etc.  Home by 6-6:30 most nights, where my amazing husband (who is a full-time lawyer) can often be found stirring a delicious vegetarian concoction on the stove.  I have a meal with him while we catch up on our day, then I head down to read stories with the girls (usually in 13 different accents). I tuck them in around 8, then work a couple hours on the computer, trying to get on top of my inbox.  (I never do).  I try to get to bed by 11, and I’m working on making it earlier – we all need more beauty sleep!

 

4.) What/Who inspires you to keep going and to innovate such creative products?

Sometimes I create products to address certain skin concerns or issues.  Sometimes I’m grabbed by a scent in nature – I stand and close my eyes and try to compose a perfume in my mind while I’m surrounded by its inspiration (like Juniper Fire and Prima).  And, sometimes it’s just the ingredients themselves; working with such beautiful materials is like being an artist surrounded by fresh tubes of paint – you just can’t help yourself.

 

5.) What is a perfect day for you? You have a day all to yourself, what would you do? You have a day with your family how would you spend it?

Hmmm. A day all to myself?  First, I would drink my tea and get outside to exercise.  Then I’d crank music at Osmia, and tinker at my perfume table all day.  In the evening, I’d make myself a giant salad and pour a glass of wine, and then snuggle with my puppies and watch Jimmy Fallon.

With the family, I’d start the same way, but add a hike with the girls, taking an annoying number of pictures of them and the dogs, cook with my hubbie, read books with everyone, and maybe have an impromptu dance party.

In general, I try to fit as many pieces of my Perfect Day in to my Every Day as possible.

 

6.) What is your favorite Osmia Organics product and why?

Oh, now, that’s just not a fair question and you know it.  But, for today, I’ll say our Body Oils.  They have replaced lotion (often loaded with chemicals and preservatives) for most of our customers.  They comprise 11 antioxidant, skin-rejuvenating, botanical oils.  There is a scent for every mood – essential oil blends that can take you to wonderful places.  And they leave you feeling velvety and pampered.

7.) What image or feeling do you hope people will affiliate with Osmia Organics?

Nurturing yourself and the Earth, really.  You owe it to yourself to be happy and healthy in this life.  And you owe it to the planet to care about your impact while you’re here.

8.) What do you see as well as hope for the future growth of your incredible coveted brand?

I want to grow at a pace we can barely keep up with, but stay in control of the choices we make as a company.  I’m not out to make the most money possible in the shortest time possible.  I want to DO this for a living.  I want to make gorgeous products without harmful ingredients. I want to give great jobs to great people.  I want our brand to represent a beautifully-lived, cherished, healthy life.  And I want to inspire our customers to slow down, nourish themselves, notice the world around them, and squeeze every drop of joy out of their lives.

XO to you (and all green beauty bloggers) – you do such a wonderful job at educating people, and helping them become informed (and wonderful smelling) consumers!

S.

Thank you so much Sarah for allowing me to interview you!!

Have you ever tried any of Sarah’s products? Did this interview inspire you as much as it did me??! Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Keep in touch with Sarah:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

xoxo,

Britanie