A Day in the Life: Our Founder’s Skincare and Self-Care Routine

I don’t know how my co-founder does it! Christina, who comes from the fast and furious world of finance, is a Latina powerhouse.

She’s the co-founder and owner of a very successful makeup brand, Belle en Argent, is an angel investor and runs an angel syndicate that helps find funding for entrepreneurs of color finding solutions for parenting problems.

She also has a 2 year old daughter at home, which also keeps her very busy. But through it all, she makes sure to find time for self-care and her house certainly sounds like a #latinahygge home: lots of cafesitos, candles, and oils.

I asked her what her typical skincare and self-care routine was and here’s what she told me:

5:00am (pre-dawn)

I wake up at 5:00 am so I’m definitely an early bird! I’ve been doing this since I was 25 when I worked market hours on a trading desk in San Francisco and had to be at work at 6:00 am. I wake up pretty energized but I always crave water immediately. I’ve been drinking a glass of room temperature water first thing for years so my body really expects it.

I check on my two year old daughter Margaux and make sure she’s still nice and cozy and hasn’t kicked off her blankets, which she usually does. I open all the drapes in my home to let light in and I usually light my Gardenia candle. This is my favorite scent and lighting it immediately cleanses the energy of the home and sets the mood for a fresh new day. At this time I also check in with my plant friends around the house and shift them around so they can have even light exposure.

My home is decorated with the elements of air, water, fire and earth. I learned this decorating technique when I wanted to improve the energy flow of my new home and for me, it really works.

6:00am (dawn)

After the home feels light and airy I sit with my lucky rose-gold laptop to check my emails, the stock market, and my beauty businesses. After a check in of about 20 minutes or so I sit down for a quick meditation and I set my intention for the day. Around this time my husband Matt makes coffee and I can smell it brewing.

7:00am (morning)

Margaux wakes up with so much energy and my first morning sight of her is running down the hall as fast as she can. She rarely wakes up grumpy but when she does I know to give her a bit of fresh fruit. We all sit down for a quick breakfast of usually fruit, nuts and eggs. After I eat I take my supplements of turmeric, magnesium, omegas and SuperYou by Moon Juice. This is my favorite supplement – it includes adaptogens including Ashwagandha and Rhodiola that normalize cortisol levels and reduce fatigue.

8:00am

Matt and I then go through the tasks of the day on our shared calendar. We have been business partners for 10 years so we are very much in sync with each others projects. After this he takes over for Margaux and I do a quick workout on the peloton bike, usually a climb class.

9:00am

Before I shower I do gentle dry brushing to assist the removal of dead skin cell build up from the day prior. After that I start my skincare routine with Vamigas of course. I begin with our açaí and chia infused ‘Olinda Purifying Cleanser’ that easily removes makeup and leaves my skin feeling silky and not stripped. I then spray on our ‘Pampas Balancing Face Mist’, I just love the idea of my skin having an extra burst of energy from the Yerba Mate. Yerba Mate is  loaded with antioxidants which help prevent skin damage caused by free radicals – so I truly feel like I applied a bit of super power. I then apply ‘Luz De Sur Rejuvenating Face Oil’, our beyond hydrating, glow-inducing oil packed with 8 Latin American botanicals. I finish with our multipurpose balm, Milagritos on my lips.

And that’s it! I obviously don’t follow this routine to a T everyday but I truly do my best. I find that with a routine, I have more time to focus on the important things in my life like being silly with my daughter or chillin with the hubs.