Kalumi chats with Lauren Berkovitz

This month, Kalumi chats with Lauren Berkovitz, founder of Lauren B beauty! Lauren shares her best advice on balancing health and well being with an intense work schedule. We also get a peek into a beauty experts pre-wedding beauty routine! This one is a must read!

"After all, I believe that nails can be your best accessory!"

Where do you call home? Where did you grow up?
Home is Los Angeles, CA now, I have been here for over 10 years. I grew up in Rhode Island, Boston Massachusetts, and surrounding areas of the east coast before moving out west.

What inspired you to start your own business?

I have suffered one to many bad gel manicures that ruined my nails and left them damaged and destroyed. When I mentioned this to friends and family, I quickly found out that many women like me had bad experiences trying to solve a simple problem as well as getting nail polish to look nice and last. Traditional nail polish did not match up to my lifestyle, didn't last, the colors were not fashion forward, manicures were expensive, and not a great experience. Nail Polishes were not healthy and filled with chemicals. There were not many clean beauty products to treat cuticles and nail issues…. so I made a wish list of what was missing in traditional nail polish brands and set out to create the very best brand of nail polishes that fit my demanding wish list. I believe that products should be amazing, and fit into our lifestyles and women should never have to compromise health for beauty. After all, I believe that nails can be your best accessory!

"I love supporting other women and am grateful that I have a lot of women that support!"

We are huge fans of your beauty line, Lauren B. Beauty. How do you ensure that you stay ahead of the beauty and health trends?
I'm always studying ingredients and try to keep a pulse on trends and what is happening in the industry. I like to surround myself with people that are smarter than I am. I work with an amazing team that challenges me and presents me with great information, ideas, etc. I have some pretty great mentors with varying backgrounds in and out of the beauty industry that challenge and motivate me to always do better, think outside of the box etc. I love supporting other women and am grateful that I have a lot of women that support me along the way. I do a lot of reading and love listening to podcasts to keep me informed on all things related to health and beauty!

What is your favorite Beauty Product from your collection?
My nail polishes are all so beautiful, fun, and evoke a memory to me which makes them each special and too hard to choose a favorite one! If I had to choose just one favorite product from my line then it would have to be our one of our newest products called our Reparative Cuticle Oil. It is my current obsession and I believe that it should be in everyone’s beauty arsenal. This oil is my gift to cuticles it repairs and gives cuticles the care they deserve with our custom blend of 14 ultra-pure plant and flower oils designed to quickly hydrate your dry cuticles. Also, it is packed with amino-acids promoting healing and revival. The bonus is that it is portable, and easy to apply with the convenient dropper tip applicator that is built into the tube so you can take as little or as much as you need – no mess! I keep one in my purse and one at my desk so that when I look down and notice parched cuticles I have one handy to apply. My best tip for optimizing nail health for everyone is to moisturize often, and this product does just that. It is also so clean and effective you can use it all over (I apply to dry elbows, hands or legs).

"Beauty can be found in anything that makes us happy."

What does beauty mean to you?

This sounds cliché but I feel that beauty really starts from the inside. It is not physical to me, but more of how a person feels all around and in turn acts. Beauty can be found in anything that makes us happy. People that are beautiful on the inside, tend to be more kind, and are turn more beautiful on the outside in my opinion!

Congrats on getting married recently! We’d love to know how you prepared for the big day? (Beauty/ Health wise)
Thank you so much, it was such a special and magical day filled with love that went by way too fast! So much preparation goes into this one day. It's so funny how most women (including myself) spend so much time researching, preparing, and changing routines in anticipation of our weddings. The areas I focused on most were changing my diet to eliminate all processed foods and sugars, and focus on eating real foods, like fruits and veggies. I was doing it to mainly lose weight and feel better about myself. It really helped my skin, hair, and nails too. I amped up my workouts and was VERY committed to the gym and my goals. I felt sore often, but felt so confident and could enjoy our wedding day, and honeymoon knowing that I worked hard for this. It was such a liberating feeling. I also used this time before my wedding to pay attention to my skin, hair and nails, and the health of each. I made a conscious effort to consult with experts in the areas, and planned for how to treat my concerns in those various areas with TLC by using great products, and sticking to a routine to improve myself. I still try to stick to the care routines that I practiced for my wedding.

"As for a guilty pleasure, binge watching something on Netflix, relaxing at home doing absolutely nothing with my husband and puppies are at the top of the list."

What is your guilty pleasure/ what do you do on a day off?
Have some me time. Sometimes it's going to the beach, meditating, walking the local farmers market, or even a leisurely bike ride. I love being outside and enjoying the fresh air with with friends and family. I am really into self-care, and try to incorporate some self-care into my week at least one day during the weekend, normally on Sunday’s. Self-care for me starts with giving myself a great manicure and pedicure, then maybe a bath, skin masque, and meal prep for the week. I love cooking so try to be organized and prepare healthy meals so that I can stay on track. As for a guilty pleasure, binge watching something on netflix, relaxing at home doing absolutely nothing with my husband and puppies are at the top of the list. We love to travel too!

Tell us your #1 Beauty tip!
For nail care, it would be to hydrate and moisturize OFTEN! Even if you don’t have time for a manicure, or polish. You can still keep your hands protected and nails looking groomed by keeping your nails cuticles and skin hydrated! Aside from using great clean products, loaded with essential oils and good ingredients like Lauren B, you should also drink lots of water, eat healthy fruits, veggies and clean food high in nutrients that will keep your skin, nails and body healthy and glowing.

"I believe that products should be amazing, and fit into our lifestyles, and women should never have to compromise health for beauty and feeling beautiful."

What does your morning routine look like? What makes you look and feel your best throughout the day?
Having a routine is something that helps me maintain balance. I always feel much better when I am able to start each day by waking up early with a workout. I like to sweat and I love trying all types of workouts. I currently go to Orange Theory Fitness 3-4 times a week for a HIIT workout and complement it with strength training, spinning, or boxing other days of the week. I always feel better physically and more positive starting my day by accomplishing a great workout.

I come home from my workout and make a tea, almond milk latte or green juice to sip on while I get ready for my day. I enjoy listening to a podcast or some motivating music while getting ready for work.

I typically head to the office around 8:30-9:00 am with my healthy breakfast and snacks in hand likemy favorite Kalumi BEAUTYfood Bar; Sweetie Pie. My days at the office can be so different from working in the lab with our chemists, to visiting accounts, planning our marketing efforts, or attending Lauren B events. Some days I am in the office working with our team, answering emails and doing lots of planning. Other days I am traveling or on the road meeting people and making things happen. No matter what the day brings, I always feel the best throughout the day when I a start it off with a positive mindset to get me through whatever life throws at me.

"I appreciate the importance of balance, and that taking care of myself needs to be a priority..."

Starting your own company can be challenging, how do find peace, relaxation and balance in your life?
Life is certainly always busy and challenging but I enjoy what I am doing and what I am building. This is what keeps me going. I appreciate the importance of balance, and that taking care of myself needs to be a priority so that I do not get burnt out, and can continue running at the pace I do. This is something I constantly have to work hard at and check in with myself on. Balancing all aspects of my life, career, family, and friends is something I continually practice by trying to be more present in each task or activity that I do.

For example at home, I try to set boundaries, and practice turning off to have quiet time with my husband, and our dogs… aka our furry children. This sometimes means coming home and not talking about work but connecting on other topics. I like to have quiet time to unwind from the noise of the work day. For me taking a walk, cooking a healthy dinner, taking a bath, or watching mindless TV are things I do to help me decompress.

This also means making difficult decisions, like choosing between social activities, work, business trip, or a destination wedding. Of course, I try to do it all but realize I am only human and certainly rely on others in my corner to help me.

What’s next? What is your vision for your business and beyond?
We plan to continue creating beautiful and healthier nail polish colors each season. As well as enhance our collection by expanding nail, hand and cuticle care products using nature paired with the best technology to create superior beauty products that perform. We are launching many new and exciting collaborations this year so stay tuned for more on those soon. We will continue to focus on the care of nails, skin and cuticles, and expand our product assortment. There is a lot of heart and soul that goes into each product and nothing launches unless we are 100% happy with the results. There are stories, and purpose behind each product, we care and create real products for real people.