Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Smith.
Hi Whitney, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Ojai and always admired its raw, wild and untouched natural beauty. It was always quiet and slow, I didn’t quite enjoy that type of lifestyle in my younger years and wanted to be in the big city where there was always something to do. Just a small-town girl with big city dreams! I started my career in fashion, I still work in fashion now on top of ROWSIE VAIN, so beauty came to me as a calling I guess you could say, meanwhile I was pregnant with my first daughter Daisy. It wasn’t until after I had Daisy I wanted to spend more time enjoying the slow, mystical side of Ojai and began to appreciate the rawness and unexplored territories that were in my backyard. I quickly reignited my passion for the wild side, the most beautiful mountainous region I’m so lucky to call home.
I’ve always had a simple beauty routine that had been influenced by natural ingredients and vibrant scents, and began to further explore my formulas, creating products for friends and family before I realized I had something truly special to share with the community and beyond. With ROWSIE VAIN I was able to explore my entrepreneurial side within the beauty space, as a true product developer from the fashion world and use my design experience to fine-tune my product offerings. My first two products turned into several more and I was shipping online and wholesale orders around town and eventually internationally!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a lot of fun learning as I go! Of course, there are ups and downs, the beauty industry is so oversaturated and competitive, but I think instead of trying to fit in, it has forced me to stay authentic and be true to myself. I love being different and inspired by my peers in a way that we can all be present and support each other. My biggest struggle has been scaling the business for growth while maintaining the slow and connected lifestyle I want to influence others to experience as well through my products. I’ve had to learn to let go of the fast-paced product launches and ask for help along the way! Things of value have no fear of time!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
ROWSIE VAIN is a wild + raw beauty brand with an au naturel and minimalist approach to beauty, creating earth grown solutions for unapologetic self-love. I want to change the negative connotation associated with the word “vain”. I want everyone to love their natural self, to be SELF-OBSESSED with the skin they are naturally in to be confident in their natural beauty. Self-love can change the world, and I’m working towards that one oil blend at a time!
My products come in minimal but timeless, refillable packaging, minimal ingredients, and minimal waste. I try to minimize waste as much as possible, offering packaging that can be reused or recycled. I use all glass containers that are beautiful and long-lasting that can be refilled or cherished as a statement piece on one’s vanity.
ROWSIE VAIN products are organically sourced and hand-crafted using wild ingredients and botanicals, including the use of natural ingredients natively grown within the Ojai Valley. ROWSIE VAIN is now best known for it’s beautiful fragrances and nutritious oil blends that our customers can’t get enough of. Using our products should give you an experience or take you to a place that soothes the mind and soul, as well as your skin!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
My biggest risk has been taking ROWSIE VAIN on full-time, leaving my corporate jobs and bi-weekly paychecks to dive in self-employment full-time. There has never been something so scary and so rewarding at the same time. I love being my own boss and having the freedom to live a lifestyle I’ve only dreamt of while still working my ass off!
Pricing:
- Not a single product is over $100
- My top selling fragrance is only $44 for a 2oz bottle
Contact Info:
- Website: WWW.ROWSIEVAIN.COM
- Instagram: @ROWSIEVAIN
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ROWSIEVAIN/
Image Credits
Hannah Faithlord, Hannah Thornhill, Cassidy Cooper, Whitney Smith
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