The journey from being a beauty blogger to becoming an Okoko Cosmetiquess team member and certified organic skincare formulator & has been incredible! I have a whole new perspective on beauty products and entrepreneurship all together.
I really did enjoy using green beauty products and reviewing them and seeing how my skin responded as a blogger, it was and still is very fun for me. The difference is that now as a formulator, I have an insiders perspective on what ingredients actually are, the functionality and efficacy of them and what it takes to create an exceptionally effective beauty product. Every time I am looking at any product now to determine quality is to read the ingredients list. I will immediately know what kind of product it is and how it may work because of the INCI list, which details each and every ingredient. I no longer buy or use any product based on marketing, packaging or populairty alone anymore. It started while I was working at a green beauty boutique in Vancouver as a freelance makeup artist and skincare consultant. I obtained the posotion because of my background in the beauty industry and because of m previous beauty blog I had at the time. I was surrounded by wonderful green beauty skincare and makeup brands that I absolutely loved using on my clientele. I was on the hunt for a local brand and came across Okoko Cosmetiques on Instagram. I met Oyeta and did a full review of the products which you can find here on this blog. I introduced the Okoko line into the retailer I was working in because of the incredible performace I saw and felt in each product! It is a luxurious and result driven line. I continued to collaborate with Okoko after my temporary position in the shop, as I saw that there was a unique quality about this brand. In the winter of 2017 I became a team member of Okoko Cosmetiques and decided that I wanted to become a certified organic skincare formulator. I This new chapter has propelled me in a direction that I could not imagine! The depth of knowledge that I gained from helping to grow Okoko, artisenally manufacture advanced skincare products and obtaining direct mentorship from Oyeta while obtaining my diploma was phenomenal. It was very challenging to juggle everything but so worth it! As a blogger you see and use the final product in its package and don't really experience the arduous and challeging process of what it takes to make it from scratch. Now that I am behind the scenes as a skincare scientist & a maker of artisenal skincare, I truly appreciate the care, research & development, branding and chemistry knowledge that is required to make the best beauty products in the world. I often see products in popular brands that are marketed as the new best thing for antiaging or promises amazing results, and unfortunately most of the time it does not contain many if any active ingredients. Most of these products predominately comprise of fillers, fragrance and ingredients that are not neccesarily nourishing your skin and it truly comes down to how they market it vs the results. The first 4-5 ingredients will tell me if it's something I would personally use or recommend to readers and clients. I respect brands that create products with beautiful, rare and precious concentrated skincare actives, botanicals and ingredients that directly target specific skin concerns and are focused on performance and efficacy. As a consumer you want to know that you are getting true value for the price of the products you buy, and as a qualified beauty consultant & formulator I feel it's my responisibility to educate and inform the public about these very fundamental things that generally go unseen. Okoko Cosmetiques has grown exponentially in the last year as well. As a culturally diverse team of 3 strong women and formulators, our goal is to provide consumers with knowledge and high quality advanced organic beauty products. We use clincally tested actives, and the rarest natural ingredients to create the beautiful elevated Okoko Line of skincare. Efficacy and performance is absoluetly essential to us when formulating and we want to ensure each product delivers results and a beautiful experience while using them. With the launch of L'Atelier Okoko Cosmetiques in Vancouver, we will offer exclusive peronalized consultations and health & beauty workshops to the local community. We see the need for these things as the green beauty movement expands and want to contribute our very best to it. When I conduct product reviews or personalized consultations, I share scientifically validated facts, thorough ingredient disection and explanations. This is how I approach it to provide excellent knowledge and value to readers, consumers and to elevate the green beauty industry as a whole. I believe taking this angle is much more effective and responsible to consumers vs the scare tactics I unfortunately see all too prevalent in the green beauty world. I think there are many people who want to be able to switch to more organic beauty and still be able to use some of their favourite conventional brands, which I think is totally fine. It truly depends on each indivuals personal desires, needs and goals in their beauty routine and if I can help bridge the two sides I feel like it empowers everyone to make more informed choices when choosing beauty and self care products. The entreprenerial side of me has been truly ignited! When you surround yourself with powerful leaders and metors on a regular basis, you also become motivated to grow and elevate in your purpose. This is why I felt a strong need to revamp this blog so that it would demonstrate my overall growth and clear mission. Secondly, I really want to support other beauty & wellness professionals in their fields by showcasing their expertise and wisdom on the Naturally Natalia Blog. This is something that I'm extraodinarily excited to do as I have met some incredibly talented and skilled entrepreneurs on this quest. I feel that having a collaborative attitude with others in your fields of passion grows and builds strong relationships which is rewarding in of itself. We all bring our unique experiences and knowledge to the table and have something different and valuable to offer. I look forward to being able to introduce you to them and share interviews, blogs and podcasts. Overall it has been quite the ride and it has just begun and I feel so grateful to begin this next chapter with you all!
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