Beautify Like A Pro With Cor Vitae Beauty Product

I’m all about fundamentals. So having healthy hair really starts with a healthy scalp. Yeah. But most people at home could just shampoo the surface of their hair. So I wanted to make sure I had kind of a tool to help people at home kind of get in with their scalp.
Welcome to the imperfectly empowered podcast with DIY healthy lifestyle blogger Ahna Fulmer empowering you to transform your life. One imperfect day at a time.
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the imperfectly empowered podcast. I’m your host, Ahna Fullmer. Today I am so excited to introduce you to beauty expert, Gina Delano. Gina has had over a decade of professional experience working with international brands like L’Oreal, Coty, Henkel.
She is launching her own line of beauty products and the business is called Core Vitae Beauty. So many amazing products. Her heart for this business is incredible and she is here to share her expertise, helping us busy moms know how to beautify like a pro at home. Welcome beauty consultant, pro, and expert Gina Delano.
We were just chatting here behind the scenes, talking about her passion for girls and infusing a sense of security, and empowering them to beautify at home. So I have to tell you before we even start, cuz y’all are gonna see this on the YouTube video. And if you’re listening via audio, you won’t see this, but Gina sent me all of these products of hers.
She’s just launched this amazing beauty product line. So in case you’re wondering what all the stuff is beside me, that is what it is. We will talk about her products, her line, her expertise in the beauty industry. But Gina, on this podcast, we love to take a deep dive and press rewind and hear a little bit of how you even got into what, like look at your hair, by the way. Let’s just take a note for a second. How gorgeous her hair is. Unlike mine threw it up. It is not quite as beautiful, but her hair looks fabulous for those of you that can’t see it. You should check her out on the YouTube video. But tell me a little bit about how you got into this industry and your journey so far.
Well, thank you for having me. I’m really excited to be here and yes, it’s been a long time coming for sure. You know, my journey started really as a kid, the insecurities for me, I can remember started as early as seven years old, really. I actually was a competitive gymnast and I started gymnastics early on.
Um, and I was a high-level, actually competitive gymnast all through college, but I started gymnastics when I was young at seven, and I remember the insecurity of my body and my looks like as early as seven years old. And it took me from then until literally in my thirties, which I’m 42 now and finally at a place where I’m comfortable in my skin, but it’s been a long journey of insecurity to kind of overcoming that and deep diving into where that stems from to be where we are today. Um, and to change that narrative for myself as well as young girls and women. So definitely on a mission to reverse that, you know, knowing that it started so early for me. Yeah.
When you look back and you see your, your childhood years, what is it that you think initially contributed to that sense of insecurity? Like, tell me a little bit about what you remember feeling and thinking about yourself and hindsight, vision’s always 2020, you know, you look back and you’re like, well, I can see why I felt that or thought that. So tell me what you felt and what you thought. And then from this perspective, what you think contributed to that narrative?
I just feel like it came at all angles, you know, I think back cuz I’m 42, so born in the eighties and I feel like tv played a part in it. Insidiously, not even realizing or just levels of marketing to kids, number one, but also being an athlete and especially in a sport like gymnastics when you’re, you know, in a leotard and mm-hmm and going into competitive sport. So early in the sport of gymnastics, I mean, I am tiny, I’m only five foot, but I’m also very athletic and built. And even from the beginning, you know, just having some teammates that were smaller and tinier and they got a lot of attention for that and just not understanding my body and my build and just feeling big, early on, you know, just comparing to different classmates. Um, and then also having a muscular build early on when I got made fun of at school, especially by the boys, you know, I got made fun of for my muscular build or how strong I was. So that started really early too, because again, gym class, right?
Pushups and, and pull-ups, and I always would beat the boys in those athletic challenges. And so, yeah, I became really insecure about that of my body early on, you know? And then I had crooked teeth. So early on, I think even in maybe middle school, I, you know, boys would be like, oh, you would be so pretty if your teeth were straight.
That’s crazy. Oh, my word.
Yes. So it just, it was just kind of coming at all different, all different angles, you know, and I do think that generationally, how I grew up was a little different than how maybe we are today from a communication level as well. So
Yes, amen to that. Yeah.
Where my parents were as well. Like my dad is a Vietnam vet, you know, my, my mom comes from the UK and her dad was in world war II. So it was almost like very closed off, not the same kind pouring into our lives, the same ways maybe I do to my kids now with that communication of that positive reinforcement or that.
It’s like a very service-based generation, you know like they’re very quick to do things to show their love, but maybe not as clear and communicating openly.
Yes. It was kind of like providing for your family was a version of showing love, like the affection or that verbal communication wasn’t there as well. So just, I think some of it was just generationally as well as circumstances all around it. That really just was like this perfect storm feeding into that.
So then as you’re getting older, what made you go into that industry then that, you know, you struggled with insecurity. What made you then go into that very industry?
Yeah. You know, it’s kinda, I guess its kinda interesting, cuz I initially didn’t go into the industry to maybe change the world, if you will. I went into the industry cuz I felt that it fit my personality. I actually went back to school for hair when I was 29 years old. Cause I actually was coaching gymnastics for a while. My original degree is in sports management. Yeah. So I really actually wanted to pursue sports and to pursue that path. And then after coaching, I was just like, uh, I can’t do this anymore. So I went into hair cause it was something I was always interested in.
I didn’t maybe realize yet because even at 29 I was still in a place of insecurity. So I couldn’t really. I didn’t go in wanting to change the world yet because I was still trying to change myself. So that was partly why I went into it cuz they say right, you, we teach what we most need to learn. And so that was partly why I was almost for my own healing as well as, because it fit my personality. I like to talk. I like to socialize. I do, you know, I like to help other people. I like to coach and yeah. So that’s why I went in. Actually it just brought up a quick story too, from when I was little, cuz actually you can see, I have like what I call fluffy hair. It’s not a technical term, but, I have fluffy hair.
It’s gorgeous. You have gorgeous hair.
Thank you. I appreciate that. But even as a kid, you know, I had what, what was called, you know, fluffy hair and I wanted this straight smooth fob and I never had that. Like I would leave the salon as a kid like that. And then when I would do it, I like fluffy and puffy and I never knew why. And it was like, even with a lot of hair, as a kid, hairdressers didn’t know how to do my hair. They were very overwhelmed with even as a little girl having big girl hair. And so that was part of it too, was helping, especially kids that have what I call big girl hair and just really a little by little changing that course and the narrative, you know, from mom, mom to, to little girls,
Yeah. I love that. So tell me then a little bit about how that changed for you. So that sense of, of insecurity, and then you enter that industry, like you said, you know, you teach what you most need to learn. What changed for you then in your thirties that gave you that sense of confidence and a desire to change the world? What changed in your self?
That’s a great question. You know, I think once I really got into working with clients and then finding that so many struggled with the same thing, but here I am as the professional and seeing them and seeing their beauty and cause really, as a hairdresser, I naturally inorganically wanted, I would work with what people had. So for example, if somebody came in, right, and again, they wanted that bob that maybe had fluffy hair, like me, the conversation was, well, do you know what it’s gonna take to get it smooth every day? And because this isn’t your hair and they were kind of like, oh, maybe not right. So just really having those conversations and looking at that person and saying, well, these are your great features.
Like let’s not try to be something or in your look that you’re not and work with what you have. And that was my natural conversations with my clients. And so it kind of just. With a byproduct that it came back at me. So it’s like, well, if I’m teaching this and helping my client work with what they have, then, you know, I’m an example and a leader per se with that.
So I have to do that for myself. And so it just kind of became this natural exchange that as I was helping my clients see their own beauty and what their strong features were, it just started to naturally kind of reflect in myself.
It’s such a beautiful example of that sense of serving others and then seeing how in doing so you yourself.
almost realize like, oh, like this truth that I’m speaking to them is also true for myself. , mm-hmm, starting to embrace that, embrace that reality. And I also love what you said, how too often we want what we don’t have instead of leveraging what we do have. And feeling that sense of confidence in our own unique story.
And I mean, it’s literally what my whole brand message is that sense of embracing what somebody else may call an imperfection as a negative reality. It’s actually no. The quote, unquote imperfection, which whoever decided these things were imperfect. Mm-hmm right. The whole concept of it is kind of inane this idea that mm-hmm, what is imperfection really?
Who decided that anything was imperfect and maybe it is actually that, that is in fact, the most perfect thing about you and what makes you so unique and beautiful. So I love that tangible example that you are giving. It was really, really cool in the beauty industry to be able to have that message. So as you are growing and your mindset is changing and all of the ways that that affects your life, how then.
Do you approach your daughters? Mm-hmm you have twin daughters. Mm-hmm how does that change? How you work with them, how you speak to them, how you encourage them as they’re, how old are they? By the way
they’re four they’re fraternal, ah, twins. So they’re completely different and they’re four years old. Yes.
And so they have completely different feature. They look like one looks more like me. One looks more like my husband, so, well, first it’s really important for me not to compare them, especially with their looks because the one is already three inches taller than the other one. And the one that resembles me again, I call it, she’s got the fluffy hair and she’s a little, you know, shorter and courier, if you will.
And the other one is three inches taller and she’s got that really smooth, straight hair that I always wanted when I was a kid. So I vicariously get to lift. Through her and with that, but, but she’s a little taller and, and leaner and, but they’re, and one has blue eyes. One has brown eyes. Mm-hmm and they’re just completely different.
But I really, again, actually try not to focus on their looks. I mean, although I tell them that they’re beautiful every day or. With my REI, you know, again, she’s got brown eyes. So I tell her that she has the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen because the other one, Lee has more blue eyes like me, and I never want re to feel like, well, I don’t have what, you know, mommy and Ainsley have, you know, so I don’t ever, cuz actually Ainsley gets a lot of compliments on, on her.
Blue eyes. So I try to make sure to always balance that out with aria and her. Cause she’s got the same color eyes as daddy. So she says, you know, as the same color eyes as daddy, or if she sees another little girl with brown eyes. So I try to make sure every morning that I’m telling them that I think that they’re beautiful or pointing out their strengths and their features, you know?
Yeah. Or how strong they are. And because they don’t know their strength, they’re so strong and they don’t know their strengths. So I really try to focus on their strengths individually, not compare them, which again, I’m not perfect. So the one thing that I will compare sometimes is behavior , you know, listening and the other one’s not, but in regards to their physical being, I’m very, very mindful to not compare those things into focus on because I think overall.
What I’ve learned again. I mean, that’s an example of hair and it starts with beauty, but I think in general, in what I think where we’ve got caught up in this imperfection is that we’re trying to almost focus on our weaknesses and strengthen our weaknesses versus focusing on our strengths. So that’s where I’ve taken.
And I think I changed that really, honestly, really, probably not until I was 35. That I started switching to focus on my strengths, my husband’s strengths, cause I didn’t have my girls until 38. So, and then just all the people around me focusing on strengths and not trying to overcompensate through your weaknesses.
Cause I feel like your weaknesses, you’ll never catch up your weaknesses to your strengths if you focus on your strengths. And so I really take that approach with my girls starting from, from day.
well, I also think when you focus on your strengths and building up your strengths, I think your weaknesses, consequently, mm-hmm, grow as well.
Right? It’s almost like this, but why not focus on right? What you are, you know, gifted at or you’re God given whatever it may be. Mm-hmm um, and then I think oftentimes the weaknesses are the areas that were not as strong will. Strengthen as well. You have two things on your website. I love it says beauty is an illumination of the heart.
Mm-hmm on the core VTE beauty website. And I think that is an example of what you’re talking about is it’s the idea that the outward appearance is a reflection of mm-hmm what’s going on in our hearts. And. That’s why I think there, we all know people in our life who are physically outwardly speaking, aesthetically, very pleasing.
I don’t even like to use the word beauty because again, what is beauty? Beauty is a very subjective definition, but strictly speaking physically, Are very aesthetically pleasing. Most people would say that is a physically beautiful person. And yet there is something about them that does not inspire a sense of beauty, that general sense of awe and warmth and wanting to be with them.
There’s almost no illumination. As you’re saying, it’s almost like you feel like energy is being sucked out of you. Mm-hmm so what then is beauty. You know, it’s just this concept that we don’t think about and talk about truly, in real words enough, we like the idea of it, but when we really spell it out, mm-hmm, , we’re still quick to Botox everything out because that is what we are perceiving is more beautiful.
So I love that beauty is an illumination of the heart and what good is a beautiful exterior. If your interior.
Decaying . Yes. Yes. And so that’s the goal is that that comes first, you know, and even with my girls again, I really try to focus on, you know, they’re kind or making sure that they’re kind, and they’re nice to people or nice to their sister.
And, and that’s how I really try to be as well. Cause, and just really putting everything. Place. So physically is setting aesthetically pleasing comes into the place because that’s the initial attraction that it’s just part of our sense is that we naturally attract to things that are physically aesthetically pleasing.
If you look at nature, flowers or nature, or the emotion, those are all physically aesthetically pleasing to our visual senses. And so there is a place for that, but that’s not, that is the initial. Book cover, if you will. Cause then, you know, the book inside when you open, it has to also match the cover. And so that’s again, when we hear matching our insides to our outside, That pairing that I think is missing overall in the marketing or the things that we encounter.
That’s bombarding us every day via social media or different beauty campaigns. That’s hitting us. It’s only on the outside mm-hmm so I’m trying to really bring the conversation that it really comes from the inside and having that in order and then matching it so we can be of.
To other people. Yeah. And I love the idea.
And we’ll talk about this, but your product is an all natural line and what Aina is passionate about and we will dive into this is really helping people, DIY their beauty at home. This idea that empowering you to feel naturally beautiful by highlighting the features that you do have. So again, it’s that idea of, you know, we wanna keep the natural sense.
Pro aging and pro natural beauty, which I am all about here. And Gina and I have talked a little bit offline. I’m very, very excited to dive into her expertise and chat more. We are gonna take a quick break. When we come back, stay tuned. We’re gonna play a speed round of this or that with Gina, get to know her a little bit better.
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All right, we are back here with Gina. We’re gonna play a quick round of this or that Jeanie. You get two options. You just pick one or the other. No stress . All right. Would you rather do hair or nails? Ooh, hair. Would you rather work with curly hair or straight hair?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. Hmm. Curly, which is
harder to
work with.
They both have different challenges before. Yeah. They both do. Cause like for straight hair you can see lines. Like if you’re cutting, you can see lines and everything you do can be harder to blend in curly too. You can have steps in the hair or it can be hard to. To manage without going too short, but I would say curly.
It all sounds hard to be oh, okay. You early bird or night owl night, owl coffee or tea, coffee. If you’re painting your nails, do you lean towards the reds and pinks or like cooler colors?
Like a light cool pink.
a light. Cool pink. So both I said this or that and she said, uh, we’re going both.
oh, sorry. Cool.
That’s my problem. I don’t follow the rules.
Well, that’s why probably why you are as successful as you are personal yacht or a private jet private jet. Where are you headed to with your private jet first place? You’re going,
oh, first place. Just first place. Probably. Back and forth. That’s LA, California,
really?
Okay. Mm-hmm what would you do in LA? Like what makes you wanna go
to. I personally don’t love LA, but actually that’s not true. I like the weather and the food in LA. Yeah. Amazing. But there’s, it’s a beauty hub. All the headquarters are there. There’s a lot of manufacturers there also. There’s a lot of farming there.
Because we’re also starting a farm. So when it comes to side notes of starting a farm side, a lot happening over there, a lot happening. Yeah. Cereal entrepreneurs. But even when it comes to ingredients and raw materials for cosmetics, a lot of it in as well as our food is grown in California. So I live in Florida.
So there’s certain things cause there’s manufacturing here also. Like more south Florida. I live in the panhandle. So like in Miami, in that area, there’s a lot of beauty manufacturing there also, but from a raw material perspective, there’s certain things in California that can grow that can’t grow in Florida.
So interesting climate. Yeah. There’s a lot of, there’s a lot to the underbelly of it all. That’s very
interesting to me. Yeah, well, that leads perfectly into, so you’ve started this beauty product line is called core Vita. And tell us a little bit about what drew you to this idea of helping and empowering women, especially busy moms to learn how to beautify like a pro at home.
What, in your experience in the industry led you to start.
This is a simple, yet very complex answer. So I’m going to try to articulate this to the best of my ability. So a lot of it is marketing. I would probably say 99% of it is marketing. And I worked for really the top brands and manufacturers in beauty and pro beauty, which they.
Consumer direct to consumer departments as well as their professional direct to professional departments. So I’ve worked on the pro side, but I’ve also had visibility to their consumer division. So L’Oreal Cody Henkel. And then the last company I worked for was Bellamy hair extensions. And these are all global companies.
And. And just the different marketing pieces of it. Number one. And I, as I even went through my own aging process and having children, I realized, wow, there’s this underserved market, that target audience also from a professional standpoint, as well as consumer, that there’s this underserved market. And as I started diving into it, I was like, wow, there’s really not a lot of.
Advertising for women over 30 you know, even the products for women over 30 still have ads and campaigns for. Looking like you’re 20 mm-hmm . And I was like, wow, that was very interesting to me. And that was just, you know, and then as I got into learning the, the product portfolios and whatnot, there are a certain amount of products that each portfolio has.
Cuz a lot of it is a selling point. The more products you sell, then the more revenue it’s generated, cuz a lot, the last company I worked for is a privately held business. And so the reason why I’m going in this direction, because business drives most of this, it’s a 460 billion industry and growing globally.
And so as these global conglomerates get to these higher levels, they have to find ways to generate revenue. So the more products that there is, the more. They keep right women in the cycle of insecurity. Then the more we become dependent on the products and buy them and try new ones and whatnot. But when I brought it back down to some of the formulations and that piece of it, a lot of it is, you know, yes, there are certain levels of regimen that the products work together.
And so these are the products, the regimen that I found work really well together. For working with people’s natural textures of hair and skin, because. Again, a lot of the products that are out there are again to infuse and to provoke people with curly hair, wanting straight hair and people with straight hair wanting curly hair.
And so a lot of the products are designed when
people with wrinkles wanting wrinkle free skin,
correct? Yes.
Yes. When the wrinkles are. Yeah. Part of aging. Yeah, it
is. Yes. Again, when it comes to skincare, I mean, yes, we wanna keep our skin glowing and healthy, cuz again, that’s part of bringing people in, but to have this unrealistic.
Version of being in our forties or thirties and still needing to look like we’re in our twenties. That’s not realistic cuz there’s also something beautiful and aging and aging gracefully, you know, and I, as I worked in the salon as well, I saw some women who were just stunning in their seventies and eighties who did have wrinkles and whatnot, but.
You could see that illumination of joy or happiness, that confidence who they were. Yes. It was just like, wow. And so just learning this, the, the machine from a business and marketing standpoint is really what drove me, cuz I was like, wow, okay. Maybe this isn’t as hard as I thought it was to actually create a line.
Okay. First off in finding the. Manufacturers and suppliers to partner with, which it does take a lot of digging and, and networking behind the scenes, which I’ve done now for almost 10 years. Really, since I started I’m, I, I love to network and partner with people and I, I ask a lot of questions. And so I’ve, I’ve asked a lot of questions and then it was put on my heart, cuz honestly originally it wasn’t on my heart and.
Probably about five years ago, it was put on my heart and I was like, okay, you know, I’ve learned that if something’s on your heart, you follow it. You know? And so that’s their, again, we are today. from
why, you know, I’m curious in your experience in the industry, I love the whole concept of a beauty line being made for women by a woman mm-hmm and helping women embrace this natural story.
I mean, that’s what it always comes back to, to me is this concept of not trying to look like something that. One artificial, but two, also an unnatural version of who you are. Why do you think our culture has become so women, especially I’m speaking to myself. I mean, I’m 35 and the reality is this is already a mindset for so many women.
My age that I now need to look like I’m 20 mm-hmm where’s that coming from? And what are you trying to do to push back on? This mindset of an unnatural standard of beauty for you?
Well, if I may, I just wanna make a disclaimer that I’m going to dive into a little bit of the gender dynamic, because I mean, I’m married.
I love my husband. I love men. So please, this is not a criticism at all in that way, but. At the end of the day, it’s really majority again, I would say 99% men making the decisions for women’s beauty. So for example,
say that one more time though. Say that for the people in the back, say that and to be clear also, same.
I have a great, great respect for men. I have a wonderful relationship with my father. There’s no daddy issues here, and I have a wonderful relationship with my husband, but this is the reality. So say it again.
That 99% of beauty is decided by. Yes. Yeah, because it’s an interesting hierarchal structure that you’ll see women mostly, right?
As hairdressers, you’ll see women from a professional than corporate standpoint. You’ll see them as maybe store managers or you’ll see them as sales reps. And you might even see some in middle management, but as you get to what I call the wizard of Oz, mm-hmm as you start going higher. Into the executive levels that you will never see these people don’t put themselves out there from a personal branding standpoint.
You won’t see them on social media. You won’t see them really, even on LinkedIn, they’re not personally branding themselves. They completely stay behind the curtain and they’re promoting true beauty and that’s their they’re driving the company to these standpoints. And I, and I’m like, Are you even getting any consulting from maybe a woman?
And so it just kind of hit me even cuz like my husband, for example. I might ask his opinion for certain things, but he does not tell me how to wear my hair or to how to do my makeup. So I was like, why am I letting top executives do that for me? When my husband doesn’t even do that for me. And so that has also been a challenge.
For me breaking into the executive levels because I have the education, I have the experience I have the capacity to learn, but even from a corporate standpoint, that has been my biggest career challenge. Even in corporate beauty is breaking past a certain level in, in, even with my last role. You know, I had to make a hard decision in, in resign because I had to have that hard reality.
And be honest that it’s never gonna happen. I have to build something different mm-hmm and have a different alternative to change that I’m never gonna change it from the inside, right. Without a lot of heartache and a lot of different consequences. So it’s an interesting dynamic and I get it, you know, when it comes to business, I think men think very logically and analytically.
So, yes, you’re gonna see a lot of men with the business side of things, you know, CFOs or CEOs and things like that. But I think that there can be a better partnership and there are, don’t get me wrong. I have met some really great men who absolutely partner and welcome women in that conversation, but it’s very far few between, and not at the global conglomerate level where they have shareholders to.
Really appease and actually the interesting thing, um, Revlon just filed for bankruptcy. Uh, beauty, giant, you know, that has been around forever, you know, is going bankrupt because again, I think just. Not tapping into the real needs. And I think tapping into people’s insecurities is only gonna last so long.
And, and I used to be, again, even in my early thirties, I was covered in makeup, full coverage and like, I, my skin couldn’t breathe and I was just, yeah, felt like I had to put on this whole mask. And again, it wasn’t until I actually, I had my girls and having twins. It was like, I don’t have claim for all that makeup anymore.
That’s that I started embracing my natural. Skin.
I love that. And I think my issue is this. And I could do a whole different podcast episode on this concern is the reality is that we as women, so many of the beauty decisions that we are making. Despite the age of female empowerment that we live in, we, as women are propagating an unnatural standard of beauty that has been established by men mm-hmm
So here’s the dichotomy that exists. I will leave you all to just think about that, but consider the decisions that you are making. For your skin for your face, for your body, some incredibly invasive where you are going to get surgeries for these things. Just keep in mind that in an age of female empowerment, we are still making decisions.
Mm-hmm about how we look that is propagating an unnatural standard of beauty that has been established primarily by men mm-hmm . So I’ll just let that sit with you for a second. But to me, I think this is an excellent point where. What is truly at stake is the culture that we are establishing for our daughters.
Mm-hmm exactly, as you just pointed out. And like I said, I will end it at that. I could do a whole podcast talking about my concerns for our daughters mm-hmm and this ridiculous artificial and natural standard of beauty that we are setting for them, even though our hearts are surely in the right place, but it’s a dangerous game that we play.
And Gina is here to help break through that. And she has created this line. Whoa, that I’m throwing things around over here. To help you and me learn how to DIY more of this professional standard of beauty that is promoting our natural beauty, our natural look at home. I have some of these products here.
My daughter used them. I’ll make sure the pictures come up. I have to share. She was so excited about this hair wrap that came. Gina sent me all these products and she had just seen one of her little friends wearing these. And she’s like, can I have that? Can I have. So, what she did is she used the lavender shampoo.
This smells so good by the way. And then the conditioner, which, okay, this is just a side note. I love that you have made the shampoo bottle bigger than the conditioner bottle.
Thank
you. Massive beauty companies. What is wrong
with you? I know. Nobody. Thank you for noticing shampoo. Thank you for noticing that I didn’t you’re welcome.
I will
not be the only one who notices this. This is made by a woman for women.
People. Yes. Right? Simple detail that I was like, nobody, nobody is doing that. I mean, it’s cause even as I dove in, I tried to figure out I’m like from a manufacturing standpoint, But I’m like, no, you can mass produce different sizes.
It’s actually not that complicated. , it’s probably even easier from a mass production standpoint, but yeah. So thank you for noticing that and real quick, actually, you know, I put a lot of thought into it cuz I actually also designed the design on the packaging. So my logo, the free. Stands for heart, mind and body.
Cause that those three things in balance I believe is, you know, true beauty and core. VTA let me show you guys what shes talking about here. So those are the three, three heart mm-hmm yeah. Yep. That three heart. Cor Vita means the heart of life in Latin. And I believe that the heart of life and the core of life is love, right?
We’re all seeking that type of love. And it starts with self love. We can’t love anybody else until we love ourself. And really, again, you know, honing in on our natural features. And so that was that, but there’s also those light. Kind of wildflowers on there and I’m a wildflower, that’s kinda part of who I am.
I kind of grow, or we grow in these natural conditions that are meant to break us down. Um, my girls are wildflowers and so I kind of went with a little bit of like a wildflower, um, scene as well. And then the white it’s very feminine. Thank you. Yes. And the white packaging, you know, again, cause beauty having a pure heart, it’s about having that pure heart that illuminates our, our beauty.
And I’ve also felt like it would match anybody’s decor in theirs. So ,
it’s very feminine. I love it. It’s very feminine. I also have to tell you that a Gina she, when she sent me this package, She also sent me a description of some of the things people who have hung out here with me know that I am zero beauty expert.
Like I only started wearing makeup. It’s shameful, how long it took me to even know what a primer for makeup was. I was like, what? That’s a thing. No, primer’s only for paint on my walls. That’s a primer for makeup. Literally people two years ago is the first time that I learned of that. Yep. This came. Okay.
A funny story. This came. And I was, the girls were like, what is this? I was like, I have no idea. I was like, I think it might be, do you wash your face with this? It’s like the per ,
I guess you could then Gina coming outta the box thinker, I guess you could.
And I have more to get some coverage, cuz I mean, I still need some coverage as well,
And then Gina was like, that’s for your scalp. I was like, oh, that’s what it is.
So she actually is starting a YouTube video too. A YouTube channel, I should say, where she’s describing how to use. The products and even just in like your short, Instagram, DM, I felt like it was very educational, even just how you’re supposed to use, like what professionals use these to get rid of build up on your scalp.
Is that what you said?
Yes. Cause again, I’m all about fundamentals. So having healthy hair really starts with a healthy scalp or having now healthy skin just really. Fundamental, I think again, right. Everything has been so complicated. So yeah, that’s part of gently exfoliating, cuz actually if you go to the hairdresser and they shampoo your hair, everyone’s like, I love the Chan.
I love, you know, getting my hair shampoo because hairdressers get in there and shampoo your scalp. Yeah. But most people at home kind of just shampoo the surface. Of their hair. So I wanted to make sure I had kind of a tool to help people at home kind of get in with their scalp. You really needed to see your scalp as well.
Yes. Like slightly exfoliating, cuz again, even if you’re don’t wear a lot of hair products, you still get natural environmental buildup, whether it’s sweat, especially during summer or whatnot that you need to exfoliate and remove any of that. Build up on your scalp because your hair grows from the follicles and pores on your head.
Mm-hmm so we need to unblock them so you can grow healthy, strong hair. So if you have build up on your hair and your scalp, it’s gonna be hard for that healthy, strong hair to, to come through. So mm-hmm , that was where that came in to kind of get into this. Oh, I,
it, I was like, I have no idea, but it fits perfectly in my hand.
Surely for something from my neck up. I’m just not sure what it’s and then Gina enlightened me. tell us more about your products though. I mean, your website, it is launching soon your store. When we’re recording this currently it’s not launched yet. But obviously once this is being published, her line will have been launched.
So core Vita. Tell me more about the products. What products are you really excited about? What are the products that like you tell your friend you need to especially buy these? Obviously they’re all amazing, but I’m guessing there’s probably a couple that you’re especially excited
about. Uh, yes, I love the charcoal purifying shampoo.
I kind of joked that I’m a, a purifying junkie, which I am, you know, and actually even from a professional standpoint, I would have my fellow hairstylist being like, well, if you clarify the hair, you’re going to, you know, Fade the hair color, things like that. I was like, no, no, no, no. It’s actually opposite it like vibrant.
It makes your hair vibrant and it actually brings your hair color back to life. Again, having a purifying shampoo because again, removing build up on the hair depending on the water that you have environmental, because I. Promote living life going, swimming, going outside. So many people won’t go outside or go in the swimming pool because it’s like, oh, I can’t get my hair color.
Or my hair extension in the water said me
never in my life. I didn’t even know hair extensions were a thing again until a couple years ago when I started blogging, I was like, people. Attaching fake hair to their hair. What? I didn’t know
any of those. Oh, that’s a whole nother conversation podcast we could have as well about your extensions and my whole thing, actually, you know, and I actually came into a moral conflict.
Actually. I was working for a global, one of the top brands and hair extensions, and I kind of got to the point morally that I was like, I can’t, I can’t do that anymore. That’s a whole,
yeah. At what point of view is real anymore. It’s like, I look at a woman now and I. Is that real, like, it’s crazy that we’re even asking.
Different podcast different time. Yes. But okay. So clarifying.
Yeah. So clarifying, which actually, you know, I do, and I, to be transparent, I’m gonna change it on my packaging, cuz I do have also a hair extension safe on my packaging because mm-hmm, . It is, there’s so many people who do use hair extensions. So I have it on my packaging, but I am going to next round, um, remove it on there because actually I don’t actually support hair extensions, to be honest, unless, I mean, that’s a whole nother sourcing conversation to be honest.
So where the hair cause it’s human hair. So where it’s sourced from, where you get it from, that’s a whole nother conversation and, and I didn’t know what, I didn’t know either. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And again, as I, cuz I was in a, a senior manager digital marketing role and so you learn more right as you go.
And so even from. Sourcing standpoints and you know, different things. As I learned, I was like, wow, that’s a whole nother conversation to bring up. And that’s a piece I
would, did not even know. Interesting. Mm-hmm that? That is a conversation. Yeah. So what I’m hearing is that this hair could potentially be sourced from less than reputable or unethical waste.
Mm-hmm correct. Yes, that’s sad. Yes. And it’s human hair and, or some of it is sometimes you get synthetic hair mixed in with human hair. Yeah. That’s a whole nother conversation, deep dive into, but again, as you peel back the layers and kinda just keep asking questions or keep digging, it’s like, Do you really wanna know cuz then if you know, then it’s like, I may not be able to use that.
And honestly, even from a professional standpoint, as I learned more, I was like, I can’t do this. So I literally resigned from good paying job for a lot of different reasons. Because again, morally. Right. And so I guess I, I bring that all up because I just encourage consumers to really start asking questions, you know, mm-hmm and start asking those questions and some of those hard questions.
I mean, yes, we have to be ready for the answer to get those answers and are, what are we willing to do when we get the truth and the answers and make new decisions? Cause really we have more power again. When I say take a hold of your beauty, we have more power. Then I think we realize with our buying power and asking some of the questions, you know, asking some of these hard questions that we need to ask.
And so, anyway, that’s overall with my line, but again, just having from the fundamentals, like I have scout care, I’m really excited. It’s hard to pick out one product. I love them all. All to be on me over two years, it was a five year process of like researching and networking. And then it was a good two years sampling and, and testing different products and, and getting into the ingredients.
Cause there are certain based formulas that you need for shampooing conditioner, but there’s also, and yours are all natural. Can you tell me that? Yeah. So the chances and conditioners and those products are, are high, um, botanical ingredients. Okay. So they’re not fully certified organic in, in those senses, but they’re cruelty free because when you, when we talk cruelty free, that actually comes from.
Sourcing standpoint. So when we actually get a lot of our products or some of the raw ingredients that are sourced, let’s say from overseas, some of the overseas, they, they have it in their standards to test on animals. So if we get those ingredients in different products, from different places, even though we may not.
Be testing that whole entire product on animals, different parts of the con you know, the world interesting touch on animals. So, you know, a lot of it also comes to the raw ingredients for sourcing as well. And it takes a lot of research and asking questions for that when having those higher grade, because really, if you get into a, like a real certified organic for hair care, it has a very limited timeframe, but that’s where the makeup though is in organic.
That’s why, when. Told you like the lipstick can actually show a little, um, yeah. Talk
to us a little bit about that. So for everyone listening on it, yeah, yeah. For everyone listening and washing, she goes, she we’ve talked a lot about hair care. So her store is her product line core Vita will be a lot of hair, but you also have, will have makeup mm-hmm yes.
Okay. Talk to us about the makeup.
Yeah. And that was actually a more recent ion cause I was actually, as I was talking, I just was getting a lot of questions too, like on makeup. Cause it’s a like kind of a total look and even for myself, cause I’m a consumer also. So I’m trying to pick things that obviously I use and need as well.
And so from makeup, cuz actually I struggled with my skin for a really long time. Again, it wasn’t until really I had my girls and like the hormones, I guess, from being pregnant with twins, helped my skin. And also I started really wearing less makeup when I had my girls and needing to be very quick in applying makeup and whatnot.
And so it really changed my routine. And what I was looking for in skincare. So I’m also in process. Cause even though I have this core line, I’m always, my mind’s always going. So for 2023, I’m looking to add in some skincare cause, uh, a quick tip, um, and just a little for shadowing, if you will. It wasn’t until I started washing my face with almost pure oil that my skin completely changed, like to remove makeup, remove dirt as well as moisturize, and actually naturally helps with my wrinkles.
Um, what kind of oil oil removes oil, a cast oil. Soap. Okay. Yeah. Um, and there’s different combinations of oils. And so I’m in the process now of working on those combinations of oils of like, you know, whether it’s grape seed oil or cast oil, avocado oil, or like just different oils and combination that help remove makeup cuz oil removes oil like water and oil don’t mix.
So it’s a natural. Science mixture when it comes to the face and, and it’s, and it moisturizes and, and lubricates. So my skin completely changed and I just started using more Oilers. I spent so much time trying to remove oils that it actually created my face. To break out more. And, and like I had said to you too, as a mom and a working mom, I go to sleep with makeup on more than I wish to promote.
And of course, I mean, as a beauty professional, it’s like wash your face before you go to bed. But sometimes it’s not really, I only just
started washing my face every night, like two years ago. That’s no why?
I mean, sometimes I do. And sometimes I don’t. So I really wanted to do the makeup line that can also act like a skincare that you’re not gonna be completely broken out by seeing, I love that in your makeup.
So the makeup line you’ll see it, that it sweats a little bit, cuz it is more of a certified organic. Formula there. So, and then the, the, which was, this was actually new and outta my comfort zone, like the actual like foundation is a little bit more transparent, but it’s very buildable that you can still get coverage.
but I was in this very endless cycle of makeup, breakout makeup breakout, because again, To be honest, some of the heavier makeups are designed for your skin to break out. Right. Cause then you have to buy more products.
right. So, so just trying to kind of all around between skincare and hair care, um, you know, this is
just, I’m showing you guys quick. This is one of the. I can never tell if it’s actually focusing on my hand or not, but that’s why I,
yes, I can see it. Yes. Yeah. And then as you kinda, um, you know, it just kind of then absorbs and gives you that nice glowy, natural look in your, in your skin and it doesn’t feel heavy.
You still feel like your natural. It is very light mm-hmm so. Yes. So I really love it and I’ve slept in it a couple. nice. So
100%. Yep. I mean, this is real real life. I, some of my followers have heard me say this, but I like two years ago, I did a trade off coaching session with a celebrity makeup artist who I had met and I was.
Giving her like an hour worth of fitness, nutrition coaching. And then she gave me an hour worth of, of basically like a makeup consulting, cuz I just knew nothing. Mm-hmm and she’s like, wait, you sleep with your makeup on. I said, yeah. And I showed her the makeup that I currently had and she said, you’re kidding me.
You’re how old. And this is the only makeup anyway, she told me exactly what to wear and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since. So all that to say real life people, real life busy moms, we need. Real products that promote what we’ve been. God given mm-hmm wear it with confidence. What else would you want people to know about your line?
Where can they find you? When is it launching?
Yeah. So my eCommerce store is wanting August 1st. So that will be WW dot core VPay beauty.com. So I will have everything on there. I’ll have every individual item, but I will also have bundle and save options on there as well. I’m working on DIY wedding and hair makeup, and that was inspired to be honest.
Based on, I’ve gotten so many emails again, more than I cared to get of stylist canceling last minute and brides kinda in a scramble. And unfortunately I can’t be in all places, but at the same time, On your wedding or event day, you should still look like a version of yourself. I see so many people that they might look a certain way on their daily life.
Then all of a sudden for their wedding, they transform into something that they never wear. So they may. Have these huge lashes that, but they never wear lashes on a regular basis or, you know, they wear their hair up for their wedding or an event and they never wear their hair up. So things like that. So really just again, your wedding or your event day should still be a version of your daily, natural self and really.
Again, right. We know our hair and skin more than anybody. That’s great. If you wanna choose a professional to do that for you, you have a hairdresser that you love, but in Florida we have a lot of destination weddings. So it would be me just meeting somebody for that very first time. So I’ll have all of that on my website as well, to be able to have kits and consultations and, and things like that.
But my social media for Instagram is cor VTE. Beauty. Pinterest is cor VTE, beauty, Facebook cor VTE beauty. So those are my main. And then my, uh, YouTube channel that will have all these tutorials is Corte. Beauty. So I’m really, you know, there’s a lot in a work in progress to get all this information out there to everybody based on all the questions that I’ve gotten.
Those, this is awesome.
Start to follow me. Yeah. This is where you need to start. You guys can go follow her. She has so many things coming. I love the heart of the company and the passion that you have for helping women truly feel beautiful in their own skin and with a focus, especially on. What we’re doing to beautify the inside.
Yes. Just as much. And letting that really shine through on the outside. So I am so thankful for the influence that you will, you do have currently, and that you will have on millions of women and we need to get the word out. So I’m excited to share all of your stuff. I can’t wait to see where your product goes and your line.
Everyone can take a look core Vita beauty.com and then core Vita on pretty much all of your socials, like you just said. Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And stay tuned coming. We are probably going to partner. We’re gonna get more of the word out because you guys need to see these products and we need to get, thank you her message spread as well, because it is very much my heartbeat.
You are beautiful. Your story matters. Thank you so much, Gina for sharing that message and you are beautiful inside and out, and I want your hair. right. That’s a good way to
end that. Thank appreciate you. Don’t see. What’s only did the top
threw mine up in a ponytail, so nobody see any of it. Thanks for listening to this episode of the imperfectly empowered podcast.
I would love to hear your thoughts from today. Head to your preferred podcasting platform and give the show an honest review and let me know what you think. Remember, you cannot be redefined only redeveloped one imperfect day at a time. Your story matters and you are loved.