How has motherhood influenced your beauty line?
There are definitely more multi-taskers in the Chantecaille line now that I’m a mom! Our Liquid Lumiere, Cheek Gelee and Camouflage Le Stylo are all products that are easily applied with fingers, provide healthy, natural radiance, which sleep-deprived mamas can always use. It also inspired me to create a whole new baby line—becoming a parent made me so much more aware of how important the decisions I was making were. I didn’t want to make mistakes, I only wanted the best, and because I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, in terms of skin and bath products, for Delphina, I decided that Chantecaille needed to focus on creating the ultimate organic line for babies. Next month we’re releasing our amazing Rose de Mai Eye Lift which moms will love—it takes a 360 degree approach to any complaint tired moms have about their eyes, it refreshes, de-puffs, lifts and erases signs of tiredness. It also has this soothing, cooling ceramic applicator which feels amazing on your skin.
What were some of the best and most challenging parts of juggling motherhood and a full-time career?
It’s such a juggle. And it takes so much support! The best part is I have the best of both worlds, a family I adore and a career that really inspires and gratifies me. The challenge is making it all work together and managing the needs of my family and the needs of my business. Feeling guilty when I have a meeting and she asks me to go to a class with her is a challenge—the tug at my heartstrings when I have to leave her is real!
How do you carve out time for yourself and how do you enjoy to spend this time?
I’m pretty busy, and the weekends are family time, so downtime for me usually includes Delphina—I love to bring her to museums where there are kid-centered activities, so I get some culture and she gets to play. When we’re out in East Hampton in the summer downtime means the beach for a sunset walk or a trip to a local farm to pick veggies and see the animals. Real solo time might mean a bath to unwind, or, realistically, a few minutes at the beginning or end of the day to meditate. I also love to do yoga, it really forces you to concentrate on your body and tune out the world, it’s the only time that I’m not thinking about anything else.
What are your top beauty tips?
It’s important to remember that beauty comes from inside—our products are amazing, but if you’re not taking care of yourself and making yourself happy, it shows. Health is beautiful, getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water and eating nourishing food is so important to keep your skin looking and feeling beautiful. After that, using products that treat your skin make all the difference—I love the way a spritz of our Pure Rosewater wakes my skin up, and how our Blanc Gardenia Brightening Essence really makes it luminous. I love to sleep in our masks overnight so they can really sink in and treat my skin—our Jasmine and Lily healing mask is so great for an overnight moisture surge, I also sometimes mix in a few drops of our Rose Oil to really boost the hydration factor. Our Future Skin is also a great beauty secret—it covers all my needs because it’s so buildable. I can wear a light layer on the weekends for a unifying tint, and apply it a bit more precision with a damp beauty blender for work, it gives you a no-makeup makeup, perfect skin look. It also builds up for full coverage with a brush for photo shoots.
What are your favorite family vacation destinations?
I love our family’s home out in East Hampton—we have the most beautiful gardens in the summer, and it’s so much fun to share this place, which is so dear to my heart, with my daughter. We also love to go to St. Barths as a family, we’ve been going there my whole life. I love that it’s a fun way to get a dose of French culture in a tropical setting that’s only 4 hour flight away. It’s so familiar—we run into so many friends whenever we go. We chose to get married there because it’s a place that is really special to me.
Do you have a favorite designer for children’s clothing?
Bonpoint! The french aesthetic reminds me so much of the dresses I wore growing up which are so hard to find today. Their prints are so precious and adorable, so perfect for little girls. The quality is impeccable, so the pieces really last—I’ll pass Delphina’s pieces down to my sister when she has children.
What are the most important lessons or values you would like to instill in your daughter?
We talk about gratitude a lot, and respect for others, and I hope that bringing those qualities to her attention will instill them as a default response in her as she grows up. Children’s innate sense of joy is such a reminder for us to always look at the positive things in life—we talk daily about the things that made us happy and what we enjoyed. I hope that she sees how much I enjoy my work and that it inspires her to seek out a career that truly brings her joy and inspires her.
What is your best advice for a new parent?
It’s so important to be able to slow down, to be sure that you can spend time with them when they’re little. They grow so quickly, and you don’t want to look back and feel like you’ve missed it. It’s also important to trust your instincts—you can get so much advice as a new parent. As a mom, you know your child better than anybody, you should always listen to yourself. It’s such a big transformation, being patient, and gentle with yourself is important, as is not being afraid to ask for help if you need it.