The journey of a restless soul turned Goddess (-ish)!
Hello my lovelies!
I wanted to start out by sharing my story.
As most girls do, I always loved all things magical & mystical...obsessed with fairies and enchantment. I "made" my own perfumes and potions and adorned myself with glittery things. Chasing the magic has been the premise of my past and still is the making of my future.
My journey has taken me on many paths, yet as much as they seemed so twisted and turny along the way, they all came together to lead me here.
I'm a self-proclaimed "restless soul"...a soul in search of a purpose, and stubbornly committed to finding a purpose that is not just fulfilling, but one that makes my aura glow!
I'm a deep reflector and thinker (often over-thinker), so being in charge of discovering that purpose has and still is quite the task.
Flash forward through a typical self-loathing adolescence (I know you've been there), I was eventually given the choice to become the woman I would be destined to be...
Driven by many inside and outside forces, I found myself practicing medicine, a nurse to be specific. Perfect fit for the sensitive type who was drawn towards healing and found joy in improving the well-being of others. This was, okay, for me...but ultimately, not for me. My spirit wasn't fulfilled. So what does it do? Well, it discovers an out!
That "out" was a shift in healing modalities...a mere research project introduced me to Eastern healing - acupuncture, herbs, energy...yes! My aura perked up a bit!
Another day, another 3 years of higher education (blaah) and Solace Acupuncture was born! It revived me, challenged me, catered to my healing nature and quest for balance.
This was my path...for a while. What started as wellness transformed into beauty-wellness as my vision just kept reaching beyond my means. Solace became Eden - Spa for Well-being, which seemed to be the mature, wizened, yet unfocused older sister of Solace. Eden was pretty, but did not have her shit together. She meant well, but she was lost in a world that she was not ready to be in. I was drawn towards "natural" beautifying, when the market wasn't quite there yet. I also had no idea how to run a business! This and other hair-pulling factors lead to the eminent demise of poor Eden...
However, what I found, was a glimpse into the beauty industry! Now this was new, uncharted territory which certainly caused my spirit to stir. The problem was, I had no experience (or right) to be in this beauty world! At least that's how I felt at this point in my life.
The Universe yet again, as she always is, was listening. I can also blame the bad economy of 2009, but I knew that my journey was not settled here and eventually closed up Eden and made the long treacherous trip back into Western territory, extending my medical knowledge by becoming a Physician Assistant. Somewhere inside I knew that the answer to optimal health and well-being lied somewhere between ancient, natural therapies and what modern medicine has discovered.
This, my Goddesses, is probably the most relevant part to how I found myself here!
With my sights already set on aesthetics (and the fact that I was already in my 30's and going back to school...again), I primed my focus on the medical aesthetic world and ended up treating everything from rashes and hair loss, to crow's feet and "11" lines!
Might I say at this point...Botox is a drug!! An addictive one! Don't believe me, try having your forehead that is glistening with fine lines magically become as smooth as a baby's cheek (butt or face...either one!) then tell me you don't want more of that crack! (Hi, my name is Lacey...it's been 2 years 1 month and 14 days since my last Botox...)
Anyways, I will admit that it was fun injecting cheeks and freezing wrinkles away, but to be honest ladies, it wasn't me! I have nothing against medical aesthetics, but I feel I was just not the breed to thrive in the business of it. I learned a lot about what skin needs to stay youthful (from a clinical standpoint) and also a lot about what is toxic to it! The answer is...a lot! A lot out there is toxic to us and our skin.
I know you don't need me to preach...you found yourself here so obviously you are seeking clean beauty and likely a clean lifestyle (I honor you Goddess!), so I'll cut to the point and say that I just knew I wanted to play some role in creating something that embodied both natural and clinical elements.
This was over 5 years ago when I became a hopeful kitchen-witch! Mixing things that shouldn't have been mixed and wondering why my facial lotion looked like a runny egg instead of a lovely cream! Oh, the frustration! But alas, Goddesses, I pushed on!
It was New Year's 2017 that I made the resolution that every weekend I would work on building my knowledge, working my formulas, testing ingredients and using myself (and my sister, mother, and even my husband) as a guinea pig!
I want to say that it was all fun, but it wasn't. I'm type A and a true stubborn Aries, so failures and setbacks made my blood boil and my soul die a little each time! I still scream inside when my beautiful well-balanced, written formula actually looks like curdled milk when created.
Working with natural ingredients...I mean purely natural ingredients, is tough! I was tempted many times to get a chemically based synthetic, just to make my life easier and achieve the texture and stability I was looking for. I also didn't want to go back to school to learn how to make it easier (again stubborn Aries, Goddesses!). So I like to think I paid equal in wasted ingredients and time researching then I would have for a formal education in formulating!
The end point brings us here, my loves. I ultimately reached a point where my career was not doing anything for my spirit (or mind!) and I became proficient enough to conjure up a few hopeful products that could actually hold there own on my vanity table!
With the support of my family and friends (and a little bit of CBD), I launched BODY & BOTANY officially on October 31st, 2020.
I am still learning and can always find ways to improve what I've already been trying to improve 15 batches ago... but I bring you a collection that truly comes from my heart and soul.