Giveaway and interview : Pretty Momma Beauty

Hi everyone!

I have a wonderful surprise for you today, a beauty giveaway!
I met Ekatrina in the Etsy forum and she was very kind in offering to send one set of her amazing Raspberry Black Bath Tea. I was very curious about her product, especially when she mentioned it is real tea mixed with magnesium, salts. The tea bad holds the leaves together so it will be an easy clean up after a relaxing, skin rejuvenating and soothing bath.

RaspBerry Black Tea Bath Giveaway by Pretty Momma Beauty

But, as amazing are her products, I wanted you to learn more about this impressive lady behind the small natural shop of Pretty Momma Beauty.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ekatrina

Tell us about yourself and how all your Etsy adventure started :

I am a cell biology PhD student in the process of graduating and beginning my career as a professor. I started my first Etsy shop about halfway through my graduate career as a birthday present to myself. It has been a nice outlet for my creative energies in the midst of a demanding school load.

What pushed you to start your own beauty product line?

This shop began when I wanted to make bath salts for myself. I grew up in a home invested in natural and healthy products, so it was a short jump to combine that expertise with my scientific skills. The very first product I made was the mustard milk bath salts, which I formulated to combat muscle pain and tension. Once I got started, I just couldn’t stop, and I eventually opened this shop in order to share my products with a wider audience.

From the start, my products have been about providing tools to create a naturally healthy, beautiful you. Because of the demands on my time, I have been terrible about daily beauty upkeep. Once I started making my own products, I began to research and concoct products to help restore and repair my appearance. I formulated products that I found worked well, and so had to share those too. Because I need good value from the time I spend on myself, all my products are carefully formulated with high concentrations of active ingredients to maximize their effectiveness.

What inspires your collections?

My collections begin with an idea. For instance, I began my mud mask line in response to my search for something to reduce the appearance of my pores. Once I have an idea for a product type, my next question is “What other problems could this medium solve?”. So, in the mud mask example, I began expanding the concept to products that help maintain skin firmness, deal with inflammation, and provide deep-cleaning and detoxification benefits to help provide clear skin.

What is your process for your products?

When I start out to create a product, I begin by reading as much as I can about the process that produces the problem I want to solve and about how modern and traditional products go about addressing the problem. From that reading, I create a list of potential ingredients annotated with the mechanism of action of each. Then I research each ingredient intensively for safety and effectiveness, as well as to get an idea of which products would work well together. I create a prototype recipe designed to incorporate a diverse and synergistic ingredient list, then I go through repeated rounds of testing (on myself) and refinement for function and usability. The final product is what ends up in my shop. 

Are your products sold in boutiques or craft shows?

My primary outlet is online, although I have taken my products to a craft fair. I enjoyed the face to face interaction and direct feedback of the craft fair, so I hope to be able to do more of them after graduation. My products are not in a brick and mortar yet, but I am on the look-out for locations that would be a good fit. I’ve also been refining my packaging to reflect the professionalism and quality of my product, which is important in brick-and-mortar sales.

Can you tell us more about your Bath Tea Collection?

My bath tea collection is extensive, and primarily off-menu at this point. I have a wide variety of herbal and black teas, as well as a few more unusual options. My Roobios bath tea is especially refreshing, and my lavender mint bath tea is a favorite among returning customers. All of my bath teas are pre-packaged for easy clean-up and also contain magnesium salts to promote well-being. I will be working on bringing more of these teas into my regular offering once the craziness of my current transition period has passed. In the meantime, I am delighted to accommodate requests!

How long does it take you to develop a new serie of product?

The time it takes for me to develop a new product is directly proportional to how busy I am! :) Some products require minimal rounds of refinement and are ready to meet customers quickly. Other products, such as one particularly luscious conditioning treatment I have developed, require significant research to translate into a shelf-stable, easy-to-use product. (It’s been over a year since I made my first batch of that particular product, and it still isn’t ready to go to market. My hair, however, has greatly benefited from the research process.)

What’s next for PrettyMommaBeauty in 2015?

I have an extensive list of products to roll out in the next year. I have a very nice deep-conditioning moisturizer that is ready to go to market. It just needs final packaging decisions and photographs. I also want to elaborate on the idea and create a lighter moisturizer for those who live in warmer climates or who have more naturally moist skin. I also have an herbal detangling spray that has passed all my usage tests and needs to make its way into my shop. I have vegetable-based blush that will be ready once I standardize shades, and have initial recipes for complimenting lip products. I want to create liquid shampoos and bath gels from my bar soap recipes, which should be a fairly quick process once I obtain the necessary supplies. I also want to develop a magnesium-based deodorant, as I think that would work better than the salt crystal I currently use. What would you like to see in my shop??

If you weren’t making beauty products, what would you be making :

If I wasn’t running Etsy shops in my spare time, I’d be reading, embroidering, or tutoring. In addition to making bath and beauty products, I love doing graphic design and creating jewelry. I’m also an avid treasure-hunter at resale shops.

If you could live anywhere in the world...?

If I could live anywhere in the world….I don’t know. I like my current home, but would love to go someplace warmer in the winter. My favorite European country is Italy, but I want to visit China, and Spain, and Russia, and the Italian Alps, and see more of France… Home is where the heart is, but I love to learn about other cultures and meet new people too.


You can follow Ekatrina on Twitter here or on Tumblr

And, you can enter the giveaway at the top of the article! :)