Celebrate International Women’s Day By Supporting These Great Female-Founded Brands
Happy International Women’s Day! Today, I chatted with my friends at CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin” about some female founders who have revolutionized their respective industries and, of course, showcased an assortment of products from each of their brands. Learn more about these exciting brands by viewing my segment here — and keep reading to better acquaint yourself with all the brands seen on air!
SILVER & RILEY
Many travel bags — from rolling suitcases and duffel bags to waist packs and cross-body bags — are either opulent status symbols devoid of all practicality or they scream “sensible” and “convenient” but lack personality and elegance.
On the luxury side, you’ll often find spot the same styles: either monogrammed duffel bags and suitcases, leather tote bags with open tops and no accessible outer pockets, or modern-but-sterile, hardshell spinner carry-ons. And on the more affordable end, there are countless polyester carry-ons, gaudy and bulky fanny packs, and faux leather messenger bags and duffels that are reliable and sturdy but score pretty low on the style front. As globetrotter herself, Silver & Riley founder Lola Banjo took note of the limited options for those seeking luxury bags and accessories that were as fashionable as they were functional. She set out to fill the void in the marketplace by launching Silver & Riley.
Exuding timeless elegance, all Silver & Riley products are crafted in Italy using premium full grain calf or cowhide leather that ages gracefully with time, developing a rich patina. All Silver & Riley bags are made in the same factories used by many well-known luxury brands, but they’re a fraction of the cost — a huge priority for Banjo, who wanted her brand to epitomize attainable luxury. In fact, Silver & Riley pieces range from $75 to $1195, so there truly is something for every budget.
Moreover, each Silver & Riley bag is multifunctional and designed with an eye towards problem-solving. To that end, each design can be worn in a multitude of ways and features interesting design details — from carefully placed exterior pockets to metal feet that protect the bag’s leather bottom.
Available at SilverandRiley.com and Nordstrom, the brand’s offerings include sleek duffel bags and carry-all totes, cross-body bags that double as top-handle purses, chic (and convertible!) belt bags, and elegant satchels that are perfect for the office.
If you’re exploring a new city and want to keep your hands free for all the selfies you’ll be snapping, you can pick up the Going Places Belt Bag shown above at top ($395 at SilverandRiley.com), which features a removable belted strap so you can wear it around your waist or carry it as a clutch for any evening events.
And you’ll turn heads with the Cylindrical Bucket Bag ($445 at SilverandRiley.com), which features a truly unique and ultra-chic silhouette. The bag features a top handle as well as a removable shoulder strap that allows you to wear it on your shoulder or across your body.
To exude I-deserve-the-corner-office vibes, check out the Convertible Executive Bag ($695 at SilverandRiley.com), a streamlined and elegant bag that’s roomy enough to fit a 15″ laptop but still looks incredibly structured and sleek. The best-selling bag can be carried as a top handle purse, transformed into a backpack, or worn as a shoulder bag or cross-body bag. It does it all!
Need another reason to fall in love with Silver & Riley? Well, here’s one: the brand has a wonderful Buy 1 Give 5 Program whereby 5% of each total sale is allotted towards initiatives that support female entrepreneurs both in the US and in developing economies.
ESKER
We can’t always jet off to a tropical paradise at a moment’s notice, but there are simple ways to escape (or at least mitigate) the stressors of everyday life. A truly relaxing shower, for instance, can feel like a mini getaway, an oasis of calm. One great way to enhance your shower experience is by harnessing the power of aromatherapy, which you can easily do with the Esker Aromatic Shower Steamer Set ($65 at EskerBeauty.com).
Founded by Shannon Davenport, Esker is an Austin-based brand of plant-powered body care products that transform simple everyday routines into meditative rituals that heal both body and soul. Davenport spent a decade working as a trend forecaster before discovering her true passion: plant-based beauty and body care. After receiving her certification in aromatherapy, Davenport became all the more invested in the clean beauty movement — particularly when she became pregnant with her first child and became all the more cognizant of her body’s need for plant-powered, non-toxic, filler-free formulas. In fact, Esker was born around the same time as her first child!
Davenport’s knowledge of aromatherapy shines through in offerings such as the Aromatic Shower Steamer Set. The set features four all-natural, vapor- and water-activated tablets that release refreshing essential oils into the steam as you shower. Two tablets feature an uplifting Eucalyptus Lavender scent and two boast a grounding Calendula Palo Santo fragrance.
And, unlike other tablets which are designed to be thrown on the shower floor and create a slippery mess, these come with an elegant, hand-carved Carrara marble holder.
To use, simply unwrap the tablet of your choosing and place it on the marble holder, then place the marble holder on the shower floor. The steam from the shower will activate the tablet and create a relaxing sensory experience.
Six-count refill packs of the steamer tablets are available for $38 at EskerBeauty.com, so you can stock up as needed!
UQUEEN ORGANICS
After unwinding in the shower, it’s time to moisturize your skin and rev up its radiance! You can do so with the UQueen Organics Glow Body Kit ($62 at UQueenOrganics.com), which includes two best-selling products that leave skin soft, supple, and radiant: the Safflower Glow Oil and Almond Shea Glow Butter.
Founded by Jamaican beauty entrepreneur Danielle “Danz” Edmond, UQueen Organics promotes a healthy and holistic lifestyle through its natural, vegan, and cruelty-free skin and body care products, which incorporate ethically-sourced ingredients from Bali.
The Safflower Glow Oil is a non-greasy, fast-absorbing body oil that delivers weightless hydration. Its namesake ingredient, safflower oil, is rich in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid known for moisturizing skin without weighing it down. Moreover, linoleic acid helps to control sebum production and it strengthens the skin’s barrier, improving its ability to defend against free radicals. Here, that hero ingredient (safflower oil) is accompanied by essential oils of ylang ylang, cedarwood, and lavender that create a beautiful herbal scent that lingers on your skin.
For an added dose of nourishment, follow with the Almond Shea Glow Butter, an indulgent body cream that features shea butter, coconut oil, and almond oil to nourish and hydrate skin, reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks, and leave skin luminous.
BIXA BEAUTY
A great lipstick can feel like a superhero cape: once it’s on, you feel ready to save the world! Well, when you buy a Bixa Beauty lipstick, you get to experience that confidence boost and rock a head-turning power pout — all while helping Bixa CEO Deida Massey on her mission to enact social change.
A beauty industry veteran and makeup artist, Massey first thought of launching Bixa Beauty during a fortuitous trip to a Zanzibar spice farm in 2014. During this trip, she was introduced to the Bixa Orellana plant, also known as achiote. This shrub’s seeds are the source of annatto, an orange-red pigment used as a condiment, food coloring, and as a base for lipstick formulas.
All Bixa products are plant-based, vegan-friendly, clean (no parabens, talc, or phthalates), and sustainably sourced and crafted. Plus, the lip colors are richly pigmented, non-drying, and long-lasting! They come in an array of colors including Jane Doe, a vibrant fuchsia, and Merlot Me, a deep wine red. Each $25 at BixaBeauty.com
True to the brand’s social mission, 10% of the proceeds from Bixa product purchases are donated to the Uzima Center in Tanzania, which provides health care and educational opportunities to HIV-positive, orphaned, and vulnerable youths.
SEED PHYTONUTRIENTS
Seed Phytonutrients is a women-led, clean beauty brand that’s on a mission to craft high-performance, eco-friendly formulas that are more trusted than they are trendy. The brand’s ethos is formula first, sustainability always, so all of its hair, skin, and body care products are good for you and the earth. They take great care to ensure that their products are free of any potentially harmful ingredients (i.e. parabens, sulfates, gluten, silicones, and synthetic fragrances), but they go beyond the list of no-nos and truly assess which plant-powered ingredients are best suited for each product formula. True to its name, Seed Phytonutrients prioritizes seed oils and extracts precisely because seeds are where plant nutrients are encased, protected from environmental elements, and where they remain in their purest and most powerful form.
One of the brand’s most exciting launches is the Purifying Facial Cleansing Powder ($28 on Amazon, EarthHero, Grove, and at Central Market stores), which epitomizes the brand’s commitment to sustainability innovation. This TSA-friendly, water-activated powder cleanser is ideal for oily and congested skin. It features pink kaolin clay to absorb excess oil, dirt and impurities, decongesting pores and minimizing their appearance, as well as raspberry and grape seed oils to maintain skin’s radiance. To use, you simply wet hands, dispense a small amount of powder into one palm and rub the palms together to create a foamy consistency.
And while it weighs just 2 ounces, this ultra-concentrated cleanser is the equivalent of 1 liter of a traditional cleanser. The difference, of course, is that traditional cleansers include quite a bit of water. This powder cleanser, on the other hand, features nothing but powerhouse ingredients that remain undiluted. Moreover, because the cleanser is so concentrated, the packaging is smaller and involves fewer materials and the lower shipping weight of the product results in a much smaller carbon footprint. See? Formula and sustainability!
Another star product is the Hand Salve ($18 on Amazon, EarthHero, Grove, and at Central Market stores), which can nourish, hydrate, and soften even the driest hands. The salve contains replenishing and skin-softening ingredients like camelina seed oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. Plus it features an all-natural herbal scent with notes of cedar leaf and beach sage.
Seed Phytonutrients will be available at all Central Market stores soon, so keep an eye out!
Visit SeedPhytonutrients.com for more details!
IKNOW SKINCARE
Created by 30-year beauty industry veteran Germaine Bolds-Leftridge, IKNOW Skincare is designed for women of color ages 50 and plus — otherwise known as the platinum group. The brand specializes in products that address common mature skin concerns like fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, sunken skin, dullness and more. Moreover, IKNOW is a labor of love that Bolds-Leftridge dedicates to her late mother and grandmother, both of whom passed on many bits of skincare wisdom.
One of the brand’s hero products is the Cellular Retreat 100% Pure & Natural Plum Oil ($49 on IKnowSkincare.com and Amazon). It features 100% pure Kakadu plum oil, which is one of the greatest sources of vitamin C and hence helps to brighten skin and even skin tone while also stimulating collagen production, thereby reducing wrinkles and improving elasticity.
To complete your morning routine, follow with the Very Necessary Broad Spectrum SPF 40 Moisturizing Cream ($39 on IKnowSkincare.com and Amazon), a daily moisturizer that hydrates, soothes, and brightens skin, while protecting your complexion from harmful UV rays that can cause skin damage and lead to premature aging signs and hyperpigmentation. It features ingredients like hyaluronic acid to immediately hydrate and plump skin; green tea and lavender to soothe any redness or irritation; shea butter, mango butter, and argan oil to moisturizer and soften skin; and rose hips to brighten the complexion and boost collagen production.
MASON DIXIE FOODS
Growing up in Baltimore City, Ayesha Abuelhiga often enjoyed her Korean mother’s cooking, which consisted primarily of soul food. Later, after college, she craved that comforting Southern food she’d grown to love as a child, but found very limited options — and those available were anything but healthy. She saw an opportunity to fill a void in the food space and so, in 2014, she set out to launch Mason Dixie Foods as a pop-up restaurant specializing in biscuits in Washington, D.C. As she put her business plan in motion, she began ordering biscuits from different food distributors and was alarmed to learn that the vast majority of these products were made using processed ingredients. She now had a new mission: to create a recipe from scratch using all-natural ingredients. Her recipe was a smash hit! Whenever they launched a pop-up restaurant, the line of customers spanned several city blocks. At their food stall in Union Market, biscuits would often sell out before noon. One day, some regular customers asked Abuelhiga if she’d be willing to sell them frozen dough so they could bake the biscuits at home. Not only did she agree to do so, but she started selling her vacuum-sealed frozen dough on a larger scale. Soon enough, the next step in her food journey became clear: making it to the freezer section of grocery stores across the nation!
Nowadays, Mason Dixie Foods is continuing its mission to change comfort food for the better, using simple and pure ingredients. The brand’s line of biscuits and biscuit sandwiches are scratch-made using the freshest dairy products, highest quality unbleached flour, and aluminum-free baking soda. They contain no preservatives, nitrates, corn syrup, or bleach — just ingredients you recognize and trust.
Not only are the biscuits tasty, flaky, and buttery, but they’re beyond easy to make. You simply pop them in the oven and wait for the smell of heaven to enter your home. The biscuit sandwiches are also ultra-convenient as you can pop them in the oven or heat them up in the microwave for a quick meal on-the-go.
You can find Mason Dixie Foods in the freezer section at Whole Foods Market locations, as well as Target and Costco.
Visit MasonDixieFoods.com for more details!
