On today’s episode we are talking all things skincare with the Co-Creator of Penny & Pine, Danielle Salazar. We will be covering how to get your skin wedding day ready, uncovering skin care myths, and hearing tricks from recent bride, Danielle, herself!
[Ashley] What is Penny & Pine?
[Danielle] Penny & Pine is a sustainable collection of skin care that has been curated specifically for brides. It is a collection of mostly organic and natural skin care products, which we can get into more later, but mostly natural and organic. Overall, our whole mission with this brand is to create a collection of skin care that women could feel fantastic about. We wanted to create strong products that had lasting effective results so women could feel like they can take on the day and feel confident in their own skin. Especially as brides, it is a really big deal to feel confident and beautiful. So we wanted to create a collection that gave brides the result they are looking for. Specifically, the wedding day glow. The coveted glow that every bride wants!
[Ashley] Yes! Working in the wedding industry for so long, we all know you can only put so much makeup on damaged skin. Plus, preparing for your wedding day requires more than just the week of. Months are required in order to get your skin where it needs to be. There are pictures that you will be sharing with your friends and family for years! One question have, where does the name, Penny & Pine, come from? Does it have a particular meaning?
[Danielle] Not necessarily. We wanted something that felt very feminine and organic. Something that really represented the brand well and penny and pine were just two really cute words that we thought went well together. So that’s how the name came to be!
[Ashley] There is nothing wrong with that! It fits the brand! Go follow them on Instagram (@penny_and_pine). You guys have a beautiful aesthetic! One of my other questions is that, with the skin care industry being so large and oversaturated for you guys to come into this industry you obviously had to produce a product that was very very different. Tell me about that.
[Danielle] Yes, so a little back story about how Penny & Pine came to be: I am also the Marketing Manager at the Wedding Shoppe and part of how we curate products through Wedding Shoppe and help to better the experiences of our customers is that we are constantly sending out surveys to our customer based off their appointment feedback and what they are looking for in products. We sent out a very generic survey last Fall that was asking them just general wedding stuff. “What were you looking for with your wedding? What were some of the biggest challenges of planning? What do you wish you would have done differently with you wedding?” And we kept seeing this need for skincare products come up and we thought that was super interesting and not anything we would have expected to see. Once we saw that, we dug a little bit deeper and we noticed that there was no one in the market that was really catering to brides and bridesmaids and the wedding industry in general. Obviously, there are a millions skin care brands out there but no one that was really catering to brides for fast acting, effective products. So we sent out another survey to our customers asking them what they are looking for in skin care, what they are currently using, what kind of products they would want to try for their wedding day, like eyelash growers or teeth whiteners, things like that. That was a really telling survey for us. It gave us the information we needed to curate this brand and I think that’s why we’ve received such positive feedback and energy for Penny & Pine because it was specifically curated by brides for brides. Like, you and I, we could all sit here all day and talk about what we like and what we think the brides would want, but until you actually ask your customer you are never going to know because the results that we got were so different than what any of us would have probably curated for Penny & Pine. It is truly a brand that is made for them.
[Ashley] Tell me, because I know there is a wide variety of things that Penny & Pine offers, like the Transformation Oil, which I love and am totally hooked on, is that the main product and the rest kind of came along with it?
[Danielle] The Transformation Oil was something that just happened. Penny & Pine, like you said, literally has everything. We have your basics – cleansers, moisturizers, exfoliators. Then, we have some specialty products, like lash growers, some really unique masks, and the Transformation Oil, which is one of the moisturizers that we brought onto the line. I personally had not tried it, some other people in the office had after we decided to bring it on. We tested tons and tons and tons of formulas and products until we decided on our final collection. I had the Transformation Oil as a sample, it was sitting in my medicine cabinet for a few weeks, and honestly I was kind of intimidated by the name, “Transformation Oil” mainly oil and putting that on my face, because I am naturally a poorly person, so it sat on my shelf for a long time and my coworkers were raving about it, “You have to try it! It’s so great!” So one night I was experiencing more redness on my face than normal, I think because of a lot of sun exposure and I get blotchy in general. So I thought i would give it a try! Why not?! I put it on my face, slept over night, and when I woke up, no joke, my skin was seriously transformed! All my redness had gone away!
[Ashley] This is the before and after picture that is in the sample kit you give out?! If it wasn’t for that picture I probably would not have tried it, because I also have oily skin and there’s no way you could convince me to put more oil on my skin. In fact, years ago when the whole oil trend started, I tried it a few times, and my skin reacted the opposite way. My skin dried out and I have these terrible dry spots that impossible to get rid of! You cannot cover it up with makeup! So if it weren’t for your story I would not have done it. In fact, I even put it on my husband, and I should have taken a picture, but he wouldn’t let me. He doesn’t use any type of skin care, like most guys, and he wouldn’t do it himself, so I put a little bit on his cheeks and a little bit on his forehead and he was very surprised and impressed by the results.
[Danielle] Yes! I think we are going to convert a lot of men to skincare with this! You know my boss, Jimmy, he had never touched a skincare product in his life, he tried the Transformation Oil and he’s like, “I’m never going back!”
(TUNE IN TO HEAR ASHLEY’S HILARIOUS STORY ABOUT JIMMY USING PENNY & PINE!)
[Ashley] Earlier, we were talking about myths and I’m sure you’ve learned a ton of through this process of developing this skin care line. What are some of the things you’ve learned that people may have been misinformed about?
[Danielle] The biggest myth, like we were just talking about, is that if you have oily skin you don’t need to moisturize or the fact that oil based products are terrifying for people that have oily skin. First off, that is completely false. Moisturizers actually have nothing to do with oil. Their whole purpose is to hydrate your skin and hold water in your skin. A lot of us are oily because our skin is over producing oil because it is trying to fix itself because our skin is overly dry. So that is a fun fact! But that is why certain oil based products will work really well for you. Like the Transformation Oil is a very natural product. It is derived from a bunch of vitamins, omega fatty acids, and things that are really good for your skin. A lot of oil based products will have non natural ingredients that are not great for you. So finding those that are very organic and natural is super important.
[Ashley] There are a couple more myths too, right?
[Danielle] Yes! Another myth that is really common is that if it’s burning it means it’s working. A little tingling sensation is totally normal and okay, but if it is burning that definitely means your skin is either really sensitive or you’re having an allergic reaction to it. There is a difference between tingling and burning and I’m sure most of us are aware of that. If you are feeling that burning sensation you definitely need to remove that product with a cold washcloth. Most people don’t have reactions to skincare products with burning, except for products like toners that are very alcohol or acid based. We have one product on our line, the Exfoliating Toner, which has worked fantastically for 99% of my coworkers and I. But 1% said she felt that burning sensation and she has said she has very sensitive skin. So not everything is going to work with everyone. Be cautious!
[Ashley] That is why it is important you start doing the research months in advance for your wedding. This is not something you try the week leading up to the wedding, because everyone does have a different chemical makeup. What your skin reacts to is different then what my skin will react to. Plus, it takes time. Unless you are using the Transformation Oil! But in general, you’re not going to see results overnight.
[Danielle] I takes about a month for new skin cells to regenerate on your face. So you have to try a new product for at least a month before you start seeing good results. But most products, like moisturizers and eye creams, are going to take 3-6 months.
[Ashley] So let’s use you for example! You are coming up on your one year anniversary! Let’s say your wedding is in August, how soon should you be locking down and getting serious about your skin care?
[Danielle] I would say start looking for products about 7-8 months beforehand and really narrow down on your main ones about 6 months beforehand. Then, consistently keep using them. This wasn’t part of my myths, but some people say your face gets used to products, but that is actually not the case. Find the products about 6 months beforehand and keep using them and they will continue to work. Your face is not going to get used to the products and just stop reacting to them.
[Ashley] This is good! I feel like I’ve been misinformed my whole life! So going back to your wedding, is there any advice you would give to a bride that you would have done maybe differently? I’m sure you wish Penny & Pine was around a year ago!
[Danielle] Yes, oh my gosh, I do! One thing is, I don’t handle stress very well, so I preach to brides and honestly everyone, to take time for yourself. Be conscious of who you are treating your body and what you are putting into your body. Before my wedding, I didn’t handle the stress of planning and finances well, so I started eating a lot, drinking a lot of soda, and stopped working out. I wasn’t treating my body very well and I ended up gaining about 10 pounds right before the wedding, which ended up working out well for me, because my dress came a little bit too big so I ended up fitting into it perfectly.
[Ashley] It all works out well! My mother always says, “A few extra pounds fill out the wrinkles!” So your advice to brides is to take care of themselves. I love that! You are so right. Planning a wedding is like having a second job! Planning can take a toll on your body and usually our faces are the ones to take the beating. They are like the signal of what is going on inside.
[Danielle] Yes, that stress can definitely be worn on our face and create that dull, grayishlook. So definitely take care of your skin, especially if you want that wedding day glow!
[Ashley] Another question I had, out of all the products at Penny & Pine offer, what are some of the products you use on a daily basis? What products have you found at work really well for you?
[Danielle] First of all, I have run out of almost all my products and our new shipment has not come in yet, and I am sincerely missing them so much! My absolute favorites are obviously the Transformation Oil. Also, we have the 20 Minute Rescue Mask, which is made primarily of Zinc and Sulfur, which is a bit intimidating because when you think of sulfur you think of rotten eggs, but it is a natural ingredient that sucks everything out and gives you a clean, youthful glow afterwards. That was one of my favorites masks. I also love the T-Zone Mattifier. That is especially good if you are a little more acne prone or you get the bumps in your t-zone. But it also works really well as a makeup primer. We also have the Lash Growth Serum, which I really love. I feel like I could go on and on!
[Ashley] I want to know about the lash growth! If you met me you know I love lashes and I usually have ginormous ones glued to my face. Recently, I’ve used the lash growth serum from Rodan + Fields and loved it, but tell me about yours! The Lash Growth Serum, is it natural or organic? Because all of your products are, right?
[Danielle] For the most part! There are certain products like the lash growth serum and the moisturizer with SPF, because they have to have more of the chemical base because there is not really a way to create those products without some level of chemicals. Those are really the only two that are not natural and organic based. But yeah, it is a great product! You start seeing the results in about 8 weeks. We had someone look at the ingredient list of ours compared to some of the big brands and they are almost identical!
[Ashley] I’ll have to try it out! Actually, when I was using the Lash growth serum, and brides . can do this too, I would put it on my eyebrows! Now that I am in my 30s my eyebrows are starting to thin, so I started putting it on my eyebrows and I started to see results there too! Plus, it’s not just the wedding day, you are going on a honeymoon most likely, and to be at the pool or the beach or running around Paris or whatever you do oh, it would be so nice to not have to put a full face of makeup on and have clear skin, full eyelashes, etc. #IWOKEUPLIKETHIS
[Ashley] How can people find some of these products?
[Danielle] The products are launching in September! As of right now you can go find out all about us on pennyandpine.com. We also have our Instagram that you mentioned earlier, @penny_and_pine, and we are also on Facebook and Pinterest!
[Ashley] Last question, for a bride trying to receive her best results, what are three products that she has to have?
[Danielle] You need to have a good moisturizer! That is so so so important! I would say the best moisturizer on our line that is good for every skin tone and skin type would be our Moisture Boost Cream. It is a hyaluronic acid based moisturizer, which is so good for plumping up your skin. It kind of gives you a collagen boost and really helps to hydrate. I would definitely recommend that and the On-The-Go Blemish Stick. I haven’t talked about that yet, but it’s this really handy tool that kind of looks like lip gloss and you literally dab it on and it helps to decrease any redness. It is super helpful when you are out and about. Everything decreases in the next day or two.
[Ashley] This would be such a nice gift for your bridesmaids! Get them like two or three products and put them in a cute little bag. For me, as a bridesmaid, I would much prefer the Blemish Stick and Transformation Oil over a knick knack with something I might not use again.
[Danielle] We are starting some pre-curated kits! Like one specific for the brides with 5 must have products for your daily routine with some speciality products. Then, one that is more for bridesmaids or for girls that want to relax, refresh, and revive their face, like the Cucumber Eye Cream and the 20 Minute Rescue Mask, more of the spa-day essentials. Then, we have another one that is more for blemish prone skin.
[Ashley] That is so cool! So how many total products are there?
[Danielle] I think there is 17!
[Ashley] Oh my gosh I am so excited to try all of them! And you guys will be at The Forever Bride Market in November. Will you have samples?
[Danielle] Yes! We will be there with samples and full products to purchase!
[Ashley] YAY! Is there anything else you want to leave our brides with?
Like I said before, really take care of your skin and body. Apply the right things and test things before the big day. Don’t start your skin regimen like two weeks before hand, because Lord know you will be walking down the aisle with blotches all over your face or having so much makeup. Test things early, treat your skin well, and you are going to look beautiful no matter what.
[Ashley] Thank you so much for coming on the show. I was so excited to have you on because I love your products. I’ve tried almost everything and nothing really gets me excited anymore, because everything “kind of”works, but when I tried the oil I was immediately hooked!
[Danielle] Yes, and all of our products have that same effectiveness!
[Ashley] Well I am so grateful for you! Check out https://www.pennyandpine.com/ for more info!
