Hi, welcome to Twinkle Apothecary!
As it says on my homepage, this is a decidedly small business.
What does that mean?
Well, when I started Twinkle Apothecary way back in the height of the Instagram girl boss pop-feminist 2015s (a mere seven years ago, but more like forty-nine if you count in pandemic years,) I thought I was going to take over the world. I assumed I'd "scale" quickly - outsource production, hire a staff, get venture capital funding, and end up with my Nasty Woman perfume in every Sephora in America. (Or have my own chain of stores, actually!) The next logical step would be to sell my brand to a big conglomerate and walk away, set for life. Hashtag: thefutureisfemale
What happened instead was that I fell in love.
I fell in love with my work. With making things. With my materials. With the process of creating. With natural perfumery and how a scent can cut straight through to the heart. With the steadiness of my skincare routine at the end of the day. (Not to mention how it makes my face look!) Maybe I also fell in love with knowing that my two hands created things that brought comfort, joy, and peace to so many others.
There's magic in this work.
I think there's something inherently grounding about working with and wearing plants and ingredients from the earth. When I'm in the flow of creating, I sometimes feel that I've tapped into some form of magic. I don't know if I'll ever find the right words to describe what I mean by that, but I do know that opening my studio door in the mornings feels like coming home. If that's not love, what is?
I soon realized that the kind of business I wanted to create wasn't something that could be "scaled." At a certain point, growth would become unsustainable, especially when working with natural resources and understanding the connectedness in sharing something made with your own two hands.
Just think of me as a beauty chef!
In my mind, I feel more like a chef than a business owner anyway. I'd rather have the freedom to cook unique, high-quality, healthy food in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that no one knows about than churn out a million mediocre dishes for The Cheesecake Factory. And think about it - when the food is delightful and always hits the spot - you're happy to wait for it, and you never need a coupon! That's the level of nutrition I want to cook up for your face. Michelin stars! Book reservations months in advance! You won't believe the quality of this tiny spot in Oklahoma City! It will change your life!
Long story short, I'm terrible at capitalism and don't want to take over the world after all. I only want to be able to provide for myself and my son by sharing the things I'm very talented at and love doing with the people who understand its magic. A decidedly small business it is!
Doing business my way.
Because I've decided to stay small, I have to do things differently than other brands. I have to work as efficiently as possible. Sustainability and minimalism aren't just vague aspirational ideas for me - sticking to my principles and paring back when necessary is how I stay afloat!
Crafting these products and running my business singlehandedly is a labor of love. Thankfully, I've learned to maintain firm boundaries regarding my work-life balance, which keeps my creative energies flowing and prevents stress from wreaking havoc on my skin. I know I can't compete with companies that have teams of customer service associates standing by 24/7 or a whole staff of people to run their social media accounts.
My work wellness boundaries:
I don't spend any more time than I have to on social media. (Except for Pinterest! A girl has got to have a place to stash her style inspiration and vegan recipes!) I can't spend my work days offering free skincare consultations, and while I have a lot of knowledge about skincare, I'm not a doctor, so I don't give medical advice. (What doctor gives free medical advice anyway?)
Instead, I've created a simple set of products that work for everyone, and I've packed this website with all the information you need to get started using them. I want to empower you to read the product descriptions and order samples to find what works for you.
Helpful links:
For more information about my minimalistic approach to skincare, start here.
I recommend EVERYONE (really! no matter the skin type!) test out my complete skincare routine by ordering the Travel Skincare Set. I will never recommend just one product to "fix" your skin. My approach is all about creating a skincare routine that holistically supports your skin barrier and allows your skin to self-regulate and heal the way it should naturally. The products in the travel skincare set will do just that!
If you'd like to try a few different things from my collection but aren't sure where to start, the Seasonal Surprise Box will get you started with a little bit of everything.
Here's where to find the answers to every other question you could possibly have for me.
If you'd like to connect on a more personal level, pick my brain about skincare science, natural perfumery, or, well, anything, please consider joining my Patreon community and participating in my weekly Q&A session. Patreon is also where I offer a behind-the-scenes peek at my life and work and can engage with my supporters away from the overwhelming noise of social media.
Stefanie
Updated: July 2022
photo by Valerio Costilla (September 2021)