"My mom, Moya, was an enigmatic, adventurous Irish singer and mystic, medicine woman, rebel, earth mother. The poets of her day wrote songs about her, but she didn’t fall back on being a muse and was her own woman. It was her idea for our family to drive to Mexico in a VW bus and live there when I was a kid. Here we are in Oaxaca.
Her beauty secret was witch hazel. It was the only thing she used on her skin and it was always perfect. Soak a cotton ball with witch hazel and use on whole face, avoiding eye area. I used it all through my teens and never got pimples."
- ALEXIS SMART
"My momma is beauty. Being a single mother she took me everywhere with her. We went to the gym daily. Soon we were working out together. She went to cosmetology school when I was a young girl and took me along to her classes when she needed to. I grew up in salons playing assistant with her and my aunties. She taught me the importance of taking care of my skin, to never go to bed without washing my face and to moisturize day and night. The beauty trick: she was constantly using her fingers to brush my brow hairs up to encourage upward hair growth and a natural arch. She never let anyone touch my brows. Forever grateful!"
- BRITTNEY VALVERDE
"My mother was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known but not just because of her striking appearance. She was elegant and graceful and ripe with character. She had a reverence for her self-care which was composed of her dedication to movement, her choice of a holistic diet, her fortification of intellect, and her discipline for the rituals she practiced. She balanced grace and strength which made her extremely powerful. She commanded any room she walked into because people were drawn to her. People had great respect for her, born from the deep respect she had for herself.
She taught me that beauty is something you choose to see in the world, in yourself, and in others. This is something I’ve carried throughout my life—it’s the reason I do the work I do and the way I approach every face I get to touch.
I try to make the choice to see beauty every day, and in every moment, because of her. When I do this, I feel as if I’m embodying her spirit."
- JIMENA GARCIA
"My mom was always smiling, and would often talk about how important it was to feel good, and live your life with happiness. Besides her nails, which were always done and painted red, she was not so into the beauty thing. She barely did her hair. I do remember she used this fragrance water called Seiva de Alfazema. It's a very simple, very fresh lavender scent—very Brazilian. She'd rub it over her body after the shower as a ritual, a moment of calmness and peace since she worked all the time. Now that I think about it, that's how we created our ritual around Body Oil. She would have loved it, I'm certain."
- FRANCISCO COSTA
