La Bella Figura Turns One And Interviews Themselves!

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The Amalfi Coast

 Who are you?

La Bella Figura, a little natural and organic skincare brand that wants to bring "The Beautiful Life" to beauty lovers everywhere!

Where do you live?

We are based in Chicago, although our hearts are always someplace else. Mostly in Paris, Barcelona, or somewhere on the Amalfi coast.

What is your occupation?

We formulate, create and hand blend natural skincare products from certified organic or wild crafted ingredients. We bring beauty to the world and safe cosmetics to folks that trust us.

What is your astrological sign?


We are a power combo. A Leo and An Aquarian!

What do you do for fun and recreation?

We travel, write, cook, dance, meet our friends and laugh well into the night.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and why?

There is so much that we still need to see. There is not a place on this earth that we wouldn't see! We travel because it reminds us of Huckleberry Finn, being a seven year old, diving into our imaginations, and it connects us with our humanity.

What do you enjoy most about your life?

We enjoy loving the people closest to us every day. We hold them tight and just love! Right now we are also enjoying some of the success from our hard work and being recognized by retailers, customers, editors, and beauty writers as responsible and truthful. When we receive a phone call or an email from a customer that tells us our products has changed their skin, well it makes us cheer with joy. We love to hear it. We also love being innovative with ingredients and educating people about chemical free beauty. How some women covet the latest Stella McCartney dress or Rag and Bone jeans we covet the latest fruit or vegetable oil making news in the science journals. Don't get us started about organic essential oils because we have been amazed by the variety in the plant world and wish to try them all!

What made you try organic products?

We were tired of the greenwashing, the chemicals, toxins and lies that are constant in the beauty world. Growing up, all we ever heard was that oil for your skin is the worst culprit and leading cause of acne and irritating skin issues. Meanwhile, the beautiful women of Morocco, Italy, France, and Spain have always used a variety of oils in their skincare routine with astonishing results! The old myth that oils are hazardous and are to be avoided is absurd since no cream or moisturizer can be made without oil. It's an emulsion of water and oil! We just didn't want mineral oil to be our moisturizer so we looked towards nature and like the beauty queen she is, we found our answers. There is no going back once you go clean and organic.

If we "shadowed" you for an entire day, what beauty horror would we find out about you?

Yikes! We are both guilty of being so busy running La Bella Figura that we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. We're getting better though because we both made a recent committment to make exercise a part of our work routine daily. It's so easy to wake up and have emails, phone calls, and meetings to attend and skip a workout, but in the end we've realized we are happier when we can squeeze in some yoga or a cardio outdoors.

What are your favorite beauty products, something you could not be on a desert island without?

We are huge fans of two of our own products. Karen would go nuts if she didn't have her Decouverte Under Eye Repair Serum! Right now if I lost my bottle of Barbary Fig Renewal Serum I wouldn't be a happy camper either. It's getting my skin gorgeous for Spring.


Other than that I love my John Masters Organics Bare shampoo and I'm loving Raw Elements USA natural sunscreen made with some great ingredients that make my skin feel soft and not tacky.

What will you be doing this weekend?

It's St. Patrick's Day in Chicago this weekend and it'll be in the 70's! We'll be out and about for sure. We have a tradition here in Chicago where we turn the river green and have a parade and celebrate in a big way. Pretty sure green beer will be on the menu too. Don't ask what the city uses to turn the river green!

Sum up a motto that best describes you:

We do what we do not because it's always easy, but because we think it's right.

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Karen

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Victoria

A Bespoke Organic Perfume Collection Spring 2012

Cava vineyards by the sea

There are some places that move you beyond the usual, "I want to live here" emotion one fantasizes about when on vacation. Barcelona is one of those places for me. There is  magic about this modern yet ancient city by the sea that evokes a sense of belonging, of cultural and linguistic appeal. Perhaps it is the sea that has always alluded me with its mysterious secrets or perhaps it is the earth, rich with certain minerals that explode in a glass of simple cava. I have a connection to Barcelona that lies deep and of historic relevance. When I'm unhappy and need to be taken to a happy place, I think of walking through the sleek shop filled streets, sitting on a beach watching the salt form on the peaks of a wave, driving pass the uniforms of vineyards.  All of my accounts center around Barcelona. The proud Catalan city where a cab driver once told me, "I love your American spanish accent, it's beautiful and now you're just a step away from our real language of Catalan."

When Karen and I began to dabble with the idea of creating organic perfumes we were attracted to the scents and experiences of the places we love and hold dear in our hearts.. It was important to remember waking up in the morning and the scent of minerals, grass, and leftover bottles of cava deep in my lungs breathing Catalan life into my wiped out body. I remember thinking, "I wish I could bottle this up and take it home with me." With that thought and my never ending passion for a city that creates art from a cup of hot chocolate, I took it upon myself to formulate a new organic perfume that takes me there every time I wear it.

Victoria behind the scenes at La Boqueria

La Bella Figura has created a collection of bespoke organic perfumes in tribute to our love and passion for our favorite cities, special in our hearts. We are excited to bring this to you and hope you experience our personal stories and fun moments with each perfume in the collection. Our first release will be BARCELONA NIGHTS, an elegant and sparkling scent to start your evening (or day) with the flair and drama of a night on the town in Catalonia.  We hope you love it as much as we do! SPRING 2012.