Clover Conversations 02: Cassandra Morello
On this month’s edition of Clover Conversations, I’m chatting with Cassandra Morello of Love Based Beauty. Cassandra is a holistic esthetician and MUA (makeup artist) based in Milwaukee, WI. I found out about Cassandra a few years ago while eating at one of my favorite vegan restaurants, Beerline Cafe. On a whim, I booked an appointment with Cassandra for a facial because I saw on her business cards that she used clean, non-toxic products. This peaked my interest! I also had NEVER had a facial before and I was intrigued. After my first facial with her, it’s safe to say I was hooked.
Fast-forward to today, I regularly (every few months or so?!) treat myself to facials with Cassandra. It’s part of my self-care toolkit. Not only does she use one of my favorite skincare brands (The Sunday Standard) but she gives the dreamiest, most indulgent facials! I leave feeling relaxed and glowy! Cassandra is incredibly personable yet professional and truly infuses her facials with love, decadence and total customization. She regularly tells me that no two facials are ever the same. Cassandra uses vegan, cruelty free products at LBB and shares self-care and skincare tips in this conversation. I hope you enjoy it!
Welcome, Cassandra! I'm so happy to have you as our second Clover Conversations guest. For those who don't know you, could you please share a little bit about yourself and what you do at Love Based Beauty?
I'm delighted to be included! Congrats on the launch! I'm a Pisces whose passions include holistic self-care, integrating social consciousness, yummy vegan food, and consistently borrowing way too many library books. I’m a holistic aesthetician and makeup artist at my studio, Love Based Beauty, in Bayview, WI.
What does it mean to be a "holistic" esthetician + makeup artist and what inspired you to pursue this type of work?
I always loved the ritual of skincare and makeup, but once I started working in the Nordstrom beauty department, and connected with my clients, I felt a responsibility to deepen my understanding of where ingredients come from, how each product works, and what is best for each individual. The beauty industry is ridiculously overwhelming and I wanted to find a way to make it fun and easy for my clients. As I learned more about the skin, I realized that it's even more complex than I thought, and deeply interconnected to our overall health. Everything from preservatives in food, to pre-wedding stress, to the type of laundry detergent we use impacts our skin and I want to help demystify it all with my clients, as we learn about their individual needs together. And that's just scratching the surface!
Obviously from the name of your business alone, your skincare and makeup philosophy is deeply rooted in next level self-love and self-care. Can you tell us more about this and how we can incorporate it into our daily lives?
Absolutely! Taking the time to slow down and get a facial is a beautiful reminder that you are deserving of gentle, attentive care and when clients treat themselves to a makeup appointment with me, I want them to feel like their most radiant selves. That said, self-care is a practice and it takes root as self-LOVE when we are willing to acknowledge the things that might be getting in the way of our own growth towards becoming our most vibrant selves. So come to the studio for a regular facial, take a moment to appreciate your skin with some massage each morning, and consistently check in with yourself about what narratives, patterns, or people might be interfering with your glow! My favorite time to do this practice is each month during the Full Moon.
At Love Based Beauty you use cruelty free, clean beauty brands like The Sunday Standard (a personal favorite!) and Osmosis Skincare. Can you explain why choosing cleaner, non-toxic products is so important? When and how did you begin to make the switch to safer products?
My personal transition to using products with healthier ingredients did not happen overnight! Before I could even dive into the world of clean beauty completely, I felt obligated to finish what felt like endless jars of free product from my makeup counter job. But throughout that journey, I made peace with the fact that there will always be another clean product that I want to try and more to learn. Now, that is my favorite part of my work: there is always more to explore! When I was planning to open the LBB studio, it was important to me to feel confident that the products I used were safe for all of my clients, whether they were pregnant, nursing, going through cancer treatment, or just had sensitive skin. Not only did they need to be safe and gentle— they needed to give us some serious RESULTS!
There's a lot of noise in the beauty industry...sometimes, making it rather confusing for the average person to identify trustworthy information. Where do you look for reputable information? (I.e. resources like podcasts, books, websites, etc.)
It can be so hard to know who to listen to! I read scientific journals pretty often, but I prefer podcasts! Two of my favorites are #ASKDRBEN and The Healthy Skin Show with Jennifer Fugo; still super geeky, but not as tedious as slogging through a research study.
You give the most relaxing, next-level facials! Can you give us the lowdown on the benefits of facials and the techniques you use such as gua sha and facial massage?
Awww thank you! Beneath the surface of your skin, each layer of your face plays an important role in keeping you looking radiant, so I try to address those deeper layers with various exfoliation techniques, lymphatic drainage, sinus drainage, massage, etc. One of the most basic objectives of a facial and skincare in general, is to balance the surface of the skin through gentle exfoliation and helping to replenish the skin's protective barrier. Further, if you're able to consistently flush the tissues of the face with circulation, you'll appear more vibrant and your skin will be more efficient at healing itself. If you also assist lymphatic drainage in the face (and neck!) on a regular basis, you will reduce puffiness and see more definition in the facial structure. Massage is such an important part of a facial and home care as well, because we all carry far more tension in our faces than we realize. I try to raise my clients' awareness of where they might be holding tension so that they can try to get in the habit of relax those areas. Don't even get me started on the importance of facial posture!
What's *truly* worth the hype and what's worth skipping when it comes to the buzz around skincare products like vitamin c, retinol/bakuchiol and hyaluronic acid? What ingredients do you think have major payoff?
Well, I'll start by saying that just because a line has some juicy products, doesn't mean that all of their products are worth shelling out for. Similarly, some product formulas may be high quality, but the quality of the ingredients from batch to batch may vary. Also, different products work for different people. That said, I am a big fan of niacinamide, blue tansy oil, retinal (not to be confused with retinol), lactic acid (gentle and hydrating), and a high quality vitamin C with airtight and lightproof packaging, like the Osmosis DNA Repair C Serum (available at LBB, winky wink).
What is your personal skincare routine? Does it matter what order we apply product?
WHEW, how long do you have!? My routine changes every day; partially, because I'm constantly trying new products, but also because I try to pay attention to what my skin needs in that moment. If I'm noticing some low-key reptilian texture, I'll massage in the Osmosis Mango Barrier Repair mask, or if it's flushed and angry, I'll press in some of The Blue Cocoon from May Lindstrom. But what I've been doing lately is starting the day with the Ranavat Luminous Ceremony Cream Cleanser and some lymphatic massage, followed by the hyaluronic acid serum from The Ordinary, then the Osmosis Quench Moisturizer, and the Osmosis mineral SPF. I dust on some powder SPF to touch up throughout the day. Once I'm home for the night, I cleanse with the Osmosis Cleansing Balm, and alternate between a few different Osmosis serums night-to-night. I top that off with the Mychelle Supreme Polypeptide moisturizer and some Khus + Khus oil serums that I'm trying out. I do the professional lactic acid exfoliating mask from Osmosis about once a week and I'm trying to get better about using my NuFace tool more regularly, but I do a deeper facial massage on myself a few times a week. For the body, I've been loving the fig body wash from Native and the Shea Moisture African Black Soap body lotion.
For women in their 20s + 30s who want to have a more minimal skincare routine (but are still seeking results) what products should absolutely be included?
Minimal skincare is great! As long as it's consistent. Look for a gentle cleanser that doesn't leave the skin feeling tight; balance is key, whether your skin is oily, dry, or in the middle. A non-comedogenic moisturizer is also important and definitely do not skip your sunscreen! Genetics play a role in the skin's aging process, but the sun and other lifestyle factors will make a huge impact.
Could you share a few of your favorite clean beauty brands that you'd recommend to our readers? (Skincare + makeup)
It's so hard to choose! I am a big fan of Osmosis, of course, Mychelle, Ranavat, May Lindstrom, REN, Acure, Kjaer Weiss, and Hourglass, to name a few.
I'm sure you hear this one a lot lately: Is “maskne” real? What can we do about it? Are we all breaking out more than normal due to pandemic stress? What can we do to help our skin chill the heck out?!
“Maskne” seems to be the general term that people are using, but not all maskne is created alike. Some skin is sensitive to materials used to make the surgical masks; other people need to change or wash their masks more frequently. I've seen many clients who are experiencing acne as a result of internal inflammation from stress, or elements in their diet that aren't agreeing with their bodies. For instance: if you're a person who gets a period and you find yourself getting cystic blemishes along and under your jaw, about 7-10 days before your period begins, you may be consuming enough preservatives in your diet to throw off your hormonal balance, resulting in a breakout.
Obviously I want to ask about nutrition. I know that you're vegan. How do you think eating plants in abundance affects skin health? Are there any specific foods you would encourage women to eat to further promote a healthy, glowing complexion?
I am! I don't eat animal products, but I will be the first to admit that I can be a bit of a junk-food vegan at times. So I don't claim to be a health expert, but I can always see a visible difference in my clients' skin when they cut out dairy or reduce their sugar consumption. Each person has a different set of sensitivities, but I find that those two tweaks can be game-changers. Any time you can incorporate dark, leafy greens into your diet, your skin will thank you too. I promise, you won't even taste that handful of baby kale in your smoothie!
Top 3 desert island products: go!
Osmosis SPF, Osmosis Quench, and the Osmosis Gentle Cleanser. A gentle, reliable, and effective trio!
At Clover, I help clients find more joy through little shifts in their daily routine. What would your #1 piece of advice be to women who are wanting to experience more joy in their skincare and/or makeup routines?
We are so much more likely to stick with a routine that we enjoy, so try to create a skincare routine that you look forward to practicing. That might be by indulging in a product that feels luxurious, incorporating a heavenly scented rosewater mist, or taking an extra moment to massage your skin as you cleanse and moisturize. Your skincare doesn't have to be complicated to be effective or pleasurable either! Consistency is key.
Last question! What has been the biggest game changer (i.e. habit, practice, ritual, purchase, etc.) in terms of your health and wellbeing that you'd recommend to the Clover Community?
Pursuing a vegan lifestyle has made me aware of so many different elements of my life, from nutrition to the products that I use, to the textiles that I wear, and all of the people who were involved in creating those things. There's no such thing as a perfect vegan, but it hasn't been about that for me, rather, it's a way of living that has given me a sense of harmony, as well as a significant improvement in my physical health and that outer glow too!
Thank you so much, Cassandra! I can't wait for my next facial with you!
Thanks for having me! I'll be looking forward to seeing you and your beautiful readers at the Love Based Beauty Studio very soon!
If you want to learn more about Cassandra, you can find her on IG: @lovebasedbeauty
Want to book a facial or makeup service with her? Visit her website here.
Let me know how you liked this chat in the comments below!