Subject: Stella Simona
Provenance: Los Angeles
Age: 33
This Ourself Ambassador truly inspires us: influencer, blogger, mother, beauty aficionado, jewelry designer… Is there anything @stellasimona can’t do? We spoke to this stunning powerhouse to find out how she achieves balance and serenity.
What is your morning routine?
As an entrepreneur and mother my days are pretty intense. I wake up between 6-7 am most days. I give myself 30 minutes to an hour to get ready alone. This is a really important part of my day because when I take a moment to myself, I am most ready for everything else my day entails. After I’m prepared, my husband and I get the kids ready, do breakfast, go out for a morning walk, and then we take turns dropping the kids off at school.
For diet, I overall eat pretty healthily and honestly listen to my body and give it what it’s asking me for. I don’t do sweets. I’m big on veggies, and most days eat fish at least once. Most mornings I have a smoothie and bagel of some sort (with egg and salmon lox, or cream cheese and avocado). In the afternoon I lunch quickly and typically eat pasta from dinner the night before or a sandwich I create with things at home. I do my last meal at 5 pm and again, honestly eat whatever feels good to me. I grew up in a household where taking time to eat was something we looked forward to. Although breakfast and lunch isn’t always like this, for dinner we all catch up with everyone. It is an amazing way to decompress from the busy day and nourish our minds and bodies with human connection and healthy food.
I give myself three full work days and a fourth only on weeks where I have a lot to catch up on. Those three days I work 9am-2pm and it’s a mixture of working in the office to working on location—it just depends on what my week entails.
After work we all hang out as a family, do dinner, homework with the kids, give the kids a bath, put them to bed. Once the kids are asleep I give myself one to two hours to indulge in an extensive beauty routine. I switch it up every evening based on what I’m craving but a warm bath, at home facial, and gua shua are usually my go-to’s.
My husband and I sometimes watch an episode of one of our shows and then we head to bed. Both my morning and evening start with a moment of calm to myself and maintaining these rituals helps me remain grounded.
Can you describe your approach to beauty and wellness?
Beauty and wellness is not something that any of us should put off until a certain time. All of us should have rituals we turn to from an early age. It affects the way we speak to ourselves. Both my boys (ages one and five) have their own oils, bath products, and a mixture of outside activities in nature they are already incorporating into their every day. I believe the sooner we learn this the more equipped we are for what life throws at us.
On a spiritual level (and also a physical level), routine maintenance is key. It is true that we are all capable of aging gracefully as long as we tend to ourselves daily. Every morning when I get ready and in the evenings when I unwind with myself and I am applying serums and creams, it is a chance to love on who I am and all that I have been through. The act of taking care of my beauty keeps me emotionally happy to be in my skin and physically confident in the way I look. For me personally, there is nothing wrong with showing age and I honestly welcome it. But I do believe that this is owing to the fact that I spend a good amount of time one-on-one with myself.
How do you incorporate Ourself into your beauty regimen?
I am a product junkie. The products I gravitate towards generally use safe ingredients. I always listen to my skin and curate my daily routine based on my skin’s needs. Currently some products I love and can’t get enough of: Ustawi Red Algae Toner, Laneige Cream Skin Milk Oil Cleanser, Oak Essentials Restorative Mask, Ranavat Eternal Reign Renewing Bakuchi Creme, and Ourself Lip Conditioner with vitamin e and Ourself Lip Filler with Subtopical Plumping Technology™.
I use the lip products from Ourself so aside from using them morning and evenings I carry them with me in my bag and apply throughout the day whenever I need to add a boost of hydration. I especially love the Lip Filler because it keeps my lips looking healthy and full.
What is your greatest indulgence vs healthiest habit?
A bad habit I am working on is sleeping better. I have always, even before kids, gone to bed late and woken up earlier. My body has been telling me that this is not the way to do it and I am actively trying to change this.
What is something your followers don’t know about you?
I don’t like chocolate. It’s crazy, I know. My whole family dislikes it. My sister actually took an allergy test and learned she is allergic to it and I suppose I am actually allergic too.
Best ageless advice you ever got?
Do what feels right to YOU. We all have different experiences and it’s important to filter what is best for you and disregard the rest.
How do you freeze time?
I am practicing being more mindful of my time with and around my phone. I make it a point to set it in another room and spend a few hours a day fully present. I freeze time by spending time in nature—sometimes alone and sometimes with my family. I spend a lot of time taking long hikes and gardening with my sons. My go-to however is to indulge in long beauty routines.
When do you feel like the self you love most?
When I am well rested, I have had time to myself, spent a good amount of time breathing fresh air, and moving my body.
