What made you decide one day: Hey, I’m going to do this, I’m going to create my own makeup line”.
It has always been a dream of mine to own my own company, so I left Alberta and came to Toronto to make this dream a reality. I wasn’t always sure what field I wanted to pursue, but my career developed very organically. As a model, the more I worked with makeup and makeup artists, the more I realized I had a hard time finding makeup that my skin wouldn’t react to. I began endlessly researching makeup brands, but none of them had what I needed- they either were 100% natural but didn’t apply very well, or they looked incredible on but were terrible for my skin. I eventually decided to fill that gap in the market with my own STONE LINE Cosmetics, hypoallergenic paraben free, luxury line. 

Why is it so important for you to stay natural and toxin-free with your products.
Our face is the most absorbent skin on our entire body, so it should be our top priority not too put anything that is harmful to us on it. Parabens have been linked to infertility and breast cancer and as I have seen breast cancer and infertility effect so many amazing people in my life it has become extremely valuable to me to protect other women as well as myself from these diseases and harm. Our face absorbs everything that touches it, so we need to be reading the labels and being more educated on what we put onto/into our bodies. 

As a young entrepreneur, how do you deal with the uncertainty that comes with owning your own company.
Because I started my company at such a young age, I know that if I fail, I can always try again. This mentality has taken some of the pressure off- but definitely not the financial pressure, as owning your own company can be economically demanding. I can only hope that STONE LINE Cosmetics continues to flourish, but I do feel blessed to be able to take everything one step at a time, to one day build the brand to be everything that I want it to be. 

If you knew five years ago what you know now, what would you do differently.
Five years ago, if I knew that I would be pursuing my dream in Toronto at 24, I think I would have left Alberta even sooner. I feel like my life started when I left home and I have never grown so much, as when I moved to Toronto. 

There are ups and downs in every venture, brand, and project – how do you stay focused and inspired to keep creating and building. Is there a vision in mind that propels you forward.
Honestly, I always picture myself as a mother in my early 30’s. When I feel like I am struggling to make everything work, the image of one day being a mother pushes me to accomplished everything I want to accomplish before I start my family- that is honestly one of my biggest motivations not to fail. 

Do you have a morning ritual that keeps you hyped and in alignment. On a typical day, I get up and take my dog for a walk before making both of us breakfast. Then I sit on my patio and get some sun, while I work on my next move- whether it’s fulfilling orders, restocking, booking shoots, reach- 

ing out to other makeup artists, or planning my next steps with branding and marketing the brand. 

How do you stay healthy and fit. 

I have been doing EMS BodyX training here in Toronto twice a week, which has just been amazing. I will then throw another workout in at my gym whenever I feel like I need to boost! I also try to make homemade meals at least half of the week, but I can’t lie, I love my sandwiches… I just do my best to keep everything balanced. 

What are the effects of not using natural skincare and makeup and how can we all make better choices in what we buy for our skin – what should we look for.
Brands that don’t focus on good quality, healthy ingredients won’t necessarily make you break out, but they are putting toxins into your system that don’t belong there and over time, other side effects may occur. Always look for hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, as those are the two most important options in avoiding breakouts. As mentioned above, always look for paraben free and be sure to avoid things like formaldehyde, synthetic fragrances, and phthalates… just to name a few! 

What is your favorite quote or piece of advice that you go by. 

I’d have to say try to focus on the present, taking every day one day at a time. I find that when you start to worry about the future, it is easy to get overwhelmed, but if you take one task on before you worry about another, life can seem much less scary and you end up being able to tackle far more.