Poor & Pretty – Meet the 2012 BBB Vendors!

Sami from Poor & Pretty tells us a little bit about the vegan bath & body products she makes that smell delicious and look so cute!

How did you get your start? Please tell us a little bit about how your business went from an idea to what is is today.
My obsession with making my own vegan, harmful-chemical-free bath & body products began when I realized that I was an awful Avon sales rep. I felt nervous promoting their products, especially when I began reading their ingredients labels and discovered that they were full of toxic chemicals. Around this time, I started my blog, Poor & Pretty, where I shared my experiments with DIY beauty. I also became swept up in the cupcake movement, and began visiting bakeries all over the US to taste-test and report my findings to my readers. It was then that my wonky brain fused together these two passions to create cupcake soaps! I debuted in December 2010 with seven different cupcake soaps in my Etsy shop. In only two years, I have expanded my line to include 16 cupcake soap fragrances and four additional products: Bath Truffles {preservative-free mini bath bombs}, Coco Balm {an all-natural & vegan lip balm made with Cocoa Butter & Coconut Oil}, Coco Body Balm {an all-natural solid body lotion}, and Jars of Frosting {a whipped soap body souffle}. With coaching from friends and family, smart networking with some local business heroines, and a generous Kickstarter backing, my products are available in four Connecticut boutiques and I have garnered some local press and vended at seven different events in Connecticut and New York, including the BUST Magazine Craftacular at the World Maker Faire just last month.

What inspires you the most to create?
I am lucky to have some incredibly crafty people in my family. My older sister Suzi is always whipping up the most delicious and professional-looking cakes and cupcakes {and she’s great at making my soap frosting, too!}. My Dad has always encouraged us to create by example: in his basement workshop, he’s helped us to make wooden Christmas tree ornaments, wood block houses and castles, and has made us the most intricate chess sets, incense burners, toy chests, and more. My Nana, who passed away when I was 11, constantly put new craft kits into my hands as a child. She patiently sat with me as I made beaded jewelry, gimp bracelets, paint-by-number paintings, shrinky dinks, and so on. And every Fall, we would collect leaves from our backyard and iron them between wax paper to create bookmarks and naturistic art.

What are your favorite materials to work with?
My boyfriend has started calling me Sami “Jojoba” Jensen {a play on my middle name, Jo} because I put certified organic Jojoba Oil in everything! It can be a bit pricey, but it is one of the best oils you can use in skincare products. It’s so similar to our skin’s own natural oils, so it absorbs fairly quickly and doesn’t leave behind an oily residue. Naturally, it can be found in all of my products.

Do you have a favorite color palette?
The rainbow is my favorite color palette! You’ll find a cupcake soap of every color in my lineup. Personally, however, I am most inspired by pinks, yellows, and aquas.

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?
My indie craft heroine is Luca Cusolito, Sole Proprietor of Lollibomb and Creative Enabler. Although she is no longer making vegan & paraben-free body products under Lollibomb, her line inspired me big-time. She gave me tons of advice about the indie beauty industry, being a female sole proprietor, and small business in general. Another major role model of mine is Rachel DeCavage, Sole Proprietor of sugarplum usa and environmentalist extraordinaire. She has a real knack for bringing people together and is such a big supporter of indie artists in Connecticut. When she opened her brick-and-mortar store this past April, she reached out to me immediately about carrying my products, and has been another great resource for ideas, inspiration, and encouragement. Lastly but definitely not least, I can’t say I’d be where I am today if it weren’t for Julia Sloan of Brazen Betties. I visited Julia for the first time around October 2010, before I opened my Etsy shop, to interview her about owning a small boutique. We chatted for a very long time, and when I told her that I had been whipping up cupcake soaps in my Dad’s kitchen, she almost lost it and urged me to bring some to her ASAP. I returned a few weeks later and she helped me think through pricing, packaging, future products, etc. If it weren’t for Julia, I may not have started selling for another year! I was very timid, but Julia gave me the push I needed. She truly is a Brazen Bettie!

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business? (Nothing TOP-SECRET, of course!)
Oh yes! I already know that I will be announcing two new products next Spring. I will give you two hints: they are small and they stick with the bakery theme

What are some other things you like to do when you are not busy making awesome stuff?
I like to dance around my house, singing show tunes {very often my sister Suzi is involved}, explore local & independently-owned boutiques and restaurants {usually with my boyfriend, Stan}, and see plays at community theatres. I used to do a lot of stage acting when I was in primary school, and I miss it so much! Depending on how busy I am after the holidays, I may audition for a show in my area. I also really need to dust off the wonderful sewing machine Stan bought for me and learn how to use it.

What are the top 3 reasons someone shopping at the BBB 2012 should be sure to stop by your table?
1. I will be doing giveaways!
2. I am a Red Sox fan! {Although, admittedly, I do not follow baseball very much}
3. I will have a very cute outfit and possibly even a ridiculously large cupcake headband!

What is your favorite background noise to listen to while working?
If I’m not watching re-runs of How I Met Your Mother, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Gilmore Girls {now you know all of my embarrassing guilty pleasure shows!}, I will listen to indie rock musicians like Death Cab for Cutie and the Decemberists or 80s pop/rock artists like Madonna, Joan Jett, Heart, the Cars, etc. This either makes me incredibly cool or incredibly uncool, but I’m okay with that.

Where do you (craft) work?
In my kitchen.

What is your favorite mythical beast and what do you think their favorite crafty past time is?
Do vampires count as a mythical beast? Well, if so, I am a fan of vampires {and I totally think they would win in a vampires vs zombies apocalypse}, and my bet is that they stay as far away from knitting as possible, but I have a feeling they enjoy creating things that glow in the dark.

Check out Poor & Pretty’s products, thoughts, photos and inspiration online:

poorandpretty.com
etsy
facebook
twitter
instagram
pintrest

Thanks Sami for being our inaugural 2012 vendor profile – so exciting! See you December 16th!