Seven Nosy Questions with Sarah Biggers (Founder and CEO of Clove + Hallow)
Sheer and sunkissed… you guys are in the back seat. Sarah Biggers is on a mission to make natural makeup products that feel bold, sexy and fabulous. She’s a loyal lover of the bright red lip, a brand new mom (to a cutie who is probably covered in bright red lipstick), and a fierce category challenger who recognized an important void in the market and took it for herself.
Let’s find out what’s under her make up.
1. What's your origin story?I attended one of the top engineering institutes in the world, Georgia Tech (go Jackets!) and figured I'd fall in line by going into consulting, but by the end of my time there I knew I wanted to be in the beauty industry.
Once I graduated, I started freelancing as a makeup artist and built up a client roster including Coca Cola, NBC and literally thousands of brides. I loved it and had no intention of making a line!
Unfortunately, my health took a turn as I faced a mystery illness that left me bedridden with a host of physical and mental issues. Months went by without answers, so I sought out the help of a holistic/integrative doctor who eventually diagnosed me and treated me. Working with her really opened my eyes to the value of being conscientious of what I put in and on my body and inspired me to get into the clean beauty space.
As a makeup artist, I was frustrated by what was available: everything was too sheer, too limited in shades and way too expensive. I knew I could do better, so in 2017 I launched our first lip color products, and the brand has naturally evolved since then.
2. What does your daily routine look like—and how much sleep do you get?
I had a rough pregnancy leading up to my first baby (William) who arrived in January of this year, so there has been very little routine or sleep! Now that my baby has a fairly predictable schedule and sleeps through the night, my normal day looks like:
6am: Workout, meditate and prep for my workday.
7am: We start our "opening duties" for the day, aka all the adult stuff we don't want to do but have to do to keep the house running, like making the bed, cooking breakfast, packing lunches and getting William fed and dressed for the day.
8am: Get myself ready for the day, which usually includes filming beauty content.
9am: Start the workday (and there is never any predictable routine for my workday).
5pm: Pick up William from my mom's house, and spend time with him while doing our closing duties like cooking dinner, vacuuming, rotating laundry and doing dishes.
7:30pm: William is asleep by now, and we're finished with closing duties, so it's our free time. I usually end up working while watching TV with my husband.
9:30pm: Indulgent skincare routine before hopping into bed with a book.
3. Best advice you've ever been given.
Stay on top of what's happening in your industry without paying too much attention to what your direct competitors are doing. It's easy to get sidetracked or lose sight of your unique mission by following the crowd. (As a curious and competitive person, I'm really bad at this.)
4. What inspires you and keeps you motivated?
I was nervous that I'd lose all my drive once my son was here, but he's become my true motivation. I wake up everyday trying to run a business and model what ambitious mothers can achieve, while making products that make the world he'll grow up in better.
5. How do you celebrate a really big win?
Honestly? I have a good cry, hug my dogs and get whatever food I'm craving with my husband. I rarely get to truly celebrate because I'm always off chasing the next goal!
6. What three other people are on your dream Zoom call?
Jean-André Rougeot (Sephora's CEO), Elon Musk (this is a total no-brainer), Jamie Kern Lima (Founder of IT Cosmetics, which was acquired for $1B).
7. In another life, you’d be a…
Author or lawyer.
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Twitter: @cloveandhallow
