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Enjoy this informative and positive beauty routine from the founder of LIVELY, Michelle Cordeiro Grant!

What is your morning beauty routine?

I wake up at 6:30 every morning to make sure I have some time to myself before the rest of the house is up. This part of my day usually involves a big cup of coffee with MCT Oil and a sweat sesh. Right now my go to workout is a gorgeous run on the beach followed by a quick Melissa Wood Health flow! Traditional meditation has never been for me, but I’ve realized in quarantine that running gives me a similar mental clarity, perspective and boost to get me through the day. Plus, as an extremely type A entrepreneur a serious sweat is necessary to release built up energy!

Post workout, I’ll take a quick shower. Some hair products I’ve been loving lately are Ceremonia’s Pequi Curl Activator and Aceite de Moska, and Briogeo’s shampoo and conditioner.

Once I’m out of the shower, the beauty routine begins! My current skincare favorites are LIVELY’s All. You. Face Mist for a clean palette, Wander Beauty’s Drift Away Cleanser and Dr. Dennis Gross’ Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum. My makeup routine stays pretty simple on a day to day — I’m currently loving Wander Beauty’s mascara and their Hidden Glow Brightening Cream, and I never start the day without Supergoop! sunscreen on the face. For a hit of color I always have NARS Gypsy lipstick on me:)

Last but not least comes the supplements, of course! Particularly post workout, I’ll add a Hydrant Hydrate Mix to my water for extra hydration and to kickstart the day. Then I’ll take Arrae’s Calm pills (the magnesium is great for those days that are pure madness) and finish it off with Mary Ruth’s beauty probiotics, because digestive health is where it’s at!

What products do you use throughout the day and why?

I always always have LIVELY’s face mist and our repairing and smoothing lip balm on hand for a mid-day refresh. They have a permanent seat next to my desk for days when I’m on nonstop Zooms and I’ll never leave the house without them in my bag!

LIVELY’s oversized scrunchie is also pretty much my wingman these days — I rarely spend the day without it and get so many questions about it when I’m doing Founder Chats (my weekly IG live series interviewing kickass female founders).

I can also never go a day without my daily elixir. The perfect midday pick me up!

And if I need a late afternoon energy boost I will have a Golde matcha latte!

What is your evening beauty routine?

If I’ve had a particularly crazy day, I love to wind down with a bath! Goop’s The Martini Detox Soak is my favorite, and I love to mix in some essential oils to really relax.

Post-shower or bath, I’ll do my skincare, which stays pretty similar to my morning routine, but I’ll add in an eye mask (Wander’s baggage claim masks are my absolute favorites), and I’m a sucker for Nivea’s body lotion (it’s my favorite drugstore find). On days where I’m going all out with self-care, I’ll really indulge with LIVELY’s All. You. Sleep Mask for the face, which is amazing for ultimate hydration, skin elasticity and reducing fine lines.

I also always have Arrae’s Bloat pills close by for any post-dinner bloat! It works wonders, I swear.

What is your definition of beauty?

To me, true beauty is being your most passionate, authentic and vulnerable self. Humans are most beautiful when we’re just that — humans! Embracing and celebrating our uniqueness and individuality rather than conforming to what we think other people want to see from us is the key to a passionate, purposeful and confident life. And that’s what it’s all about!

When do you feel most beautiful?

I feel most beautiful when I’m happy, healthy and spending quality time with my family. Bonus points for when that quality time is spent at the beach — there’s something so grounding and centering about it to me!

What inspired you to found LIVELY? And what do you hope the brand does for women?

LIVELY was inspired by my own personal desire for a community-driven brand in the lingerie category that embraces womens’ uniqueness and individuality and celebrates that as a superpower, rather than pressuring them to conform to certain beauty molds. From a product perspective, there was also a desire to take something (bras) that women really dreaded having to buy, and make it fun. Every single product we create is made to empower women to feel passionate, purposeful and confident, and conforms to their bodies rather than the other way around.

Even more than product, I wanted to create a space where women could turn to to feel seen, heard and like they belong to something larger. Through our podcast, social and events, we’re always working to create a two-way dialogue with our community, give them ways to create meaningful connections with the brand and with one another, and give them a platform to share their experiences, voices and passions.

My hope for LIVELY is for women of all walks of life to feel represented in our brand, and to inspire them to believe they are their own most powerful and beautiful asset, and feel confident enough to take on their daily hustle, no matter what that may be.