1. How did you get into natural cosmetics?

I stumbled into natural cosmetics after life threw me a curve ball. It all started when I had a health scare about four years ago. I woke up one morning and felt lumps in my abdomen area. They felt like a tiny mountain range that went from small to large. Turns out they were 13 benign tumors known as fibroids, the largest the size of a lemon.

The doctors told me that fibroid tumors are a common occurrence, prevalent in about 1 in 5 women during their childbearing years, but mine had to be surgically removed if I ever wanted to have children.

I had the surgery and it took me weeks to recover and I actually didn’t feel back to my normal self for almost a year. One of my doctors suggested I see a nutritionist and work on cleaning up my diet. At first I thought, “Why?” But then I did my research and learned that a healthy diet, rich in natural and organic foods, is the best prevention for the tumors not growing back. I was sold.

So I started eating organic foods, including hormone-free meat and dairy, and growing vegetables in my backyard. I also switched to organic household cleaners. This went on for about a year until I started to think, “What more can I do?”

Remember that old Lily Tomlin movie The Incredible Shrinking Woman? It’s a story about a woman who begins to shrink because she’s been exposed to too many chemicals. There’s a poignant scene in the film where her doctor tells her she’s wilting away because of all of the chemicals in her personal care and household that she uses everyday. I never forgot it, and the fibroid experience made the film come back up in my mind.

Then one day it was like a light bulb went off in my head and I thought about my make-up bag. I researched the beauty products I had purchased over the years and what I found when I looked up the ingredients was shocking. They had things in them like parabens, endocrine disruptors and phthalates—all chemicals found in cosmetics that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health warn could potentially have a harmful impact on our bodies.

So I started looking for stores where I could have a one-stop shopping experience for natural and organic beauty items. It was exhausting. Sometimes I would buy products from the farmer’s market, sometimes from the grocery store and sometimes I purchased online, but it was all very confusing and time consuming.

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so I researched manufacturers and partnered with a distribution center to launch Messenger Beauty. I chose to stock my e-boutique with natural items from small businesses and companies with a commitment to sustainability. For example, my lipsticks are made by a woman in Pennsylvania. My No. 1 seller, the organic cocoa butter, is made by a company that buys its cocoa fair trade and gives 1 percent of its profits back to farmers.

I am proud that I deal with companies that care. My goal with Messenger Beauty is to inform, inspire and equip women everywhere with the knowledge and products they need to live naturally beautiful lifestyles.