In Her Shoes: Adina Grigore

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In Her Shoes with Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics and author of Skin Cleanse. Be inspired by Adina's natural, effective approach to beauty and life!

Welcome back to the In Her Shoes series, where we share inspiring interviews with influential experts in health, nutrition and lifestyle. Whenever I meet healthy, beautiful, successful women, I’m always dying to know what it’s like to walk in their shoes. What do they eat? What products do they use? What’s their routine? I’m obsessed with other peoples’ stories and love sharing uplifting women with y'all!

In Her Shoes with Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics and author of Skin Cleanse. Be inspired by Adina's natural, effective approach to beauty and life!

In our second installment of the series, we're chatting with Adina Grigore, founder of the S.W. Basics skincare line (which we included in our five affordable natural beauty brands) and the author of the life-changing book, Skin Cleanse.

GETTING TO KNOW ADINA GRIGORE

Adina's skincare line may just be the most natural on the market today. Not only do most products contain less than 5 ingredients (all of which are naturally-occurring ingredients you’ve not only heard of before and can pronounce, but likely have in your kitchen already, like coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and olive oil), but she even sells the individual ingredients you need to DIY your own beauty recipes. Making what can be an intimidating endeavor for some, totally approachable and easy!

What Adina is doing for the beauty world is absolutely revolutionary, and I have no doubt she'll inspire more brands to go the natural, safe route. But what inspired Adina? Simply put, after battling skin issues for her entire life, Adina trashed all of her beauty products and went cold turkey on everything, save for coconut oil and other kitchen staples. Her experiment: if you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin. And guess what? Her skin has never looked better!

I say her book is life-changing because despite her funny, lighthearted writing style, the ideas she presents are so compelling that it's nearly impossible to read Skin Cleanse and not make huge changes to your beauty routine. She debunks common myths, provides proven science to back up her claims and leaves you with tons of easy recipes for DIY beauty products that deliver big results.

I’m a convert and have since ditched almost all of my store-bought skincare products for homemade recipes. My acne has cleared up, I'm spending wayyyy less money, and I'm nourishing my skin with natural ingredients, rather than toxic, harmful chemicals. Thank you, Adina, for opening my eyes and helping me live a healthier life!

If you're feeling as inspired as I am, take a peek at what it’s like to spend a day walking in Adina's shoes.

WHAT ARE THE FIRST 30 MINUTES OF YOUR DAY LIKE?  

I'm guilty of immediately checking email, though I'm working on that. Then I get ready because I always wake up 15 minutes before I need to leave, either for a work out or for a meeting. I try to drink water within my first 30 minutes, and I always whine to my husband about wanting to retire or at least sleep in someday soon.

SHOWER TIME! WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO PRODUCTS?

I love Acure's hair products and also everything Verb makes. That's about it! I use our Cream or Body Oil after showering. I'm really low maintenance.

WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL BREAKFAST?  

If I have a breakfast meeting, probably the worst thing on the menu like eggs with lots of cheese on a really buttery bread option. If not, I try to have a smoothie with some greens in it or a greens protein bar.

ARE YOU A TEA OR COFFEE DRINKER?

I love both. I try to drink tea if my energy is decent, but I get an amazing boost from coffee. I can only do one cup a day because it has such an intense effect on me. Otherwise I only drink water because I'm a sugar addict, every sweet drink is a slippery slope for me. I can't even keep orange juice in the house, I crave it constantly.

WHAT’S YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE?

It fluctuates based on my level of stress and laziness. Lately, I'm trying to get up and run or do some form of cardio for 20 to 30 minutes every morning. I'm also in the BBG fan club–those workouts are amazing. I did a full round and will probably go back to it at some point soon. I like fast, intense workouts. Or, you know, doing nothing.

In Her Shoes with Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics and author of Skin Cleanse. Be inspired by Adina's natural, effective approach to beauty and life!

TIME TO GET READY! WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO BEAUTY AND SKINCARE PRODUCTS?

I love everything Jordan Samuel makes. I rotate his face wash and our Cleanser. I have a lot of oils and butters around my place, so I rotate those for moisturizing, otherwise I use our product. It's so hard to pick a favorite, it's like picking a favorite child. My all-time favorite is the Cream, plus I'm really digging the Lavender Hydrosol and Rosewater Spray lately. That's about it!

WHAT’S IN YOUR MEDICINE CABINET?

Olly supplements. I take a vitamin D supplement, I have a chewable and a liquid version. I take a probiotic. Sometimes I take a supplement for blood sugar because I'm paranoid. I chomp onpapaya enzymes a lot. My medicine cabinet has way, way more supplements than that, but I try not to take anything too often. I only “dope” up when I'm feeling bad.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ON-THE-GO SNACKS?

Toast is my all-time favorite, but I like apples, carrots, cheese, peanut butter, and healthy bars like Squarebar.

WHAT’S A TYPICAL LUNCH LIKE FOR YOU?

Usually some type of soup or salad or leftovers from dinner, especially during the week. Weekends are over-the-top brunches with lots of eggs. I love eggs! I probably eat them more than any other food.

WHEN YOU’RE GROCERY SHOPPING, WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU AVOID ON THE LABEL? 

Definitely no high fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils, no super long ingredients lists, and ideally low sugar in general. We try to follow the rule of spending most of the grocery trip in the produce section and the least amount of time in the aisles.

WHAT’S IN YOUR PANTRY?

Tons of olive oil, including flavored versions. Every type of vinegar known to man, plus other oils like hazelnut and coconut. Any oils should be raw, unrefined and organic. Also coconut cream. Hot sauce. Clearly we're a condiment household. Organic corn tortilla chips and sometimes potato chips because we can't help it. Sustainable tuna, dry beans, salsa, nut butters (I love Justin's and Wild Friends), brown/white/wild rice and quinoa.
In Her Shoes with Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics and author of Skin Cleanse. Be inspired by Adina's natural, effective approach to beauty and life!

DINNER TIME! IF YOU’RE EATING OUT, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR ON MENUS TO STAY HEALTHY?

Salads and veggie options, unless there is grass-fed meat on the menu. When there's grass-fed options available, I'll usually go for them, but otherwise I look for anything vegetarian.

WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?

Lots of essential oils from Aura Cacia, an essential oil diffuser, an issue of Shape magazine, and currently Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski. It's amazing.

BED TIME! WHAT’S YOUR NIGHTLY ROUTINE? 

I stay up way too late. Sometimes 1-2 a.m., though I try for 11-12 p.m. because I need so much sleep. Lately we almost always diffuse essential oils and listen to a meditation podcast. Mary Maddox has a sleep meditation that makes me feel like a happy little baby.

GUILTY PLEASURE?

Junk food. All of it.

FAVORITE HEALTHY INDULGENCE?

I love hearty massaged kale salads. Also chia pudding and any “cookie” made from healthy ingredients, like almond butter and dates.

FAVORITE PRODUCT THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO TRY?

Currently I'm loving Quinn Popcorn and the new Hair Mask from Verb.
And that's a wrap. HUGE thanks to Adina for sharing her story with us. 

Find more In Her Shoes stories here.

Photo credit: Liz Andrien. 

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I've linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust.

In Her Shoes with Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics and author of Skin Cleanse. Be inspired by Adina's natural, effective approach to beauty and life!

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