#GirlCrush: Evanna Of Kinder Beauty Box
Part 02 of 02 with the amazing ladies behind one of our favorite subscription boxes!
We've been crushing on the Kinder Beauty Box for a while, but now that we've gotten to know founders Daniella Monet and Evanna Lynch, we're crushing on them BIG TIME. So much so that we're dedicating not one, but two EVOLVher Journal posts to them. Scroll for our chat with Evanna and click here for Daniella's Q&A. We're so excited to be featured in their expertly curated box this month, so be sure to check it out via kinderbeauty.com!
What things do you have in common with Daniella that made it possible to start a business together? In what aspects are you different?
I think the key thing that makes Daniella and I work so well together is that we are both ethically motivated vegans, and therefore animal rights are our mutual priority in this venture. Fighting for the same cause means our ethics are in alignment and that has created a strong foundation for this business.
When I met Daniella and saw her work, how much heart she puts into it and how her work as an entrepreneur is about spreading light and positivity, how it’s about a greater vision than simply growing the business, I knew she was the perfect partner in this. We are also both ambitious and we think abundantly, we don’t dwell on the roadblocks, we push through and it’s super inspiring to have someone who is even more practiced at that mindset.
In terms of differences, Daniella is much more numbers-minded and I am so grateful for that!! I rely on my intuition to guide me, subscriber numbers don’t really motivate me the way they do Daniella, but I know how important they are so I'm so glad she's clued in with that stuff. And our aesthetics are quite different, Daniella loves more delicate romantic shades whereas I’m all about bold primary colours, so we sometimes have to compromise on colours, but I think it creates a good mix!
In addition to loving vegan beauty products, do you also eat a plant-based diet? What are some of your go-to recipes?
Yes, I’m vegan so I eat a plant-full diet! Everything about my body got healthier when I went vegan and I love it. And something just settled in, like I was vegan at heart and my mind and body said ‘yes’ when I fully made the switch. For recipes, I have 8-10 recipes that I rotate on a loop as I find cooking a bit boring, I just need it to be quick and tasty. My favourite is a vegan shepherds pie, made with a bean mix, vegetable stock, carrots, mushrooms, some spices and lots of mashed potato. I also have this easy recipe where you make ricotta out of tofu, cashew nuts, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and then you mix it with pasta and some steamed kale. YUM. I make a lot of recipes from Deliciously Ella’s app, it is a life saver if you want to be healthy but also not spend all evening in the kitchen. Also, lately I’m loving the Wicked Healthy videos on YouTube that teach you how to make vegan basics like roasted tofu and veg.
When it comes to running Kinder Beauty, do you and Daniella have specific duties that only one of you tackles, or is it all more of a collaboration?
Yes, absolutely. Daniella curates the Instagram and does an incredible job with that and that is a huge part of our online promotion and brand outreach. So much of our work depends on networking, building relationships with brands and connecting with passionate influencers. I didn’t realize how powerful and how supportive that community was until I started this and she’s really taught me the power of community when building a brand.
As for me, I help out with the blog posts and wording of things usually. I love words, it literally gives me a thrill to put them together in the right order. As for selecting products, deciding design elements, strategizing and promoting the box, we share those duties. And our co-founder Andrew does all the insane and complicated orders and product coordination and customer service and about a million other things.
Which causes does Kinder Beauty most frequently donate to? What do these companies stand for?
That changes every month actually, but we always donate to companies that promote veganism and/or animal rights. It can be a topical issue too, for example, we donated the proceeds from our first box to the LA County Animal Care Foundation because that was right after the fires happened in Malibu and local wildlife was greatly affected. We’ve also donated to Stray Cat Alliance, Farm Sanctuary and ASPCA, among others. Going forward, we’re going to be donating more towards charities that campaign against animal testing and fund research of alternative testing methods because that work is very aligned with our mission, and personally I am keen to learn more about those efforts and to see the world change according to their vision.
Out of all the brands you’ve included in Kinder Beauty Boxes, which are your favorites and why?
I love Inika, because they’re a totally cruelty free and vegan makeup company. Their products are high quality and their packaging is super classy! I also love The Kind Poppy, the bath products are gorgeous and just filled with so much love and positive intention which all comes back to the founder, Autumn, who we love! And recently I’ve been loving Dear Self, founded by Tia and Aja Blanco, the brilliant vegan activist sister-duo who created this amazing skincare range. I love seeing other women heading beauty businesses because we are the ones buying these products so it makes sense that women should really be leading these companies and in the driving seat of the beauty industry. But all the brands have been brilliant, there are just too many to name and more cruelty free companies forming all the time.
When you’re not running your business or acting, what are some of your hobbies and interests? How do you ensure there’s enough balance between work and play in your daily routine?
Reading is my favourite thing. It is basically a spiritual practice for me. You know how people say meditation is letting god/the universe speak to you? Well, that’s what reading does for me, I get messages and ideas and very clear thoughts from the universe. It makes me see the world a different way, think deeper and have more compassion for others. I read mostly literary fiction and biographies at night and I listen to spirituality books on Audible every morning. I also love dancing and writing. And cat-time, quality time with my cat, Puff, is important.
In terms of my work/play balance, I haven’t really mastered that but my work/sleep balance is excellent! I think people always leave sleep out of that equation and I see a lot of my friends working hard, playing hard and sleeping very little. But personally I just can’t give up sleep, I love it soooo much! So my social life suffers. I do feel quite guilty about not being a very reliable friend but my best friends understand and have similar goals. It tends to mean that the friends I see the most often are the ones I’m working with, which can be quite intense and it can be hard to switch off, but this is the phase of life I’m at and right now I’m really fulfilled by it.
kinderbeauty.com | @kinderbeautybox | @msevvylynch
