They say to survive you must learn to adapt, and we can’t think of a duo better at this than the multi-talented, multi-tasking Dominika Minarovic and Elsie Rutterford. If you’ve read the journal before, you’ll have seen us mention them as the pair behind Glasshouse-stocked beauty brand Clean Beauty Co. They also happen to be our neighbours here in Netil House.

The pair have a collection of natural beauty products under the Clean Beauty Co moniker, host workshops, have released a book full of natural DIY beauty recipes, create content for their website and have recently branched out into the world of luxury beauty with their newly-launched brand BYBI Beauty. Phew.

Keen to challenge perceptions of what constitutes luxury beauty, BYBI is designed to appeal to mainstream beauty junkies as well as naturally focussed customers. The name BYBI stands for By Beauty Insiders, and is also a nod to the ingredients inside the products which are all natural and non-toxic yet incredibly high performing and effective. Dominika told us they’re keen for the products to be judged on their merits as great products, rather than only because they’re natural (although this is obviously a major plus, too).

BYBI has just released two products as their debut offering, both of which we’re super excited to stock at Glasshouse.

The first is Babe Balm, a multi-purpose balm that does just about everything. We asked the girls to tell us a bit about how Babe Balm came about, and they said “We identified a gap in the market for a high performance, luxury natural beauty product that focusses on innovative ingredients rather than simple formulations. We wanted to formulate a multi-purpose product that would become our hero offering, made up of interesting and unique ingredients used in high potency to actually have an effect on the skin. We got formulating, and the end result was Babe Balm!”

Babe Balm’s key ingredients are all about plumping and hydrating and the hero ingredient is Coenzyme Q10 which is naturally present in the body but depletes over time as we age. “Coenzyme Q10, a natural ingredient made famous by Nivea back in the day, is wonderful for promoting soft, firm skin.” Elsie and Dominka told us, “There’s also calendula and Brazillian Pequi for their wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, and hibiscus which has been dubbed ‘nature’s botox’. We wanted to fragrance Babe Balm without using essential oils so chose Monoi de Tahiti and vanilla for their beautiful scents and pink sweet-potato extract to give it a warm, peachy colour.” Yum.

Babe Balm can be used as a makeup remover and face cream, a cheek or brow highlighter, mixed in with powder makeup to create a creamy formula, lip balm, salve for dry elbows and knees - the list goes on. We can’t wait to see how many ways in which we can use this babin’ balm.

The second offering from BYBI is Prime Time, which is another unique product. “Prime Time is mega exciting for us - it’s the first we’ve seen of its kind. It’s a priming facial polish and cleanser, designed to prime and prep your skin to readily absorb the next step of your beauty routine and ultimately making your other products work harder. It’s a beautiful creamy texture that turns to milk once added to water.”

Prime Time’s key ingredients are fruit acids - apple and pineapple extract which non-abrasively slough away dead skin cells whilst brightening the skin. There are also Jojoba beads to physically exfoliate and cocoa butter which moisturises. It leaves the skin feeling pleasantly moisturised, super-soft and ready to absorb nutrients in your toners, serums and moisturisers. Suitable for all skin types, Prime Time is extremely gentle so even if you’re on the sensitive or oily side, it won’t irritate your skin. It also smells deliciously fresh and fruity, thanks to those apple and pineapple extracts.

We’re obviously huge fans of both these products, and we know you will be too. Elsie and Dominka have plans to expand the range very soon with more formulas being developed as we speak, and if the first two products are anything to go by, we can expect big things from BYBI.

Words and images: Rosie Herdman