Radiance + Ritual: Meet Our COO (And Learn About Her Incredible Self Care Routine)

With so many different approaches to self care, wellness, and spirituality at our fingertips, how do we know what works? One of our favorite ways to learn about new practices is, of course, to see what our friends are doing, and how it’s working for them.

That’s what Radiance + Ritual is all about.

Radiance + Ritual is an interview series that takes a deeper look at individuals in our community who are living in their glow—what wellness rituals they practice, what self-care looks like to them, and what routines help them achieve their best self.

MEET Rachel.

Rachel Pachivas is Annmarie Skin Care’s very own Chief Operating Officer. A wellness and skin care aficionado with an impressive self care routine, Rachel lives and breathes our company’s mission. We hope you enjoy her interview as much as you do!

Introduce yourself! Who are you, what do you do for a living, for fun?

Hello! I’m Rachel Pachivas, the Operating Officer of Annmarie Skin Care. You could say that’s what I do for a living, but I actually consider it to be thoroughly enjoyable and perhaps some of what I do for fun as well.

My day to day includes working with our team, organizing our company and the way we operate, creating efficiencies overall, and creating new concepts and product ideas by researching the latest ingredients and skin care. Outside of the office I spend a lot of time creating and building. Lately I’ve really been getting into furniture making and woodworking—something about it just sparks my soul.

I also spend a lot of time playing around with ingredient blending and essential oil pairing. I also love to paint, lay outside in my hammock with a book or just relax on the couch with a cup of tea and some good vibes music.

Walk us through your morning ritual and skin care routine

After I wake up I usually put a mask on right away—either our Illuminating Pearl Mask or The Petal from Mahalo. Then I start the kettle for some tea or a morning elixir while feeding the cats, sage smudging, getting the house a bit organized and preparing my workspace (and peeking at my calendar for the day).

I like to take a few minutes to stretch. It’s not really a planned activity, but it always feels so good so it just sort of happens. I’ll attempt to meditate (which I totally need to get better about), and then sit down to relax and drink my tea. I’ve been on a bit of a pu-erh tea kick lately. I drink it with a little bit of half and half, coconut nectar and colostrum. Ah, it’s divine.

During this time I may take some of my herbs or tinctures as well. After a solid 10 minutes of simply relaxing and waking up, I’ll shower and rinse off my mask, wash with our Phytonutrient Cleanser (and every few days use our Kaolin Micro Exfoliant).

I use our Coconut Body Oil religiously and slather on some of my body butter I make, which is now our Palo Santo Body Butter. For my facial routine I spritz on some of a hydrosol blend I made—of Helichrysum, Chamomile, Rose and Frankincense. You should be seeing this as a new addition to our Wild Alchemy Collection pretty soon.

Then I use our Wild Fruit Serum, followed by either our Herbal Facial Oil for Normal & Combination Skin or the Blue Cocoon from May Lindstrom. After my moisturizing I will typically gua sha 3-4 days out of the week or go through my facial cupping routine at least 3 days a week. For my final touches, I use a small amount of our Anti-Aging Eye Cream and then finish with a light coat of Avasol Sunscreen.

What’s your wellness philosophy?

It’s pretty simple actually—avoid using chemicals at all cost. I don’t eat fake food, I use pure skin care, I make most of my own cleaning products, and I live a life that’s fun. Yes, I drink occasionally, I eat sugar, and yes, I even eat gluten! But I don’t beat myself up about it.

When I have a drink I make sure I am drinking a high quality wine (or mezcal), and I won’t overdue it. If I have sugar… It’s from an organic source and if I am eating gluten, it’s not every single meal and it’s definitely from a good source while being organic or utilizing ancient methods of cultivating and processing. I don’t make myself feel bad about any of it either, and I think that’s so important.

There are so many fads out there today and all of them are telling us that we are doing it the wrong way. So my way is to not adhere to any of them and just eat straight from the Earth and use products that you can pretty much make on your own. And most importantly, don’t make yourself feel bad about any of it.

How do you get your glow: Internally, externally?

Someone recently told me that my “self care ritual is so incredible”… He was in awe. I was a bit confused actually. I thought—doesn’t everyone mask in the mornings while soaking in a salt bath enriched with essential oils?

And I started thinking about it, and it turns out I have some pretty solid pamper sessions. I really love taking care of myself and allowing myself the time and space to feel great. Whether that’s blocking off time to have a date night with myself while making a yummy meal and watching a movie, to taking baths and giving myself facials with my derma roller, my gua sha and facial cupping tools, or doing positive affirmations.

I really take self care to the next level. I also think it’s so important to drink copious amounts of spring water and eat fresh fruits and veggies. Some go-to supplements I take are reishi and other real mushrooms (not mycelium), along with adaptogenic herbs in my elixirs.

Movement is another big thing. I try to walk to the office (45 min) at least a couple of times a week. In the winter it’s a bit trickier (I’m from Miami and I despise the cold), so there is always the gym 🙂

With so many health trends out there, what ones are sticking for you right now?

Simply doing things naturally is my health trend. As long as I eat real food (organic, without pesticides and from a local and sustainable farm) or use clean products (ones where I trust the brands or I just make myself)… I feel really good!

One thing that never waivers is quality. Of course I love a cup of coffee and a croissant on the weekends (and no, I don’t feel bad about it). But I can guarantee you, if it’s not high quality ingredients or if it’s not organic, I simply won’t eat it. Really ever.

A few years ago a few friends of mine and I took up a passion project to work with restaurants to source sustainable and organic ingredients. Being on this journey allowed me to talk to a lot of farmers and to get to know so much more about the food industry. I realized even more that it’s okay to be picky about the food you’re about to put in your body.

What’s your go to Annmarie Skin Care product?

My must haves on a stranded island: Illuminating Pearl Mask. Phytonutrient Cleanser. Wild Fruit Serum. Herbal Facial Oil for Normal & Combination Skin. Anti-Aging Eye Cream. Coconut Body Oil. Palo Santo Body Butter.

What’s one wellness essential you can’t live without right now?

Ojai Energetics CBD [Not all CBD is created equal!]

Thank you Rachel for sharing your beautiful perspective on health and wellness with us!

If you have a recommendation for someone you’d like to see on Radiance + Ritual, please email us at [email protected].