Her new line of luxury lip conditioners, ILIA BEAUTY,  flies off our shelves and can be found in nearly every green girls’ clutch.  I caught up with Ilia Beauty founder and creative director Sasha Plavsic in between jets for a girl-talk and thought you’d like to meet her!

SD: It seems like every time we talk you’re in a different city; Montreal, Bali, NYC, Hong Kong…Is it business, pleasure or both?

SP: Lately it’s been mostly business, but definitely not without a little pleasure mixed in. I’ve been told I have the nomad disease, and having lived in a several cities I’ve met some great friends around the world. Over time its made it easy to go somewhere, and know there will be a someone to spend time with outside of working hours, and why not let that place be Hong Kong or Bali!

SD: How do you stay radiant with the stress of travel, different climates, air quality, water quality…It must be hard to maintain a beauty routine?!

SP: Its especially tricky the past few months since there’s been more travel than expected and the shift of starting a new business to boot. Near the end of last year, I was sick with a strange flu for two months. There were many planes, trains and automobiles involved. As well, long days and long nights. It really highlighted the fact that it is important to take care of ourselves. Being run down and sick, isn’t much use to anyone. Taking extra sleep, and eating well go a long way.

SD: What are your travel essentials?

SP: Bee Propolis to help fight off viruses on the plane, Emergen-C – to keep immunity up, and homeopathic No-Jet-Lag pills to help ease the time transitions.  Kahina Giving Beauty Toning Mist - very refreshing during travel times, Lotus Wei Joy Juice Energy Mist - the perfect pick-me-up when you’re worn down.  A favourite purchase from last Fall was a huge scarf from Denis Colomb that doubles as a blanket. Its been my saving grace on the plane, or when it feels cold a night.

SD: Where does the name Ilia come from?

SP: It’s a family name and stems from my Great Grandfather. He owned a shoe boutique in Belgrade at the turn of the century and was known for his attention to detail and customer service. It was important to have a brand embody these qualities and hold some tradition.

SD: Why did you start the line?

SP: It was a happy accident. I was doing some freelance packaging design for a larger cosmetic company in California right when the recession hit. Taking a closer look at the product and the market made me realize there wasn’t much being offered in the organic realm that appealed to myself or my friends. Reading ingredients labels became a new hobby and when I couldn’t understand what most of them were on the back the box, it brought some questions to mind about what I was blindly buying. The line was created with full transparency and I would like people to like ILIA for how it  feels, and performs. All the other details about being organic and sustainability are my responsibility as a creator of product. If a customer chooses to support those ideals, all the better.

SD: What are the future plans for Ilia?  More colors? Different products?

SP: We are growing! For Spring 2012 we will have a new Lipstick formula which is more matte in 6 new shades, 2 new limited edition Lip Conditioners, 4 Multi-Sticks for lips and cheeks, and 2 Illuminators. From here we will continue to grow gradually over the course of this year with new products and shades.

SD: Can’t wait! What are your favorite eco/organic spots (shops, restaurants, juice bars, resorts?) around the world?

SP: For food, my hometown has loads of eco/organic options. Axe in Venice is one of my favorite places to eat. Great, local organic food, and the atmosphere is also very nice. For resorts, Asia Spa magazine has great coverage on different eco spots in and around Asia, which is always a nice place to go!

SD: What’s your eco sin?

SP: I am notorious for forgetting to bring a bag to the grocery store. So, I try to jam my purse full instead and then carry the rest out with my arms. Oh and seaweed snacks – its mind boggling to think that those snacks can dissolve down to the size of a dime yet come in packaging with dimensions like that of a brick. Final note – sushi packaging. Someone please come up with a better alternative, you could have a lucrative business!

SD: Are you one of those women who puts on lipstick to take the garbage to the curb?

SP: Yes and no. The conditioners were created to replace an old tinted lip balm I’d been using for several years. Usually before leaving the house in the morning, I would use the balm, which was subtle and kept my lips feeling good! As for lipstick, I do love a bright shade when in the mood for some extra punch and leaving the house with a little lipstick in tow can make just about any woman feel good.

SD: What is your guilty pleasure?

SP: I am something of a clothes horse, yet like to believe less is more and quality prevails: Rag & Bone, Isabel Marant,.. and of course wine and chocolate after dinner…repeated too many times over the holidays with a follow up of coffee and Baileys in the morning.

SD: What is a charity or non-profit organization you’re passionate about and why?

SP: Oceana is a non-profit group that works to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Did you know we have managed to destroy over one third of our coral reefs since the early 80′s?  It took thousands of years for these coral reefs to grow and in only 30 years we’ve managed to nearly wipe out half of them from existence! It’s something I am very passionate about, and believe we have a limited amount of time to salvage what is left. ILIA is looking into setting up its own program to help educate and bring awareness to this cause.

SD: Why are natural and non-toxic ingredients important to you?  Have they always been or was there an epiphany?

SP: It was always there in the background growing up. I was raised on the west coast and had a little brother who was very sick as a kid. Ingredients in food and cleaning products were commonly questioned at home. Moving back to the West Coast in 2005 rekindled that awareness which grew into a desire to know what I was putting in and on my body. It was a domino effect and I hope ILIA will inspire people to question what they are using in their day to day lives.

SD: Any New Year’s Resolutions?

SP:  keep a clear mind, an open heart and balance it all out as best I can!

See more of Sasha’s eco-beauty essentials featured at Spirit Beauty Lounge!

What she used:
On Face: Alima Satin Matte Foundation in  Tawny and Almond
On Cheeks: Alima Satin Matte Blush in Antique Rose
On Eyes: Alima Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Aubergine and Chai.
On Lips:Vapour Organic Beauty Elixir Plumping Gloss in Coax

We love that lips are back for Spring 2010 and we are ready for these looks now! Whether they are soft and barely-there pink or Grace Jones black. We were getting very bored with the nude lip!

Jason Wu wowed with these perfect, painted-on, goth, plum colored cartoon lips that we think could translate beautifully into real world beauty with defined, lustrous, rich, dark lip colors for Fall. Instead of almost-black, sheer but dark burgundy colors like RMS Beauty’s Illusive, can work on all skin tones. The key to this look is perfect application. Use a lip brush to get it just right and avoid looking like a zombie.

Marc by Marc Jacobs celebrated with super bright, optimistic, retro red lips which we think anyone can wear. The key to bright lips is to go really low-key with the rest of the face palette and to even out the skin with a matte mineral powder foundation so that the lips really pop. Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation and Nvey Eco’s Lead-Free moisturizing lipstick in 369 are perfect for this Mad Men look.

Finally, our friends at Tuleh created this pretty 1950′s shimmery soft pink. Beauty can be sort of counter-intuitive in that dark and bright lips are actually best for day and soft, sultry, light pink lips are actually best for a kittenish evening look. To get this look, start with RMS Beauty in Muse or Smile for a sexy, opaque base then layer Nvey Eco’s Lip Lustre in Amour Rose or Barely There over the top for the pink shimmer. The secret to this look is the base. You don’t want bubble-gum pink and pink lip gloss can look too immature without the base.

Don’t just take our word for it. Check out what other Beauty Industry experts had to say about this amazing new line:
Stancie at Fig&Sage Raves
Roxy at For The Love of Beauty was “Quite Impressed…”
and Self Magazine confirms that when it comes to a list of ingredients, for RMS Beauty, “less does equal more…!”

By the way, we know how hard it is to shop for color cosmetics online.  That’s why we offer no-hassle returns even for items you have tried and live, real person, customer service.  Our representatives can help you choose a color today!