High Vibrational Beauty | A Conversation with CAP Beauty's Co-Founder Cindy DiPrima Morisse
High Vibrational Beauty
A Conversation with CAP Beauty Co-Founder Cindy DiPrima Morisse
When we first got our hands on a copy of High Vibrational Beauty:Recipes & Rituals for Radical Self Care, we couldn't put it down. This beautifully inspiring book was penned by CAP Beauty founders Cindy DiPrima Morisse and Kerrilynn Pamer who are making major strides in the natural beauty world by selling products that are good for you and the planet. Their debut book is an ode to healthy living from the beauty products that you slather on your skin to the food you use to fuel and nourish your body. We chatted with Cindy about what prompted them to write the book, living by the seasons and new products and the brands that have caught her eye.
First off congratulations on such a wonderful book full of thought provoking topics and recipes that nourish the soul from the inside out. What spawned the idea for the book?
Quite honestly, we love to share. And when we discover something so powerful, so beautiful and so transformative as radical self care, we simply can’t help it. Natural beauty is so much more than a collection of products, it’s so much more than a list of ingredients to avoid. It’s a way of life. We’ve always been in love with books, and jumped at the chance to create this guide to the lifestyle we love.
You talk a lot about energy fields and raising your vibration to attract abundance. This is something I discovered about two years ago after reading The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer, it changed my life. What led you to discover this powerful way of living?
Many years ago, I started working with a coach. This was long before “life coach” was a household term. (Is it even now?). I was in my late 20s, working as a stylist and a bit lost. Rosie was brilliant (she graduated summa cum laude from Yale!), a former stylist herself and just what I needed. She worked with me on many practical things but also sensed I was open to more quantum ideas. She gave me a book about The Law of Attraction and I started practicing it. I’m pretty amazed to this day how powerful this kind of work can be. We also work closely with Lacy Phillips of Free+Native and Kerrilynn has a very committed Kundalini practice. It’s all about making space and clearing paths for the things in life we truly want and need.
Your background is in the magazine world, something that we really appreciate! How did you parlay that experience into your new venture?
As a prop stylist and set designer, I’ve worked on photo shoots for two decades contributing to countless magazines and advertising campaigns. In this day in age, editorial and advertising is one and the same and this inside knowledge of creating imagery that resonates has been incredibly helpful in creating our brand. Kerrilynn worked for countless “tastemakers” from hoteliers to designers to restauranteurs and ultimately opened Castor & Pollux, a much loved clothing and accessory store in the West Village. Her ability to predict trends is unmatched and her understanding of retail operations is of course vital. She also has the most impeccable style and taste and it’s been fun to merge our sensibilities to create CAP Beauty.
In your debut book High Vibrational Beauty:Recipes & Rituals for Radical Self Care, each chapter honors the seasons in a way that is thought provoking and inspiring. Talk to us about rituals for the fall and winter seasons.
As much as we love the warmth and energy of summer, fall is near and dear to us at CAP. Both Kerrilynn and I have birthdays in September and have always considered fall a sort of new beginning. It’s a season of productivity, of reconnecting, of grounding down. Our fall and winter rituals tend to be those that honor these energies, and those that create heat. Hot mustard or epsom baths, saunas, vigorous yoga and adding in more cooked and heated foods all make the cut. We recommit to meditation and open our journals as well. Stream of consciousness style writing can help us to both clarify our goals and release those blocks that stand in their way. Ask yourself what will move you forward, what will create the warmth you crave.
You also include recipes for healing foods. Tell us more about the recipes included inside.
We believe that beauty is a function of health and so what we put in our bodies is as important as the products we use. We also both come from backgrounds of loving food, loving to cook and loving to entertain. And so it only followed that we should include recipes in the book. And while we both follow fairly specific diets (I’m a food combiner leaning heavily on juices and raw plant food and Kerrilynn follows a vegan version of Dana James’ protocol), we aren’t here to say that our particular approaches to food are the only right ways. That said, we do know, beyond doubt, that a diet rich in plant foods and free from processed foods and unhealthy cooked fats will yield the greatest health and radiance. We don’t condemn those who eat meat and don’t profess to know what’s best for others, but our book is about raising our vibrational frequencies and that comes when we ingest plants. We don’t state anywhere that our recipes are 100% plant based and gluten free. They just happen to be. And they’re beyond delicious!
In your opinion what is one of the most powerful things you can do in relation to self-care?
Consistency! Whatever rituals you embrace become truly transformative when you stick with them. You don’t have to do everything, just pick one thing and commit. I always tell people to treat the rituals in our book like then would treat recipes in a cookbook. Thumb through until something strikes a chord, then give it a try. No one should feel like they have to do it all. But with consistency comes radical transformation.
What is your holy grail when it comes to skincare?
Ha! I wish there was just one thing. We’d all answer this question a bit differently. I would answer green juice, sweating, colonics and a full regimen of Julisis. His products are loaded with minerals and feel almost alchemical. I’ve never had seen such radical change from a single set of products. Kerrilynn’s picks are her deep Kundalini practice and InFiore’s Calme oil. It’s a remarkable product for anyone fighting redness and rosacea. Truly transformative.
Let’s talk about natural beauty. CAP Beauty has such a well edited selection of natural beauty products. How do you go about finding new brands?
We find them anywhere and everywhere. We are both rabidly curious and love to read, dig and discover. We also find products through our existing brands. Like minded people tend to find each other and the community of those creating natural products is tight, supportive and beyond generous.
What new beauty product or brands have you recently uncovered that is doing something unique?
Honestly, everything we sell at CAP we see as having a unique offering. It’s the standard by which we choose our stock. We don’t want to have shelves full of products that mimic one another. That said, some of our favorite newcomers are Sisters a soap and shampoo company supporting women’s charities, Activist Manuka, a beyond pure and powerful version of the natural beauty staple, and of course the brilliant products of Marie Veronique, especially those she formulated in conjunction with Kristina Holey, the brilliant facialist who designed our own spa protocols. Their understanding of the ecosystem of the skin is unparalleled. Their products are designed to protect, not strip away the vital biome on the skin.
We would love to ask you both, since you create beauty in the work you do, how do you define beauty in a less tangible sense?
We love this question. Above all else, we feel like what we are doing at CAP is merging beauty with beauty. Neither Kerrilynn nor I come from the beauty industry, but we both come from industries that involve creating beauty, through design, photography and bringing people together. Living well means surrounding ourselves with loved ones, kids and animals, family and friends, and taking the time to engage all of our senses. Drinking a tonic is one thing, but preparing a tonic for a friend of lover, sharing the time and serving it from a beautiful handmade mug, is an entirely different experience. One that elevates. One that creates high vibrational beauty.
OUR FAVORITE CAP BEAUTY FINDS
Flower Image by ROSE & IVY | Portrait courtesy of CAP Beauty