Georgina Gooley is the first to admit she used to shave with men’s razors. For years, she’d been aware of the so-called “pink tax,” where products and services marketed for women are priced higher than they are for men. “Out of principle, I was like, ‘I’m not giving you more money because I’m a woman,’” Gooley said. Years later, when Gooley dug more into the products slammed with the pink tax, she found that the shaving category was hit especially hard. “All these companies are created to give men a better shave experience, and any sort of female shaving company was always spun out of a men’s company,” Gooley explained.
So, Gooley decided to start her own women’s shaving company: Billie. Along with her co-founder Jason Bravman, she launched the razor and shaving company Billie in November of 2017. For Gooley, who shaves daily, the mission was clear: Launch a female-first shave and body brand for women that’s anything but niche. “They’re products that you would use every single day in your shower, and you can actually afford to use them every day,” Gooley said. (A “starter kit” with two razor cartridges is just $9.)
Adjusting to hectic days
In the months since Billie launched, Gooley has been busy adjusting to the life of an entrepreneur. She’s prone to checking her inbox first thing in the morning and into the wee hours of the night (a habit she’s trying to break). Her team has also grown to 11 employees, and while she likes to start her day with a plan—as the leader of a start-up, flexibility is key.
“It really depends on what is happening that day,” Gooley said. A typical day might include meetings with team leads, vendors, or touching base with investors and connecting with new people for potential partnerships. But plans can easily get thrown out the window. When that happens, she says she “tends to the most urgent thing.”
Burn-out is no good for a company
It’s because of constant schedule shuffling that Gooley places self-care at the top of her priority list. “The busier you get, obviously, the easier it is for you to let go of your self-care routine, but actually that’s the time when it’s the most important,” Gooley said.
That’s why these days getting ready for bed isn’t a rushed process. Instead, it’s a slow, calm and de-compressing ritual that helps Gooley stop work from creeping into her sleep. “I’m miserable in the morning if I’ve had a bad night’s rest,” she said. “If I skip this unwinding ritual, I’ll be paying for it the next day.”
Her simple evening routine for no-stress sleep
Six minutes of brewing a cup of tea or spritzing some aromatherapy helps Gooley decompress from a day’s work. And when she’s able to squeeze in her full bedtime routine, she likes to start it with a hot shower.
“Climbing into sheets once you’ve had that shower is just the best feeling,” Gooley said. A cozy Lunya Sleepwear short-and-top set also helps her get comfy and relaxed, and into what she calls “the snuggle space.”
After showering with the Billie Sudsy body wash, Gooley uses the Billie Dry-Bye body lotion to moisturize her skin. She’ll then move on to a simple skincare routine. Lately, she’s starts with a hydrating serum from The Abnormal Beauty Company followed by her favorite facial moisturizer from It Cosmetics, and a spritz of Jurlique lavender hydrating mist. She likes Jurlique so much that she has a special essential oil blend with lemon, sage, and lavender that she puts on her pulse points before jumping into bed.
A moment of peace and quiet
But before bed, Gooley takes a moment to unwind by brewing a cup of peppermint tea. “The scent is really lovely,” she said. “It’s like a palate cleanser.”
She’ll also further set the calming atmosphere by filling her loft with relaxing scents. Some nights that means lighting one of her collection of candles (her current favorite is a champagne fragrance from Otherland). On other nights, she’ll burn a bit of sage.
Afterward, Gooley takes a moment to sit in her favorite recliner, an Eames chair in a corner of her loft. “That’s the most comfortable chair that sort of engulfs you,” she said. It’s where she’ll have her tea and sit without distractions like TV. “I can just really have a quiet moment,” she said.
