Day In The Life Of Brandy Monique, Founder of Fig + Yarrow

What Time Do You Usually Wake Up?
My alarm is set for 6 a.m. but I usually wake up on my own a few minutes before just to show my alarm who’s in charge. Really, I wake up early just to acknowledge and admire the sunrise then go back to bed for a bit to revel in the good feeling of my delicious sheets, soft bed and snuggly cat (Mao) a bit longer. Allowing myself time there helps me to get excited, feel inspired and conjure resolve for the fresh new day ahead.
                                                                                                      
What Do You Have For Breakfast?
I prefer to ease into eating. On the farm, we do all our chores first and then come back in for a hearty breakfast. I have other routines in place of farm chores now: meditation, stretching, oil pulling and dry brushing. Shortly after rising, I have a spicy goat milk chai with an added dash of fresh ginger and turmeric juice. I’ll make either a smoothie or cold-pressed juice for the road then get a latte on my way in to the shop and have that with a croissant while I look over my morning emails at the shop. 
 
What Are Your Morning Beauty Rituals?
Gosh, not even my closest friends know my whole routine so here’s the ultra insider peek! First thing I do is drink a full glass of spring water with lemon immediately followed by oil pulling as I do a few morning chores and my dry-brushing routine. After I’m done oil pulling, I rinse thoroughly with my Oral Hygiene Rinse, tongue cleanse with a traditional copper tool for that purpose and then I will do a nasal cleanse with a Neti Pot. My facial routine includes a Cleansing Nectar once-over, spritz of hydrating and uplifting Rose/Sandalwood/Neroli Complexion Water and ample Facial Serum for a lymphatic draining facial massage. After I’ve enjoyed my chai, mediated for 20 minutes and stretched, I follow with a warm, salt bath (with one of my soaks or just an Epson/dead sea salt blend). I wash body with our Rosewood+Vetiver Hand+Body Wash (soon to be released) and clean my face with my exfoliating Facial Scrub.  Since the Facial Scrub provides skin-nourishing oils and butters, I just follow with a head-to-toe spritz of Complexion Water and a small amount of Facial Serum topped off with a lightly tinted mineral-based SPF for my face. For makeup, I use a bit of mascara, Rose+Vanilla Tinted Lip Blush on lips, eyelids and cheeks, a dab of my special essential oil blend on the pulse points and I’m good to go. Oh, and a very light touch through my hair with some Hair+Scalp Tonic to add sheen and tame frizz. For my body, I moisturize and massage with our Meadow Bath+Body Oil, using Woods on the back of my legs and derrière for its anti-cellulite benefits. 
 
Describe A Typical Day At Work
I start with music and emails over a latte and croissant. My days are ridiculously busy and I attend too many different things each day, so if I can ease in for at least five to 10 minutes, it’s a good place to start. I oversee the entire FIG+YARROW show so I get to work a bit with everyone on our team at many points of the day. This includes kitchen production, shipping and accounting. I also attend to most of our customers personally—established wholesale and new accounts as well as our retail customers. I continue to work on the shop space so there is often collaborative design work and maintenance stuff. Entertaining visitors and keeping up with material ordering are also regular events. Amidst the tugs of my attention in various directions, I’m regularly getting pings of inspiration to improve formulations or techniques, creatively navigate little issues, come up with new products, new branding angles or concepts. A typical day is never terribly “typical” except that it is reliably action-packed and fun. It can be intense managing so much—for us all—but I like to keep our physical surroundings beautiful, treats more than occasional and moods light enough that laughter and playfulness come easily.  
 
What Do You Have For Lunch?
I typically snack midmorning on something like a chia bar or fresh fruit or a cold-pressed juice. Lunch lands about 1 p.m. and is mostly light—usually vegetable-centric with a good clean protein. I’ve never been terribly keen on starches, so I tend to avoid those out of preference. I think perhaps it’s my body’s innate wisdom telling me how to keep my energy steadier to avoid post meal slumps. I keep a pretty glass bottle of water on my desk at all times for constant hydration as well as chilled herbal tea in the fridge, which is currently rooibos. 
 
What Do You Do After Work And What Do You Typically Have For Dinner?
I usually take a walk or go for a jog in the park nearby then will have acupuncture or go to yoga. If I do yoga after work, I tend to crave a lighter dinner—sometimes just a big salad and tea. With afternoon snacks to help me pull through the last hours of work, dinner is not a big affair on weekdays. I’ll usually eat something I prepped the Sunday prior or picked up partially ready-made from the farmer’s market like handmade tamales or ravioli. I love a good glass of wine or beer on occasion, too. These are rare on weekdays, but can be a nice wind-down. I’ll usually eat around 9 p.m. or a bit after coming out of late yoga. I go to bed around 10 or 11 p.m., but sleep comes only after (or during) the next chapter of whatever book I’m into.  
 
Any New Products You’re Excited About?
We have a handful of custom holiday kits we created as collaborations with a few shops we stock, which has inspired some new kit packaging designs. There are many unique products planned for release in the early part of the coming year, but we are on the verge of releasing an additional aromatic blend to our Atmosphere Mist collection and a Hand+Body Wash line-up featuring the aromatic blends from the Atmos. I’m also very excited about our emerging creative work and tutorials which allow us more creative expression and further accentuate the multitasking and creative interpretability our products offer. 
 
What Would We Be Surprised To Know About You?
Perhaps that I’m a prankster by nature and derive great joy from playfully confusing people.