Savor’s Beauty Angela Jia Kim talks self-love habits and skincare rituals
Organizing your “Gorgeous Chaos”
& Trusting the path
What started as lotions and creams, eventually grew into a natural skincare line, spas in NYC, and "Savor The Success" a women's entrepreneurial group. Angela Jia Kim began her calling as a concert pianist and now owns Savor Beauty, the natural Korean-inspired skincare brand she started out of her kitchen. "One summer I went out into Union Square in New York and asked people if they wanted to try a cream...They gave me their honest opinion, I went home, tweaked it and went back out the next day." Angela still keeps this approach in her business today. "Every day, we do check-ins and every six months, we do reviews. We work collaboratively so that there is a purpose and meaning to our goals and manifestations." A master manifestor, she has most recently coupled her passions for self-care and helping women achieve their goals, into the Savor Life Planner. A 90-day Planner System that helps you break down your goals, make time for yourself, and lets you look back at what you have learned along the way. This planner has changed my life and I wanted to know more about the woman who created it, why she created it, and how she handles all the things that life throws at her.
So how does one go from concerts, pianos, and classical music to skincare? Angela shares with me that it was exactly her time behind the piano that led her to the path of self-care. Countless hours practicing passages thousands of times, and chasing the impossible ideal led her to straight burnout. "It wasn’t until my physical health fizzled out that I saw how dangerous stress can be. I had panic attacks, had insomnia, and my productivity started to decline." She knew something had to give so she sat down with herself and wrote down all of her "gorgeous chaos". After seeing that list, she started to actively plan to take care of herself. "I created boundaries, I reserved time for people who nourished me (and I to them), and made small changes that grew into everlasting self-love habits."
She took all the lessons and discipline she learned from those years practicing behind the piano and her self-love habits and poured them into Savor Beauty. "Being a concert pianist taught me a lot of resilience. When I first started I took pieces of that practice into Savor Beauty, making hundreds of iterations of a cream or serum until I locked into the perfect one. This time, I relished in every failure rather than beating myself up for mistakes. I was healing from the skin perspective as well as having a spiritual cleansing."
She knew she was on the right track when her mother and her sisters asked her for more cream! "Growing up with a Korean mother and aunts who spent an hour or more on their skincare every night prepared me for some harsh criticism. They were the true experts. I knew that if I wanted to create Savor Beauty, I needed my mom’s blessing and when she asked for more Truffle Face Cream, I knew I was onto something."
“When I rented that tiny booth in Bryant Park...
I juggled talking to guests, breastfeeding, and networking all at once.”
She explains to me that the Korean skin-care beauty routine is the embodiment of the feminine and the ultimate "self-care". As a Korean- American, embracing both sides of her culture, was important when creating her line. "I think of Korean skincare as a ritual rather than a chore. Every night, I take 10-15 minutes to myself, assessing my skin, double cleansing to wash away the day, but also massage for nourishment and self-care." She incorporated foundations of Korean Skincare rituals and the need for "time" into the creation of Savor Beauty. "I did a lot of research, read many books, and gave myself goals. So many business owners have different opinions, so I read multiple approaches and followed my intuition. When I couldn’t grasp an idea entirely, I asked for help. " Asking for help, hiring a chemist, and utilizing her community, networks and friendships led her to create Savor Then Get Success - a female entrepreneur support network that she founded and led for many years. "I worked with thousands of women teaching public relations, marketing, and more." One thing led to another and Angela continued down her path taking on projects that felt right, while also creating healthy boundaries for herself. Every facet of her business journey became a stepping stone to the next. It was during this time that she created the Savor Life Planner to help women organize their “gorgeous chaos.” "It was so important for me to practice my "Give Give Get" philosophy, which is my way of that when you plant seeds generously, you will receive abundance." Over time she built two successful businesses along with her mentorship group and she came to realize what many do when they manifest abundance - she needed a break. "I took some much-needed time off to heal, and in that time, I realized that my Savor Beauty employees needed my full attention and mentorship. “I let go of the entrepreneur organization to be fully present for them and my family. We can 'nourish to flourish', which prepares us to handle life’s unexpected challenges with poise and presence.”
“This time, I relished in every failure rather than beating myself up for mistakes.”
She still leans on her close contacts and circle of business-women, as well as her family when she needs it. "My dad, who comes from a family of master manifestors, taught me the art of productivity and manifesting since I was a child, and many of his concepts are represented in the Savor Life Planner." Through her ability to handle life's changes, recognize burnout, and tap into her support system and Savor Beauty Team (many of the same women working with her over the last five years), she was able to handle the unexpected hardships of the pandemic. "This forced us all to retreat and reflect. I used the time for internal transformation and learned how to meditate, cook, and connect with myself and others with a greater sense of intimacy. On a business level, the day after we were ordered to stay at home, the team launched the Virtual Self-Love Spa in one day. People are able to take self-love courses and get virtual Skin Radiance video consults, which has been an unexpected opportunity for the business and our customers." After I burned out, I kept the core pillars of my father's philosophy but adopted a “self-care first” approach." She makes time regularly for kundalini yoga, her nightly beauty ritual, meditation, and Central Park walks with her daughter Sisi and puppy Zoe. Her self-care approach is the golden thread woven throughout her business and products. “My motto is to give from a cup that overflows, and I’m so happy to be able to authentically do that today."
Angela and her daughter Sisi
