Izza the boss babe behind the brand @nestingzone reached out when we had the Dazey one year anniversary party. We hosted a Dazey Lady bazaar and had a bunch of female entrepreneurs pop up at the event. She wanted to join and after creeping her gorgeous products we thought they would be a great fit! She creates everything by hand using all natural ingredients. Izza is also an artist and designs all her packaging to be as beautiful as her products. 

After the event she approached me about a collab. I personally don't know a whole lot about skincare or apothecary, but was curious to try it on the shop. If I was ever going to venture into that world I knew a collab with Nestingzone would be the best way! We met up in her home office and she walked me through all her processes and we designed some amazing scents together. She uses essentials oils to scent her products and we made all sorts of unique mixes! One of my favorite parts was coming up with the soap colors. She creates the most gorgeous marbles textures in her soaps. We designed everything to have that bright happy Dazey feel and fruity floral scents! 

I have been using everything at home and I'm in LOVE! They have been amazing for my skin and I love using natural products. I hope you'll give it a try! Below you can read all about Izza and see our gorgeous collab pieces yourself. Here are some of the fun items we have for sale on the site:

Luxury Soap Collection:
MIMOSA (Champagne - Blood Orange - Grapefruit)
Cheers Dazey Lady! Let’s toast to loving yourself and the sweet smell of mimosa.
POSITIVITY PLEASE (Blackberry - Rosemary - Sage)
This soap is for those days where you are tired of the negativity and need to wash it away.
GOLDEN TROPIC (Lemongrass - Peony)
Seriously who told summer it could end. This soap is like bringing sunshine back into your life no matter what season.

AFTERGLOW CLAY MASK 
Bring back your glow with this botanically powered rose clay mask. Our soothing hybrid clay mask is a mix of detoxifying clays, lavender essential oil, ground lavender and chamomile buds to brighten up any skin type.

LOVE MORE BATH TEA
Love yourself, love your bath and soak in some positivity. Our Mineral rich hybrid bath tea is a blend of pink Himalayan sea salt, dead sea salt, botanicals, and love.

Facial Serums:
SOLARIS - This serum features velvety rich green tea oil infused with ginseng and seaweed extracts to energize your complexion so you can start your day like a glowing goddess without feeling oily. This serum is easily absorbed by the skin, helping you to maintain elasticity and moisture, especially under your eyes.
LUNARIS - This serum is a silky smooth tonic of kukui nut oil infused with sea buckthorn and chamomile extract to soothe and rejuvenate your skin. It's packed full of hydration to work its magic while you sleep. 

BETTER DAZE BALANCING MIST (Cucumber + Rose Facial Toner)
Our facial mist brings together cucumber and rose water to work in harmony to calm, soothe, moisturize, and balance your skin. It’ll bring you out of the haze of every day life and minimize your skincare ritual.

Did you go to college? If so what did you study?

I went to two colleges at the same time — The School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA for short) and Tufts University. They are both in Boston and I studied printmaking, drawing, and art history.

What inspired you to start Nestingzone? 

In my last year of college I was facing the real anxiety of, “What am I going to do with my life.” I knew I wanted to be a maker and wanted a name that would allow me to grow, evolve, and be a space for collaboration. That's when Nestingzone was born.

Why do you think apothecary and self care are important?

Believe it or not, self care is a relatively new thing for me. Before I started creating skincare products, I would often burn myself to the ground with work and I didn’t know how to reset myself. As I began developing and testing the products for the apothecary, I think I learned a valuable lesson in the importance of slowing down and taking some “me time.” Self care is really the only way one can recharge the mind and body at the same time. So now everyday, I try to take a few minutes for myself, whether that's embracing my skincare routine or picking out a new beautiful bar of soap to use.

What do people get from supporting Nestingzone products as opposed to buying from a large company? Expand on your process!

When people support Nestingzone, they are getting a true expression of my passion and love. I love that everything I make is a small piece of my soul. The essence of soul is so important and integral in supporting a small business. I think that my art background amplifies the products and really makes them special. For my drawings I focus primarily on black and white illustrations but with the skincare products, I get to play with color and create beautiful pieces of skincare. They aren’t just beautiful things to use, but the attention to the ingredients is there. The ingredients are everything to the skincare. I don’t believe in adding things that don’t play a part in actively working magic on your skin. So if anything, Nestingzone Apothecary products are skincare show stoppers, you're not only getting the truest expression of who I am as a maker, but you get the purest form of the plant powered ingredients without fillers or other things getting in the way of how they perform!

You are also a very talented artist! Tell us a little bit about that side of you.

Awe, thank you so much! Drawing is my first love. It’s the medium that allows me to fully express myself. I love how powerful and honest a simple black and white drawing can be — it’s just me, a piece of paper and a pen.  One of my favorite things is to watch the viewer explore my drawings, to lose themselves in a new universe, and come out on the other side having a new perspective.  

You recently merged your art brand and apothecary brand into one. What made you decide to do this?

A few months ago, I sat down and had a really honest conversation with my husband about self reflection and an assessment of my creative outlets. While those sorts of conversations can be scary, I feel that it’s the only way to reveal to yourself want you want. I thought about why I had compartmentalized my artist identity and my apothecary into different names. I had the realization that the two weren’t mutually exclusive from one another, but rather the exact opposite.  It actually seemed kind of silly to me, to work so hard to express myself with different names when everything I do is an expression of who I am as one person. It literally clicked and felt right when I decided to merge everything into Nestingzone. Sometimes the simplest choice is often right in front of you the whole time.

Was transitioning your two different talents into one brand difficult?

I think the answer to this question is both yes and no. On one hand, it was incredibly difficult, especially wrapping my mind around all of the work and not feeling as if I am starting all over from scratch again. However on the other hand, the transition was actually far more natural than I may have initially thought. Whether I was fully conscious of it or not, the entire time Nestingzone had been influencing all of my creative and design choices at Beetle + Bones. This realization truly made the metamorphosis quite seamless. On top of that, I had the support of my incredible friends, family, and ‘Nestingcrew’. It was actually very beautiful to see how much support and acceptance I received for something that I honesty kind of dreaded. I’m still trying to strike the right balance, but I’m so honored and thankful to have so many supportive people that want to join me on my journey.

Your previous brand name was Beetle + Bones Apothecary and now you’re Nestingzone. What is the meaning behind these two names?

Both of the names come from a place of dreaming. When I first dreamed up Nestingzone, it seemed like a name that could evolve with me and not confine me. It’s a multifaceted name that represents a combination of all my memories, emotions, and experiences. When a bird leaves its nest, it will go on to make a new one, but they always make their nest ‘home’. That is what the name Nestingzone means to me — A place that no matter where I go, I can call it home.

Beetle + Bones Apothecary also came from a dream state. Basically, the beetle is my spirit animal.  Beetles represent strength, creativity, and change. The “bones” came from my approach to skincare, of using only the absolute essential ingredients to make my products, the ‘bare bones’ if you will. I only add ingredients that will supercharge my skincare products. So there’s no fillers, phthalates, parabens, or other unnecessary additives.

What inspires you as an artist? How did discover your own unique look and style of drawing?

Nature is my main inspiration. Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I was often around nature.  Whether I was fishing, hiking, camping, or just exploring the woods, I found an organic beauty that really excited me.  My drawings represent visual dreamscapes, often combining elements of flora and fauna that don’t inherently go together yet seamlessly connect in my Nestingzone world.

I think my unique style developed by studying still-life paintings and watching too many cartoons as a kid; It may seem like a strange combo but I find that both have the power to alter your perceptions of world.

You’ve mentioned having very bad insomnia. How does that effect your work life as well as personal?

YES, It is seriously the worst! But I think my insomnia is directly tied to my level of excitement about life — I know this sounds kinda weird, but the more I see work and personal growth through incredible collaborations and connections, the less amount of sleep I get. When we first starting talking about working together, I was honestly sooo excited that my insomnia flared up again. A silver lining to my insomnia is that my creativity has free rein and thus is not inhibited by sleep, which allows me to explore and develop ideas quickly.

What does being a Dazey Lady mean to you?

To me, being a Dazey Lady is being a boss babe.  An empowered woman who is in control of her own destiny. Knowing that you’re a part of a ‘girl gang’ and that you have sisters at the ready to run with you. At the end of the day, only you can hold yourself back, but it’s such a powerful thing to know that people want to see you succeed. I’m really honored to call myself a Dazey Lady and I’m looking forward to joining alongside you with your adventure!