Many of you may already wear her amazing swimsuits, but I wanted to introduce you to my dear friend, Marysia Reeves, of Marysia Swim. Her gorgeous line is sold at Shopbop and written about in Vogue and she has over 25,000 Instagram followers (!), but unlike some popular designers, she has worked so hard to be where she is – all while juggling marriage, two young daughters and English as a second language. She remains humble and has a great sense of humor to boot. Marysia used to be a professional ballerina in her native Poland and was one of my first friends to try the GOOP cleanse back in the day. She is a natural beauty in the truest sense and I love to chat with her about all things Clean, Green and glamorous.  We caught up  last week over dinner at Farm Shop in Brentwood while I was in town for A Night For Green Beauty.

BB: You are in amazing shape and such a Clean eater! Have you always paid close attention to these things or was there a turning point in your life that shifted your focus?

MR: My husband is a health freak..hehe… and he cooks in our household so I didn’t really have a choice, but it was really when I was trying to get back in shape after the first baby that I had to make a change. I grew up in Poland where we always ate fresh meals my mom or grandmother cooked for us daily…I never had a frozen meal in my life…not even in college! We had our own garden growing up as well so I think it’s just in me anyway.

BB: Between being a former ballerina and designing swimsuits, is it a challenge to maintain a healthy body-image?

MR: I didn’t fall into the ballerina trap, but there has always been a need to be skinny….I like food too much to starve myself so I just have to make the right choices now.  I avoid dairy, gluten and anything with highly refined sugars.

BB: What is your favorite way to relieve stress?

MR: A bath!

BB: I miss our Pilates classes together in Charleston!  What is your typical exercise routine these days? What is your favorite work-out?

MR: I have been seeing a PT, actually.  After having babies I have had hip and neck issues, but little by little I hope to be able to do yoga, pilates and barre on regular basis again. I also surf from time to time if my work load allows.

BB: You recently moved from NYC to LA. How has it altered your day-to-day life? Do you feel crunchier and healthier already?

MR: There are lots of healthy options here for food and beauty…I still need to figure a lot out, but yes, the general vibe is healthier here.

BB: How did you become interested in Clean beauty? What are your favorite Clean products?

MR: I definitely started thinking about that when I was pregnant… you all of the sudden start thinking about all that’s going inside of and onto  your body. I became super sensitive to things that didn’t bother me before, which was my baby telling me…”mommy that hurts!”  Hehe, I started to listen to my body more.  I like Tata Harper’s rejuvenating serum (as a moisturizer) Good Genes and Bionic by Sunday Riley for night, Pratima sunscreen, Isis face oil for day and night, John Masters Organics Primrose shampoo, REN moroccan rose otto bath oil ( it doesn’t leave the bath an oily mess).

BB: What do you hope your daughters learn from you and from Marysia Swim?

MR: I hope they learn to work hard and believe in themselves. I think the believing part is most important and surrounding yourself with those who believe in you is equally as important.  I hope I can be a great mother to my kids and lead by example and I hope they’ll want to take over the company one day:) I’m so lucky to have a husband who is interested in food so he educates himself (and then us) about what’s good for us and how we should eat….we are big believers that you are what you eat and so we do our best:)

Thank you, Marysia!  Miss you already!

*Note: Sunday Riley isn’t the Cleanest, Greenest skincare out there, but it isn’t the worst, either.  I just felt like I had to say that.  🙂

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