When was the last time you looked inward? Cardea AuSet has got you covered. Jennifer Bonato and Taylor Williams are forging the way into the serious business of self-care. Jennifer has a Gemini Sun, Sagittarius Moon and Taurus ascendant which makes her a communicative, free spirited person with a focus on hard work! Taylor has a Capricorn Sun, Gemini Moon and Aquarius ascendant which endows her with a great business mind, flexible and forward thinking. Together these two are set up for success!
Read below for my interview with the ladies on their venture into their online self-care business.
Where did the inspiration for Cardea AuSet come from?
JB: We felt inspired to start working on a project together, and have been talking about the “what” for a number of years. We discussed starting the business in early 2017, but creating our vision was sort of a natural process for us. As we started to make decisions about the name and philosophy of the business and the kind of products we wanted to create.
TW: The inspiration behind Cardea AuSet started with the name itself; which we found by sitting down and flipping through a couple different books. When we first chose the names, we didn’t have an intensive background on either of the Goddesses, but once we did our research, we realized it was everything we had imagined the brand to be. Something like a meet-cute with beauty and spiritual products.
If you could update the term Self-Care, what would you change it to?
JB: I might call it self-respect – I think that the whole notion behind self-care is taking the time to give your body and mind what they need, whether it’s a break from intense periods of work, or an act of pampering one’s body.
TW: I would change the term to Awareness. I think to take care of yourself you need to be aware of your own body, mind, and spirit and realize what your body is asking of you.
How do you take care of yourselves?
JB: I think that caring for your self-starts with what you put into your body. I try to eat real/unprocessed food and make sure that the majority of what I eat is serving my body and not making it sick. I also think it’s important to move your body – I love hot yoga classes.
TW: Aside from eating my best and drinking plenty of water, I like to give myself a moment to zen out. Taking a bath at night or a quick yoga session are all things I tried to incorporate into my routines to remind myself the importance of mental clarity.
I know it’s a bit like picking a favourite child, but what are your favourite products on your site?
JB: Our candle collection is something that feels very sentimental to both of us since we named two of our scents after our grandmothers, and because there is so much work that we put into the candle-making process. The products that I use every day are ACTIVATE, ROSA, and CALM.
TW: Yes, it is so hard to choose a favourite! But if I had to it would be ROSA, simply because I find myself picking it up every time I walk past it. I’ve become a collector of rose water mists from many other brands, but between them all, there was always something lacking. ROSA is hydrating, refreshing, good for your skin and smells good, too!
Could you explain the different sections of your site, Ritual, Body, and Apothecary?
Taylor: We decided to break down our categories by Ritual, Apothecary, and Body for an easier way to navigate what you were looking to remedy. Ritual came to be where you would find our collection of candles because we envision these items to be used in your daily rituals. Apothecary simply because this category is heavily influenced by essential oils and their support in mental-clarity. Lastly, Body not because these are necessarily products you use on your body, but because they remind you that it’s important to take care of your body inside and out.
Do you have a brick and mortar location?
JB: We don’t have a brick and mortar location, and currently sell exclusively through our website www.cardeaauset.com. One of our short-term goals is to host a series of pop-up shops that would allow our customers to get a feel for the brand and experience Cardea AuSet in person.
How do you think astrology affects you as business partners?
JB: I’m not sure that it does, but we did decide to plan our launch during September’s New Moon. I’m a Gemini, so I always joke that there are two sides to me – perhaps that means that Cardea AuSet is actually made up of three people.
TW: I agree, we both understand the importance of astrology, but at the end of the day I think we are both very in tune with each-other and our strengths rather than our signs. I’m a Capricorn, meaning I’m business minded and busy busy busy!
How did you meet?
JB: We’ve always shared a close-knit friend-group. We met in high school, so we’ve been friends for more than a decade.
Can you describe your aesthetic?
JB: I would describe it as feminine and clean; we always add personal touches to everything we do.
TW: Feminine and Clean are the two words that immediately came to mind for myself and Jen when curating Cardea AuSet. We also wanted to convey that we are two young women who truly embody this brand. If we could say “keeping it real” is an aesthetic, then that’s up there too.
Where’s your favourite place to read your horoscope?
JB: I like to read it everywhere, I don’t have one faithful horoscope source, I want to see what all of the astrologists are saying and see if and how it fits what I’m experiencing at any given moment.
TW: I’ve always used Café Astrology or Astrostyle, but I always like to flip to the horoscope page in any of my favourite magazines. Lately, I’ve been putting reading my horoscope on the back burner to get more in tune with my intuition and feeling.
What are your favourite means/routes of mysticism? Tarot, Moon magic, Astrology – feel free to list others!
JB: I believe in spiritual intuition and laws of attraction. I’m always looking for indicators that I’m on the right path or that I’m where I should be. I picked up a set of Tarot Cards at a garage sale a few years ago, and I think it’s lots of fun to pull cards and read into them.
Taylor: I feel connected to Moon Magic, and this played a large role in the launch date for Cardea AuSet. We knew how important this New Moon was for new beginnings and lately, things seem to be working out without any conscious reasoning. It’s been a special feeling for the two of us.
