SARAH MIRSINI
FGI Rising Star Beauty Entrepreneur Finalist 2024
www.maskskincare.com
Sarah Mirsini is a certified holistic wellness coach, natural product formulator, and the founder of MĀSK Skincare. As an adult, Sarah embarked on a years-long journey to improve her health and sought healing through integrative medicine. In 2018, she became certified in medical marijuana licensing. Today, Sarah’s comprehensive knowledge of cannabinoids and other non-toxic plant ingredients is evident in every natural formula she creates for MĀSK Skincare.
Q and A with FGI President and CEO, Maryanne Grisz
What city were you born in?
I was born in Aalesund, Norway. My mother is Norwegian and my father is Greek, and we moved to Greece when I was 3 weeks old to an Island called Skiathos.
What is your star sign?
My sun is Taurus, my Moon is Gemini, and my rising is Virgo. I like all three to define me, and not just my sun sign.
What were you obsessed with when you were a child?
I have always been obsessed with plants, flowers and the mystics. But I was also very much obsessed with Elvis Presley from a very young age. I think it was because my grandfather would always sing his songs to me.
What do you value most in a friendship?
Non-judgement. I think friendships should be a safe space to be yourself completely, and to trust one another. If you’re having a bad day that’s ok, or if you disagree with something that’s ok too. I have been in enough friendships where I would always aim to please the other person, and I am not doing that anymore.
What’s your proudest moment?
My proudest moment is definitely launching my own skincare line. I built everything myself, from scratch, and I’ve worked so hard for this. I don’t whitelabel any formulations, and I have developed every single sku from research and testing myself. Being a solo-entrepreneur has been challenging, but it’s so worth it to me.
What’s the best part of your job?
Being able to do what I love. And also helping people heal their skin in a natural and holistic way.
What’s your biggest fear?
That anything will happen with the people I love. I keep my circle close, and I am a very private person, so I cherish my family and friends so much.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?
I was so fortunate to grow up with my Greek grandmother who loved to cook. So every single day she would make these incredible dishes using produce and herbs from her garden. Homemade food, made with love, is the way to my heart.
What’s next for you in your career?
I want to move MĀSK Skincare even more into the holistic and healing space, we have been going that direction gradually for the past year and I feel it’s time to pull the plug. Perhaps by the time you are reading this we have already made the transition.
What’s the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
I laugh out loud every single day. Mostly of my dogs because they just bring me so much joy, and their personalities are the best.
Who or what in your life brings you the most joy?
My family and friends. Without good relationships, what’s the point? I have never cared about materialistic things, so safety and love is what matters to me.
How do you spend your day, or what does an ordinary day look like for you?
I usually wake up around 6:30, do my meditation, take my supplements and then take my dogs out for a long walk. My work day starts around 9:30, which is then I will have breakfast and I work until about 2pm. I take another break with movement, usually again with my dogs or yoga. Then I get back for a couple of hours either packing orders or doing emails/calls. We always end our day with a hike and then make dinner before having tea and then watch a good show. I am such a homebody.
What approach would you take differently if you had to build a business from scratch today?
I would take my time really deciding my next step. Everything happened so fast in the beginning that I really didn’t feel I had a lot of time to reflect over business decisions, and I have definitely learned some lessons along the way.
What is your favorite quote of all time, and why?
“She believed she could, so she did.” Because if you really put your mind to something, no one can stop you. Only you can get in your way.
What book/s will you recommend that everyone should read once in their lives?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Nikki Brammer.
I am in a Book Club so I read a lot, there are probably a dozen more I could recommend.
How do you maintain a work-life balance?
I used to be REALLY bad at that. But one day I was so sick of being stressed and miserable so I decided enough was enough. For me I’ve always had a hard time setting boundaries, but the past year I have been getting better and it has changed my life.
What are the biggest challenges you faced in your career and how did you handle them?
Being a company that has the component of CBD in their formula has been, and still is, challenging. I face hurdles and pushback every day, and if I had a $1 for every time someone said “just remove it from your formula and things will be easier.” But I would be compromising my brand and my belief system. To me, transparency and integrity is far more important. I will stick to my decision, because I so profoundly believe in this
What is the best advice someone ever gave you?
My mother said once, “you can never understand something that you are not”, and this has stuck with me ever since.
Who inspires you the most and why?
My mother. She became a full-time single mom at a young age, and my brother is also Autistic and has special needs. But she never once complained, and she had a full time job and we never lacked anything growing up. I don’t know how she did this, but I still believe to this day she is magical.
What’s the next thing you’re going to do in life?
Work on my growth. Both personal and business wise.
