by Hanna Johnson
Lisa C. Alexander is the Founder and CEO of LAFACE LABORATORIES INC. This company is committed to offering the most revolutionary, sophisticated and cutting edge, organic and natural skincare products to its clients.
From a fifth generation agricultural family long engrained in the history of California, Ms. Alexander is an expert in green design, organic products, sustainable businesses and day-to-day green living.
As a life long entrepreneur, her unwavering commitment to having a balanced living in all aspects, has given commencement to the creation of LAFACE LABORATORIES INC.
1. What was the best decision you made in your life?
Coming from a marvelous yet extremely conservative family, the traditional route was always encouraged. For reasons unknown even to myself, I found that forging my own path was the way I had to do things. I believe in taking chances. With enough experience, one finds these chances become experiences of knowledge that prepare you for the next step. Yes, we make mistakes, but it is how one handles them that reveals your true character. So it has never been a singular decision that influenced my life, but rather a perpetual determination to make it on my own terms.
2. What are your most memorable travel moments?
The more you travel, the more you become aware of how many places you have not yet been. I have lived in Switzerland, London, New York, Texas, and San Francisco, but there are some trips that have provided unforgettable memories to me.
Being driven in a car in the middle of the rainforest in India and thinking….”No one knows where I am.” Ballooning over the Swiss Alps and going off track and being literally dumped in an apricot orchard. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro’s, Western Bridge (which is now closed) with my best friend. Summertime in Venice, taking a gondola from Ciprianis’ to Harrys’ Bar. Lake Como Villa d’Este. Monte Carlo Spa Thermes Marins, Scuba diving in Thailand……… Lake Maggiore with my mother. These experiences hold a special place in my heart. ….
3. What was the worst travel experience you had?
I was modeling in Italy when I was rather young. I took a trip to Elba before my contract started and stayed with some “friends”. I had all my traveler’s checks and cash stolen from my bag at a tennis club and had to get off the island. I had a nun take me to the heli pad and got back to the mainland without any money. I think the pilot felt sorry for me. I was young, and I had a travel credit that I was forced to rush to redeem and so I chose Cancun. It was the year they had the largest hurricane in who knows how long and 24 hours after I arrived found myself on the last flight out to Miami. I do not know if it was Cancun or the rush to leave which was worse :)
4. What have you learned about yourself through traveling?
I think the key to getting the most out of travel is to always have an open mind and to be respectful and non-judgmental toward the culture in which you find yourself. I have an insatiable curiosity. Perhaps it was being raised on a ranch that made me wonder about the rest of the world and fueled my desire to travel and live in different places. Whatever the reason, I am thankful for it.
5. If you could choose your ultimate travel companion, living or dead, real or imaginary, who would it be?
I supposed it would be the love of my life….. however I don’t believe we have been introduced yet. After that, my mother, Catherine Alexander. She was always so enthusiastic and fun and embraced whatever adventure we were embarking on with a beautiful smile.
I will never forget picking her up at the airport in Geneva when she was 75-years-old, and bringing her straight for an 18 kilometer walk through the wine hills of Switzerland. We stopped every hour or so and had a half carafe of the wineries pride and a bit of their handmade cheese. Needless to say, it was a marvelously crooked walk back to Lausanne.
6. What moment in your life did you feel the most alive?
I spent 6 weeks in a Spa retreat in Kerala that was affiliated with the oldest Ayurveda hospital in India. This extreme approach to a healthful lifestyle was extremely influential to me.
7. If money and time were no object, where on earth would you go?
I find the hardest thing to come by is time, so if I were to indulge I would want it to satisfy many voids……
I would like to go to an intense health spa/retreat in India or South America for 6 weeks alone, then onto Monte Carlo Spa Thermes Marins for pampering for a week or so, then a tour of the lakes I love….Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, then to Cliveden House in the Berkshires where I would have it filled with friends and family until people had to go home.
8. Why did you start LaFace?
I’ve used every single product available on the market. I couldn’t find anything that worked. I don’t believe in using synthetic ingredients, but there wasn’t anything in the world of organic, natural products that was sophisticated enough. After much research I realized that most companies use false claims to entice people to buy their brand. To me this was unacceptable. This void of integrity and honesty in the market was the driving force in creating LAFACE skincare. Our scientific team, backed by 47 years of experience, is dedicated to producing unparalleled quality in the natural and organic skincare arena. We are constantly pushing the envelope.
9. And finally a word from our Featured Diva, you in your own words- give us a stirring, Diva-worthy battle cry for women everywhere to hear!
If you shoot enough arrows into the sky, you are bound to hit something :) Also, believe in yourself and expect nothing; it’s your hard work, and that alone, that will take you where you need to go.
