I’ve known Jessie for a few years via the blogosphere, and it’s no surprise that the first thing I noticed was her ridiculously cool style. But as I’ve watched her career blossom and audience grow, my admiration for her has as well. Jessie breaks the mold of a typical fashion and lifestyle blogger by delving into issues on her site like the challenges of marriage and women doing inspiring things (with plenty of great outfits thrown in, of course.) Speaking of which, we’re loving her Pepper Dress which is on pre-order now.
As she says in her mission statement, “Jessie believes that confidence is found by seeking truth, and she loves sharing this message by encouraging others to embrace the best possible version of themselves.” We had a feeling that this inspiring gal starts the day with equal parts warmth and high style, and turns out we were right. Keep scrolling for Jessie’s must-have undereye concealer, unconventional breakfast, and healthy morning habits.
*photos by Heather Kincaid
What time is your wake up call?
Usually around 6:15 or 6:30 AM, and sometimes much earlier if my husband is clanking around the kitchen while he gets ready for his own day!
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
I always start by reading my daily devotional while I drink a big glass of water that I keep on my nightstand. I started this habit several years ago and won’t let myself do anything else before either of those things. Now it’s clear to see that they both set me up for a good day both physically and spiritually.
After this, I do a morning pages practice in my journal and then usually read one chapter of whatever book I’m into at the moment. One thing that I am so firm about is refusing to look at anything on my phone until I officially start my work day a bit later. This has brought me so much joy.
What wakes you up each day?
Gerard is my human alarm clock and our sweet rescue pup Sadie is the very trusty snooze button. We actually have had this wake up method cause a bit of conflict between us over the last 10 years, and even recorded an entire episode of our podcast about it!
Early bird or night owl?
I love mornings so much. I usually try to get at least six hours of sleep, but lately it has been very difficult to get to bed at a reasonable hour. My husband travels every week for work, and then launching Season has taken over all of the waking hours that I can possibly squeeze in. The only good thing about staying up super late is that I sleep a lot harder because I’m so tired.
What do you eat for breakfast?
I’m doing intermittent fasting at the moment, so breakfast is strong black coffee with coconut creamer, collagen, coconut oil, cinnamon, and monk fruit sweetener. There’s usually a second cup (of decaf!) midmorning, and I drink a ton of water until eating a big lunch later in the day.
Any morning media rituals?
I always catch the morning headlines on the Today Show at 7 AM, and then usually have it on quietly in the background. Lately I’ve been loving the Up First podcast (a new one from NPR featuring 10 minutes of headlines), and that has quickly become my midmorning dog walking soundtrack.
I’m a huge news media junkie and have to exert a lot of self control to not have the TV or radio on for more of the day than I already do. Two other notables: Seth Godin’s daily blog post gets delivered to my inbox, so I usually start with that when I sit down at my desk, and then I have dozens and dozens of podcasts queued up and waiting for me while I head to the beach for my workout around 11 AM.
What’s your favorite getting ready soundtrack?
It depends on where I’m going, but the RENT movie soundtrack always gets me feeling ready for a night out on the town. Probably left over muscle memory from when we used to blast it while getting ready with friends during my college days.
Do you workout in the morning?
I usually workout in the middle of the day because I find that I’m most productive if I get a lot of work done throughout the morning hours. I love to run and usually get in a few miles four to five times per week. I use pilates and spin class to cross train in between. Occasionally I’ll hop into a hot yoga class if I’m traveling, and I just started training for a triathlon this month so I’ll need to start swimming when it warms up.
Do you stick to the same hair and makeup routine or do you like to experiment?
I love having an excuse to switch things up, but ever since we moved to the beach from NYC in 2015, I’ve notice that keeping things simple seems to free up my mind and time for other things. Most people here embrace the easy-going Southern California look, and I’m a firm believer that wearing less makeup keeps your skin looking younger.
If you could only put on one item of makeup, what would it be?
I spent years searching for the perfect concealer for my very dark under eye circles and finally landed on a brand that I’m absolutely obsessed with. RMS un-concealer has totally changed the game for me, and as someone who receives tons of free beauty products, this is one that I’ve enthusiastically repurchased as my all-time fave.
Do you have a signature scent?
I have a peppery, musky essential oil blend that I dab on my wrists. Our signature home scent is the frankincense and myrrh room spray from Indigo Wild. Everyone who comes over seems to ask about it. I spritz it right onto our clean linens.
Do you shower in the morning or at night?
Midday after my workout. We don’t have air conditioning here at the beach, so sometimes I take another one to cool down before bed.
Describe your getting ready routine from start to finish.
I usually finish my workout around noon or 1 PM, and then start the process. Depending on what my schedule looks like, this could mean throwing on leggings and my chambray shirt to sit down at my desk for designing or mentoring calls, or throwing on one of my signature dresses for errands and meetings.
After hopping out of the shower, I can be ready in ten minutes. I slather on some body oil before toweling off and then apply face serum and pluck any stray brow hairs while waiting for everything to soak in. I only wash my hair once every 7-10 days, so if I’m attending an event I’ll add a few waves with a curling iron or put it in a low side bun if I’m planning to work most of the day.
Healthiest morning habit and worst morning habit?
Healthiest: Stretching on the floor while I snuggle with Sadie and listen to the news.
Worst: Rushing through my quiet time in order to get to my work day sooner.
If you had one extra hour every morning, how would you use it?
If I couldn’t apply it towards sleep, I would probably say reading a novel or looking for inspiration online. Snuggling with my husband would be on that list too. I’m feeling very blessed to realize that this is what many of our Sunday mornings look like.
Do you plan your outfits in advance or create them on the fly?
I actually love to plan my outfits in advance, but don’t typically take the time to do it unless it’s for a trip I’m taking. We’re on the road a lot and I always love letting the destination, climate, and social arrangements be huge inspirations for what I put together.
What’s your daily uniform?
Lately, it’s been any one of our Season samples. I’m wearing and documenting our one silhouette for 30 days straight, but it’s not that hard because I wore the prototype a few days a week before starting the challenge!
I’ll never leave the house without _____.
My nails painted.
One word to describe your mornings:
I love the early light in our house and the way our neighbors all wave to each other over our coffee mugs from across the street. For this season of my life, I’d have to say the mornings around here are pretty sunny.
