by AJANI with SARAH GERBER

Sarah Gerber is the co-founder and CEO of the non-profit, Zero Gap, focused on gender parity in workplace culture. She is also the founder and Executive Producer of Twenty Twenty Studios, a boutique production studio telling mission-driven stories. She has produced award-winning documentaries and traveled the world capturing compelling stories. Sarah is passionate about social and economic equity. She sits on the board of a non-profit focused on systemic economic empowerment in a rural Honduran community and previously was on the board for non-profit building schools in war-torn South Sudan. She is a Bay Area native and currently lives in Oakland with her husband, David.

What's the first beauty product you remember purchasing on your own?
Sarah: Honestly, I have no idea. I feel like I should have some sort of defining story, but I don't. It was probably lipgloss. It was the 90's.

Who was your beauty icon growing up?
Sarah: I didn't grow up with a lot pop culture at home, so nothing really comes to mind.

Do you wear makeup regularly? If so, how old were you when you started doing so?
Sarah: I didn't start really wearing makeup until I was at least 16. I remember my mom taking me to Macy's or some department store and getting my makeup down at the counter. I got some of my first "serious" beauty products then.

When did you first see yourself as beautiful?
Sarah: This is a great question, and honestly, I'm not sure. I think sometime around 8th or 9th grade when I started understanding the role of beauty in my life and its connection with being a woman.

Has your idea of beauty changed as you've gotten older?
Sarah: Absolutely! Most of my ideas around beauty now are about how I feel in my body and how I take care of it. I feel most beautiful when I am the best version of myself and I am deeply connected to the things I care most about.

What's the one product you can't live without?
Sarah: I recently added Biossance Squalane Oil to my routine and it is the one thing I make sure to apply. It make my skin feel fresh and hydrated, which makes me feel like I am taking care of my skin and being responsible. And it's easy to apply.

Please walk me through the products I'm looking at and describe what they do and how you were introduced to them. Please describe your morning and evening routine.

Sarah:

Day:

Wash with Saje Zen Clease (recommended by a friend)
Apply a thin layer of Biossance Squalane Oil (compelling Insta ad)
Apply layer of Perricone MD Photo Plasma for moisturizing and SPF (introduced to Perricone from a friend and first tried their on-site facials, which I recommend)
Add on a thin layer of Tarte Clay Foundation (recommendation from a friend)
Roller Lash masquera (my mom bought for my birthday a few years back and I've stuck with it)

Night:

Wash with Saje Zen Cleanse.
Sometime apply another layer of Biossance Squalane Oil
Apply a generous layer of Perricone Firm Moiturizer
Perricone Cold Plasma Eye cream (when I am in a responsible mood)

Which product have you been using the longest? When did you start using it?
Sarah: I think I've been using the foundation or the mascara the longest. I have a very simple makeup routine and those two have been great for me. I started using both of them 2-3 years ago.

Behind the Routine with Sarah Gerber