Your Cart is Empty
She's A Sabbatical Beauty: Amy HornburgHeilveil
Amy is one of our most beloved community members. We're honored to kick off the "She's A Sabbatical Beauty" Series with Amy!!
Tell us about you!
I currently teach in the communications department at a small college in upstate New York and sometimes step in as a house mother for a sorority at Syracuse University. I grew up in Michigan and met my husband when we were undergrads at the University of Michigan. He is a professor in biology at the same college where I teach. He has a tenured job and is a full professor; I’m an adjunct. We’ve been married for 15 years; he is my soul. I have a daughter who is fantastic and 10 years old (she also loves SB), she is my heart. I coach synchronized swimming and I officiate at (racing) swim meets. Additionally, I am an artist, specializing in documents in the style of manuscripts pre-1650 CE. I like to grind my own paints from earth, plants and minerals for the most vibrant colors and I love working with gold leaf in my pieces. I am a terrible housekeeper but a damned fine baker. I have a constant supply of snarky and sarcastic remarks, which I am liable to share and spread at a moment’s notice. I am not the most predictable of people but I am honest, fair, truthful, and loyal. I enjoy being the wild card, but I am also very much an introvert who would like nothing better than to be left alone with a hammock, sipping a glass of wine or Earl Gray, and reading a book (after I’ve done my Sabbatical Beauty routine for the day).
What makes you angry?
People who act entitled and treat others as if they are unworthy or low. People who talk down to others and demean the opinions and thoughts of others (often without hearing the entire position of the person). I guess this would boil down to mean, petty people.
What makes you happy?
Earl Gray Tea, good books, flower gardens, hammocks, laughter, good friends, being appreciated… a lot of things really. Most of the things that make me happiest are very simple. Getting time to myself to do my Sabbatical Beauty routine in the morning and evening. A dish of Rocky Road ice cream, cuddling with my daughter, my husband whispering that he loves me in my ear, falling asleep to the sound of waves; these are all things that make for a good life. Peace and quiet time to myself is something that I find revives me, makes me happy, and makes me a better person. I can sit and read a book for hours with no interruptions and be fully content. The same goes for walking, smelling roses or peonies or even just holding my husband’s hand while we sing lullabies to our daughter at bedtime; the little things add up to make the big project that is life. When I find happiness in the little things, it makes the big picture of my life much better.
What’s your desert island SB product, and why?
After Sun, (desert, right?) My skin is very thin and very pale. It takes a very short amount of time for me to burn redder than a lobster. While there are other products that I would love to have, I think that After Sun would be the one I use most in that situation, because of its multiple benefits. Besides helping my sunburn,it is hydrating and nourishing. It also works well to reduce the itching of insect bites (I’ve found) and knowing my luck, there would be sand mites on any desert island where I was stuck.It also doesn’t hurt that the scent of it is marvelous! I would, however, cry large buckets of tears to not have Dorian Gray (and a number of other SB products) with me.
If you were an SB product, which product would you be, and why?
I’m a combination of many SB products because I have a lot of facets as a person.
For the teacher/professor self, I would say the Sake Kasu Mask. I can be a bit abrasive and sting at first, but the students settle in reasonably quickly. I'm around for a long time, sometimes longer than expected and sometimes students can't take me so they go quicker. Generally, by the time I'm finished, what remains is bright and clear, though perhaps a little dry and in need of something to continue (in schoolwork/ move on to a serum).
For the wife self, I'm Detox. I clean out so much stuff, I take in so much stuff and I'm good while I do it, though I may not be as pretty as I'd like sometimes (She-Hulk anyone?). The mixture is a bit of everything. The results are smooth, nourishing, and it all comes away better than it was, lighter, brighter and refreshed.
My mom self is kinda Bethany and Lavender Bath Butter. Bethany for the times I have to be tough and work through things with my daughter but I get good results and she knows it's for her benefit, even if it can be irritating and messy. There are times that I have to pull things out so that she can see them more clearly. Plus, there are times when I'm a little flakey too. Lavender Bath Butter because I am fun and bubbly. I am soothing and relaxing. I am calming and helpful. I'm not always what she thinks she needs, but I'm always here when she does need or want me. According to her, I can make everything better.
For the daughter self, I would have to say Kelp & Green Tea Mask. Doesn't look or act as one thinks it will when you open it. Completely unsure if it's safe or good and you can certainly tell when it's visited. The effects are undeniable and pleasant, yet you're not sure how they happened. When you're done, you know it was worthwhile but aren't really positive that you want to do it again the next time you think of it because it was more than you expected on the surface and it makes big changes. My mom is still trying to figure me out.
For the synchronized swim coach self, I’m Dorian Gray Beauty Oil. I would have said a mixture of Dorian Gray and the now retired Blush Oil, but Dorian Gray Beauty Oil is both of those products in one. I am energetic. I smooth the wrinkles and fill in the gaps that happen. I appear soft but there is a strength in me that comes through over time and is appreciated like no other. I work hard to make it seem effortless and I make my students do the same.
For the artistic self, I’m Ekaterina Cream. There are a lot of levels and much complexity. Even I don’t always know from where it all begins or comes from, but every piece in it is vital and nourishing. There is a level of expense and flash that just sing to me and through me and my work shines brighter for it. I can be silk-smooth and get more done than anyone expects in a short time and it will come out bright, robust, and illuminated. At the end of it all, the work is finished, bright, and stunning; glinting with gold and panache.
What is your favorite thing about your skin?
I have grown to love it’s translucence and the blinding whiteness of it (German and Dutch heritage). Honestly, you can see the veins just beneath my skin all over my body. I used to despise it (3rd degree burns once because I tried to lay out and get a suntan) and there are still times that I struggle with it but I’ve learned how to pamper my skin and not abuse it. Sabbatical Beauty has been key in this for me, particularly for my face and neck. With SB, I’ve been able to balance my skin tone, reduce to nearly never the number of breakouts I have, and tighten up my slowly beginning to sag neck. Glow has gone a long way to help lighten some patches on my face, chest, and hands. I hadn’t had any skin regimen or routine in decades before I found SB. I now treasure the time I spend taking care of my skin and my skin is responding very well. I get compliments on how fresh and youthful my face looks, on how I’ve lost the dark circles under my eyes, how my hands are so soft (because let's face it, the hands get all the products every time you use them). It’s good to stand out as the porcelain beauty in a town full of college students who hit the tanning beds. After all, skin is the largest organ of the body and, to varying degrees, it is exposed most of the time. Pampering it and doing good maintenance is just in my best interest since I plan to be around a long time and look good in my blindingly white, vein showing skin