About Us

Taking care of our skin is an act of self-love. The daily ritual of applying a moisturizer to each curve and line is not only sacred and takes time, but is a woman’s moment to literally be “in touch” with herself. As women, we communicate with our appearance -skin - just as much as we do with our eyes, words, and body language. So, what do you do when the skin care product that has become part of you is discontinued? I found myself in this very position and found no other way but to create my own.

I was devastated!
Several years ago, I visited a small shop in Washington, DC that sold the most enticing body butters. It had the kind of scents that forced strangers to pay compliments. I was drawn to it because of the way it lifted my mood as it softened and moisturized my skin. Purchasing multiple jars of this body butter became part of my routine when visiting DC.

As luck would have it, during a holiday trip to the Nation’s Capital in 2013, I made my usual visit to the shop and found myself victim to “ improvements” made to the shop’s inventory. The body butter I loved so much, had been discontinued. I was devastated!

The struggle was real!
I tried to recover by searching, frantically, for a replacement, but to no avail, I was back at square one: ashy, dry-skinned, scentless, and full of attitude.
See, it’s difficult to find a mass market skin product that feels customized. Moisturizers are either too thin, too thick, too flowery, have too many chemicals , or have you smelling like a wall plug-in.

The engineer in me wasn’t having it! Eventually inspiration took over. Those of you who know me, know that I love creating things I enjoy. If I taste something I love at a restaurant, expect to be served my personal rendition of it, next time you visit me. You guessed it, I couldn’t find my moisturizer, therefore, I had to create my own. I wanted something that reflected me and my values: something that was light, natural, and with a grown woman’s scent. I wanted to use rich oils, create intoxicating fragrances with pure ingredients.

Word Got Out.
I shared my first batch with a few friends who, not surprisingly, shared it with a few of their friends. It wasn’t long before requests started pouring in! To my surprise, the demand came from beyond my circle. In my personal quest to remain ash-less, I had not considered how many other women were starved for easy and effective skin hydration. I suddenly realized that my homemade scented shea butter was something special.

ElleVie to the Rescue!
ElleVie’s butters, scrubs and body oils are strictly made with quality ingredients. Like any woman who knows her worth, I expect nothing but the best for myself. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to me that I excel even beyond my engineering skills when making skin products for you. I create from a place of expected excellence by pouring my very essence, my soul, in each of these jars and containers. My mission is for even the most fragile of skin types to absorb the ElleVie line with soothing results. My vision is to eradicate global ashiness! These products are specifically designed with you and your daily ritual in mind: for you to practice being good to yourself, daily. Trust ElleVie to care for you like your homegirl, who won’t let you step out of the house ashy!

Lavida is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully lead several businesses. She established the ElleVie Body Butter brand in 2014 in response to a need. Lavida is dedicated to women’s wellbeing and ensures her products reflect the level of excellence she upholds daily.