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For all of its wonders, retinol sure can be irritating, especially when opting for prescription strength retinoids. While 'Retinol' has a reputation for being a 'fountain of youth', it's also known to be aggravating, especially for sensitive or sensitized skin. Even with all of the data, research and articles, Vitamin A products are still widely misunderstood. Let’s break it down. 

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that helps protect the skin and is essential for improving cellular turnover which slows down as we age. It stimulates collagen production and in effect, exfoliates the outer layer of skin to help improve tone, texture, pigmentation and reduce breakouts. Retinol use is not just for older people, it's beneficial to use even in your twenties!

One of the confusing aspects of Vitamin A products is knowing the difference between prescription retinoids and an over the counter option. Prescription retinoids such as tretinoin are the most powerful Vitamin A options and require a trip to the dermatologist. They are more powerful and faster-acting than OTC retinol products but are not formulated with any buffering or nurturing ingredients. So while they are stronger, the downside is that there will be a period where the skin may burn and be red, dry, tight, flaky and usually broken out. Unfortunately, this period can be so challenging, it often leads to discontinuing its use, even after paying for an office visit and prescription.

With retinol products, our body converts the Vitamin A into retinoic acid, so it does work more slowly than prescription retinoids. We view this as a positive because even though it may take longer, you’ll be more apt to stick with it because the downsides are minimized. 

It’s All In The Formulation

This is where the retinol formulation really comes into play. Since we know that prescription strength (and even strong OTC) options can be irritating, formulating with nurturing and soothing ingredients is a key to succeeding with retinol. When we set out to formulate our Triple Active Reclaiming Serum, the main goal was to ensure its effectiveness for all skin types–especially sensitive skin. It had to deliver all of the proven benefits of retinol (collagen and elastin building, wrinkle smoothing, spot fading, acne fighting) without all the irritation that prompts people to quit using it before they can see the benefits. We added a clinical level of Niacinamide (strengthens skin, reduces redness, inflammation and collagen breakdown) and Vitamin C (to maximize and stabilize the benefits of retinol) along with Gorgonian Extract (a natural and renewable marine organism that’s clinically proven in the care of sensitive and sensitized skin to help repair compromised skin, address signs of aging, reduce inflammation and protect skin from irritation) along with a touch of lactic acid for an instant glow and aloe, sodium PCA and other nurturing ingredients for barrier protection.

After over a year in development and trials, we opted for a very specific type of retinol called  RetiSTAR®. It is a sophisticated stabilized retinol that is highly effective for the care of aging skin and prevention of photo-aging. Most signs of skin aging – wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, loss in elasticity – are avoidable. They are almost entirely the result of the way we live and the environment we live in. Retinol use improves barrier function and helps retain skin moisture and has a normalizing effect on skin pigmentation. Retinol not only improves the appearance of existing wrinkles, it also helps to prevent wrinkles. 

Getting Started

When? Use in the evenings starting with two or three times a week and increasing frequency as your skin adjusts.

How? Apply one or two pumps on dry, cleansed skin. Follow with Moisture Renew Cream to lock in moisture. Be sure to use SPF during the day.

Most dermatologists agree that Vitamin A products should not be used while pregnant or nursing. There are some that believe that the concentrations in OTC products are not a problem, but we recommend consulting with your doctor.

Triple Active Reclaiming Serum

Retinol Regimen

Focus Kit

Deluxe Retinol Regimen (+ watch January's How-To's!)

Health and beauty are the moving forces behind January Labs so it is no surprise that when I learned about Melissa Wood I was thrilled to have a chance to speak with her. In an age where balance can feel seemingly impossible, there is a noticeable shift and an impressive can-do attitude when looking at (and getting to know) Melissa Wood. As a model turned certified health and wellness coach and new mother, the wide range of insight that poured out from this powerhouse of a woman felt natural, inspiring and incredibly sincere.

And while it’s clear Melissa’s mark into what feels like a lifestyle based on overall wellness, her mission has undoubtedly affected anyone who has come across her and her platform. Just hearing from her, one get’s the notion, nothing is impossible if you are connected to your truest self, which is your best self.

Below, learn even more as she shares with us some of her beauty must-haves, personal and professional inspirations in her life and how overall, she established space for women seeking to live their best and most whole lives and more importantly, how she equips such a mindset.

January Olds: How would you describe your style?

Melissa Wood: I would describe my style as sophisticated but comfy. In everything I wear, I always try to find comfort while looking put together.

JO: Do you have any daily rituals that you can't live without?

MW: Absolutely. 
- Reminding myself of what I'm grateful for in the morning 
- Reading my lesson in A Course In Miracles daily
- Meditation 
- Mornings with my kids 

JO: What are your must-have beauty products?

MW:I am a beauty product junkie. I moved to New York as a makeup artist and if you saw my bathroom, you would see there is no shortage of beauty products. I've been using your Daily Brightening Tonic for two months now and I couldn't imagine my life without this now. I turned my team on to this and they both love it. I use RMS Beauty products. I love the creamy, natural look that RMS Beauty gives. I also live for a really good mascara-- I love Dior Show. 

JO: What is your go-to workout?

MW: My go-to workout style is a yoga/ pilates style sequencing that I share on my Fitner App channel.



JO: You are literally the picture of health....what lead you to this line of work?

MW: That is so sweet- thank you so much. That means a lot to me. What lead me to this line of work was feeling the complete opposite of this almost all of my life. From struggling with acne, anxiety and an eating disorder, I finally decided to take a deeper look inside to see what was really going on with me.
 
JO: What has been the most exciting part of your career so far?

MW: Reading all the messages and feedback everyone gives me is by far the most exciting part. I literally cry reading some of the messages I receive about helping people change their life. I am constantly moved by the kindness people share both on my Instagram and especially with the re-launch of my website. 

JO: Who has been most inspirational to you in your work and life?

MW: My husband has really inspired me to get clear with myself and to spend less time talking about what I want to do, and more time doing it. I also don't go a week without either watching one of Marianne Williamson's lectures or reading from her books. She is a constant life inspiration for me. 

JO: What advice would you give to other women you wish someone would have told you?

MW: Spend less time going with the flow of the crowd, focus less on doing things just because your friends are. Try to avoid things that don't bring you pure joy and happiness. Simply put, be your own person.

When we encounter women who’ve succeeded in establishing a career they are proud to call their own, we want to know more. When we meet women who’ve created a life around two different paths—and successfully, we are in awe and need to know more.

Michele Ouellet is a model turned winemaker and when she is not found gracing the pages of J.Crew and Madewell, she is running a wine business—also known as Lorenza Wine Company with her business partner (and mom) up in Northern California. This Napa Valley native shares with us what it looks like to merge two artful passions into one very fascinating (and busy) life.

January Olds: How would you describe your personal style?

Michele Ouellet: Always changing. Rock n roll, 70s tomboy, sporty, classic, girly. I'm Gemini so you never know what you gonna get!

JO: What is a daily ritual that you can't live without?

MO: Moisturizing!!!

JO: What are your must-have beauty products you keep on hand?

MO: January Labs Moisture Balancing Lotion is my newest and most favorite discovery lately! I love Clarins beauty balm for under eyes and glossier boy brow for a really low maintenance everyday look.

JO: Describe something you find beautiful.

MO: I'm so in love with nature. I love greenery of all kind. Succulents, palms, moss, ferns, weeping willows. Rainbows make me outrageously excited.

JO: What is the last city you visited that fascinated you?

MO: Siena! It's a gorgeous ancient Italian city with amazing churches. One even has the real head of St. Catherine enshrined. Each neighborhood there is signified by a different animal like dragons, panthers, unicorns etc! They have the famous Palio horse race there where the different neighborhoods race against each other.

JO: Do you live by any rules?

MO: I'm all about the power of positivity so as a rule I try to see the best of all situations.

JO: Do you have a personal mantra? If so, what is it?

MO: Stay fresh, be kind, keep learning, follow your heart and speak your truth!

JO: Most people would be surprised to know that ......

MO: I get my best ideas on the plane.



JO: What has been the most exciting part of your career so far?

MO: Launching Lorenza Rosé and watching it grow into a thriving business with a life of its own!

JO: As a woman who has achieved so much, how important has the support of other women been to your career?

MO: My mom has played a huge part in supporting me in all my ventures. And when we started Lorenza together that has gone to the next level! I work with so many incredible women in both of my careers

JO: Who has been most inspirational to you in your work and life?

MO: I have amazing strong women in my family who I am very close to. They inspire me to operate on a high level and to go for anything I want to achieve.

JO: What advice would you give to other women you wish someone would have told you?

MO: I think I actually took too much advice from people when I was younger. My advice to other women is to listen to yourself! Trust your gut, no one knows better.

JO: What is the biggest similarity between fashion and wine to you?

MO: Both fashion and wine have the ability to elevate an experience. They can both be basic and generic or transcend to a work of art that inspires and excites. Of course I'm more interested in the latter!

JO: When did you first realize the art of wine impacted you?

MO: Growing up in Napa, wine has always been a presence in my life. Something I took for granted at one point. Now it's something to learn about, explore and enjoy for the rest of my life! Working on Lorenza Rosé for the past 9 years has been a huge learning experience and I've grown up along with the brand. So grateful for the opportunity to work with such a beautiful medium.

With the busyness that can surround our days, health and wellness can sometimes feel difficult to prioritize and can be sacrificed due to our limited time and need for convenience. Fortunately what started as a light-bulb idea in 2011 for dancer turned entrepreneur Payal Kadakia in wanting to make exercise easy and accessible, has transformed into becoming one of the most influential businesses surrounding fitness today. We are talking about ClassPass: the startup that changed our outlook on working out.  

Kadakia, currently serves as both Founder and as the Executive Chairman of this nearly half a billion dollar company. And as a family-centered, boss lady and once avid world-class dancer of a woman, Kadakia not only has shifted what feels like every millennial's lifestyle around fitness, she impressively exudes an overall passion for life beyond business. We got the chance to learn more about Kadakia and what it looks like for her to be fully be in.

Tell us, what is your daily ritual you can’t live without?

Drinking my green tea. I especially love the Ginger Lemon Green tea from Kusmi.


How do you balance work life and life-life?

I’ve used goal setting as a way to keep myself organized for years now. It helps me keep things in balance, especially when life and work get really busy.


What’s your biggest source of happiness?

I have a few. The people in my life and dance are both really important to me -- they bring me happiness in different ways. I also love helping other people live their best lives, that’s one of the biggest reasons I started ClassPass! I get so much out of helping other people achieve their goals.  


Describe your perfect way to spend a free day:

If it’s a more typical free day, I love to work out, get some sun, enjoy a nice dinner with friends and family. But I’d also have to work at least a little, I really enjoy it! It helps my day feel complete.  If it’s an actual vacation day though, I’d go to Disney World or Disneyland. I love a good amusement park day!


What makes you feel beautiful?

Dancing. My dance company Sa Dance had a show in New York a few weeks ago, and I felt like I was glowing for three days afterward!

Current top three go-to beauty products right now?

January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist, BECCA Champagne Pop Skin Perfector, and Honest Company Conditioning Detangler.


Words to live by:

Your greatest life is on the other side of your greatest fear.


What was the most prominent reason for launching something like ClassPass?

I wanted to help others find what I found in dance. If ClassPass can help someone find their passion and keep at it, then I feel like I’ve succeeded.


What was the best business advice you’ve received and from whom?

My father said, “The only thing constant is change.”  So, you have to learn to be adaptable and flexible. I revisit this advice in my personal and professional life all the time. It’s important to set goals but when you need to or you decide to, you can change them.


If you had to give your own, what would you advise to a budding entrepreneur?

Trust your instincts and get going!


As a woman who has achieved so much, how important has the support of other women been to your career?

It’s been paramount. My friends and the women I’ve surrounded myself with are all brave and amazing achievers that inspire me every day.


Who would you say is an inspirational mentor in your life?

Anjula Acharia. Anjula’s an entrepreneur, tech investor, and philanthropist and she’s one of my biggest role models. She’s so inspirational to me personally, because she is a South Asian woman who knew what she wanted and went after it fully.  Her mentorship has helped me carve my own path.


What’s next?

Continuing to make the world an active place!

Great risk comes with great reward. And while most would simply acknowledge this as a bold statement, Sadie Lincoln embodies it as a posture and wholeheartedly. What started off as a difficult decision in starting a business between her and husband, turned into a transformative investment that quickly shaped the way a culture of healthy exercisers viewed the lifestyle around fitness. What Lincoln thrives in surpasses simply the success behind a business and goes beyond into a philosophy of living life well. Best known as the face and founder of Barre3, we had the chance got to delve in deeper to learn Sadie’s story a bit more, the relationship she has with both sacrifice and success and what beauty and health really mean to her.

January Olds: What did sacrifice look like to you before success? What does it look like now?

Sadie Lincoln: I took the liberty of defining success as starting my company, barre3. Sacrifice before B3:  Giving up time with my family and friends in place of long work hours and too much time commuting in the Bay Area. Sacrifice now:  Letting go of some of my privacy and becoming more vulnerable as a public facing leader of my company. 

JO: Being rooted in such a thriving company circled around health and wellness, what is your philosophy of living well? 

SL: My philosophy of living well is living with purpose and a constant love of learning.

JO: What was your first memory of when you realized health was something important to you--or even enjoyable for you?

SL: When I was pregnant with my first child I realized how important living an intuitive life to be healthy.  When I was pregnant I gave up all exercise programs and diets and just focused in on what my body and baby needed.  I think the real way to be healthy is to honor what I need in each moment and remind myself that I am my own best teacher.  My relationship to healthy behavior is way more important than copying what other people do to be healthy.  I've learned to move in an intuitive way that feels good in my body, to eat in an intuitive way that is deeply satisfying and nourishing, and to honor exactly what kind of energy I need at any given moment.  Sometimes I want to blow off steam and run hard up a mountain. Other times I need to sit silently, take a barre3 class, or even just drink a massive glass of wine with good friends.

JO: “Wholeness” is important in general, but in your field of work do you find a pressure in maintaining a someone “put-together” persona?

SL: The short answer is YES.  The long answer is that I think we all feel this pressure.  How could we not?  We are bombarded with ridiculous ideas around what being successful looks like every single day.  The real work is looking inside to observe this shame without judgment and then turn my awareness towards what really matters like being a kind person who cares way more about progress than perfection. 

JO: Do you find owning a business as a woman has been opportunistic or more difficult as you’ve built your company over the years?

SL: It hasn't been difficult for me at all.  I have always been really empowered and clear that I have no boundaries based on my sex.  Even in times when I was in a less than ideal culture for women, I had a determination to break through and make my own career around my power as a woman.

JO: Do you believe in balance? Or is that a myth? 

SL: I don't believe balance is a goal or something to achieve.  I see it as a guide or north star to living a rich and purpose-driven life.   The art of balancing life is the art of managing energy based on what each of us decides is important.   The practice is to consciously direct energy and awareness to things and people in our life that matter to us.

JO: What was your educational background? And was the learning curve difficult or natural when it came to being a successful entrepreneur?

SL: In terms of education, I was a late bloomer when it came to school.  I wasn't a strong student as a kid.  I went to community college and this is when I discovered I loved being a student.   I ended up transferring to UCLA.  I went on to get my Masters in Education at the College of William & Mary.  My whole company is centered around our love of learning.  We believe that a good teacher is not someone who professes to have the answers.  A good teacher is someone who inspires the student to realize that they are their own best teacher.  As an entrepreneur, I am a student first, and the teacher second. 

JO: What is one thing people assume about you that you would like to communicate, is not true at all?

SL: That I exercise every day and only eat healthily.  Definitely not my truth.  

JO: What do you consider the most important lesson in your life in the last year?

SL: The power of taking a break from social media was a big lesson for me.  It gave me time to reflect on my relationship to social media and how I was allowing it to distract me from what I care most about including being present with my family.   It also gave me the time to really think about why social media is important and to not undervalue the power it holds for each of us to express ourselves and have a voice.

JO: You’ve created a space for people that have transformed both the physical and even emotional/mental state. How does it make you feel? Like three words.

SL: Proud. Motivated. Protective. 

JO: What makes you feel comfortable in your own skin?

SL: Sitting quietly, eyes closed, breathing mindfully with my awareness turned inward.  Works like a charm! 

JO: Describe what beauty means to you.

SL: The first thing that popped into my mind is diversity.  Without diversity, nothing would be beautiful in my eyes. 

JO: Barre 3 has a tagline “where ballet meets yoga and pilates”, what would your tagline be?

SL: My tagline would be "I-need-a-new-tagline-for-barre3-because-it-doesn't-fully-express-who-we-are."

JO: What are your three favorite items in your purse right now, why?  

SL: Los Poblanos Lavender Lip Salve. -- A little piece of Tao's where I was born.  Great also for my hair and nails.  

My lucky owl. -- I'm superstitious and always travel with an owl. 

Vapour lip and cheek stick -- An instant glow and shimmer never hurt. 

I also love your restorative tonic mist. Especially in the winter when the dry weather kicks in. 

JO: What is the number one character trait you think is necessary for building your own business, why?

SL: Resilience.  Because you need it every single day.  

JO: What do you think are the factors that keep people from living their best, most possible healthy lives?

SL: For most people, it's not having the very basics like healthy food, shelter, clean water, and safety.  

JO: What are you most proud of? Why?

SL: My children.  I never thought I would be a CEO but always knew I would be a mom.   I am so happy to have them in my life. 

JO: You have two children, what is something you want to teach them you were taught growing up?

SL: That being kind and confident is the most important over all other achievements. 

JO: What is the best part about owning your own business that has surprised you most? 

SL: No red tape rocks.  Being my own boss allows me to get shit done in a timely manner. 

JO: What has changed the most about the philosophy of exercise in the 90s vs. today?

SL: I could write a book on this subject so I will keep it to fashion.  Two words: Exercise Thong. 

Photo cred: Leandro Justen