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Sabrina du Pont Langenegger '00 Donating Self Care Boxes for Healthcare Workers
Sabrina du Pont Langenegger ’00 is the owner of La Cerise, a small business that offers curated beauty and skincare gift boxes. Since the start of the pandemic, she has been giving back to healthcare workers by donating self care boxes. She was recently featured on CHS Today and on Live 5 News.
What does La Cerise do? Why did you decide to create this business?
La Cerise is a curated beauty and skincare gift box service. I am essentially a personal shopper for skincare and beauty products in that I am providing a service for my clients to cherry pick (hence the name) the best products for their needs, goals, preferences and lifestyles. I ask detailed questions and I personalize each box. I am somewhat of a product junkie and skincare guru. I love aesthetics and I read about all the latest procedures and dermatological breakthroughs, and I’m constantly trying new things. I found that my friends, family and clients were constantly coming to me for skincare advice and product recommendations, so this seemed like a natural extension of something I really enjoy. It also allows me to use my personal shopping and client service skills that I have honed as a personal stylist.
What has it been like running a small business during this time?
I launched La Cerise at the end of February and had just taken on the start-up costs of a website, packaging materials, marketing and product right before COVID-19 hit, so it was not exactly perfect timing! At first I felt very vulnerable, especially given that my business is based on a discretionary expenditure. However, I have to say that I was so grateful to have had this new venture to dive into and work at during this uncertain time. It really helped me to stay focused and sane with so much craziness in the world and two kids home from school, all while being housebound. I quickly realized that people needed self care during quarantine more than ever with the heightened stress, as well as the fact that they were unable to get out to theirhair salon, nail salon, facial appointments etc. so in that sense it worked out well.
Why did you decide to donate self care boxes to healthcare workers? What do these self care boxes include?
A good friend of ours here in Charleston is a respiratory therapist and has been a nurse for over 30 years. She is high risk because of her age and the fact that she has asthma, so I was constantly worrying about her and wanted to do something special for her. It expanded from there, as I realized how much sacrifice our healthcare workers are making, the incredible risks that they are taking and the type of conditions that they are having to work in. It seemed like a good way for me to be able to utilize my skill set and keep my new small business busy in order to give back. My goal is just to show appreciation to those who are caring for others on the front lines and perhaps provide them with a bit of stress relief. My self care packages include things like bubble bath, candles, hand cream, lip balm, face masks, etc. ... basically products that can help people to unwind and pamper themselves a bit!
What has the response been to these self care boxes?
The self care box has quickly become a favorite on my website (I offer all different themes boxes and price points). It has been exceedingly popular for people to treat themselves to, or to send to a loved one during this trying time. I think people need a pick-me-up, and “happy mail” is a great way to do that. In addition, the donated gifts that I’ve distributed to local healthcare workers here in Charleston have been really well received, and I have gotten so much appreciation. My nurse friend who I mentioned before has been the one to help me distribute them to nurses and doctors at local hospitals who are in the thick of it treating COVID patients, and she said she feels like Santa Claus when she hands them out! Their notes and posts on social media after they’ve received a donated gift mean the world to me. Since I was absorbing the cost of packaging materials and products myself, I knew that I needed to offset my expenses as a new small business to make this sustainable, so I started taking donations almost right away. So many people have contributed toward La Cerise self care gifts, which has been wonderful. I was also fortunate to be featured by our local Live 5 News, which helped to spread the word throughout the community. I also reached out to various skincare and beauty brands seeking donated products toward my initiative so that I could continue to send more and more gifts and reach as many people as possible. I was lucky to get several large brands to collaborate with me like Ilia, Mario Badescu, Philip B, Kind Lips, Fitglow Beauty and Kari Gran. As the effort grew, I also started to accept nominations on my social media for deserving healthcare workers all over the country. I have now sent boxes to many different states often paying for shipping myself, but I just love doing it and it’s really gratifying.
How did your experience at Tower Hill prepare you for your career?
One of the best things that my Tower Hill education instilled in me was a sense of work ethic, and the ability to appropriately manage my time. These organizational skills have served me in many different roles.
