D’Andra Simmons

D’Andra Simmons has a very personal relationship with health, beauty, and specifically- skin care. She is the only woman in her family that has not had cancer and has a history of developing products for her mother and aunt, who were seeking natural skin care products as cancer survivors.  “This is a huge market as more and more women and men are being diagnosed with cancer and other diseases,” she said, “They are now concerned about what goes ‘on’ their body as well as what goes ‘into’ their body.”  And, her relationship with the health of the skin is not insignificant.  “My background is in nutrition and skin care,” said D’Andra, “I had been in the nutrition and skin care industry for over 12 years working for my mother at her company, Ultimate Living International, Inc. as a formulator and in new product development, when I decided to create my own skin care line, Hard Night Good Morning.”

After that that time, D’Andra felt she had gained enough experience and knowledge to develop her own products to share what she had learned about anti-aging and healthy skin care with women and men of all ages. “Hard Night Good Morning was the result of my years of hands-on experience in the lab,” she said, “My meetings with raw material providers, as well as my research discovering new and unique ingredients. With all the work she has put into starting her own company and skin care line, does she still love it?  “Skin care is about beauty and making people look and feel beautiful, which is very sexy,” she said, “I have always been drawn to fashion and beauty, but fashion is more erratic and constantly changing with seasons, colors etc. As a clothing designer, that is a lot to keep up with. In the skin care and beauty business you have the same changes with regards to new ingredients on the horizon or color palettes for cosmetics, but it is less frequent and there is always the tried and true and your anchor product that normally does not change.”

D’Andra Simmons and her Hard Night Good Morning skin care line

Another reason D’Andra supports natural products?

“Most synthetic skin care, believe it or not, will last up to 10 years—yuck! I don’t want anything that has been in a jar or a bottle for 10 years on my face,” she said.

Because of this, after perfecting the right product and formula, D’Andra does not have to take the time to constantly change and create new products. “I love to participate in charitable causes and be active on committees etc., being in the beauty business allows me time to do this extra work, and meet women who will use my product at the same time,” she shared.  D’Andra, of course, is extremely involved in the community and her selfless personality is one of the reasons she is so dear to Ana Pettus. “Thanks to D’Andra, I fell in love with Africa,” said Ana, “She has the biggest heart ever.”  In fact, D’Andra just received the Distinguished Woman award from Northwood University – she was one of the youngest women to ever be honored with this award.  The Norwood University Distinguished Woman award recognizes the enormous contribution women make to communities, businesses, volunteer agencies, and public and private sector services worldwide.

And, who is one of D’Andra’s own personal role models? “Rose Marie Bravo,” she said, “She was the President of Saks Fifth Avenue before her position as CEO of Burberry. I landed a gig as her personal assistant when I was living in New York, and trying to ‘find’ myself. I learned a lot from her in the short time I worked with her. She has always been someone I aspire to emulate, as she commands great respect in the fashion and beauty industry. She is smart, classy, beautiful and graceful—an amazing combination.”  And, in fact, D’Andra has accomplished an array of amazing feats in the Dallas community.  After a decade of membership in the Junior League of Dallas, D’Andra served as this year’s ball chair with amazing success.  “With the support and hard work of my team, we became the largest fundraisers in the history of the Junior League,” said D’Andra. And, just next week, D’Andra will be receiving the Fashion Group International of Dallas’ Rising Star Award for career achievement in beauty.  Her efforts and accomplishments in the realm of skin care are certainly not going unnoticed.

Ana Pettus and D’Andra Simmons

D’Andra Simmons and Colin Duchin with Ana Pettus

What were some of the challenges she faced beginning her natural line, Hard Night Good Morning? “I launched my line right at the beginning of a recession—that was the biggest challenge,” said D’Andra, “I was an unknown company and name, and no stores were investing in new lines and taking a chance on new products. I struggled the first year to get sales, and the phone calls were not being returned. The answer was always ‘we are not considering new lines at this time.’”  So, how did she adapt to this challenge?  D’Andra said it wasn’t easy – she had to completely change her price point and the direction of her marketing. D’Andra found that luxury products did not necessarily have to have the luxury prices in order to be successful.

“I made a mistake right off the bat and priced myself out of the mainstream market which wasn’t a prudent decision considering the economy,” she said, “I had no track record, no huge marketing budget and the luxury boutiques and department stores wanted to stick with their ‘tried and true’ brands. I soon realized that I could make the same quality products as the companies charging 10 times my amount because I have access to the same ingredients. I would just shave my margins and change my strategy to focus on volume to make my profit and not huge markups.” Eventually, D’Andra’s parents and fiancé, Colin Duchin, convinced her to lower her prices by 60% and to pitch her products to larger retail chains that focused on natural, paraben and sulfate free skin care for people that were interested in a healthier lifestyle.

D’Andra says: “You need to pay attention to this: Just because a skin care line says “organic” does not mean it is better or that it is 100% organic.”

So, natural ingredients over synthetic, but not necessarily organic are your best options when it comes to skin care!

For her personal beauty regimen and to maintain her own healthy lifestyle, D’Andra focuses on nutrition just as much as her skin care.  But, when it comes to her beauty routine,  she said to stick to the basics: cleanse, tone, and moisturize. “Also, women should use a masque such as our Detox Mineral Masque twice per week to deep clean pores, increase circulation and rid the skin of impurities,” she said. “I make my line extremely simple because today’s woman is constantly ‘on the go’ and juggling a career, family, and sanity! Therefore, I break it down to cleanse, tone, treatment, and then moisturize. If you are doing it all you would use my AM or PM Cleanser, Detox Toner, Facial Cocktail Serum, Daytime or Nighttime Moisturizer and Eye Cream. This should all take less than 5 minutes and most women are willing to invest that amount of time into a skin care routine. I tell women that they really need to invest in the Serum and the Eye Cream because these are treatment products that will really help with long-term anti-aging prevention.”  In fact, D’Andra’s Daytime Moisturizer and her new eye cream are her current best sellers.

What are her thoughts on special creams?  After all, there are countless miracle serums and lotions on the market today. “The eyes and neck are some of the first places we show age,” said D’Andra, “The eyes need a special cream that is targeted for their delicate skin, puffiness and dark circles etc. I also tell women to use the serum and the moisturizers on their neck and décolleté. Do not stop at the chin, as people look below your neck too, (especially men)! Unless you wear turtlenecks all the time, you need to protect this skin as well!”  And, newly engaged to Colin Duchin, what type of beauty routines has she been employing to get ready for the upcoming nuptials? “I am really not doing anything different,” she said, “I am faithful to a few ‘beauty rules’ that I live by, special occasion or not. I always remove my makeup no matter how tired I am. I try to get 8 hours of sleep at night, I drink a lot of water, I juice every day, I use our nutritional products—especially the Anti-Aging Formula and the Hair, Skin and Nails Formula and of course, my Hard Night Good Morning skin care products. Also, I do not drink soft drinks or eat a lot of sugar. My diet during the week consists of 80-85% vegetables, which is great for the skin and detoxifying the body. I also take fish oil, flax oil and evening primrose oil which are great for the skin.”

So, besides planning for her wedding and a full social schedule when it comes to her involvements in non-profits and charities, what is D’Andra up to this season? “Because I live in Dallas, fall is the arrival of cooler weather and the release from the unmitigated heat that plagues us so many months of the year,” said D’Andra, “Also, the clothes! I love to wear scarves, hats and boots. This is the time of the year I can really accessorize!”  Though she already holds an impressive list, she has also been working to increase the amount of stores that carry Hard Night Good Morning. Currently, D’Andra’s skin care products are sold at Stanley Korshak, Nuvo in Dallas, Central Market, Whole Foods in the SW Region and some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region (adding more each week)—and online at www.hardnightgoodmorning.com.”

However, from an outside perspective, no matter the realm – hard work is truly what D’Andra seems to be up to.  Whether it’s chairing one of the biggest events in Dallas, or working tirelessly to perfect a new product, she is certainly not afraid to shine with both brains, beauty, and class. She is a true role model to whomever’s life she touches on both a professional and personal level. When it comes to a model of dedication, D’Andra’s efforts stand strong. Her product, the Facial Cocktail had 36 revisions before she finally put her approval signature on the paperwork and sent it off to the lab.

After all, this is a lady who knows what she wants and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there.  When it’s said that beauty is only skin deep, it is certain that in the case of D’Andra Simmons her inner kindness, dedication to the community, and the selfless ways she consistently gives back assuredly shine through. How’s that for brightening a complexion?