Just about every woman knows that extra fresh feeling of an all-over body exfoliation, the kind that leaves your skin feeling silky, smooth and extra glowy. Catie O’Neill and Olivia Burrows know it all too well, as the impressive beauty duo behind cult brand My Glow 2. The pair launched with the brand’s signature product in 2019, an exfoliating glove derived from the Ancient Turkish Ritual, Hammam. The unique glove, made of a unique and finely woven plant silk, works to remove stubborn fake tan and dead skin, while preventing ingrown hairs and body breakouts, all while improving skin's overall circulation. It’s easy to see why the brand has quickly grown one of the most engaged and loyal customers on TikTok and beyond — the results speak for themselves. As part of HER BLACK BOOK’s Festival of Her, a shopping event to support female-founded businesses, the pair shares some insight into their business journey so far.
A visit to Turkey and a chance encounter with an elderly lady deep in the markets of Istanbul, led Catie and Olivia to discover one of Turkey’s best kept ancient beauty secrets. Upon bringing it home to Australia, the pair quickly realised the power of this silk exfoliating glove and were in disbelief that they were unable to find a business that sells it to purchase another one. This sparked a desire to further explore the Hammam ritual, which is where the My Glow 2 glove is derived from, and to begin looking into how they could reintroduce this bathing tool into the modern market. Built on the philosophy that a healthy glow is a result of nurturing the connection between the mind and body, just six months later, Catie and Olivia launched My Glow 2. A unique and mindful brand set on reshaping the beauty industry with a holistic approach that incorporates the importance of ritual over routine, through high-quality, ancient tools and ingredients.
Olivia says; “Upon reflection, I think my greatest sacrifice would have to be my health. Whilst juggling being a full-time Year 12 high school teacher and working on the business, I really didn’t leave myself much time to prioritise my physical and mental wellbeing. My stress levels were extremely high and 80 hour working weeks were common. I have now stepped away from my job as a teacher and work solely on the business. I have created and implemented my own 1,2,3,10,30 Method which provides structure and is a sustainable lifestyle change."
Catie says; “When launching the business, I decided to quit my job to work on My Glow 2 full-time. This was definitely challenging for many reasons, however, I was passionate and determined to make it work. I also decided to move back home to save money so we could expand the business as quickly as possible and continue building the business out of a shed.”
Olivia says; “This is a difficult question because I wouldn’t usually want to refer to myself as successful but if I had to think of something, I would say that it’s because I never dwell on failures or external factors that are outside of my control. This ideology was ingrained in me from a young age by my mum. She would always focus on a solution or ways to accept an outcome and move forward, rather than waste time and energy on negative emotions. Failure is inevitable, so fail fast and learn quickly.”
Catie says; “Very similar to Olivia, my trait would be perseverance. The ability to accept my failures, learn from them and move forward. I don’t allow myself to be consumed by failures.”