Pia Baroncini on Pregnancy, Clean Beauty, and Authenticity

As the founder of California-based fashion label LPA, Pia Baroncini has always been one to follow in the fashion world. But these days, she's finding her own voice outside of LPA— the voice of Pia, not just "designer" or "fashion brand founder." Take, for example, the launch of her “Everything Is the Best” podcast, where she interviews inspiring brand founders about their careers, but also does vulnerable, funny, and heartwarming couples Q&As with her husband, Davide. Nowadays, her followers expect behind-the-scenes peek into her daily life as a fashion entrepreneur, but also her personal stories documenting the ups and downs of her everyday life (including the more difficult parts of her pregnancy journey). Whether it's discussing her complicated feelings around her wedding getting postponed, coping with the loss of a family member, or dealing with the struggles of getting pregnant, Baroncini proves that living a stylish life doesn't mean you have to shy away from discussing the tougher things in life—and in fact, normalizing these topics can only lead to empowerment for all.

Baroncini recently sat down for an interview with me where we discussed everything from her melasma cures to just how essential self-care really is. Keep scrolling to get to know Pia Baroncini.

On Adjusting to Pregnancy and Her Beauty Routine

Baroncini has been open about all her different emotions around experiencing pregnancy for the first time—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Her ability to share both her hardships and triumphs have made her perspective a breath of fresh air, especially in a space that's been criticized for only showing the aspirational side of people's lives. She's not interested in being a picture-perfect pregnant person, but rather embraces a new approach—one that chooses authenticity and vulnerability over a perfectly-curated feed.

Baroncini explained how she incorporated clean beauty products into her beauty routine long before becoming pregnant, and being proactive about this has helped her when making lifestyle changes while fully transitioning to pregnancy-mode. “I’m really lucky that I had the wherewithal to understand that there wasn’t going to be a lot that I could do when I was pregnant," she says. "I also knew that there were going to be so many changes, and I was trying to eliminate as many as I could in order to prevent a meltdown. I have been using clean products for a long time, so I really haven’t had to change my routine at all, except [that] I’ve added a couple more steps because melasma is a very real thing when you’re pregnant, and it’s something that I already have anyway so it's my biggest battle.”

She credits her usual skincare routine to IS Clinical Active Serum at night for acne and Furtuna products, like the brand's Micellar Cleansing Essence, Replenishing Balm, and the Biphase Moisturizing Oil, but since her pregnancy, has added in the Dr. Dennis Gross Glycolic peel pads, Sunday Riley Good Genes, and Goopglow Vitamin C serum. "Of course, I use tons of sunscreen," she notes. I" love the Saie Slipcover with SPF and I use the Dr. Dennis Gross Spectralight every night [for my melasma]."

On What She's Learned About Beauty and Wellness

“I’m way more healthy than I assumed I would be," Baroncini says, when I ask her how her approach to health has changed since her pregnancy. "And I don’t have any cravings! So I really enjoy eating tons of veggies and protein and stuff that makes me feel good, because I’m learning quickly foods that make me gassy or tired on top of the existing pregnancy symptoms is a nightmare. I just drop like a fly.”

As for her wellness philosophy, she says she lives by the mindset of "everything starts internally." She explains that even with all of the professional medical advice she has received and health experts she has spoken to over the years, the fact is that the root of each issue truly stems from taking care of yourself from the inside out. Whether your problem is acne, grogginess, fatigue, moodiness, hair loss, or a lagging metabolism, the biggest takeaway is that everything can be addressed through a holistic look at your diet and lifestyle habits. But don't get Baroncini wrong—she's not saying any of this from a holider-than-thou perspective. "Everything I’ve read from pregnant people who talked about their healthy habits really irritated me, like truly pissed me off," she says with a laugh. "But man, if I wasn’t working out, eating well and getting acupuncture I wouldn’t be functioning. My workload is heavier than ever, so I have to be focused and functioning until 6 p.m., and feeling bad, adding stress to my pregnancy, it's just not an option. I’m euphoric for now, but that's also the second trimester in general, so who knows how I’ll feel in a couple weeks!”

On Family and Self-Care

A huge part of Baroncini’s life is her family, including her Italian-born husband, Davide. Although she said she doesn’t normally indulge in any niche Italian traditions when it comes to her beauty routine (like laying out in the sun covered in olive oil, something she said was once a behavior of her late mother-in-law), she does channel her husband's Italian background through the recipes she regularly posts on Instagram. Spoiler: these will soon be a major feature on her lifestyle website, which is slated to launch soon.

Baroncini's mother—another major figure in her life and absolute Internet legend—has shared loads of beauty secrets with her throughout the years. When I asked Baroncini which of these she is most excited to share with her daughter, she expressed that it is the values her mom instilled within her about simple self-care. "Growing up, if I had a bad breakout, my mom would take me to the local facialist to see if they could offer any type of extra pampering that would not only help any dermatological issues but, more importantly, would help me leave feeling better from the inside out," she recalls. She's quick to credit her beauty rituals nowadays in bringing a sense of comfort in the midst of a very uncertain time, and hopes that it's a quality she'll pass down to her future daughter. When I ask her if the stress of the global pandemic has impacted this beauty perspective, she responded simply, “Not at all.”  To Baroncini, self-care can be as simple as doing your skincare routine and as radical as talking about loss on Instagram—both are equally empowering when you take off the filter.