Meet the Maker

Interviewed and Written by Allyson Alford

Let’s meet the lady behind the business– Miss. Elizabeth “Liz” Martinez. Liz was born in Freehold, NJ and lived in Montclair, NJ for nine years. Then, Sussex, for another nine years. Her family owned a farm there with sheep, goats, and alpacas!

Liz has always been obsessed with all things bath and body care. When she was younger, she loved body sprays, sparkly Lip Smackers from Limited Too, the Warm Vanilla Sugar Line from Bath and Body Works, and she always kept a small bottle of lotion in her small, suede, monogrammed bag. Liz would even style the Bratz Dolls’ heads and do their makeup when she was in kindergarten.

Liz loved a popular beauty brand called LUSH. She loved this brand for years, until she began to research some of the ingredients. In her research, she realized that the label “handmade” means nothing when the products contain harmful irritants and are not sensitive-skin friendly. This caused Liz to begin searching for better alternatives, which led her to shop with small, indie businesses. Unfortunately, many of these brands used manufactured bases which still contained irritants and unsafe ingredients such as:  phenoxyethanol, tetrasodium EDTA, SLS, phthalates, parabens, etc. – which were all irritants to her sensitive skin. Because of this, Liz set out to create her own skin care ingredients, from scratch, and that is when Cleo and Co. was born. 

Knowing exactly what she wanted in her products and having a life-long skill of creativity to make it happen, Liz began creating products with clean ingredients. She knew that she wanted to make products for those with sensitive skin, like her. This not only helped Liz help others, but it helped reignite a creative light that had been dimmed by having a full-time job after college. Liz’s creative skills did not start with making amazing skin-care products. Liz earned her degree in Theatrical Costume Design in Chicago, at DePaul’s Theatre School! Being able to express herself, once more, was fire to her soul. Liz’s desire to help others has been so great, she has made her products on her e-commerce business available for shipping in the U.S., U.K., and Canada! 

I am sure many of you are wondering, “if the owner’s name is ‘Liz’, why is the business called ‘Cleo and Co.’ and no ‘Liz and Co.’” This company’s name has such a special backstory, as it is named after Liz’s pup, Cleo (basically, the CEO of the company). In addition to this, because Cleo, like her mama, is strong-willed! Hey– it’s Cleo’s world. We are all just living in it!

Originally her parent’s dog, Cleo was given to Liz because she wasn’t getting along with the other family dog. Each of these dogs are Leonbergers. 

Cleo, who was a solid 120 pounds, moved into Liz’s 1,000 square ft., tiny,1930 colonial home, where her boyfriend also resides. 

Cleo has been Liz’s saving grace. Although Liz struggles with social anxiety, she has found that having Cleo, by her side, makes social interactions easier (and necessary, as she has to walk the company’s CEO frequently). In doing this, she ended up making friends with the neighbor and their Leonberger, Nora. 

Liz’s workspace is currently in her dining room. Her dream is to have an official working studio for her and Cleo to operate business from. Until then, Liz plans to continue making her unique products right from her dining room. 

When she isn’t creating magic in her dining room, Liz enjoys alone time. She is a Pisces, and enjoys sitting outside under her backyard maple tree, taking in the sounds of nature– whether it is the buzzing hummingbirds or feeling the light, summer breeze. Liz also enjoys car rides to her favorite ice cream parlor, searching for a new restaurant to dine at, watching her brother fish, hikes in the forest, or catching a movie. Also, journaling has been therapeutic to Liz, who has been a stellar creative writer. 

Liz officially launched Cleo and Co. on May 15, 2020. This was the day she officially registered Cleo and Co. as an LLC in New Jersey. She already had products available, and was ready to launch days later, after taking care of all legalities. 

When Liz launched her business, her end goal was to help as many people as possible who were struggling with the same skin care concerns that she was. Thankfully, she does not plan on straying from that end goal, as she has already helped so many achieve this goal. Liz plans to continue creating fun additions to her product lines for her customers to choose from, including custom products that are tailored to each individual skin needs in terms of colorants and fragrances.

The life motto for Liz is simply, “it is what it is” (prefaced with a sigh). This simple phrase has been powerful and life changing for Liz. After spending years trying to gain control over people and circumstances, Liz has learned how to accept certain things as they are. Understanding what can be improved and what cannot, has helped her to learn how to live in the moment versus spending time thinking ten steps ahead. Liz is now able to enjoy where she is presently, while still being excited and hopeful for what’s to come!

This is the woman behind the business– Ms. Liz! You can shop her products, right here on the website. Want to stay up to date? You can follow Cleo and Co. on Instagram here!