First Look Fridays: Eight Skincare Creator Vicki Weaver Payne

I recently discovered the niche skincare line Eight Skincare. I was immediately drawn to the simple but sexy packaging and the fabulousness of every product -- they smell divine, the formulations are fantastic and they just make you feel good about yourself. So I'm thrilled to bring you an inside look at Eight Skincare's creator, Vicki Weaver Payne. Read on to find out how she started the line, which product she would take to a desert island and so much more.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I am an Oklahoma girl. Have been here all my life. I grew up in a very small town called Washington. I went to college at Oklahoma State University and the University of Central Oklahoma to finish my undergraduate in Business Education. Went on in my graduate studies to finish my MBA at Tulsa University.

How did you first become interested in beauty, and what inspired you to start your own line?
I have always been a product junkie, trying all kids of things on my body and my face. This may seem strange, but being from a small town, we had no doctor, so my mother was kind of considered the "witch" doctor of our town. She would mix up all kinds of concoctions to heal this and that, but one thing she did that got me to this place was met a woman who gave her a formula for this fabulous body lotion. So I grew up around my mom creating products of various kinds and she was a natural "nut." I remember her mixing this lotion up at her kitchen sink and putting it into a gallon jug.

My family always had dry skin, but as I aged, it became worse. I asked my mom for the formula to mix for myself when I was in my 40s, when I could find nothing to calm the scales on my body. It was a quenching experience so I started mixing it for myself. I also gave it away to friends and family as gifts. Everyone loved it so much, they encouraged me to start making it as a legitimate product for the markets.

If you could only bring one product from your line to a desert island, what would it be?
Easy -- my Body Moisture. I made this product and sold it by itself for two years. It has 14 natural and essential ingredients in the formula to nourish and replenish dry skin. On the desert island, I would have the sand for my exfoliant, because I am such a believer in exfoliation, then I could rinse and apply my Body Moisture. Perfect for a desert island. Hopefully, I would have water to wash!

Do you have any favorite products outside of your line that you use on a regular basis?
This may seem strange, but for my body, I do not. However, on occasion I use a licorice foot scrub.

What can we expect from Eight Skincare going forward?
I am very hopeful for the new year. I am supposed to enter Macy's the first quarter of 2013. I will be featured in their flagship stores. They are in the process of building areas in their flagship stores called Impulse Beauty, where customers can actually come and put the products on their skin before they buy. Great idea, especially for me, since Eight Skincare needs to be experienced. Getting it on the skin is a 95 percent sell.

We are also talking with HSN and QVC. AND I have about 10-15 new products just waiting in R&D to get out.

What are your top 3 beauty and skincare tips?

1) Exfoliate! Getting dry and dead skin off the body is most important. As we age, it is harder for the skin to slough, so we need to help that process. That is where my Natural Sisal Dry Skin Body Brush comes in. A lot of people are not familiar with dry brushing. This treatment has been around for centuries. Dry brushing not only gets the dead skin off, but it is a therapeutic treatment for the health of the body, not just the skin. Nothing exfoliates like a dry brush. A lot of people use those cute little nylon buffs or loofahs but it will not do what a dry brush will do. You are actually brushing the dry skin before you go into the shower or bath so you are not trying to exfoliate in the shower when you skin is wet. From my experience, that process just does not work.

2) Hydrate! I do believe drinking adequate amounts of water helps the skin, but we also have to hydrate with penetrating and moisturizing products. Eight is the best -- I know, I am just a little biased. But after I have dry brushed, I enter the shower and use my Crème Body Wash, which has 10 essentials to hydrate the skin. After I moisturize with my Crème Body Wash, I use my Sugar Body Scrub. I just turn my shower head away from me and scrub up. I rinse off, leaving this wonderful oil on my skin, I lightly towel dry and then apply my Body Moisture. Your skin will never be the same. You will notice the difference immediately.

3) Sun! Stay out of it and apply sunscreen. AND if you do that, don't forget to take your Vitamin D.

Being a product creator and innovator must be fun, but what do you do in your spare time?
My company is young, so I find myself working most of my days. Sometimes I can get away with 4-6 hours a day, but sometimes I can work as much as 18 hours. BUT if I do have any extra time, I love to travel with my husband and sometimes with our children. I have promised myself to accomplish, somewhat, the sport of golf. I currently volunteer with a organization I love, CASA, which is an international organization. I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate for neglected and abused children who find themselves caught in the DHS system. Very, very sad, but can be very rewarding if you can save a child here and there.

For even more information about Eight Skincare and Vicki Weaver Payne, and to purchase Eight Skincare products, visit eightskincare.com.