Meet Branka Sokolovic | Creative Director & Brand Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Branka Sokolovic and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Branka, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
In recent years we’ve seen a huge surge in “clean and green beauty.” Though this revolution is an incredible step in a more sustainable direction, this has unfortunately led to an influx in erroneous claims made by beauty brands in an attempt to jump on the health bandwagon. In the nail polish industry specifically, these claims are general a number followed by “free” i.e. 5-free nail polish. This short description is meant to signify the number of harsh chemicals that have been eliminated from the formula. In the mid to late 2000s, 3-free was the must-have. By 2012, 5-free became all the rage. By 2016, if you weren’t 7-free, forget it, you were black-listed. By 2018, 10-free was the thing to be. Recently, I even saw a 16-free claim. The issue is, these claims are completely unregulated by the FDA and brands begin making their own rules up. “Even though lead was never used in nail polish formulations, let’s claim we don’t use it, and add another number to our free-claim!” In a nutshell, this is what has been happening. I’m proud to say that LVX is among the safest lacquer formulas on the U.S. market (by mainstream ‘definition’ we are 10-free: formulated without Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, Camphor, TPHP, Gluten, Xylene, Parabens & Animal Derived ingredients), we manufacture our products with the nation’s leading lab, and have had our superior formula perfected since our initial 2012 launch. I’d love to spread awareness regarding misleading cosmetic claims and encourage consumers to research what they want or are looking for in a product, rather than relying on a short and unregulated claim.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Assuming we’re not in a lockdown, a pre-Covid itinerary with a visiting friend would look something like this: Wake and head straight to Equinox for a group hiit class (I’m going to assume we’re sweating toxins out from the long night of dancing before). After, we’d grab a smoothie and a bowl from Raw Juce in Brickell and get ready for the beach. My favorite area to hit on SoBe is SoFi. You’ll almost always find me between 1st-3rd Street Beach on the weekends. After a few hours at the beach, we would head to Bodega for (what I refer to) as the best shrimp tacos in the city. With a belly full of tacos and probably a frozen margarita (or two), we would migrate back over the bridge for a mini tour of Wynwood. Before heading home, we’d definitely grab a few mini cupcakes and donuts from my favorite bakery, Bunnie Cakes. We’d close out the evening and day with dinner at The River Oyster Bar, followed by dancing and cocktails at either La Otra in Brickell or La Victoria in Design District.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my husband, Milan. He has been my makeshift life coach, therapist, best friend, and overall mentor over the last 6 years. He’s coached and supported me through the toughest times and I wouldn’t be as confident as I am today without his incredible love and encouragement.

Website: shoplvx.com
Instagram: instagram.com/shoplvx
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/branka-sokolovic/