Devon Carlson has a success story fit for the history books. Her hyper-successful business, Wildflower Cases (which she started in tandem with her sister, Sydney) was catapulted into the world thanks to a chance encounter with Miley Cyrus at her favourite restaurant. Upon taking a #fangirl selfie together, Miley took note of Devon’s phone case and freaked, imploring them to start a company, which they did. That was four years ago.

Devon lives the easygoing Los Angeles life. The former dancer is a fiend for redecorating, a regular Réalisation Par girl, and a believer in living a healthy life. We hung out with the talented bae in her beautiful home and picked her brains on topics pertaining to beauty, happiness, and everything in between.

How were you introduced to beauty?
Growing up in the dance world definitely introduced me to the world of beauty. I was learning how to do my competition hair and makeup, and by always practicing, got pretty good at doing it at a young age.

Where did you grow up? Do you think it had any impact on your perspective of beauty?
I grew up in Newbury Park, which is about 45 minutes outside of L.A. I don’t really think living there impacted my perspective of beauty. I feel I was most influenced by my obsession with Barbies. I collected all types of Barbies, and would beg my mum to get me the Barbie heads so I could play with them and do their hair and makeup. I would also go online to barbie.com or the My Scene website, and would fully create hair and makeup looks. I lived for it. It was my absolute favorite thing.

Talk us through your beauty routine.
In the morning, I use the GinZing moisturizer and eye cream from Origins, the Supergoop Everyday Sunscreen, and Mario Badescu’s rosewater spray. At night, I use Garnier’s micellar water as makeup remover, vitamin E oil from Trader Joe’s, the GinZing moisturizer and eye cream, and the rosewater spray again.

What do you do on a Friday night?
It totally depends! I usually go for a fun dinner with my boyfriend at a really good restaurant. Depending on how late we finish, we’ll usually just go home and snuggle our dog and watch Netflix or HBO (currently watching Ozark — it’s sooooo good).

How did Wildflower Cases come about? Talk us through it.
Completely by accident. My mum was making my sister and I phone cases for fun because we couldn’t find any cute phone cases anywhere. One night, my family and I were out for dinner, and I ended up meeting Miley Cyrus in the bathroom. She noticed my phone case, and asked if we had a company, which we didn’t. She came back to our table and we gave her some cases, and she ended up tweeting a photo of our cases and tagged me in it. My dad stayed up all night making the website and I started replying to people on Twitter with “wildflowercases.com.”

Is there a certain mentality that drives your creative process?
Happiness!!!!!!!

How do you stay inspired?
I keep amazing, creative people around me!

How do you refresh yourself when you’re feeling uninspired?
I love traveling and vintage shopping. If I’m ever in a slump, I like to just go somewhere and put myself in a different environment.

What does it feel like to see your work in large retailers like Nordstrom?
It’s honestly insane. I’m so grateful for the support we receive from all our customers. I’ll never get over the feeling of shopping in a store like Nordstrom and seeing my designs!

You design amazing phone cases — are there any other creative pursuits you enjoy?
Redecorating my house over and over again, playing with makeup, searching for treasures in vintage stores, and modeling! Anything that keeps my mind going.

How do you decide what to wear when you get up in the morning?
I’m honestly lazy when it comes to getting dressed, so the easier the outfit, the better. I love just a dress and cute shoes. It also depends on my mood, because I definitely dress the way I feel.

How would you define ‘beauty’?
Beauty is happiness! When you’re truly happy on the inside, it shines on the outside.

What does it mean to you to be a woman in contemporary society?
Being a woman in contemporary society means opportunity. The opportunity to be a boss, to wear what I wanna wear, say what I wanna say, [and] use my platform to empower other women to go out and take charge.

What are your thoughts on diet and exercise?
I’m all about living a healthy lifestyle! I definitely have a sweet tooth, though, and love to indulge in tasty meals :). I LOVE HOT YOGA! I always leave class feeling amazing.

Do you have a signature scent?
Always something fresh. My current fave is the Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning. It’s perfect.

Who do you look up to?
My parents and Miley Cyrus.

Words, Madeleine Woon. Photography, Dana Boulos.