Elle was one of the first beauty bloggers I watched. I love her ability to relate to her audience. She is another one of the “nice” bloggers who would easily fit in with my friends. Elle isn’t afraid to let her guard down and share the “darkness” and the “light” that makes up life. Her comfort in speaking about genuine challenges in her life while showing us what the best way to get a natural summer glow only endears us further to her.

Her focus on her family is warm and very genuine! Her delight in her family literally shines through her like a beacon.

Elle is moving her channel to be 100% cruelty free in 2020 which many will find refreshing and much needed. Also if you are looking for more information on going “green” check out her videos!

Join me for a relaxed and informative interview with Elle! I’m sure you’ll be smiling by the end of the interview. I’m also sure you would love to grab a favorite beverage and sit down for a casual girl chat with Elle. Who wouldn’t love THAT amazing, laughter filled conversation?

Tell me a little bit about your career. How did you find yourself doing what your  doing? You have so many things you’re working on!

Well thank you!! This has been a logical step for me. Starting out being a celebrity based makeup artist for over 13 years I wanted another outlet where I could really help people. So I started my channel 8 years ago. I didn’t really find my voice until after my daughter was born and it has been going strong ever since.

The demographics toward which cosmetic companies are aiming their marketing campaigns has shifted slightly. We’ve seen role models with “mature skin” being placed in major cosmetics campaigns. Helen Mirren, Christie Brinkley, Karisma Kapoor, Thandie Newton, Sharon Stone, and Andie MacDowell to name a few. To what do you attribute this inclusiveness? How has it shifted the content distribution for beauty influencers like yourself on YouTube?

To be very honest I don’t think it has shifted enough. I found my voice finally when I started to focus on people just like me. People that just wanted to do something real and achievable. I like the way the industry is going but it is the influencers in my demographic, I feel, are really paving the way. There is still a lot of companies that want nothing to do with us and that is disappointing. So I continue to stay in my lane, head down and speaking to my community that really gets me. By doing this I hope to show the industry that this is a demo that really craves learning, great products and interaction.

This question is one I ask everyone as we all seem to have run out of hours in our day. ☺You’re a busy person. Mom, wife, entrepreneur. How do you measure success while achieving work life balance? Is there such a thing as work/ life balance or is it the proverbial ‘unicorn’ we are all seeking?

Great questions. I think the work balance is different for everyone and so is success. Earlier in my life I would work over 60 hours a week and it was never enough. When I had my daughter my measure of success was am I doing the best job I can with her while still being able to do what I love? Each week this is different because my first priority is her. After her needs are met I then focus on my career; sooooo different from 5 years ago. I am a huge fan of quality over quantity. I just don’t have the bandwidth anymore to “ keep up with what everyone else is doing”. Am I happy, is my husband happy and is my daughter happy?? If I can answer that with a “yes” on “most” days then I am successful.

As the mother of a young girl I am sure it is important for you to give her positive body messaging from an early age. How has having your daughter changed your approach to your profession?

pastedGraphic.png

She has changed everything for me, down to how I wake up in the morning. I try to focus on how smart and kind she is, as well as reminding her how much she means to me and daddy. Some days I am better at this than others, but this reminds me to spread this to my community as well as myself. I try my best to emulate a healthy lifestyle and positive self talk. She plays with my makeup all the time and asks, “am I beautiful with this makeup?” I always respond with you are beautiful with and without. I try to remind her to focus on if she has had a good day, if she was kind, if she “stopped to smell the flowers” today. That is why with what I do, I stress there are no rules to makeup, do what makes YOU feel good and forget the rest.

You have made a concentrated shift to educating and providing information on green/clean cosmetics. What brought this about for you? What is the biggest hurdle to getting others to make this shift?

This has been a passion of mine since my daughter was born. I started with feeding her only organic foods and making her baby food from scratch. Then I started to focus on what I put on her body and what impact it would have on her internally. Then it kind of just flowed into what I do. I am a huge animal lover and clean beauty fanatic, learning everyday. That is why my channel will be cruelty free in 2020. The biggest hurdle for me is finding products that actually work. The industry as a whole is working on this but we aren’t there yet. You have to make sacrifices on wear, durability, color saturation and such. I work with a company called Detox Market and they are on the forefront on closing the gap. I think it is so important to understand that the skin is our largest organ so what goes on it is just as important as what goes in. Again I still love some of my “not so great for you” beauty products but I am slowly changing that when I find something that actually works.

Why is it important for consumers to understand the difference between drugstore, Sephora and medical grade skin care/cosmetics? (By the way, your video on this topic is excellent!)

Thank you!! I don’t know if it is necessarily important to know those stores, but I feel it is more important to know the difference in ingredients and production types in each of these types of stores. Knowing the difference in these helps buyers understand how to spend their money a little more wisely in my opinion.

The European Union (EU) bans over 1,000 toxic ingredients from use in cosmetics. The FDA has banned 11. Why is this important information for consumers in the US? How do US consumers ensure they are utilizing the safest skin care/ cosmetics available today?

I am actually doing a video on this, this week. I think it is super important to follow the EU standards. The EU has put so much time and effort into raising the bar in ingredient standards and animal testing. I usually try to follow the standards they have set forth in talking about the potentially toxic effects the 1,000+ ingredients that are banned can have. The EU backs up their claims with research so it isn’t just assumption. In my opinion the US FDA doesn’t want to eat into profit margins of companies and the EU cares more about the health of the people. It is hard to know if a product is “safe” but starting with a simple search into EU standards on what you have questions about it a good place to start. Thank goodness for Google.

Think back to five years ago. Did you envision this is where you would be?

Oh heavens no. 5 years ago I couldn’t get pregnant and surrendered to the fact that it would just be me and my husband. I thought I would be doing celebrity makeup forever and we probably would live abroad. But I feel everything happens for a reason and the way it is suppose to be and I am grateful for the life that has been given to me.

What has been the most surprising positive of where you are professionally? What brings you the most joy specific to your business?

When I first started school I wanted to be a teacher, then I decided that wasn’t for me. I have always gravitated to personal connections and sharing what I know. I think the biggest positive for me is my daily connect to my “ellesquad” and sharing what I know with them. In my opinion this life is all about connections and really having a human experience. I love teaching people and inspiring them. I feel the lives I have touched, no matter how small, is one of my greatest achievements.

You have been very open about the “dark space” you were living in. The messaging of loving oneself should come long before anything else and is a key element of my blog and really my life. We, as a community, miss the mark on this many times. Bravo to you for your candor, honesty, and integrity in speaking truthfully about this. What are the top 1-5 things you have done to help yourself experience self-love and acceptance? What are the top 1-5 things we can do to help others in this journey?

Well thank you, that was a hard video series for me to make but I felt called to do so. I just feel that we are fed everyday with such unrealistic images that I was done. I wanted to connect on a real level and break some of the stigma. I would say the top 5 things I have done personally to work on self-love:

  • Really watch negative self talk. I try to acknowledge it when it comes in and then let it go. Tell myself that it isn’t real and slowly change it. This takes time and I am still working on it. 
  • I don’t get on social media as much as I did, also the news. Limiting this has helped me a lot.
  • Stop and be grateful for the things I have, so a gratitude journal. 
  • Quiet moments that I honestly look at the clouds, talk with my daughter or just sit in silence. Not pushing myself to always be perfect or be doing something.
  • Walk as often as I can. 

I am not perfect at any of these but that isn’t the point. Baby steps. As far as helping people on this journey I feel it is just important to show how it really is, tell the truth and just be REAL. No one needs anyone else pretending that life is perfect all the time. I think people just want to know they aren’t alone. Lastly I think being present as possible in my life will, I hope, shows others to do the same. Being present and really getting your head out of the phone is so important.

Having good role models is very important to all of us today. What do you feel we can offer each other to ensure that we are a good role model to each other? What figure has influenced you the most in your life?

This is so important. I think this goes back to your other question. I think showing people what works for you might be inspiring, and for them to see if it works for them. A good balance of positivity and realistic view points really is the best we can do. We all are just doing the best we can do, so supporting one another and lifting them up so huge. There are so many people that inspire me every day. My mom, my husband by best friends, my daughter. They all inspire me in different ways and for different reasons.

What are the top 1-5 things that we can look forward to from you in 2019-2020?

If I am being honest, this has been a switch for me over the past two years. I would always be planning for the next two to five years and I would never be present; so I have limited this. But I would say that I hope you can see more videos; opening up my own skin & makeup studio; I would love to collab on a few products with some great green brands; and a healthy family.

I

Please include any sources that people can use to purchase from you or connect with you.

http://www.hardwearbeauty.com