Beauty Full Lives

I’m joined in this bonus Innovators episode by Alex Tomic and Nik Mirkovic, who founded the Australian oral care brand HiSmile, and who continue to run it today. We talk about how they came to found the brand and how they made the most of a business idea - both are very keen on working with the best minds and on constantly trying to improve on what’s currently on the market. They are big believers in the North Star idea of reaching towards a huge goal which is, for HiSmile, to create the ultimate whitening products that don’t damage teeth. If you'd like to buy anything from HiSmile with a 15% discount, please enter MADELEINE at check out. Ad info: I work with HiSmile on my platforms regularly.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I’m joined by blogger, author, and founder of the Insecure Girls Club, Liv Purvis, to talk about how she came to find success online, on the joys and pitfalls of that job, how her experiences lead her to found the Insecure Girls Club, and how she finds balance.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's second bonus episode in this series in which I’m highlighting some incredible brand stories and talking to the people behind it all to find out just how they did it, I’m joined by Lizzie Pike, the co-founder of Face Halo. Since launching in 2017, Face Halo has replaced around 370 million wipes in the UK, saving over a billion makeup wipes from ending up in landfill sites globally.  Now, Face Halo want to close the loop, and are asking those who’ve got Face Halos which have reached the end of their life (which is after around 200 wash cycles, FYI) to send them back in so they can be upcycled to make clothing, which you can buy on the Face Halo website. This range, called Modern Merch, comprises buttery soft tracksuits, cleverly-designed t-shirts, and some other bits. In today’s episode Lizzie explains how she went from air stewardess to mum to being at the helm of a global beauty business, and how she prioritises her time and energy, as well as sharing some wisdom which might hit home if you’re listening with a fantastic business idea jotted down on a napkin somewhere. This episode is sponsored by Face Halo.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I’m joined by celebrity make-up artist Sandy Linter. Sandy’s career exploded in the mid ‘70s, when Vogue wrote a feature on her make-up style, after which she was highly in demand, regularly making up all the top models of the day. She frequented Studio 54, and was part of the hedonistic lifestyle that characterised that era. She also famously had a love affair with the supermodel Gia Carangi, which started after Sandy posed nude alongside Gia for Chris von Wagenheim. Their relationship was written about in Thing of Beauty by Stephen Fried and was immortalised in the HBO film Gia, starring Angelina Jolie. Today, Sandy is a working make-up artist living in New York, and in this episode we talk about her career, and of her memories of that extraordinary period in the beauty and fashion world. We touch on some topics which might be considered sensitive so do please be aware of that before listening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I’m joined by journalist and novelist Rebecca Reid to discuss female pleasure in association with Smile Makers, who offered up points from their Smile Makers Report to prompt our conversation, and who are celebrating the launch of The Poet.We discuss our sex lives along with general themes including masturbation and different facets of sex, so please be aware that the content is explicit before listening.If you like the sound of The Poet and would like to buy one and receive a free bottle of Smile Makers Generous Gel lubricant, enter the code POETGG at check out.This episode is sponsored by Smile Makers.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In honour of National Fragrance Week, I'm joined by the sublimely talented beauty journalist and fragrance expert Alice du Parcq. She’s won an army of fans on instagram for her lyrical descriptions of scents and for her series, Desert Island Spritz, in which she invites a guest to share the scents they most love and which have a special place in their hearts. In this episode, we discuss how Alice ended up writing about fragrance, her views on scents expensive and less so, how she feels about ingredients derived from nature and those created in a test tube and she shares some of her all time favourite perfumes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's episode, I’m joined by Alex Light, a woman who is on a mission to promote body confidence and to discuss eating disorder recovery on her platforms. As a former sufferer, Alex wants to challenge the narrative of thinness equalling happiness, and to raise awareness of the fact that the idea of single ideal perceived body shape is just that - an idea, held by some people, at some moment in time, in some cultures, in some areas of the world. Alex and I discuss where those messages became internalised for her, and how she weeded them out. We also talk about her favourite beauty products, and, of course, meander off on a few tangents - I’m sure you regular listeners will be expecting that. Please be aware that the topics touched on are sensitive and as such there may be some triggering content in this episode.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Chief International Correspondent for CNN, Clarissa Ward, talks about how 9/11 changed her career and how she now balances said career with motherhood (Clarissa is a firm believer that, in her words ‘you can have it all - but not at the same time!’). We also run through what Clarissa packs to go to a war zone from tampons to make-up, how simple grooming moments provide a much-needed semblance of normalcy and an anchor of comfort when in those areas of conflict, and how she reconciles doing a job in which she sees suffering and violence on a daily basis with periods at home where her life is one filled with love and privilege.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of the most sought-after violinists of her generation, Nicola has been showered with awards and accolades, including a grammy, a classical Brit award, and an MBE and then a CBE. She has played in some of the most prestigious venues across the world, including The Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Westminster Abbey, and has released 11 albums.  Today, well as playing concerts, Nicola is on a mission to share the joy of classical music and to challenge the idea of it being an elitist career path with her Benedetti Foundation, which went from strength to strength during lockdown thanks to virtual sessions. In this episode, Nicola and I talk about her extraordinary career but also the woman who has navigated that experience and how she has kept such a cool head in the face of her success. She’s refreshingly candid - and I especially loved her admissions that she arrived at music boarding school without some of the classical music knowledge of her peers and that owning a Stradivarius is the source of both joy but a little bit of nervousness about how enormously precious it is. On beauty, Nicola is also an open book, and she relays stories in this episode about how her mum’s more avant grade style didn’t quite work for her in classical music circles, why she sticks to two beauty brands, and how perfume just doesn’t do it for her.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Make-up artist and author Wendy Rowe joins me in this episode to talk candidly about having been an ambitious child who wanted to mingle with the greats - and how she made that happen, to explain how grief and losing her parents affected her, to discuss why she reveres eating healthily, and to share a fair few beauty tips - including the one Sienna Miller taught her. P.s. Wendy also brings up Elvis of her own volition. I didn't prompt or bride her in any way to do so, FYI. P.p.s. Do let me know if you too find the idea of meeting someone you fancy on a plane rather off-putting. Wendy and I were of one mind on the matter. Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I'm joined by beauty editors George Driver and Perdita Nouril, and PR Holly Hope Harper to discuss their career paths, how the beauty industry works (along with some of the pitfalls and perks), how bloggers and journalist's jobs intersect and where they diverge, and whether posts or pages in a magazine containing adverts can still have integrity.  We also have a bit of a rant about anonymous websites which allow trolls to flourish, and discuss what we would change about the industry as a whole. Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

'I would see not just in American media, but in Indian media, which actually hurts me more, that fair was considered beautiful. And it was the only thing considered beautiful. I felt like I had to look like that to ever be accepted or thought of as beautiful or to find friendship or love. I love my skin colour so much now that I really, really want girls, men, anyone growing up today to recognise that.' Deepica Mutyala knew from a young age that she would shrug off the expectations place on her and instead forge her own path. That vision - combined with a steely determination and courage to follow her gut instinct - propelled her up the career ladder which started in Ohio working at Victoria's Secret, and sees her currently at the helm of the community and cosmetics company, Live Tinted. In today's episode, we talk about how she has achieved so much so quickly, what the cost of working at that intensity is, how her parents responded to her not taking the route they'd hoped she might when younger, and why she decided she had to leave New York. Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

‘These days everyone wants to put cameras everywhere. I refuse to have them in the dressing room, because that is sacrosanct. Those are the two hours where the person in the chair becomes the person that’s going to be in front of the camera that day. Sometimes that’s themselves, sometimes it’s somebody very different. It’s not just about the physical act of doing the hair and the make-up, it’s the psychological act of becoming.’   I’m joined by the legendary hair stylist Sam McKnight. Sam’s career has taken him all over the world and seen him work with every noteworthy publication, transforming the most high profile people going, including Princess Diana, with whom Sam worked for 7 years, during which time he famously created that iconic shorter, slicked back ‘do. In this episode, we talk about his journey from cleaning windows as a boy to being the most in demand hairdresser in the business, his enduring love of gardening (including how the scents of said garden have influenced his Hair by Sam McKnightrange), and how his job is as much about being a grounding confidante as it is about doing the hair itself. Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

'I just feel a bit like "why do I think I'm entitled to look younger than I am?" I am 40. I don't actually want to look younger than I am, I just want to look like a good version of where I'm at. For me, botox would not be the path to looking like a good version of me now. I don't really mind if my friends or people I meet think "oh she looks her age." That doesn't freak me out. I just think "well, yeah, that's as it should be."' Singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis Bextor joins me on this episode to discuss her work and home life, including how she balances having five children with performing, realising that fake tan just didn't suit her, how she approached that huge burst of fame in her early 20s, and the joys of Julie Andrews, Grease, Elvis, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leanne Pero founded her award-winning The Movement Factory in 2001 at the age of 15, which has to date impacted over 500,000 young people through its programmes. The catalyst for Leanne learning to dance was a period of abuse suffered while at the home she ended up fleeing at 13. In 2016, Leanne was diagnosed with cancer. During her treatment, she realised how underrepresented the BAME community were in the dialogue surrounding cancer - and how many misconceptions abounded. Her response was to found Black Women Rising UK, a lottery-funded project designed to raise awareness. Today, as well as working on those projects, Leanne is an author, the CEO of Pineapple Dance Studio’s charity, Pineapple Community, and has won scores of awards for her work. In this episode, Leanne discusses turning adversity into positive action, focussing on how she found inner resilience through tough times, the importance of processing trauma, and the power of beauty rituals when challenged. Beauty Full Lives is hosted by Madeleine Spencer, produced by Charlie Jones, and with artwork by Sung Lee.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.