We caught up with the beauty pro and Johnson & Johnson Journalist of the Year to find out about the work and tech must-haves she can’t live without...
Ever wondered what the work day essentials of an award-winning beauty journalist are? Well wonder no more, as we caught up with ELLE Beauty Director, Sophie Beresiner, to find out.
One of our go-to experts when it comes to translating trends from red carpet to reality, Fashion Week to work, her collection of top beauty journalism awards and huge social media followings have ensured she’s stayed one step ahead of the game to become one of the most respected names in the industry. Having carved the type of career that most would only dream of, what would she class as the highlight? “ELLE magazine has always been my favourite glossy by far, so to be working as Beauty Director is my definite career highlight,” she told us. “I studied philosophy at Bristol University before toying with TV post production before I gave it up to start my career all over again interning at B magazine in the beauty department. My first job was as Beauty Assistant at ELLE Girl, so I’m very happy to have come back full circle to the brand I love.”
As well as being a pro of web and print, did we also mention that she’s the Founder of No.22 , one of our favourite candle brands too? With a vast array of accolades and accomplishments under her belt, what does the future hold for the beauty insider? “I have no intentions of leaving ELLE to concentrate on candles. I’m lucky to have an amazingly supportive boss (and candle fan) so I can do both,” she explained. “I have a lot of exciting ideas for No.22 in the pipeline, so the future is bright. Literally!”
From her favourite apps to what’s saved on her desktop, we caught up with Sophie to talk all things tech, life and social media.
GTG: What app/s can you not live without?
SB: Ditty . I will never get bored of this app - it's not useful (except at birthdays/births/anything that needs a special message), but it's ridiculously fun. It turns your texts into song lyrics, complete with punchy graphics. My friend Hannah and I Ditty each other normal conversations - “Tell Max I like his haircut” is much funnier than you’d think it could ever be. Maybe you had to be there.
GTG: What’s in your bookmark bar?
SB: No-22.com is my candle brand website – I built and maintain it myself so the backend is regularly accessed and tweaked. We just launched a new scent, Laundry Room , so I’ve been building the new pages and links. Also, an amazing website called Fashion Gone Rogue which archives editorial fashion shoots. I use it for reference all the time. And a discount glasses website since I am currently trying to find the perfect pair.
GTG: What’s on your real-life desktop?
SB: We hot desk at ELLE so I don't have the traditional clutter. I approached it like the last time I had to hot desk in my life - at school - so I have an Aspinal pencil case and a rucksack under my desk which has my laptop case, various cables and all the paraphernalia I dump in it at the end of the day before the whole lot goes back in my locker. There will usually be various press releases and lipsticks that I’ve pilfered from the cupboard to try on the back of my hand, plus whatever products correspond to the page I am working on today.
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GTG: Desk-side snack?
SB: Whatever is on the ‘free’ table at work. People travel a lot at ELLE and bring back interesting snacks. Today it is caramel eclairs with honey chocolate centres. I recently got into Yushoi snapea rice crisps from Whole Foods. They are unbelievably delicious. The whole office is now on board.
GTG: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest and why?
SB: Instagram. I love how curated and aesthetically pleasing it is - it’s not as personal as Facebook or as flippant as Twitter and Pinterest I only use if I’m renovating a room in my house. I use my Insta-feed as a photo album and love scrolling back through old entries for a quick nostalgia hit. I print them out into little book volumes on blurb.co.uk too.
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GTG: Tea or coffee or water or what?!
SB: Coffee. But I’m trying to go more decaf, so water. I do love an old school squash to liven up my water. How good for you is that Robinsons Summer Fruits one? I drink way too much of that stuff.
GTG: What sort of chair do you sit on?
SB: When we first hot desked, we had a chair engineer come in to talk us through the ergonomics of our new office chairs. They are grey, they recline, the arms go up and down, they spin round, go across the office on wheels. It’s a superior sitting experience.
GTG: Standing desk or sitting?
SB: Sitting. I wish I could get on board with standing but I do enough of that on the commute to and from work. Plus, I generally work in heels.
GTG: How do you disconnect at the end of the day?
SB: I am so into The Walking Dead that it’s almost my religion. I look forward to my husband being out so I can catch up on the episodes I’ve missed. It’s an indulgent amazing immersive show and sometimes I think I want to live in it. In a zombie apocalypse. That’s how good it is.
Follow Sophie @ellesophie and Ayesha @Ayesha_Muttu .
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