Who isn’t curious about how Elle Macpherson looks so stunning at 54? The supermodel, wellness entrepreneur and Get The Gloss’s monthly columnist was in town recently having flown in from her home in Miami and stopped by for a chat.
We took the opportunity to quiz her face-to-face about her health and beauty regime, her sleep secrets and her top beauty destinations when she’s in London - and we couldn’t resist having a root around in her beauty bag. Here’s a taster…
Her current favourite beauty buys
Elle’s good friend, Sam McKnight looks after her styling and she always carries with her his new Cool Girl Hair Barely There Texture Mist , £25. “Texture is so important when you have highlights and lowlights as I do,” says Elle.
Elle is an advocate of beauty from within and so her Super Elixir vitamin, mineral and probiotic powder and Nourishing Protein powder travel sachets are always in her makeup bag ( The Super Elixir Shake and Go travel set £75). She’s a self-confessed chocoholic and the Nourishing Protein, when mixed up with almond milk, stops her reaching for the hotel minibar chocolate when she is travelling. The powdered greens help with overall health and for Elle right now they’re a great tonic for jet lag.
Elle's beauty hotspots in London
In her little black book are Nichola Joss for facials (she loves her massage technique) and Josh Wood for her hair colour. Then it’s off to Dr Sebagh on Wimpole St for skin treatments “although I don’t have many”, she points out. Her alkaline diet, she says is her first line of defence for keeping skin glowing.
MORE GLOSS: Elle Macpherson: why I eat an alkaline diet
Fake tan or suntan?
“I’ve spent too much time in the sun,” says Elle. So these days the glow comes from Dr Sebagh’s Self-Tanning Drops (£35 20ml). She tells us prefers to cover up with sleeves and a hat in the sun than rely on sunblock.
When there's only five minutes to get ready…
Her daily dose of The Super Elixir , £62 for 300g, comes first for beauty from within. Then a once over with Soleil Tan De Chanel bronzing makeup base £36, all over the face and Glossier Boy Brow £14. And a pair of sunglasses always helps.
Beach waves or blow dry?
“Definitely beach waves.” To achieve them at home when she’s not in Sam McKnight's capable hands she simply puts her freshly washed wet hair up in a top knot and when she takes it down the result is a messy wave.
Bad hair days, she's had a few...
She laughs at the memory of too much Sun-In Hair Lightener turning her hair orange back in the day when she was photographed for Sports Illustrated.
Fitting in fitness when travelling
Elle's a frequent flyer: Aspen, Australia, Miami and London are her regular stop-offs. Working out in some form every day is a key part of her wellness programme and is always centred on being out in nature and connecting with where she is in the world. Righ now in London that means walks around Hyde Park and finding a good yoga studio – she loves Triyoga and a vinyasa flow class.
Is she ever a duvet diver?
If you read Elle's monthly columns on Get The Gloss , you won't be surprised that it's a firm no to that one. “Even when I am not having a good day, I’m OK. I don’t see working out as a chore. But I’m gentle on myself as well,” she tells us.
On tech-free mornings
Elle always takes time on waking to meditate and to have a moment of gratitude. Her mornings to set the tone for the day. She tells us that one of the most positive changes has been delaying switching on all screens, including her phone, until she’s had breakfast, taken her son to school and often after her workout too. That’s discipline!
On being – and staying - The Body
Elle was first dubbed The Body by Time magazine in the 1980s because of her Amazonian build and it’s a term that stuck. It was a title she embraced. “It helped me to be me,” she says and she went on trademarked the name. But 30 years on, is being 'The Body' a pressure? She tells us that these days she’s not so concerned with her physique as with her wellbeing. “Feeling good is my motivation and looking good is the by-product.”
On quitting sugar
“Sugar is a very addictive substance and difficult to give up,” says Elle, who has managed to ditch the white stuff and refined carbs. She tells us that The Super Elixir helped with cravings. She’s still a chocoholic, though, and looks to cacao for her sweet fix. “I’ll have dark chocolate 80 to 90 per cent and that does it for me.” Having said that, she's not so strict that she doesn't enjoy birthday cake with her kids.
On sleep
Elle prioritises her sleep in a way she never used to. A few years ago, her nutritional doctor pointed out that she was merely running on adrenaline and questioned how long she could keep it up. These days Elle loves a pillow mist and sleep tea with valerian “Nature’s valium”. Sleep Welle Sleep set £72 .
Read all of Elle’s monthly columns for Get The Gloss here – let us know in the comments below what you would like her to write about and we will pass your suggestions on to Elle.
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