For Editor Alexandra Venison, Beauty Begins From Within
"Embrace life to the fullest and enjoy yourself. If this means overindulging once in a while, enjoy it to the fullest, then get back to the healthy choice the next day"
To help us better understand the correlation between beauty and wellness, we speak to three experts — Alexandra Venison, Dr Paria Vaziri and Ehlie Luna — to gather their thoughts on the matter.
When it comes to beauty, health, and wellness, Alexandra Venison knows best. After all, the London-born, Dubai-based creator holds multiple titles — most notably, she’s a consultant, editor, and qualified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (INHC). In the past decade, Venison’s career in publishing has allowed her to review multiple beauty brands and share her expertise with her readers.
“My love for beauty began with flipping through glossy magazines,” she says. “I was enchanted by the ’90s supermodels, with their natural glam, and the striking looks that Pat McGrath created for the Christian Dior couture shows. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be part of that world and achieve my dream of becoming a beauty editor. I learnt so much on the job and met the most brilliant creatives and talents who helped shape this passion.”
“The biggest lesson I learnt is that you can’t have beauty without being healthy and looking after your well-being,” Venison says when asked about the connection between beauty and holistic health. “This is why I started investing in my education, doing courses in integrative nutrition, hypnotherapy and, most recently, training to teach meditation. I love the fantasy that beauty offers, but I wanted to provide more to my community. Yes, I love sharing my favourite brands and products, but I also want to teach people how to look after themselves properly and prioritise themselves in our fast-paced lives.”
What have you noticed about the relationship between beauty and wellness?
Beauty begins from within. Whenever anyone asks me for advice, whether on skincare or makeup, I always recommend sleep, water, and stress management first. If you are feeling refreshed and energised on the inside, it will show on the outside. Our lives are so busy, and as we grow older, we want to manage our ageing in the best way possible. This isn’t only about having a glowing complexion but keeping our minds strong and our bodies fit.
The prioritisation of our health and well-being is prominent more so now. Why do you think that’s so?
Education is on the rise, and people are seeing and feeling the benefits of putting their health and well-being first. Everyone is so burnt out from their busy lifestyles, with social media often driving this. People want to find their community and their tribe. Whether it be a spin class with heavy dance music, a quiet sound healing session or both, it’s your time with like-minded people.
If you don’t like something, that’s fine, but make sure you find something that you do and do it. Once you put down your phone, get motivated, and feel the benefits of consistency, you will never look back. There’s a reason why yogis seem so happy all of the time!
Most beauty brands have incorporated wellness into their ethos, campaigns or products in some form or another. Can you give us some examples of brands or campaigns that have done this well?
For me, when investing in a brand or product, I want to know the founder, their ethos, and their passion for what they do. I admire Tata Harper and her namesake label, where she is pioneering natural and luxury skincare from her organic farm in Vermont. I love how Dr Barbara Sturm is really pushing the importance of education and an anti-inflammatory approach to skincare for her brand. My latest find is Omorovicza, a luxury skincare label from Budapest, where Margaret de Heinrich de Omorovicza wanted to share the powers of the country’s bathing experiences and its rituals.
I admire the other side — brands that started with supplements, like Moon Juice and The Nue Co., developing skincare. The Nue Co. also created fragrance supplements that help to balance your mood, energise you, and more. Also in the world of fragrance is Matière Première, which focuses on high-quality ingredients and ethical sourcing, and Sana Jardin, which is the first luxury sustainable fragrance brand pioneering the importance of social impact.
For makeup, Hourglass has always stood out for me. The founder Carisa Janes has been setting standards for other brands with her vegan and cruelty-free luxury line alongside refillable packaging and donating to worthy causes. We have no excuse as consumers not to think about our impact and consumption. With the internet at our fingertips, we should be more conscious about who we are investing with and make sure their morals support ours.
How has the relationship between beauty and wellness influenced your lifestyle?
I have learnt that life is about balance. Just like a tripod, if you don’t give equal time to beauty, health, and wellness, you’ll collapse. They all go hand in hand, so when you apply your skincare, turn it into a ritual that helps your mental health and wellness. When you’re eating, choose healthy options that make you feel good on the inside, and that will help you to look good on the outside. Keep moving, whether it’s taking the stairs or going for a walk after work, every little thing helps. Embrace life to the fullest and enjoy yourself. If this means overindulging once in a while, enjoy it to the fullest, then get back to the healthy choice the next day. It’s both simple but takes work at the same time.
What are some beauty-related ways for our readers to indulge in self-care?
The first is mapping out the time actually to indulge in some self-care and be consistent with it. Look at your lifestyle and think about what’s really important to you. It might even mean being a bit selfish at first and cancelling some plans. Is there a way you can streamline your week to ensure you get a few extra hours on the weekend to try a new wellness class? Do you need to turn off Netflix one episode earlier to go upstairs, enjoy your nightly skincare ritual, and do a ten-minute meditation before bed? Most of us are on autopilot, and the hardest step is switching this off and making changes for a more sustainable and healthier life.
