We love sharing our chats with inspiring women and this interview, with Founder and Editor of The Lifestyle Edit, Naomi Mdudu, is a must-read. We talked about her amazing site, what motivates her and, of course, her beauty must-haves:
What inspired you to start the Lifestyle Edit?
The Lifestyle Edit was born because I wanted to create a new way of thinking about fashion and lifestyle. I really wanted to create a destination that spoke to all of the lifestyle touch points that my friends and colleagues love. Loving fashion doesn’t mean you don’t love anything else. Actually, the fact that you’re interested in style permeates into everything you do, from the places you go out to eat or travel; to the interiors in your home, the fitness classes you attend, your approach to health and exercise and the beauty products you swear by.
I also felt like there wasn’t a place that covered the other areas that are important like how to get your finances in check and climbing the career ladder. That’s why we speak to women across the industry who all share their stories and the lessons they’ve learned along the way in our interview series. It was always my mission to create a space that celebrated incredible women and that gives readers friendly advice on the tips and tricks they’ve learnt along the way. We’re not about being preachy. My team is full of twenty and thirty-something year olds trying to figure things out just like our readers.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own online business?
First things first, it’s so important to do your research. Ask yourself why you’re starting a business. Is there a real need for it? What gap in the market are you trying to plug and what kind of resources will you need to get it off the ground? It sounds obvious, but it’s one of the things people don’t do enough when it comes to starting out on their own. I thought I’d really done my homework, but I’m learning new things every day. Working through these sorts of questions in your mind before taking the plunge will show you whether your idea is work taking the risk for and will also helping focus your thinking.
Above all, be prepared to roll your sleeves up and put the hard work in. For at least the first year of any business, you should be prepared to work long hours, on weekends and –more often than not – without paying yourself. In the beginning it will be challenging but if you really invest, you’re bound to see the rewards. Stay positive, work hard consistently and it will happen.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The great thing about what I do is that there’s no such thing as a typical day. I spent years chained to my desk as a fashion editor, so now the part of my job that I love most is getting out there and meeting people. One day I might be on set shooting someone for our fashion, beauty or careers features, the next I’m talking to someone like Ella Eyre for a cover interview or rushing around town on appointments and meetings.
When I’m not away from the office, my morning starts with conference with my team, where they feed story ideas for the coming weeks. We’ll go through some of the content going live on the site that day, yesterday’s site numbers and the plan for social media for the day. The first hour of my day is usually dedicated to firing off emails before working on our editorial calendar, writing stories and touching in with my incredible assistant, Hannah, on any new project coming in. Most evenings I’m either catching up with a PR over drinks, attending an event or work dinner or doing admin things like invoices and accounts.
What is it about your job that keeps you going every day?
It’s cheesy, but I love everything about it. I believe in each and every story that goes live. I’m inspired by every brand we profile, every woman we feature and all of the incredibly talented writers and photographers we work with to bring the site together every day. It’s seeing the hard work come together each day that keeps me motivated. There’s no denying that setting up your own business is difficult – I can’t remember the last time I had a day off – but when it’s something you love, it never feels like work. Whether I’m on the train or relaxing in bed, I’m always jotting down story ideas and things I’d love for us to do in future.
When I worked in newspapers, it was so easy to get complacent about the things that come with working on such big titles but now, my team and I get excited over the tiniest things. Just receiving an email or tweet from a reader who was inspired by a story we wrote is the type of thing we get really excited and pumped up about. At the end of the day, that’s all that truly matters.
Tell us about your beauty regime!
If it’s as simple as waking up and just walking out the door every day, I’ll use Eyeko’s Brow Gel or Charlotte Tilbury’s Lift & Shade duo pen to fill in my brows because above all else, my eyebrows are the things that I care about the most. I feel naked without doing them. I’ll usually wear Laura Mercier’s Broad Spectrum Tinted Moisturiser, because it’s a lightweight and allows my skin to show through. But on those days I feel like I need more coverage, I’ll wear either bareMinerals’ Complexion Rescue Foundation or their bareSkin Pure Brightening Foundation Serum.
I love Laura Mercier’s Second Skin Cheek Colour and Charlotte Tilbury does a great creamy blush called Colour of Youth that I can’t stop wearing right now either. I’m not a big eyeliner girl but I love mascara. MAC’s Extreme Dimension 3d Black Lash and Lancôme’s Grandiôse are mainstays in my make-up arsenal.
I usually opt for a balm like Aerin Lauder’s Lip Conditioner by day or a nude lipstick like MAC’s Velvet Teddy or Charlotte Tilbury’s K.I.S.S.I.N.G Kate. They’re nude but with just enough pigment that they’re noticeable. By night, MAC’s Ruby Woo is my go-to.
What’s your skincare secret?
I was complaining to a therapist I went to see about large pores and she sent me off with Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. It comes with “mother”, which essentially acts like kryptonite to large pores. If you suffer badly too, you’ll know that half of the problem is down to genetics, so you can’t do much about it, but literally within weeks of applying it twice a day as a toner, my skin has dramatically changed. Honestly, it’s a game changer. I swear by it.
What’s your desert island product?
I suffer from super oily skin so I don’t travel anywhere without a good cleanser and Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish is my ultimate go-to. Not only does it leave your skin feeling baby soft, it’s nourishing, without being heavy, and doesn’t have that uncomfortably clean and tight effect you often get with cleansers. Dr Jackson’s Coconut Melt would have to be with me too! It’s the ultimate multi-purpose product because I use it for lips, lashes, brows, hands, the lot!
Sum up your beauty style in three words?
Natural, glowy, fresh
– As told to Jessica Diner