The #ITGTopShelfie interview series focuses on the beauty routines of Into The Gloss' lovely, accomplished, and loyal community of readers. Submit your own on Instagram—post your Top Shelfie (tag us @intothegloss!) and include the hashtag #ITGTopShelfie for a chance to be featured on ITG.
I’m Hélène, you can find me on Instagram at @ielonah. I live in Paris with my two boys and I work as a digital consultant in a communications agency. I help my clients build their social media presence—content strategy, community management, social advertising, influence, etc. What I like about this job is that there is no time to get bored! Everything goes so fast in the digital world, so you're constantly learning new things. I also adore my team that I work with! There is a very great vibe—a mutual trust and kindness. It is so important to want to get up every morning and go to work.
What I like about working in a communications agency is that there are no restrictions or imposed style—I have always loved taking care of myself, making myself pretty, and experimenting with different styles... And it is a real pleasure to do so every morning to go to work.
To relax I listen to music, I take care of my plants, I paint, and I tidy up my living space so that it's more soothing visually, and so I can feel good in it. I take care of myself... A good bath with essential oils, a facial mask, a body scrub. Or I go thrift shopping. I think my beauty habit must have started during junior high school. The first time I put a black pencil on (because I wanted to do it like my girlfriend), must have been during seventh or eighth grade. Besides that, I think I truly started liking and wearing makeup when I discovered matte lipstick—now I cannot live without it. Also when I learned a few basic techniques like playing with balance—very red lips but light on the eyes, or dark eyes and nude lips.
I adore lipstick. One of my first coup de cœur was without a doubt the classic Ruby Woo from MAC that I always have with me. Then I discovered the Cream Lip Stain from Sephora and I swear by that now. I adore the matte finish, the colors, and the long-lasting effect, but most of all their quality for the price. I tested all the other brands that have similar products and I've never been convinced by any others. My favorites are 39 and 23—nude and brownish tones.
No particular routine for my hair, I wash it every day—I know I need to slow down the frequency of washes! And then I let it air dry. For my skin, in the mornings and evenings I use the micellar water from Bioderma, and I'll mix it sometimes with floral water. After that I use my daytime facial moisturizer which is aloe vera based. I regularly do masks and I'll make scrubs from coffee grounds with coconut oil or sweet almond oil, and a few drops of tea tree essential oil.
I'm obsessed with Coconut Balm Dotcom from Glossier. I've scattered several in different places—in my bathroom, my purse, different pockets—to make sure I always have one nearby. They're also perfect for protecting and nourishing my lips before applying my matte lipsticks like a stain lip.
My makeup routine is a little bit of concealer, a line of eyeliner, and a bit of mascara! For me, beauty is feeling good with who we are and radiating that feeling of well-being. Regarding the makeup, I like the idea of enhancing your natural beauty. I'm inspired by women who aren't scared of asserting themselves, who aren't scared of dissatisfying others, but who also don’t have to belittle others to feel better about themselves."
—as told to ITG
This interview has been translated from French and edited for clarity.
