Elle UK Beauty Director Sophie Beresiner On What It Takes To Make It In Magazines

I studied Philosophy at Bristol University – totally unrelated to my job now, although it taught me discipline and how to form an argument and write concisely. I think a degree, although not essential, is useful in this profession but it doesn’t matter what it is in. I went for Philosophy because I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with my life yet, but I knew I liked to over think everything, which is quite a useful trait in my job today – detail is important!

My first job out of university was as a production assistant at a TV graphics company in Bristol. It was a very small, very friendly team and I think personality rather than experience was what helped me bag the role. I knew I wanted to work in media, but I loved Bristol so thought I’d give it a go and see if I would be happy in TV rather than print. I wasn’t, so I moved back to London, back in with my parents, and started all over again.

I have always loved print, particularly the design element and the fashion content, but I somehow arrived at the conclusion that beauty would be my thing. I think it was a calling because I can’t put my finger on why, even now. My mum banned me from wearing a scrap of makeup until I was 13, so I think I became obsessed with the countdown to my first ‘legal’ use of it. She gave me a palette for my birthday but I was clueless as to what to do. I liked looking at it rather than using it.

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”755996″]

After I gave up my job in TV production, I started all over again as a beauty intern on B magazine. It took me three months until I landed the job PA to the editor and features assistant of ELLEgirl all in one. It was a very small team and it meant I really learnt everything all at once. Sadly it folded after a year or so of my being there, and I’ve spent my entire career trying to get back to the brand. I finally made it to ELLE twelve years later and feel I’ve come full happy circle. In between I gained valuable weekly magazine experience, which taught me how to do everything at a thousand miles a minute and really got me noticed as a beauty stylist. I liked the fast pace and diversity of my role but I was frustrated that I couldn’t go more in depth with my features and ideas. When I got to ELLE I was well prepared for the pace but could finally indulge my writing side.

Taking the job at ELLE was a no brainer. I’ve been a huge fan of the magazine for as long as I can remember and was absolutely thrilled when I got the opportunity to join the team that has always inspired my work. It felt very natural because I’m definitely an ELLE girl. That and the fact that I was excited about the mildly terrifying opportunity to work for editor Lorraine Candy too. It’s difficult to be strategic with your career because luck comes into any career move in this industry. You really need to be in the right place at the right time, so I tried to position myself there wherever possible. Saying that I have always wanted to end up at ELLE, and look what happened!

I joined at a time when ELLE was being redesigned to reflect a more progressive digital era, and I got to overhaul the entire beauty section. It took months of hashing and rehashing ideas, gauging reactions on social media and working closely with the art team to redefine what beauty meant for ELLE but I’m so proud we got there and carved a new niche in the market.

My role as beauty director means that I work across all platforms. I can be running the social media channels one day, directing a shoot another and writing features, reporting backstage at fashion week or trying out a thousand red lipsticks all while creating and uploading digital content or honing my SEO skills another day. This requires a very comprehensive to do list and a lot of coffee! My editor is very astute and reactive to the constantly changing needs of our, so this is reflected in all of our roles here. We’re always expanding on our skill set in line with what we might be developing day to day. I am pretty proficient in Photoshop and even GIF making now. I’m not sure how many beauty directors have that in their job descriptions!

I absolutely believe that editors need to embrace social media to help support both their own brand and the magazine’s. It’s totally changed the way we work and is so useful in helping us engage with our readers. Plus, it’s the most direct market research tool ever. I can literally understand if my idea was worth all the effort by asking a simple question to my followers who I know are engaged with the brand– otherwise they most likely wouldn’t be following me.

As a writer, you shouldn’t become so close to your work that you get stuck on the idea that you know best either. There will always be edits that you don’t like, but generally your top editor got there because they know what they’re doing!

The biggest conception of beauty journalists is that we write about pretty products and get lots of massages and shiny hair treatments. I wish there was time for that! Beauty journalism is hugely involved. You need a superhuman ability to overcome jet lag and the kind of organised mind that can cope with twenty very different tasks at once.

I always tell interns that it’s easier to stand out than they think. I assumed that everyone was the same as me when I interned so when a job came up I worked really hard on my application project. I went over and above the requirements by researching the title and thinking of the kind of content ideas that that particular brand would appreciate. 400 people went for that job and my editor told me it was obvious I was the successful candidate just from that project. It’s so important to use your initiative, but not so much so that you make mistakes that could be avoided just by asking some clever questions. It’s also important not to run before you can walk. It’s best to master one thing before you try and master all the things. You can be brilliant at them all eventually, but you’ll do it much better if you progress naturally and consistently rather than cutting corners and assuming you can do it all.

When it comes to bringing new writers on board, I’m always looking for people with get to the point. It’s a very rare thing. ‘Beauty language’ – as I call it – doesn’t engage me. Phrases like ‘tousled tresses’ and ‘slough off’ should be banned. Nobody talks like that in real life. It’s also important for people to show a willingness to learn, be adaptable and have no fear of technology. As a writer, you shouldn’t become so close to your work that you get stuck on the idea that you know best either. There will always be edits that you don’t like, but generally your top editor got there because they know what they’re doing!

Building relationships is at the heart of being a journalist – it’s the part of my job that I love. Being in a creative industry means that I work with hundreds of different characters, sometimes on a daily basis. It’s so important to me to enjoy my job. When you factor in stressful deadlines, super-multi-tasking, various pressures and inevitable mistakes, if you don’t have a laugh with your colleagues it would be near impossible to do it. I’ve built some great friendships in my career and have collected some amazing mentors too.

Journalism is a career built on knowledge, training, research, skills, opinion and authority. And while I have huge respect for a lot of the beauty bloggers and vloggers, there is a feeling that anyone can become an online authority. The industry is now so saturated that it’s becoming more and more difficult to make an impact.

Even now, I’m still learning. One of the most important things I’ve learnt over the years is that criticism is vital for developing. My skill set changes so much from year to year. I’ve also learned that stationery cupboards are very useful for the occasional private meltdown and that meltdowns are nothing to be ashamed of, so long as you do it in private.

There’s no set formula for balancing work and life but I have a very understanding husband who also works very hard and needs my understanding there, so we have formed a mutual appreciation society. Although I am addicted to checking my emails, I definitely find time to have an active social life. If I get to work after a weekend and I haven’t seen my friends or family, or done something worth talking about on Monday morning I feel a bit lost. Box sets are my go-to. I’m not sure how healthy or sensible it is but The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad are where my mind goes to escape. Otherwise I’ll rely on my friends and family to remind me that there is more to life than my work.

Images by Dvora for The Lifestyle Edit. This interview has been edited and condensed.