Seven secrets of wellbeing: Alex Chantecaille
Alex Chantecaille is Vice President of Sales at the family firm – Chantecaille Beauté. Her mother Sylvie, a longtime consultant to companies such as Estée Lauder, launched the company in 1997 as a small fragrance house before extending into exquisite beauty products. Elder sister Olivia joined the following year and Alex a few years later, after working in fashion. ‘Working elsewhere gave me perspective but I knew once I joined I would never look back.’
We love catching up with Alex on her visits to London – as you can tell from reading her ‘Secrets’, she’s a marvelous blend of sophistication with a passionate regard for nature. Which really typifies the Chantecaille brand. One thing we must highlight is their ongoing commitment to environmental charities. This season Chantecaille is focusing on saving forest habitats for gorillas through the charity Rainforest Alliance. We love Chantecaille Save the Forest Eye Shade Palette, with each gorgeous wearable shade imprinted with images of those majestic and threatened animals.
1. Cuddling and playing with my dog. Ella, a four-year-old saluki-mix rescue, is a daily part of my health. Every morning she hops on my bed for a snuggle before I get up. She’s the sweetest, always in a good mood and up for an excursion - she joins me at the office every day and I’m convinced she brings down all of our employee’s blood pressure each time they pet her.
2. Lemon water. I have hot water with a slice of lemon every morning without fail, before I get on to the first coffee of the day.
3. Skincare rituals. Washing your face each morning and evening is indispensable, especially in New York City and London. I use our Bamboo and Hibiscus Exfoliating Cream in evenings for a true scrub away of all that grime and dirt, and the gentler Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser in the morning followed by liberal sprays of Pure Rosewater to refresh and calm my face. Then I prep for the day with our new Anti-Pollution Collection to help against interior blue light emissions. I tap on our new Anti-Pollution Mattifying Cream to bring down any shine. I know how much I’ll be in front of my computer screen & cellphone, and this helps against the aging effects of Blue Light Emissions as well as environmental pollutants outside. My last step is a few drops of our new Anti-Pollution Finishing Essence, which helps blur my pores and makes for a nice primer.
4. Working with my family. It’s such a gift to work with my family. They’re each awesome, uniquely talented and genuinely wonderful people. Being part of a company we’ve built through our collective passion and abilities is truly inspirational. I am very aware of how lucky I am.
5. I can’t live without art. I studied Art as my major in University and it’s an integral part of my daily life. I love that I can see works of art every day in this city as I am near amazing galleries and museums. Last weekend I went upstate to Magazzino Italian Art Gallery in Cold Spring NY, a new space devoted to Arte Povera. It was fascinating - a whole movement in the 60s & 70s in Italy I knew nothing about. It’s always motivating to see others do great things in their profession, and it pushes me to do better in my own.
6. Being outdoors. I find inspiration through being in nature. The other day I was hiking and stopped to observe the coolest-looking caterpillar - pale, almost neon green with matching ‘fur’ in the most beautiful design on its back. Being outdoors is a must: the only way I can live happily in New York City is by escaping it often and getting lost in nature or out at the beach. I find routine is the death of inspiration, so I try to do something new every weekend.
7. Travelling. I like to travel to new places and see new cultures every holiday. I just visited Rwanda to meet the ‘gorillas in the mist’ - it met all the criteria for adventure, nature and inspiration. I do wish I lived closer to San Francisco, that’s where my heart leaps for joy. The grand size of the views, the cliffs, the beaches and the trees make me giddy with excitement. The redwoods I visited this spring were like old family members I had heard about but not met until now. It felt like a true homecoming of peace and happiness.
