GUEST INTERVIEW: EMMA HOAREAU
We are excited to have one of our favourite beauty influencers Emma Hoareau for our latest guest interview. Emma gives us a personal insight into her skincare routine, the ups and downs of being an influencer and how to get that perfect insta-shot.
Your Instagram is our holy grail for skincare products, how did you get started, what made you get into beauty/skincare influencing?
I used to work as a Beauty Editor for magazines, so got into sharing my own products too. I’ve had a blog (Lolita Says So) for 10 years and would share my own articles and thoughts on there.
Which product has been your best kept secret?
There’s not many secrets when it comes to my skincare! I go through phases with lots of products and like to use what my skin needs at a certain time rather than one miracle product – skin is so much about how you feel and look after yourself too.
You have the beauty and skincare industry on lock, what are your top tips in mixing your beauty looks with your style?
I grew up in Paris and I think my style is quite French in that I very much wear the same kinds of things – well cut jeans, men’s shirts and good quality jackets – over and over so for me makeup can be a bit more fun. I’m all about having glowy skin but a bright lip or eye is like an accessory that I can easily change daily, like jewellery.
We know you’re also quite a keen traveller, how do you pack the right skincare for an upcoming trip?
I think about the destination and how my skin is likely to react to that (eg is it humid? Cold? Will I be in drying air con a lot?) and pack with that. I love packing lots of minis so I still get a choice of products.
What is best and worst parts of your job?
The best part is being able to call this my job! I love talking about skincare and I feel really happy that I get to do that as my job and talk to a community who is so interested in it. I also work as a photographer and again love sharing my images with others and creating work that I do as passion projects as well as just focusing on client work. The worst part is probably feeling like I always have to be ‘on’ – but I’m getting better at accepting that I don’t have to always share every moment, even if I can.
Can you give us three words that are key in achieving your signature, dewy glow?
Exfoliate, hyaluronic acid.
Which beauty trends are you obsessing over at the moment?
I love that lip glosses are making a comeback in a wonderful early 2000s throwback – I like to use them on my lids, too. In skincare I love how all consumers are much more interested in ingredients now, too, and that’s why I started my Sunday School series to help everyone understand the ingredients and products they need to use and to not be so overwhelmed when they walk into a shop.
We also love your photography! Did you teach yourself? What would be your best tips for getting an insta worthy photo?
I am self-taught, yes. I’ve always been visually obsessed and studied history of art at university. I think it takes time to learn it and find your style of photography but it’s so worth it. For me the best tip is good light – I only shoot with natural light (which can be tricky in London winter sometimes!) but I know the photo will be a lot more magical and appealing if the light is good, don’t be afraid to fail or re-shoot. There’s hundreds of ‘bad’ photos for every good one that is shared.