Glowing colours

Celebrity facialist and make-up artist Nathalie Eleni talks to Ellen Cummings about what it takes to get to the top and how to find your niche in the industry

How did you come to specialise in both skincare and make-up?

I was always obsessed with make-up and beaut y, but back in the ’90s when I was at school it was an unusual thing to get into – it was mostly hairdressing or working in a beauty salon. I went to university and did a fashion degree then got a job in sales for Vogue, but I knew I just wasn’t an office person. I used to spend lunchtimes painting everyone’s nails!

I became a flight attendant for Virgin because I wanted to travel, and because we used to get quite a few days off I enrolled at London College of Beauty Therapy for my NVQ Level 2 two days a week. I did my second training at London School of Beauty and Make-up, and once I’d done my Level 3 Iswapped to become an in-flight beauty therapist for Virgin. Then I just did more training and started getting really passionate about beaut y.

How did you get into doing make-up for celebrities and redcarpet events?

I was already doing facials, then I started to do a bit of make-up. People would ask if I could do something at 6am on the other side of London for no money and I’d be like, “I’ll do it!” I did so much for nothing.

Any opportunity to do a shoot or to learn, I got stuck in. You meet people, then someone recommends you. It’s about being confident and sharing what you’ve done. I met this really nice girl who said,

“We’ve got Benicio del Toro coming in promoting a film, can you do his grooming?” He was my first big Hollywood actor client. That was with Universal Studios and I built a relationship with them. They want people who are reliable so they kept booking me and it grew from there. It feels amazing that I’ve kept a lot of my clients for so long.

How have you combined beauty therapy with your work as a make-up artist?

When I started, you were one or the other, and I don’t think people could understand how I was a make-up artist and a beauty therapist. I think they thought, “maybe you’re not that great at either if you’re doing both” but I wanted to do everything, and it meant I got to do incredible things; I did nails for Charlize Theron on the set of The Huntsman, and tanning on the Wonder Woman film.

Obviously, I don’t think you should do everything if you’re not passionate about it, and as I’ve got older I do less. I don’t do nails or tanning or massage anymore. Now, I just do facials and make-up because they’re the two things I’m most passionate about, but when you’re starting out I think it’s great to get as much training as you can to open as many doors as possible and see what you love.

What is it that has kept you in the beauty industry?

I love how passionate people are. I feel like it’s this secret club that we feel so lucky to be part of because lots of people don’t love their jobs the way people in the beauty industry do. It never gets boring. I love the excitement of a new launch, I love how you can make people feel confident and the pleasure you can bring to clients. PBHJ

Don’t miss Eleni’s speaker session covering glowing skin and red carpet looks at Professional Beauty London 2023 – visit the Trends and Techniques live stage at 12pm on Monday, March 6.