Lou Dartford - Makeup artist & cofounder of Conscious Beauty Union

How would you describe what you do?

I am a make-up artist that specialises in green beauty. I work with these products to help give women confidence in themselves but also show that we can look after our planet at the same time. I also work a lot with skin – I’m training more and more in different massages and treatments because I found that many women were coming to me with make-up concerns, but a lot of the time it was actually misunderstanding their skin and their skincare.

What inspired you?

I think it has been an ongoing journey of inspiration. I started working with green beauty over a decade ago and it was my interest in natural health that spurred it. Since then I’ve learnt so much and met some amazing people that continue to inspire me every day. Nature also inspires me, I love being out in it, but also all the amazing ingredients that are used for the wonderful products I work with.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I love creating beautiful images. I also love really being able to help people –
I love being able to make a difference to someone by helping them with their skincare or make-up – whether it’s helping them apply eyeliner or helping them create a relaxing routine at night. Also showing that green beauty can work just as well as ‘conventional’ beauty – I made that my mission years ago and now can really do it.

What are you most proud of?

Sticking to my guns years ago when people laughed (kindly) at my ‘organic make-up” and my daughter.

Can you tell us more about Conscious Beauty Union?

Conscious Beauty Union or CBU as we often say is an educational platform for beauty professionals who want to develop a more sustainable practice. I run it with two other amazing make-up artists Khandiz Joni and Tahira Herold. Each month we have webinars and beauty chats for our members, also in-depth masterclasses centered around one of our three educational pillars – health & wellbeing, ethics or sustainability. We have varying levels of membership offering different things but all have access to our library of wonderful blog posts. It’s really exciting, we’d love to help create a global beauty industry in which all beauty professional practice in a socially and environmentally responsible way, ensuring financial, physical and mental wellbeing for us all.

What does natural beauty mean to you?

Natural beauty to me is enhancing what we have and not trying to mask anything. I love working with women to help them understand their skin and then work with it – it’s not about being perfect but using the right products for our skins can really make a difference. Natural beauty for me is also using products full of wonderful natural ingredients.

What makes you glow?

Taking the time for a lovely skin pamper and long massage.
Getting outside in nature and taking some deep breaths.

What is your self-care ritual?

My self-care ritual definitely needs to be worked on at the moment!! I always take time to cleanse my face at night and then do a massage – sometimes for 1 minute sometimes longer with my guasha. I usually do things like masks while I’m cleaning the bathroom!!

What is your make-up advice?

I’m definitely about using make-up to enhance skin rather than to overpower it, I think make-up should be fun, so if makes you feel good than go for it. The great thing about make-up is it can be washed off so just experiment and enjoy it. While there are basic guidelines, I feel like anyone can wear any colour it just depends how you do it. A flash of colour for example along the lash line is a lovely way to brighten any look.

Which product would be your favourite from Elan range?

I love the cleanser – the smell is so fresh and I love the way it massages beautifully into skin.