Beauty Talk - Ein Gespräch mit den Gründerinnen von Edition Beauty

Beauty Talk: A Conversation with the Founders of Edition Beauty

by Sarah Khurshid
August 24, 2021
in Beauty, Interview, Life & Style
0

Since Amazingy Magazine published its first article in 2011, a lot has happened not only in regards to the magazine, but also when it comes to our online shop. In the past ten years, we have talked to many great founders of small brands, tried countless new products, organised events and gained new experiences, of course also expanding our community and meeting many more beauty lovers along the way with whom we love to exchange ideas.

With the growth of the Amazingy microcosmos (online store, offline store, events, etc.) we have also established and maintained contact with journalists who are just as passionate about the beauty realm – and most especially the natural beauty niche – as we are. This was also the case with Katja Dreißigacker and Julia Marandiuk. Both are quasi “old hands” in beauty journalism and have launched their own animated online magazine called “Edition Beauty” not too long ago.

I discovered their magazine on LinkedIn in November 2020, frustrated by lockdown and cancelled Christmas markets. The homepage in monochrome pastel immediately caught my eye and offered a ray of sunshine in a virtual sea of uniform mush. And then the content: beauty gifs! Animated editorials! Proper beauty journalism! Skin-talk! I began to devour it right away. But then on second glance, I saw who was responsible for this visual beacon of hope in the midst of the pandemic and thought to myself, “I know those names!” So when the opportunity arose to speak with the creators, I naturally wanted to share this exchange with you all.

What was your inspiration for Edition Beauty – is there already an animated magazine, or was that your idea?

Both: After many years of writing for various women’s magazines, where it was always important to match the tone of the magazine, we wanted to write about beauty topics as we see them, with our own voice and with our own focus. The desire grew in both of us to publish our own beauty magazine. A magazine for women – one that’s really for all women, no matter what age, whether they have a family, live in the city or in the country. Our readers had to have only one thing in common: a desire for beauty, skincare, makeup, fragrances and all the exciting stories behind the brands and products.

Since we are both big fans of print and love it with our heart and soul, we wanted a double-page layout for our magazine, because it can carry readers along. However, the world doesn’t need another print magazine, and an online magazine as a flip-page PDF without any moving images wasn’t an option either, as we were missing the experiential component. We also knew that a shopping component was indispensable, because people want to have beautiful things immediately. That’s why we went that extra mile and worked for a long time on the “love it, click it, store it” feature. It’s a service that saves our readers from having to do the research.

And above all, we wanted a new way of storytelling, a new beauty experience. Our start-up phase fell right around the time of the first lockdown and gave us a sleepless night or two. In the beginning, we questioned whether a “fun” beauty magazine was the right thing to do. But we quickly realized: it’s exactly what people need – a kind of pause button, a digital retreat where people can get inspired.

Our core competence lies in our journalistic texts, our years of expertise in beauty journalism, and our modern look. All in all, we are three women who breathe new life into Edition Beauty every time: Julia & Katja, plus another Katja – more precisely Katja Heller, our art director.

Our Homepage www.editionbeauty.de is the homebase of our aMags (editor’s note: the abbreviation for ‘animated magazine’), which is newly published. The homepage is meant to shorten or rather sweeten the time until the new magazine is published, but it will never be a replacement for the magazine itself. Instagram currently only serves as a distribution channel for us.

You are both experienced beauty editors – how did it start for you, and what were the different stations in your careers?

Katja: I started quite classically, working in print editions, at that time still at Condé Nast Verlag. There I learned the journalistic craft and how to make the magazine look opulent. Then it was off to Burda Verlag for a few years, and from there to self-employment. From then on, I worked for all the big names in print: Brigitte, ELLE, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stern, Madame … Each medium has a different target group, which I had to empathize with – expanding my expertise even further – and try to get a lot of people excited about the topic.

Julia:

I trained as a makeup artist. At the time, I had nothing to do with beauty editorial departments or beauty journalism, and I knew next to nothing about the daily routine in an editorial department. However, I always held a certain curiosity towards it and questioned why something was being done, which is ultimately essential for journalism.

Due to my curiosity, I got a taste of many different areas, all of which focused on “beauty”: starting with doing PR for various brands, as well as communication and brand management in a few agencies, and then on to the typical work of a makeup artist, I finally ended up in journalism – in the editorial department of Madame. I owe my core competence in makeup to my training in New York City, among other things.

What was your personal professional beauty highlight? Was there a place or person that made a lasting impression on you?

Julia: That was definitely having a meeting with Jessica Alba, who was in Munich for the launch of her brand Honest Beauty. The private exchange and conversation with her was, contrary to expectations, totally “real”, grounded – and yes, refreshing. She seemed completely herself, totally approachable, and we talked for ages about the app “Headspace” and meditation and why it helps her. I was definitely “starstruck”.

Katja: For me, it would be working with “real people”, which is what the industry calls all non-models who come to the studio for photoshoots or other projects. The experience of how these women calm down in the makeup chair, find their energy and become more and more self-confident… they suddenly start to radiate, and that’s what I call “The Power of Beauty”. From this, you realize that makeup is not just something superficial, because the transformation of these people comes from within. You notice how a natural makeup look – which emphasizes their own, personal beauty – triggers sincere feelings of happiness, and their attitude suddenly relaxes. This inspires me anew every time.

How do you see the future of natural cosmetics – of so-called “clean” or organic brands?

Julia: For me, natural cosmetics is the sensitization of consumers to ingredients, to the right products for different skin needs, and it creates more awareness for critical questioning of product formulations. And time has shown that the demand is enormous, because it determines the supply and this has not been decreasing for years. More and more brands are more enlightened and cater to this topic, because customers attach greater importance to it.

Katja: The demand has increased steadily over the years and has also reached the mainstream. It is no longer a “trend”, but the “new normal”. That’s how far we’ve come in this development. What I would like to see, and also where I believe it is going, is new technology in the natural cosmetics sector in terms of the efficacy of formulas with natural ingredients. In the past, you had to decide if you wanted natural products OR products that really perform with active ingredients. Today, the demand is simply much greater and consumers want both, which brands need to address. What I am very skeptical about is greenwashing, because many companies use a fancy cardboard box in earth tones as packaging and market a product as “natural” – when it isn’t. A lot more day-to-day education is needed. All in all, I also wish and believe that things are moving more and more in the direction of education, transparency and a curated selection of products.

What are some beauty products you simply can’t live without?

Julia: After going through some hormonal changes, I cannot live without a daily, gentle(!) exfoliation. A good cleansing is anyway the best preparation for the following skincare routine, as it allows the skin to absorb the products even better. Personally, I simply cannot do without a good exfoliating product with salicylic acid. One makeup product I can’t do without is definitely a good concealer, to cover dark circles or small blemishes.

Katja: This is so hard because I really test tons of products extensively every quarter. If you were to ask me at this point, my current top 3 are:

Azulene paste for hormonal acne, which I use selectively on my face.
Gua Sha stone or a face roller – I’ve become a big fan of these massage tools. It’s a ritual fully for me, which I incorporate daily, and it helps me to slow down.
A relaxing bubble bath or bath additives – the epitome of “well-being”.

If you want to get some beauty advice for yourself, which person is your first point of contact?

Katja: When it comes to makeup, I go to Julia. She’s my personal hotline, so to speak, when I have makeup questions. Her expert knowledge as a trained makeup artist coupled with the way she can explain it are my salvation.

Julia: Each of us has our specialties. If I ever need advice on minimally invasive procedures or cosmetic treatments, I go to Katja. She has the best addresses ready and advises me like no other.

When I’m looking for makeup inspiration, I love New York makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes’ account. Her looks and expertise blow me away every time. It immediately sets me on fire and makes me want to pick up the brush myself.