There are several moments in life, not that necessarily define us, but that define our memory banks with rigid ferocity, be that in a pleasant or unpleasant way. Luckily (for me) I’m about to tell you a story about the former.
Recently, STYLEetc were invited to interview a Mother, a Business Woman, a Supermodel, a Philanthropist, a Fitness Guru, an Actress and someone with the most gloriously golden locks of hair that we have ever seen! Yes, we were invited to sit down and chat with Fashion Icon Elle Macpherson, to discuss good underwear, the joys of Instagram, and most importantly, a revolutionary new product, the Super Elixir, that she has co-developed with her friend and Nutritionist, Dr Simone Laubscher.
Allow us to set the scene. STYLEetc wait with eager anticipation outside San Carlo Farmacia Del Dolce on the basement floor of Selfridges Exchange Square, fresh notepad in (a somewhat clammy) hand, watching as a bustle of people make preparations for an imminent arrival. Two chairs are set before the rest, awaiting the co-creators of the wondrous Super Elixir.
The Super Elixir is designed to support healthy nutrition and to generate an overall sense of wellbeing and vitality. It claims to balance hormones, regulate digestion, and as a result, improve our appearance. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it actually isn’t.
We’re not claiming you’ll wake up looking and feeling like Elle Macpherson after one shot of the green stuff, but we’ve found that by supplementing our normal diet with a couple of teaspoons of the Super Elixir each day, after several weeks, we now feel more energetic, refreshed and balanced. ‘Beauty and wellness from the inside out,’ is how Elle explains it, and despite our skeptical journalist tendencies, we can’t help but agree with her.
Elle arrives suddenly, towering above oblivious passing shoppers and looking, frankly, phenomenal. Tall, tanned and slender with locks of long, lustrous hair. Her most attractive feature? Her smile. Radiant, warm and within an instant, us media folk are put at ease.
In accompaniment is Dr Simone, Elle’s Nutritionist, who, as the Supermodel puts it is, ‘a wonderful woman, a woman of integrity.’ Together they developed this product of super greens to combat Elle’s fatigue and increase her sense of wellbeing. It worked so well, that for Elle’s 50th (Yes, 50th!!) birthday, she decided to give back, to make this must have health product available to everyone.
The texture of the elixir is surprising. A fine, powdery substance, you can mix it with lots of water (Elle’s favourite way to take it), take it as a quick shot on the go, or sprinkle it over a cold salad. We were given our dose with some iced water, ‘the nicest way to take it,’ Elle assured us with a smile.
Despite being initially somewhat put-off by the pond water-esque colour and consistency, the taste was fresh, with hints of pineapple, and was actually quite enjoyable.
After discussing the Super Elixir with Dr Simone and a small audience in the intimate cafe setting, Elle would then sit down one on one with STYLEetc, to elaborate on the origins of her new product and explain why promoting inner wellness is so important to her…
I chose to come to Manchester you know, I could have gone to Birmingham! I was here for Britain and Irelands Next Top Model actually and I found some really beautiful girls here. British girls have such great style. There’s a real respect for eclectic individuality here. You have your own way of doing things and I like that, I like a good sense of humour, I like that it’s irreverent.
I find that if you’re healthy, you feel good and then you look good. I wanted to make the Super Elixir because I was feeling flat and I just didn’t feel healthy. I had all of these vitamins that I would take each day and I just didn’t feel like they were working.
I led a really healthy life style but just felt as though something wasn’t quite right. We went through a shopping list of things that weren’t working for me. She diagnosed me as having basically a very highly acidic body. Too much stress, too much coffee and not enough greens. She told me that I was eating well but that actually I wasn’t absorbing the nutrients into my body and I needed something to help me do this better. I started on a kale and green powder to help regulate my PH balance and I started to feel better, so we then started to add ingredients. Lets do this, lets do that, lets do hair, lets do skin, lets do kidneys and we did it together.
It wasn’t like I just had a business idea, this was an evolution. We shared it with friends and family and they were saying, ‘hey this products great!’ And everybody loved it so that’s when I said actually you know, I want to make this accessible!
I think true wellness comes from joy, having fun, having a laugh, looking on the bright side of things, doing the unexpected, being spontaneous, watching movies, watching children, actually talking and interacting with them. Drinking lots of water as well of course – I’m talking 3 litres a day, it’s so simple and so effective
Society’s idea of beauty has changed a lot in recent years, their perception of beauty. You see it on Instagram and Facebook, girls are taking selfies, they know their light, they know how they look good, they’ve got style, they don’t need Revlon telling them – they absolutely know themselves! And they know how to portray themselves, it’s quirky and it’s individual and it’s unique and it’s truly them and I love that! It’s so interesting, there’s no stereotypical idea of what’s beautiful anymore.
We’re all beautiful and we can all find that beauty…that may sound a bit cliché but I truly believe it and when I look at my Instagram and I see everyday women posting pictures of what they love, whether it be their children, flowers or a sunset, I think great! We can see beauty everywhere, how cool is that?
If I feel like the clothes are wearing me, I’m just not comfortable, and comfort is so important! Comfort, not sweatpants…but sometimes sweatpants! Just finding something that really works for me. I look at French Vogue for fashion inspiration. I like that sort of sexiness, not strong sexiness but that effortless, strong air French women have. I like clean lines and silhouettes, keeing it simple.
Great Lingerie can help women feel empowered. A woman’s silhouette changes when she’s got good underwear on, it really supports the body, it’s comfortable, it gives a good breast shape that slims the hips. When you have a stronger silhouette your whole attitude changes . Your clothes look better, you look better. Embracing femininity and sensuality helps women to be more open-minded too, less self conscious, less turning inward and more open to people because they’re feeling beautiful and comfortable in who they are.
A day off for me is spent with my kids, I like to be with my children, I say children, my son is 16 so it’s few and far between that I get days with him! I love to go to the movies, to swim and ski, I like to climb, I like to paddle board in the sun.
After a quick round of selfies (taken kindly by Elle – our arms were not even nearly long enough!) just to make sure we had evidence of this surreal encounter for disbelieving family and friends, she was gone, and we were left with a fabulous sample of the Super Elixir, which is available online at www.welleco.com and exclusively in store at Selfridges. For a daily boost of energy, stronger nails and a significant reduction in bloating, we’d recommend giving it a try. After all, it’s always good to channel your inner Elle!
STYLEetc Quickfire Questions:
The last film you saw…
A Viggo Mortensen film, he was great in it!
Favourite book…
From Atoms To Angels, it really changed my life.
Personal Mantra…
I believe that lifes a reflection, what you see around you is a reflection of what’s going on within.
The best advice you could give…
Drink lots of water!
Favourite City…
Manchester, of course!
By A Starstruck Grace Fleming
