7 Secrets of Beauty & Wellbeing: Sarah Sklavenitis, founder MESSIAH and EVE
Over the years we’ve been privileged to make the acquaintance of many beauty entrepreneurs at the start of their business journeys. We’re talking Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, Marcia Kilgore… We know just what it takes to start a beauty brand, and how important it is for the founder to take care of their own wellbeing, in order not to be running on empty.
Sarah Sklavenitis founder of beauty start-up MESSIAH and EVE, is definitely another name to watch. We raved about her bodycare here, in Beauty Bible Loves, calling it ‘the answer to a post-summer body’s prayers’ (so we’ll be stocking up again shortly). As Sarah puts it, MESSIAH and EVE sets out ‘to redefine luxury with the attributes of quality, strength of purpose, responsibility and giving back.’
And now, for the latest in our series, Sarah shares the secrets of how she stays balanced and energised, in a super-busy life, many of them rooted in her philosophy of life.
It’s important to remember: everything is temporary. I was given this advice in high school and it has forever stayed with me, seeing me through some of the lowest and most stressful times in my personal life, my health, career and through the three years I was building and launching MESSIAH and EVE.
Emotional intelligence is everything, I believe. In life and in work it sets you apart from the next person and shows your humanity. I have lost track of the number of times I have had to be the grown up in the room due to a lack of emotional intelligence – it never ceases to disappoint me. Empathy is particularly key – it makes you a better person and nicer to be around, full stop.
Forgiveness is healthy. For the majority of my life I was very critical of everything I said and did. The most surprising thing that has come out of the last couple of (stressful) years building MESSIAH and EVE is that I am for the first time truly forgiving of myself. It has come as a huge relief to have finally given myself permission to try, succeed and fail - and permission to have no idea what I am doing. The reality is, we are all just having a go at life (and business).
Mistakes are necessary. An extension of forgiveness in a lot of ways – mistakes are absolutely necessary and pretty much inevitable – you need mistakes to learn, to figure things out (sometimes to a solution, sometimes not), to try new things on to see if they fit. To remain humble.
Don’t be a d*ck. I mean, it’s up there in my top tips for life! Treat people with respect, work with integrity. And when you have to defend your position or stand your ground or tell someone that they are really very wrong - do it with dignity, logic and fairness.
Perspective + humour = sanity. The holy trinity – the wonderful thing is that they all preserve each other. Laugh properly and often at everything including yourself and everything that goes pear shaped. Keep your eye on what (and who) is actually really important, what drives you forward, what will work for you and what makes you happy - the rest is just temporary smack.”
What keeps me going, basically, is showering in the morning and then coffee. This is perfection (when accomplished without children present). I mean, what’s not to love about a literal wake up and a luxurious five minutes to yourself to contemplate life under running water and then the glory which is a flat white? (MESSIAH and EVE Body Cleanser 01 and 02 are priced £21 for 300ml. Add your own favourite coffee…)
