Yulia Grebenkina’s first job in fashion was a bit of a crash course – as a young, passionate but inexperienced digital editor of Russian Glamour she was given responsibility for all editorial content on the whole site. “I did learn a lot,” she says. “And it was at Glamour that I started to love beauty more and more.” Yulia went on to the beauty desk at elle.ru and eventually launched Beauty Insider, one of Russia’s first and most popular beauty blogs. A year ago, she took the leap to becoming a full-time blogger, doing the writing, editing and business side of Beauty Insider, as well as a bit of modelling.
Did you always dream of being a beauty editor?
“No, I grew up in an industrial town where everyone I knew worked at a car factory so I didn’t even know that kind of job existed. But I was creative, I attended ballet school, I liked to draw, and I dreamed of writing a book (I still do!). Finally, it all worked out on its own.”
What a great things have come from working on Beauty Insider?
“A few brands have used me as their model and that experience has been fantastic. Now we do it quite often for the blog, I even took part in a commercial – so now my parents can watch me on TV! When professionals work on your appearance, it helps you evaluate what you think of yourself and your beauty. I'm much more relaxed and confident about myself now.”
What will your look be like this fall?
“A nude look with red lipstick that looks great with my pale skin. And good brows: I just changed my hair colour for a darker one, and I love making my brows darker than usual too.”
Will you be following any new trends?
“I don’t care too much about the trends of the season when it comes to my own make up. There will be a metallic trend, but that doesn’t suit me so I’ll leave it out. But maybe I will learn how to do a great eyeliner – make up artists have been using it for cat-eyes for a few seasons now.”
How do you keep hydrated during the cold Russian winter?
“For my skin, I switch to more hydrating and replenishing serums. For my hair, I like to use some leave-in creams and hair oils. It’s important all year round really. And I do more nourishing masks and oil-based treatments. When I was growing my hair out I did them every three days, and it helped a lot.”