Date posted on DIARY directory: Tuesday 21st March 2017
Katie Service is currently the Beauty Editor at ES Magazine. She began her career working as a make-up artist, assisting make-up legend Kay Montano. On taking a job with Kathy Phillips at Condé Nast Asia Pacific, she set her sights on becoming a Beauty Editor. She has also worked as Acting Beauty Editor at InStyle and Assistant Beauty Editor at Sunday Times Style. Katie recently launched her own website, katieservice.com, where you can find even more of her writing, beauty shoots and reviews.
What sparked your love of beauty & how did you get into the industry?
What sparked your love of beauty & how did you get into the industry?
It was definitely when my dad pointed out a beauty page in Vogue featuring Marian Newman’s nails (when I was about 18). He got in touch with her via email and asked her for some advice on what nail products to give me for Christmas. Marian then invited me to be on her nail team backstage at a Paul Smith show at LFW. I caught the bug for backstage beauty there and then. I’ll always be grateful to my dad and Marian for that opportunity.
Now you’re at a supplement, how does it differ to working at a newspaper and glossy?
Supplements are great fun because everything you work on can be so current. At ES we work only a week in advance so we are at liberty to talk about things that some glossies miss out on because of lead times. We can be really relevant, whilst having a little more time than a newspaper to be creative. It’s the perfect happy medium.
Give us a breakdown of a typical working day?
Give us a breakdown of a typical working day?
I wake up early (to the dismay of my poor husband) and am up working on some copywriting or an ES feature before the rest of the world gets up, which I love. On a normal day I then walk to work or to a press breakfast. Breakfast is my FAVOURITE meal of the day and I am definitely a morning person. I’m usually at my desk by 9.30 and either straight into a production meeting or putting my pages together. We sit on the same floor as the Evening Standard paper and it’s always exciting walking into a buzzing news floor (their journalists normally have been working since 6am as they go to press around 11am). I try to check my emails at 3 intervals of the day – although sometimes that doesn’t always pan out – as they can be quite disruptive when you’re on deadline. If I’m on a shoot it’s totally different – I hop on the tube to the studio, normally East East London.... and spend the day working with a group of talented creatives (models, photographers and hair and make-up teams). Six shots normally takes from 9am to 6 or 7pm. In the evening I can normally be found sharing a bottle of wine with my husband at our flat in South West London or trying to zen-out at an Equinox yoga or Triyoga class.
What is the best way for PRs to grab your attention?
What is the best way for PRs to grab your attention?
I love a beautifully composed email – a strong, clever headline, an arresting visual and all the info you need in the first paragraph. Michael Booker from Monty PR is a pro at attention grabbing emails. He should be a Beauty Editor ;) But I do also answer the phone and since I get a lot of emails it’s often the best way to get hold of me.
Any pet peeves when working with PRs?
Receiving an email saying ‘Are you working on anything at the moment?’ is so unhelpful. I also object to being emailed for extensive ‘feedback’ on a brand for free – if it doesn’t relate to something we’re working on together then that counts as consulting and should be paid work. Other than that I love working with PRs – we absolutely need your brilliant products and I especially love when a PR has creative feature ideas or trends to pitch.
Arggh – and sending products with too much packaging. You should see how much waste packaging comes into my office. A part of my soul dies every time I receive a box stuffed with polystyrene filler.
Where do you see the industry heading?
Goodness. What a question. Instead of doom and gloom about the end of print I try to be quite positive. I am not a whizz at digital but I like to think that in the future if no print magazines exist my skills of creating content will still be useful to beauty brands, who are starting to think more editorially. I think that while the ABC figures may be declining, many magazines are now such big brands that they will continue to exist; they’ll just evolve into new mediums. I was so sad to hear about InStyle but I love their new website and I don’t by any means think we’ve seen the back of them as a brand.
It has been interesting to see the rise of the “influencer” and I think that over the next 5 years or so we’ll see quite a change in what it actually means to be one. I know that brands are now finding more interest in micro influencers because they hold a level of authenticity that consumers may feel major influencers have lost because they are so heavily sponsored.
I have also seen big changes backstage at Fashion Week. Backstage areas at shows are now all about ‘who’s who’ backstage, which must be frustrating for the hair and make-up teams, who are there to work not tweet. But these things are cyclical and I predict that as brands lose commercial interest in fashion week it will return to its previous exclusivity and industry only feeling.
Your website - talk us through what’s new
Your website - talk us through what’s new
My website is so exciting! It’s just an extra platform for me to rattle on about what matters to me within the beauty industry. It will be quite niche and maybe not everyone will get it but I’m hoping to talk about Beauty in a language that relates to people. There is so much generic ‘beauty speak’ out there and just as brands like Deciem and Beauty Pie are trying to revolutionise old beauty sales models I want to do the same with beauty editorial. You’ll find no ‘beach body ready’ or ‘new year new you’ here. Check it out www.katieservice.com and leave me a comment to let me know what you think.
Where do you come up with your best ideas?
Where do you come up with your best ideas?
On the tube. I think it’s something about being surrounded by real women. It’s certain amazing inspo’ for ES Magazine ideas – I am literally standing side by side with my readers.
What’s coming up for you?
What’s coming up for you?
Just working on my website and I also have the ES Beauty Special in May, which is beyond exciting.
What other resources out there do you use to keep up with the latest beauty affairs?
What other resources out there do you use to keep up with the latest beauty affairs?
Business of Fashion, Racconteur and Broadly. Broadly is so great, if you don’t read it you must.
3 favourite beauty products of all time??
Wow that’s difficult. This Works Pillow Spray, I just can’t sleep without it. I travel everywhere with it. They’re Energy Bank Bath oil then wakes me up in the morning. La Roche Posay Toleriane Cleanser & Moisturiser has transformed my skin and so many of my friends’ skin. It is designed to completely desensitise irritated, city skin. It is amazing. Colbert MD Illumino Mask – I save these very special masks for the taxi after a long haul flight. The taxi driver thinks I’m weird but by the time I get to the office, I look like Botticelli’s Venus as she steps out of her shell.
Latest beauty trends – discuss
I just don’t think trends exist anymore. Social media has shown us that there is so much out there that a trend for red, 1920s lips or blue space age nails seems a bit half-hearted and passé. Backstage none of the lead artists talk in terms of trends, they talk about what the make-up makes them feel or how they are trying to create make-up that goes against trends. But maybe that’s a trend in itself....
Favourite ever beauty campaign?
Favourite ever beauty campaign?
Hands down the Narciso Rodriquez For Her fragrance ad. The hair (a braid on Karman Kas) was done by Eugene Souleiman 15 years ago or something but the image never ages. It always looks so current. I had it on my bedroom wall as a teenager.
One thing people may not know about you?
One thing people may not know about you?
I am an eco-warrior. I really, really love recycling.
Describe yourself in three emoji’s
Describe yourself in three emoji’s
Princess, Sunrise, Tornado
Contact
Katie Service in 'media contacts'