Welcome to the next instalment of the #beautyinsider Q&As, where you can find out who is behind some of your favourite beauty brands, what they are working on and how they got there. This month’s guest is Rachael Payne, Global Training Director at Oriflame, a Swedish direct selling company set up in 1967 offering a whole host of beauty brands. Present in over 60 countries and with 3 million independent beauty consultants, Oriflame takes inspiration from plants that survive the harsh Nordic climate to create innovative formulas which are clinically proven to deliver strong results. Rachael and I met during our Clinique days where we shared our new mum experiences of juggling working in a fast-paced environment with tending to the needs of little bundles of energy at home. Rachael is probably one of the most uplifting and positive people I’ve met in the industry, so it’s a pleasure to share her proudest career moment to date, as well as beauty trends to look out for in this month’s beauty Q&A.

1. Hi Rachael, thank you for being my Insider Q&A guest this month. Let’s get started with your role at Oriflame – what are you responsible for?

Thanks Julia, I’m honoured! So my role is Global Training Director and my primary responsibility is creating trainings for our regions and markets. Whether it be skincare, make-up, fragrance, accessories I work on it all and try to create trainings and communications which are easy to duplicate, fun to participate in and make a difference to our Brand Partners confidence and ability to sell with passion and integrity. I absolutely love my job as it’s so varied, working with amazing minds in R&D, inspiring marketing partners, my own team (who are such experts in their chosen field such as Wellness and our Mind and Mood range), the genius creative studios and of course our regions and markets!

2. What does a typical day look like for you? 

Tough question, they change every day which is the best bit! One thing I always try to have in the diary is focus time. I have to write and create a lot so I need quiet to do so but first I need a brainstorm so I will often have an early teams chat with key stakeholders on what we want to deliver, what launch is coming or what theme we want to speak about to keep my writing on track. Then I will write for a while, then change task to keep my mind ‘entertained’. I tend to work on lots of things at once which suits me (it’s not for everyone I know) but I find 45-minute bursts on a particular project are far more productive than staring at PowerPoint for hours on end! I leave the ‘fun’ bits like filming to the end of the day as I find that the easiest task and the one with the most immediate impact.

3. What do you love most about working at Oriflame? 

Where do I start?? The variety for sure but for me it’s the culture and people that I love the most. Everyone is so warm, eager to help, supportive and real. I started this job as the pandemic was beginning so only worked for 4 weeks in the office (having moved country [UK to Sweden] to be here) and have worked from home ever since. What could have felt very isolating has been the opposite thanks to my colleagues. It’s a very entrepreneurial environment and you feel empowered to try new things and test new ideas. We have honest conversations, respect and value opinions and we all have the same end goal; giving confidence and support to our Brand Partners and celebrating our incredible products, people and opportunities!

4. What exciting projects are you working on right now?

Eek, so many! Not sure what I can share except to say we have some amazing products coming in the next few months and years. I’m a skincare obsessive (like you!) and I have to really love something to train it so the brand I work for has to have beautiful products and the skin care newness coming is incredible. It’s a privilege to train. Also working at Oriflame has really made me fall in love with fragrance for the first time and we have some heavenly fragrances in the works; it has been a joy to be exposed to that world and the journey of fragrance creation.

5. What so far has been your proudest career moment?

I am so lucky in my work and have loved every brand I’ve ever worked with but my proudest moments are always when I get messages to say that someone has been successful thanks to the training they attended or some tips they took from me. My customers are the people who sell the product so if they are successful I am beyond happy. If I had to pick a ‘moment’ it would be winning colleague of the year this year when I have spent almost 10 months trying to connect with people through my laptop in a new job! And in life, I hope my daughter is proud of her mummy. She’s the one I want to impress the most.

6. Insider news! What are the key ingredients or beauty trends to look out for this year in beauty? 

There are always buzz ingredients and trends (seemingly ever-changing) but I’d say the thing that never changes is be kind to yourself and your skin. And keep it simple! If it makes YOU feel good, wear it; regardless if it’s on-trend or not. The same applies for skin really, I run with the philosophy ‘treat your skin like your best friend’. By that I mean you need to listen to it, notice when it’s a little upset, nourish it with kind ingredients and a little more time when you can. Don’t overload it with ‘fixes’ if problems occur, don’t force your opinions (ie must-try ingredients) on it, or try to completely change who it is. I maintain a simple effective routine with a little boost here and there when I need it. My chosen line up is the NovAge Ecollagen range adding in our Cleansing Oil and Skin Priming Essence as I love a double cleanse and I am in permanent need of hydration!

I hope (and always hope) that natural will remain a trend; embracing the beautiful differences that make your skin yours, celebrating the little lines that show you’ve had a wonderful life rather than deleting them, and nourishing skin so you age beautifully. That’s why I love our Beauty by Sweden philosophy of a holistic approach to beauty, it’s not only how you look but how you live, feel and act. That sits really well with me; be yourself and you’ll be more beautiful for it.

7. And finally – what are your top tips for winding down outside of work?    

Well I have a 2 year old so… No, in all seriousness winding down is essential and walking is my healing time. Sometimes with music, sometimes on the phone to my mum or sister and sometimes with nothing at all in my ears! Also Disney+ is a game-changer, curling up on the couch with my daughter watching Moana for the 112^th time is the best. At the weekends we always get outdoors just to breath and try to get physically tired so we sleep really well. A new hobby is trying to learn to play piano (I got a keyboard for my birthday so I’m super-excited about that!) And for the days when it’s just too much I sneak away to my local coffee place with a magazine and hide away for an hour. Self-care doesn’t have to be yoga and mindfulness, it can be hiding in the car with a magazine and a takeaway coffee or a Friday night McDonalds delivery! I’m definitely not a self-care guru as you can tell but I do know what I need when I feel a bit down to pick me back up!

 If you have any burning questions you’d like to ask Rachael why not leave a comment below? Or you can get in touch with her directly on LinkedIn.