There is nothing quite as uplifting as an honest conversation with someone you admire. That is how we had the idea for ‘In Confidence’ – a series where we sit down with powerful, inspiring women who are trailblazers in their own field. We will have honest conversations about how they have navigated their career successes and challenges and what balance means to them. At the same time, we will explore how they find confidence, whether that is with a powerful uniform they rely on every morning or small daily rituals.
In Confidence kicks off with the Manchester-born entrepreneur, journalist and editor Zanna Roberts Rassi, who co-founded her own beauty empire with the cosmetics company Milk Makeup.
Anyone who has done live TV knows a thing or two about confidence and Zanna Roberts Rassi has it by the bucket load. She went from an intern at Marie Claire in London to a red carpet fashion guru in Hollywood on E! and the Today Show. She also founded her own beauty empire, Milk Makeup, which creates on-the-go makeup to speed up your morning routine. We sit down with Zanna on set in New York to discuss the “juggle”, the best advice she has ever been given and how in her 40s she has found a uniform that makes her feel truly confident.
Did you always think you’d have a multi-hyphenate career?
“I’ve always been a multitasker. Everything I do feeds into the other thing. Starting as a beauty editor at Marie Claire in the UK was the best school I could have ever had because you had to do 1000 jobs in one. You had to understand production, writing, research, editing, working with the team, pulling clothes and styling. Now every single one of those things feeds into what I do now."
How do you manage the “juggle”?
“I’d like to say I’m an excellent juggler and I should be in the circus. But the reality is, I drop balls all the time. I’m way off perfect, but I have got an amazing partner in my husband. He’s a champion of my career and that helps me to do my job and be a mum. We are a team. Partners. Support each other in our careers. When I drop the balls or when he drops the balls, we don’t make each other feel bad about it. I also have great help at home, with an amazing nanny and great babysitters . Do I feel guilty? Yes, I do, but my kids see the joy that I get out of work and it’s rubbing off on them. At nine years old they are asking “how did the shoot go today Mummy?” and saying “let’s style this with this” and it’s kind of amazing. I don’t know if anyone is good at juggling, but all I know is that when I’m in one situation I try to give it my full attention before moving onto the next thing.”
What impact do you think having a support network has on the success or Milk Makeup?
“Milk Makeup was built on community. It was built on the people who worked and hung out at Milk Studios Downtown in the Meatpacking district, NYC. It was inspired by literally just sitting in the lobby watching these trendsetters, makers and doers go by and understand how they were using makeup in a very utilitarian way. It was on the go, using your fingers and mixing stuff together. Nothing had been built for this community, really. It is all about self-expression, gender neutral tools to get shit done quickly and efficiently! At the time that didn't exist. It isn’t just about the Creative class, the editors, stylists, celebs. The community lives outside of Milk Studios. They live in Nebraska, Ireland, Dubai. So we made a makeup line that worked for all of those people, and now our community is global.”
Do you have any advice for people wanting to build their own personal communities and network?
“My advice is to go out there and do it. The power of going somewhere in person is 100 times more than all the DMS, emails and texts you can send. Go and meet someone for a coffee and go to that networking event. I believe one meeting in person is worth 100 emails.”
The power of going somewhere in person is 100 times more than all the DMS, emails and texts you can send.
Has there been anything surprising or unexpected that has changed how you approach work?
“Something surprising for me is when you have a really good idea and you think ‘this is the one’ and you push and try so hard to make it happen and it's nearly there and then it doesn’t happen. Then like three years later, it comes back and it’s a hit. Those moments have happened a couple of times for me, and so it’s important to realise that all is not lost. Sometimes when you’ve worked so hard on something and it’s your everything you get so locked into it, but actually if it’s meant to be it’ll come back. You can park an idea for now and move on. It's about it being the right time with the right team around you with the bandwidth to actually follow the idea through – that's when the magic can happen.”
Keep your head down. Stay the course. Be kind. You don’t have to be the smartest in the room. Just be the nice one.
Is there any advice you are keen to pass onto your daughters?
”Keep your head down. Stay the course. Be kind. You don’t have to be the smartest in the room. Just be the nice one. Listen hard. Play hard. Don’t sweat the small things too much. I didn’t grow up in New York City. I didn’t grow up with social media. I have no idea about the pressures that they are going to be under. I was in Manchester and then London with a basic flip phone - we would use to actually make phone calls on! But I do think all we can do is just try and impart the best values."
You must learn a lot from your daughters?
“I learn so much from them. There’s no doubt it’s hard when you’re travelling so much, but they’ve always seen mummy work and there is something really powerful to that. I want them to see the passion that I have for my work and it’s rubbing off as well. Maybe it will rub off in reverse, and they will be like “I’m never gonna work a day in my life!”
It has taken me until my 40s to figure out what silhouettes suit me. You save time, money and stress.
As a Fashion editor and journalist clothing is obviously very integral to your career. What role does your own styling play in your professional life?
“Clothes can dictate how well a day goes for me. If it’s a bad outfit, it’s hard for me to have a great day. If I look good, I have confidence. If I have a sharp shoulder and a good pant on and a heel I can go and kill a meeting. If I walked into that same meeting in a pretty floral dress and dainty heel - I would feel way less in control. It has taken me until my 40s to understand what actually works and to figure out what silhouettes suit me. It makes it so much easier in the morning, and you save time, money and stress.”
What uniform do you rely on at the moment?
“It’s good to play and I’m all about expression. But I think at a certain point in life, I try to take out unnecessary decision making because it’s too time consuming. So boiling it down to a uniform and items that I can always go back to has been very important for me. The uniform right now is about great menswear pants or pleated plants with a wide leg and a shrunken blazer. For me it’s always about balance, and there will always be an oversized element. If I wore a fitted outfit I would then add a giant boot, for example. Right now I’m into loose-fitting trousers with a tighter top underneath, like a tank top, bodysuit or sharp blazer. I love the triangle shape it creates.”