Elle Macpherson on Finding Balance, Her Best Beauty Hack, and How to Nourish Her Body and Mind

“As I got older and became a mum, I realized that there was more to wellness than eating good food and exercising,” says Elle Macpherson, supermodel and founder of WelleCo. Macpherson who walked countless catwalks for Azzedine Alaïa, Dior, and Valentino says the shift was both in her mind and body. “It’s about treating myself well,” says Elle. “My regimen is now evolved into understanding what nurtures the body and what keeps it healthy, rather than focusing only on what makes it look good on camera.” To that end, Elle addressed and broke her bad habits—“I thought my diet was supporting me. In reality it was very poor in nutrients and I was sugar addicted, sleep deprived, dehydrated, and stressed inside and out,”—and worked with nutritionist Dr. Simone Laubscher on rejiggering her habits. “I believe a balanced life is a fulfilled one.”

WelleCo Super Elixer Greens, £62.50.

For Elle, it starts with clean living, something she realised after a grueling schedule that left her deprived of energy and healthy nutrients. “It’s about nourishing myself,” says Elle who starts each day with elixirs, “as an essential part of a simple and effective three-step daily clean beauty and wellness routine.” To boost her body from the inside at a cellular level Elle drinks two teaspoons of the Super Elixir Greens with filtered water. “It’s formulated using sustainable premium quality plant-derived ingredients,” says Elle, of the formula which acts as a revitalizing agent for the body from the inside. To augment the effect, Elle moves onto the Nourishing Protein elixir to maintain a lean and strong body—“I am obsessed with the chocolate! It tastes naughty but is super good for you!”—before finishing the day with Sleep Welle calming tea. “It’s blended with natural herbs to help calm the mind and help the body rest, rejuvenate, and recover.” 

But beyond the elixirs, Elle also practices meditation, getting outside, and writing in her Two Minute Mornings journal. “I’ve found committing to a holistic routine ensures I am addressing what’s important to me on a daily basis,” says Elle. That approach to mindfulness extends to her beauty regime with a focus on skin health. “I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup, so my routine is very pared-back and simple,” says Elle. “I love DefenAge Skincare which I was introduced to at 11 Howard’s Just Ageless spa in New York City. Their founder Jeanelle is always sourcing new ways to stack beauty and wellness routines [and] the DefenAge products are formulated [with] peptides that work with our master stem cells to help combat the visible signs of aging.” Another daily element of Elle’s skincare routine? Australian label Rationale’s B3-T Tinted Superfluid SPF 50 sun protection for day and the DNA Night Cream for evening.

WelleCo Super Boosters, £45.

And with a schedule that includes jetting all across the globe, Elle makes sure to keep her skin hydrated but also with just a hint of a dewy finish using Gucci Westman’s Vital Skin Foundation, RMS Rose Lip2Cheek and Pat McGrath’s Skin Fetish “for just the right amount of definition.” But a sense of ease is always paramount. “Stylish comfort is also a priority,” says Elle who favours VB’s fluid striped pyjama trousers and Wide Flat Square sunglasses while on the move. “The current collection is super stylish and so comfortable,” says Elle.

So what are Elle’s top beauty tips? “Dr. Laubscher always says, ‘we are what we absorb,’ so I make sure I’m takin in plenty of good clean nutrients in an absorbable way,” says Elle who drinks two to three litres of filtered water every day along with the Super Elixir. “I saw dramatic different after I started. My body felt lighter, brighter, and cleaner, and I had an increase in vitality.” And, for Elle, the results speak volumes. “When the body is nourished effectively at a cellular level you feel it in the inside and it shows on the outside.”