We sat down with the women of Gritty Pretty - The Senior Creative Producer - Nicola Sevitt, The beauty Editor - Rose Garnett and The Beauty Director and Executive Editor - Danielle Gay to discuss all things careers and beauty and their current muses of inspiration.

Rose wears The Classic Shirt in Latte, Danielle wears The Adrienne Trouser in Cream and Nicola wears The Arlo wool Trouser in Latte.

 

How did your position come to fruition at Gritty Pretty?  

Nicola - I had been an avid Gritty Pretty reader since I can remember. When I saw the role advertised on Instagram, I immediately applied (with my toes and fingers crossed), and then proceeded to dance around my apartment when Eleanor offered me an interview. A week later, when Eleanor called me to offer me the role, my heart truly skipped a beat, and I squealed out-loud (involuntarily) with excitement. It's my dream job and encompasses the execution of creative ideas. I was recently promoted to Senior Creative Producer, and as Gritty Pretty continues to grow, I'm so excited to see how my role will progress.  

Rose - I often say that my position at Gritty Pretty came about through a combination of luck and hard work. I was interning with the publication at the end of 2019 and in my final month the position of Beauty Assistant opened up. I applied and the rest is history! From there I was then promoted to Beauty Writer in 2021 and then Beauty Editor (my current role) this year. It’s been such a pleasure to grow and learn so much over the last three years. 

Danielle - I joined the Gritty Pretty team in March of 2021, after close to a decade spent at Vogue Australia. I had known our founder, Eleanor, for years through the industry and had always admired what she was creating at Gritty Pretty, so it was a joy to come across and get to work on this beautiful brand every day.  

 

How do you plan to fulfil your creative desires in 2022? 

Nicola - While Gritty Pretty and our incredible team provide a constant web of fabulous ideas, to ensure that I'm coming up with unique concepts and filling my creative cup, it's crucial that I continue seeking inspiration ideas outside of work—i.e. visiting my favourite art galleries, sparking conversations with strangers, travelling, seeing plays/films, going to gigs, and continuing my photographic practice, in particular using film as a medium.  

Rose - It’s funny, I never thought of myself as much of a creative person until I started working at Gritty Pretty. To me, creativity had always been synonymous with art and drawing, neither of which I had a particular talent for. But I now realise that creativity is just a way of expressing your innermost thoughts and desires in a way that feels authentic to you. For me, that is through photography and writing. I love marrying my writing with beautiful imagery and am always so inspired by the process of shooting beauty products in new and exciting ways.  

Danielle - I am very lucky that my job affords me creative freedom across the Gritty Pretty universe—be it the words I write, visuals we create, or projects we work on. When off duty, spending time journalling, creatively writing or penning short stories provides an outlet for my creativity. 

 

Best no makeup look advice?  

Nicola - Hydration. A hydrated complexion provides the perfect base for a no-makeup makeup look. Three key habits: Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair, La Roche Posay's Hylu B5 moisturiser under makeup, and I always keep a Maison Balzac carafe on my desk to keep up my water intake.  

Rose - Glowy skincare products! And good brows! And an eyelash curler! I always find that if my skin is glowing (I love the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum and La Mer Soft Cream for this), I can get away with little to no makeup. I always brush my brows up with a clear brow gel (I swear by the Benefit 24 Hour Brow Setter) and then love to curl my lashes to open up my face. My favourite eyelash curler is the Kevyn Aucoin one–nothing compares. 

Danielle - It starts with your skin. Creating the perfect no makeup look is all about the base. I like to start with a good hyaluronic acid serum for a hit of hydration (I am currently using Summer Fridays Dream Oasis Deep Hydration Serum), followed by a moisturiser (I like Biologique Recherche Toleskin [C]) and then a dewy primer or base product (I stock up on Glossier’s FutureDew whenever I’m in the US). On top of that, I go in with a minimal coverage skin tint and an SPF and my skin looks like it’s glowing from the inside out. Low effort but maximum glow. 

Current favourite artist?  

Nicola - I've been wanting to purchase a Bugai Whyoulter piece for quite some time. If anyone knows me, my colour palette (home, decor and wardrobe) usually exclusively consists of neutrals, though I love the way Bugai masters colour in a subtle and mesmerising way. I follow Aboriginal Contemporary religiously, waiting for the right work to come along whether that’s of Bugai or another artist represented at the gallery. 

Rose - I am obsessed with Lucinda Jones at the moment. I have one of her pieces in my bedroom and am desperate to get my hands on a larger one for my living area. I love how minimalistic they are and yet they feel so warm and considered. Her work is truly beautiful and feels very connected to the Australian lifestyle, which I love. 

Danielle - I am more into literature than art. My influences include Joan Didion, Maggie Nelson, Sally Rooney and Sheila Heti. I have also recently discovered Jhumpa Lahiri and Jessica Au and love their work.  

Architecture inspiration right now?  

Nicola - Since visiting Masseria Moroseta in Puglia back in 2019, I've developed a love for Andrew Trotter's work. His ethos is focussed around honesty and simplicity which resonates a lot with me. I always seek a lot of inspiration from travel—and I recently had the pleasure of travelling to LA to shoot the Gritty Pretty September cover. I established new-found romance with the Spanish Colonial architecture, along with the mid-century houses of Palm Springs.  

Rose - Marcel Breuer, particularly his Sayer House in Normandie. I am obsessed with the contrast between the angular shape of the house with the plush interiors. I also love anything neutral and find the use of warmer tones and rich browns in this home to be particularly inviting.  

Danielle - I’ve always loved Brutalist architecture; I can’t say why but I think it’s something to do with witnessing how something can be so ugly and beautiful at the same time. 

Favourite sound currently? 

Nicola - Currently feeling nostalgic (always) and listening to Gerry Rafferty's 'Right Down the Line' on repeat.  

Rose - I am a massive music head and love curating playlists for different occasions and moods. That makes it particularly difficult to select a favourite sound but a couple of the artists I love at the moment are Sticky Fingers, Ocean Alley, Kings of Leon and The Temper Trap. 

Danielle - My downtime (when I’m not reading or writing) is spent listening to podcasts. I like Up First by NPR, The Daily by The New York Times and Today in Focus by The Guardian for news; The goop Podcast, Pulling the Thread and Meghan Markle’s Archetypes for nourishing my mind and soul. 

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Danielle wears the Adrienne Trouser in Cream. Nicola wears the Arlo wool trouser in latte and Rose wears the Classic shirt in latte.