at that time my skin was prone to acne and breakouts, and while trying different products, i've never been able to discover one which truly suited my skin and delivered long-lasting results. the approach of products predominantly available on the market feels very generic to me. your skin is placed in a category such as oily, dry, sensitive etc., then your products are "recommended" based on that single categorization; without taking into account any individual factors, neither personal lifestyle nor genetics. indeed, it was facing my own challenges in the market which planted a seed for a new approach in my mind, and from there i started to develop nomige.

What advice can you share for women to feel comfortable in our own skin?

strong and healthy skin can very realistically be obtained by everyone with the right care- i don't just believe this, i know it! at the same time, it's very important for us to understand that every person's skin is different. it doesn't serves neither our skin's health nor our mental health to compare our skin to others; especially not to curated images of "perfect skin" on social media.
feeling comfortable i your own skin starts from the inside outwads, including setting realistic goals for oneself. i really started living this shift in mindset when i was able to stop using make up to cover my acne, which was a relief, and still feel no less confident when the occasional pimple made an exposed appearance.

What is your number one anti-ageing tip?

i could share a whole list of tips and tricks but, for me, the true elixir for life is happiness. simply being happy is the best anti-ageing advice i can give you!

Can you share with us a "muse" of your own; a woman who has inspired you, and in which ways?

my "mus"e would have to be claudie haignere, who i had the pleasure of meeting during a dinner for the mckinsey next generation women leaders.

haignere was the second non-russian woman to enter space, but she was actually first a dermatologist andhas a phd in neuroscience. one would naturally have assumed someone with her background would go on to work as a medical practitioner or in research but, when the opportunity presented itself, she applied to the space program and went on to become an extraordinary astronaut. she later even went into politics!

what i find most inspiring about claudie, in addition to the incredible achievements attributed to her name, is that she shows we can choose our direction at any given time, and forge our own paths. the sky is the limit.