BEAUTY INSIDER: WITH ELISA SEDNAOUI DELLAL
It is with great pleasure to share the first in our blog series of beauty insider stories with some of the incredible people Omayma has worked with as a Celebrity Makeup Artist.
Today, we interview the incredible Elisa Sednaoui Dellal who has taken her voice as a phenomenal and inspiring Social Entrepreneur.
You have such an exquisite array of incredible cultures- Egyptian, Italian, French, married to an English Brazilian Iraqi, and you have lived and worked in so many amazing places.
How do you think these have influenced your view of beauty?
The cultures and most importantly the women in my family, with their love of pure, minimal and feminine beauty, have shaped my taste. Their love of timeless things, sophistication in understated simplicity. I love character in women, confidence in our uniqueness and what is commonly defined as “exoticism”.
Last year I had the absolute pleasure of donating proceedings from my sales to your amazing Non Profit: Funtasia Egypt. Can you tell our readers where this money goes and the impact that your Funtasia is having?
Thank you Omayma and thank you to all the wonderful women who participated to this initiative. You are effectively helping Funtasia further its’ activities in Egypt, Mexico and Italy.
We have invested the funds in the training of more splendid facilitators, our Funtasia state-of-the-art educators who are now able to support their students from a socio-emotional perspective and deliver transformational educational experiences, teaching a wide number of skills. You can see the work on our non profit account @funtasiaeducation
This year we have been able to surpass 10000 beneficiaries.
How can people get involved with Fantasia? I’ve seen so many incredible collaborations - have there been any that stood out to you?
We love to collaborate with brands and create products together for the benefit of the non profit. We are very grateful to all the individual donors and foundations who are able to give funds and gifts in kind. Also one of our main offerings are “creative workshops”, so we are very interested in working with professionals who want to share their knowledge in the form of educational curriculums.
Soon, our social enterprise will release the first b to c product, that will be available for children and their parents.
Can you share a story from your Non Profit?
I’ll never forget the journey of Hanan, a young girl living in the countryside of Egypt, who had recently lost her father. The first time she entered the Funtasia space she was so shy could not allow herself to speak nor literally to clap her hands in front of men.
Through the work with Funtasia, she grew to become one of the lead trainers of the team, confident, poised, strong, traveling around Egypt to inspire many others.
What’s your go to beauty routine?
I have actually just released an exclusive video explaining my routine in detail, and sharing special tips. You can access it here
In general, I try to keep the process as simple as possible, for practicality and time.
Cleansing is key and my favorite cleanser is Gentle Cleanser by Sarah Chapman because it’s the only one which doesn’t leave my skin dry. I’ve learned to alternate with washing only with water, to preserve the balance of the natural skin oils. However if you wore makeup it’s best to do a double wash and after clearing with water, it’s always nice to use a hot towel on the face (just wet it with hot towel).
Sometimes I’ll apply a Hyaluronic serum before applying the moisturizer. A scrub, enzyme cleanser and mask once in a while. Face fitness with your oil has become a big party to naturally combat gravity and puffiness. Stay tuned for more on this.
What does beauty mean to you?
Harmony, honesty, uniqueness, wholesomeness.
What makes someone beautiful?
Authenticity, confidence, empathy, resilience, sparkle, cleanliness.
What’s your beauty philosophy?
That real beauty exudes from health, rest, serenity and integrity.
Oh how much I love it!
I use it both in the morning after I have applied the moisturizing cream, to do my face fitness routine, as I’ve learned it by Leila Haddioui, founder of Bovisaj. And/or I apply again during the day, straight on the skin after I wash my face to refresh myself. It’s particularly pleasurable to apply it after the shower following a summer day at the sea. See it here.
Do you have any favorite beauty tools?
Ice cubes! Metal spoons that have been refrigerated help to flush out toxins. I do love a jade roller too, maybe for the mental feeling that there is also some healing or energetic cleansing going on, as you use it. I also like ice eye masks.
For make up, it will have to be the lash curler!
And there is a small barber brush that works really well both for baby hair and eyebrows.
Who’s your beauty icon?
I have so many beauty icons! Starting with Christy Turlington and Afef Jnifen.
You’re going on vacation, what do you bring with you?
I have two travel beauty cases ready at all times. One is bigger, for longer travel and it has all of the main products we’ve been mentioning. I’m very specific about beauty products and don’t like to try at random, so unless I plan to stay long enough in a place where I know I can order my preferred item there directly, I make sure to have everything I usually use. The smaller beauty case for shorter trips has the bare minimum. I like to have the “fundamentals” in smaller reusable containers. As the years go by, I want to travel always lighter.
What are some of your current favorite beauty products?
The classics: hyaluronic serum by Dr Barbara Sturm, and also her Face Scrub is the absolute best, I also love the Isun Soothing Relief Balm which you can use as a face cream or mask. The cucumber smell is delightful, really giving that Spa feeling.
Are there any beauty trends you’d like to see come back?
As the good millennial, generation X girl that I am, I think I will always love a sort of “glossy”, “shiny”, “dewy” , “luminous” look
Any trends you’re happy to see go?
Botox, fillings and surgery at a very young age.
Do you have a favorite type of facial or skin treatment?
I did try a few years ago CST, collagen stimulation treatment which is a type of professional micro needling, supposed to stimulate the production of type 0 cells (like newborns). The results are phenomenal.
In terms of facials I do like the deep cleansing ones with extractions that I can’t do myself! In the USA I’ve started doing the Hydrafacial.
Thank you Elisa for sharing this with us! Follow her on instagram and Funtasia.world (coming soon!).
