AUDREY ROULIN
Beauty Expert
Director of the beauty division at NellyRodi, Audrey Roulin shares her passion for the beauty sector with contagious enthusiasm.
A pure scientist with a passion for beauty, Audrey combines the accuracy and precision of her chosen words with an overflowing enthusiasm. An explosive cocktail! Having worked for major perfume and cosmetics brands (Kenzo, Cacharel), as well as for the most cutting-edge ones (Penhaligon's) and hair care products (Phyto), Audrey never loses her passion for the beauty sector when she talks about her career and experiences. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, she now manages the beauty division of NellyRodi, a business and creative intelligence consulting agency, and supports brands and beauty players.
Before starting her day, Audrey emptied her bag (full of stories and anecdotes) for Bar-Da, over the delicious (and gargantuan) breakfast of the Panache hotel, her HQ!
Who are you? Audrey Roulin, I'm a real scientist! I am a chemist by training, I went through the perfumers' school and specialised in international marketing at ESSEC. I have a passion for materials, perfume and beauty, undoubtedly influenced by the women who grew up around me. They were consumers of creams and had a real culture of care. The first of them was my grandmother Jeanne, a colourful personality, a company director, who wore Shalimar! (of course, it had an impact on me).
I then moved on to several perfume houses such as Kenzo (for the launch of Kenzo flower), Cacharel or Penhaligon's (the London brand for which I participated in the launch in France), but also in hair care at Phyto and Phyto Specific. For me, a beauty product is an everyday facilitator, a service. It's about helping others, understanding their needs and caring for them in a different way.
I joined NellyRodi a year and a half ago to manage the beauty division. I like the agency's approach, which is both pragmatic and creative. On a daily basis, my job is to accompany the client, to advise them with a "consumer centric" approach. It's so motivating to be able to act as a spokesperson for consumers and to point out to brands the changes they need to take into account so that they can remain desirable and committed.
What bag(s) do you use on a daily basis? I have a lot of them, some of them are iconic like a Chloé or a Givenchy. I used to buy them because I liked the look. Now that I'm a mum, practicality has become my first criterion. Today I brought the most significant one for me, my grandmother Jeanne's, a Dior small duffel bag. I like objects that have a story, and my grandmother's is particularly rich, even though she had a complicated personality. She did prepare an escape plan for her husband who was a prisoner during the Second World War! The bag is still in excellent condition. I use it as a real tote bag.
What do you take with you? First of all, the bag's matching pouch, which has also remained in impeccable condition. I've abandoned the wallet on the verge of exploding and I'm working with pockets now. Inside, I have a card holder with my credit cards, as well as a small gold Isabelle Varin purse that goes with everything.
I also have my Band Of Sisters Paris- Rive Droite pouch, which serves as my beauty kit and which is well filled (at the same time, it's my job and I often have to test a lot of products)!
I put: my Merci Handy hand gel, my hand cream, my eye drops when I'm tired, a mirror, a lip stick, an Erborian foundation, an RMS compact, a Chanel mini mascara, a Roll On beauty oil from Tata Harper (a magical product!), and I also have my skin food cream from Weleda, (extremely practical and multi-use throughout the day), a miniature Frédéric Malle perfume "Portrait of a Lady" (at the moment, it's the only perfume I have).), and I also have my skin food cream from Weleda, (extremely practical and multi-use throughout the day), a miniature of Frédéric Malle perfume "Portrait of a Lady" (at the moment I am fixated on the smell of roses). Finally, for the lips, I have Clarins comfort lip oil, but also the Poppy Sauvage lipstick, created by the make up artist Violette at Estée Lauder. It lasts all day.
I also have 2 Armani lipsticks, I think they have very nice colours. It's important not to make a mistake with the shade of lipstick: depending on how you look, the choice of a colour can quickly turn into a disaster! ( hence the interest of having several with me at all times ;) ! )
Audrey is a member of BOSS, Band of Sisters, a community of creative women and entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
I also have two phones, one business and one personal, which is a good way to disconnect. I try not to take the business phone at the weekend.
I also always have a totebag next to it to carry my computer and a notebook (being a consultant means we walk a lot between client meetings). At the moment I have a Tory Burch cotton tote bag which has a nice print, but above all the right size, so it's not too heavy.
What items do you always carry in your bag (your must-haves)? Very simple: my phone, a chapstick, my card holder and my keys.
How do you find your keys? I find them by sound or touch. I have a Jerome Dreyfus bag, in which there is a small link with a torch, on which I can hang them. Otherwise, they hang on a Brazilian bracelet.
An anecdote (a (mis)adventure with your bag...)? As my bag is a bit like my house, I used to carry a bottle of water. Of course, one day a water bottle leaked in my bag and my phone was ruined. I wrote to my operator and tried everything. I explained that I had gone to Brazil during the rainy season, which was particularly humid, and that this had seriously damaged my phone... Well, the operator didn't buy my story and I haven't carried a water bottle since.
What do you take with you on holiday? A lot of loose pockets, in a basket or a tote bag. The advantage of the tote bag is that you can wash it. I have lots of them at home.
Do you ever go out after the office, how do you carry your bag? I usually go straight from the office. But if I change my bag, I can opt for a small Marc Jacobs, in which I just slip my phone, my card holder and my keys.
Do Parisian women have a specific relationship with their bags? In their choice of bag, I would say yes. For some Parisian women, the bag is an integral part of their look, so it has to have a certain resonance. So they will buy their bag according to their outfit. Conversely, I'm not sure that this is a real issue in other countries. And Parisian women are lax about hair and make-up, unlike Korean or American women, who pay real attention to it.
Your self-portrait: there is a saying I like: "Fall seven times, stand up eight".
Audrey is a member of Band Of Sisters Paris *
Photo by the talented Lucille Léorat(@lucilleleorat), founder of the brand L/OVERS (@leftoversditslovers) at the Band Of Sisters party at Molitor
Band Of Sisters Paris is a network of women who aim to make female power, creation, entrepreneurship and commitment grow and shine