We caught a moment with Melanie Hyunh to talk about her wellness obsession. Melanie has loved fashion ever since her childhood, where her bedroom walls were covered in beautiful pictures from magazines she admired. Her father-in-law instilled in her a love of printed photography so leading a creative life is clearly important to Melanie, and influences her approach to business. Previously an editor at Vogue Paris, Melanie is now a mother of two little girls, and a busy business woman — she also runs her family home, the Malrome Castle, styles shoots, and is launching her new holistic skincare brand, Holidermie.

Q: What's your approach to wellness and balance?

A: My approach to wellness is global. Wellness means beauty. You have to feel good in your body and your skin as much as in your mind. The idea is to conceive the routine that fits you; every one has a different one. Your exercise practice needs to adapt because the body gets used to what it is good at, so you also need to challenge yourself when you feel that you have arrived in a comfort zone. Discipline sometimes requires early mornings, but time spent for yourself is never wasted. My day starts with exercises like yoga, boxing, or running, depending on my state of mind. I’ve also adopted healthy habits: I’m vegetarian, I eat super foods and nutritional supplements, I go to sleep early, I walk a lot between my meetings, I try to get massages as much as possible, and I’m practising face yoga every morning and evening.

Q: When did you start becoming interested in wellness?

A: I’ve always had a keen interest in holistic beauty and the factors that contribute to a balanced lifestyle. It certainly comes from my father who has been developing cosmetics and food supplements for 20 years in Asia, where he has also created a spa chain. By way of my career, I have been fortunate to meet the best specialists in the field, from medical doctors to naturopaths. I wish to share this experience with others. I am very determined — when I start to get excited about something, I will not give up on the idea until it is executed to full potential. What I originally started for me -- to feel good, to lead all my lives -- I wanted to share it with active women, to meet their different needs with something I truly believe in.

Q: Where did the inspiration from Holidermie come from? How is holistic care the new skincare?

A:It came from an endless talk with my best friend Jerome Paris. He is an internationally renowned plastic surgeon. He knows how busy my life is: chaotic and urban, in between flights and shows for the most part. My skin was clearly suffering from stress. We were both convinced about the benefits of food supplements, I was already taking some food complements. Then the idea of designing a skincare ritual that works both inside and out emerged. To make your beauty shine like it should, we need to treat both the inside and the outside of the body, to help them work in synergy. Applying moisturiser is simply not enough. You need to also feed your skin from the inside with healthy food and nutritional supplements and to stimulate it manually. Doing some face yoga helps strengthen the connecting tissue between the skin and the underlying muscles, thus increasing muscle tone and blood circulation. Your skin will glow! As a French woman, I also wanted to propose a completely made in France brand, made of active ingredients of natural origin, traceable, paraben-free and silicone-free, vegan friendly and cruelty free. You can’t worry only about your skin without considering the world around you.

Q: How should would we incorporate Holidermie into our every day lives?

A: For women, beauty and the prevention of aging are the result of balancing the physical and emotional systems of the body through a combined action of daily topical skincare products and nutraceutical supplements. A diet rich in anti-aging and anti-inflammatory foods, regular exercise, both for the body and the face, and increased awareness of the face and body through mindful relaxation and meditation practices also aids a healthy lifestyle. Like many others, I’m a busy working mom, so I want Holidermie to be both easy to use and understand. The way to incorporate it is efficient and enjoyable. We have drafted a questionnaire aimed at better understanding the skin of each woman through questions on lifestyle, diet, stress levels, exercise regimens and skincare routines. Analysis of the responses delivers a personalized ritual of food supplements, nutritional recommendations, targeted cosmetic treatments and facial yoga that works in synergy to address the specific needs of each woman.

We were so happy to be a part of the launch of Holidermie in Paris