As part of our 'future proof your skin' campaign, the team at Balance Me have tracked down inspirational women across the age-groups to write about what a typical day means to them - often doing very untypical things! Today we have Mandy who - like the founders of Balance Me - launched the luxury nightwear and loungewear company Hush from her kitchen table! Now in her 40s and with two children, Mandy has seen the brand to grow from strength to strength from its inception in 2003 and she continues to create clothes that are both practical and stylish. Here she talks about what a typical 'day in the life' is like for her:
I normally exercise three mornings a week, which involves getting up at 6.15, an intensive half hour at a little gym near home and back just after 7.00 to wake up the kids - Rosie (8) and Finn (6) - and get them ready for school.
I work with my husband and we operate as a tag team so that all four of us can leave the house at 8am, dressed (normally), fed (sometimes) and (rarely) with everything we need for the day ahead. Luckily (or rather by design) our kids’ school and office are both pretty close to home, so we walk the kids to school and then walk round the corner to our office.
It’s a blessing (and, having commuted for a few years, I really don’t miss a packed tube at all), but sometimes I think it would be nice to have some time to unwind between work and home. Some days, it can feel like you jump out of the frying pan and straight into the fire – so we dream of a slow bus (with lots of empty seats) to take us home in the evening.
My days at work are pretty varied, but in general I’m responsible for the creative side of the business: product design and development, and putting together our catalogues. I’m not quite sure what my husband does, but he seems to be busy so I assume it’s important. The product development process takes approximately six months – and we work about nine months ahead, so I’m currently deciding on colours, fabrics, yarns and designs for next winter. I’m also working on our summer catalogue which involves organising the photo shoot, mocking up the catalogue layout and writing the copy. Our catalogues are shot in Australia, which not only works with the seasons (as we shoot summer in December), but means I (as a Melbourne girl) get to go home and see my family every Christmas.
My other project at the moment is our office move. We have outgrown our existing premises and are about to move into a new office, which needs a bit of a makeover. It should be my idea of heaven as I absolutely love things like selecting paint colours, floor coverings, storage solutions etc. However, the reality is always a bit different. Lack of time, money and my husband always intervening to ensure it never quite ends up as it looked in my head.
I make sure I leave the office before 6.00 every night. I sometimes wonder what I would do if I didn’t have kids – I could quite see myself staying in the office until late at night because there’s always so much to do. If I’m not going out I head straight to my bedroom to change into my pyjamas and take off my make up before settling down to dinner (preferably cooked by someone else), a good book, a movie or my new passion for Pinterest.
I’m pretty lazy when it comes to my beauty routine, but I do enjoy the ritual of cleaning and moisturising my skin when I have time. I don’t get much time to treat myself - manicures and facial are a complete rarity - so a few minutes spent simulating the whole spa experience feels lovely. I particularly love Balance Me’s Radiance Face Oil, which is not only perfect for my dry skin but also smells absolutely beautiful…
To find out more about Hush visit http://www.hush-uk.com/
Follow on twitter @hushhomewear