This week kicks off with the second in the new Q&A series: ‘Meet the Countryfilles’. A collection of interviews with inspiring, successful women who embody the ‘Countryfille’ ethos. In short, they have led full, exciting, creative lives working at the top of their chosen fields, and have since decamped from the city to live equally glamorously and successful lives in the country. I’m always inspired to read about women who have made that city-country leap – be it for family, careers or simply that they want a different pace of life – whilst still maintaining their identity and passions.
Fitting the bill perfectly is Nicola Elliott, the founder of luxury organic beauty and lifestyle brand, Neom Organics. It’s a British brand that I adore and have done since my Beauty Ed days. Within the beauty industry, I truly admire its unstinting refusal to compromise on its eco, organic credentials OR the quality of its seriously luxurious, indulgent products. It proves that you *can* have both, in beautifully delivered, equal measures…
Tell me your city story
I lived in London for around 10 years. It was the pull of working at fabulous glossy magazines like Glamour and In Style which at 21 (in 1999) got me there, after university.
I spent the best part of my twenties in the magazine world and working with celebrities (as I was celebrity editor). One week I would fly to LA to a dinner, the next would be a fantastically exciting new launch party!
Tell me what you loved/loathed about those early days in your career in London
Every day was exciting. I loved being involved in the city life all day (and sometimes all night). I love (and still love) the creativity of the city too. There is so much happening you get inspired at every corner.
Then I got married and had my son Charlie, now 5, and went back to work when he was 3 months old. I soon realized that London is great if you’re young, have family there, or pots of money. I was working over an hour away from my little baby, whilst my husband was another hour away in the opposite direction at work too. Life became that much harder, almost overnight, and I didn’t like it!
When did you realise you needed an exit strategy?
Leaving London brought a mix of emotions, but the reality of working an hour from the children’s nursery, the busy tube, the hideous traffic, plus our house being the size of a postage stamp and hurrying to get home in time for bath-time became a little monotonous.
It soon dawned on me that life would be so much better for the entire family if we could be no more than 15 minutes from one another and we had family support, if we needed it, and had more open space.
Where did you decide to move and why?
We were living in Richmond, West London, so we were used to a leafier environment so when we knew we were going to up sticks away from the city, we knew it had to be North Yorkshire. My mum and dad lived there and it was where I grew up, so I could see us being happy there.
What three things did you initially miss most about city living?
I did miss the creativity. Running a business like Neom needs lots of creativity on a daily basis, so I make sure I am in London often to keep this going. I did also miss our pretty little, characterful house in Richmond and our new house was modern (big and practical, but modern). It took a little time to get our personal characterful touches to it, but its home now!
And what did you find to be the most brilliant thing about your new country life?
I love the fact we can move about freely, the fact that people actually say hello, and the Ripley ice cream – AMAZING! I love being near my family and my commute past wonderful fields each morning on my way to Neom’s head office in Harrogate, is reason enough. We actually still have a little office and some staff (including my business partner) in London and I visit regularly for business.
Did you ever have any ‘what have I done’ moments?
None. I think this was minimized with the fact that I travel to London lots for work. My sister also lives in Chiswick, so we go and stay with her as a family often too.
What things are in your essential ‘country kit’?
Converse. My husband (Dave) my two little ones, Charlie (5) and Alexa (3) and I all have a pair for running around in the great outdoors. Balance Me Radiance Face Oil and cosy PJ’s from Hush are all-important for surviving the winter weather!
What ‘city living’ traits have you held on to?
My fast-paced way of life. Maybe that is to do being a working/business mother. We certainly do not have a ‘working-late’ culture at Neom, I make sure of that. But certainly I work at a million miles an hour.
What would be your top tip to someone thinking of ditching the city?
Perhaps move in stages or find somewhere familiar. I often hear of people going from one extreme to the other. North Yorkshire works for me because there is still a great deal going on but has great rural landscapes too. Think about what you really want, test it out and then go from there.
How was Neom born?
Neom was born back in 2005. I was inspired one day, when I was looking for some organic pampering gifts for my very green-minded but glamorous sister. I found it pretty crazy I had to choose something glam that was full of synthetic chemicals or go to a health food shop that was not so glam but had brilliant organic credentials. So I thought I would just do it myself.
We started with just 5 candles, the first candles on the market to be made only with 100% natural wax and pure essential oils. Kylie Minogue said she loved them, Selfridges put in a big order and things went nuts.
I am always thinking about the next thing, so don’t often have the time to have ‘we’ve done it’ moments. Sometimes though, for me, highlights are the small things. Like cracking a scent you’ve been working on for months, or hearing stories from customers about how our products have really helped them relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Last year I was also lucky enough to be awarded Entrepreneur of the Year, by the prestigious Women of the Future awards, which was a massive honour and I got to have dinner with James Caan which was brilliant.
How has the brand grown since then?
There were only 2 or 3 of us at first; today we have 22 people working at Neom (most of whom are based at our Harrogate HQ) and we all get on really well and all of whom are brilliant and really skilled in the area they work.
All our products are made in the UK with our ingredients sourced from the best places around the world. For example, the lavender oil we use is steam distilled from the freshly cut flowers grown in the mountains of France and the rose oil we choose is from the Damask rose in Morocco. It requires a very specific soil and climate to grow. We never comprise on the using the best quality ingredients.
Tell me about Neom’s autumnal/Christmas plans…
We have some fabulous Christmas scents and kits launching in October, including our cult Christmas Wish home fragrance, with a blend of mandarin, cinnamon and tonka bean. We make it every year and truly is the scent of Christmas.
Which candles are you burning at home right now?
I am currently burning Enchantment at home. With a combination of bluebell, rose & guaiacwood peppered with sweet notes of honeysuckle and geranium – it is like keeping summer alive.
Thank you so much Nicola!
CF x
