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As the daughter of a keen gardener, you could say a seed was planted early on that, one day, Emily Michele Smith would work with beautiful flowers. It takes hard work and tenacity, though, to turn a passion into a thriving career, as she has done with her floral design company, Boutierre Girls. It’s an example of happy synchronicity between her work and personal life that some of her key clients belong to the beauty and fashion world – after all, Emily is a woman who rocks too-cool-for-school Swedish label Acne for startlingly early mornings at the flower markets, and has one of the most well-stocked beauty cabinets we’ve ever had the joy of exploring.

“I love beauty products. I am quite a minimalist in general but my bathroom is chock full of products – some new and some old faithfuls.

I very rarely wear a full face of makeup, or any makeup, really, so I’ve worked really hard to find products that suit my skin and help me look fresh, glowing and healthy. I have very sensitive skin that I think has been caused over the years from stress, medication and sun exposure. I truly feel my best when I have clear bright skin, very minimal or no makeup on, with my hair all pulled back off my face.

Having temperamental skin is really frustrating, although it does in a way force me to take care of it and to see that beauty can be a useful method for relaxation. Leaving the house feeling like I’ve put in some effort on the self-care front always gives a brighter start to my day.

If it’s a market morning, I’m generally awake at 3.50am and start my first morning routine.

I wash my face with Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution, then go in with the Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel. This peel is quick and easy and gives my skin a really nice glow, plus it has helps keep my skin clear. It comes in little individual wipes, so I often apply one in the van on the way to market, followed by a quick spritz of Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist. I keep one of these in both the van and my car for when my skin needs some quick hydration.

When I’m home from market, I wash my face again, then follow it with 111Skin Hydrolat Anti Blemish Tonic, then a hydrating serum and a mist. I have about four different serums that I rotate (or sometimes combine) depending on how my skin is looking and feeling. My favourite serums for morning are the 111Skin Cryo Energising Face Serum (Ed. note: discontinued), SkinBetter Science Alto Defense Serum, Dermalogica AGE Bright Clearing Serum and the Cosmedix Clarity Serum. My top picks for facial mists (in addition to my glovebox essential, Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist), are the Omorovicza Magic Moisture Mist and La Mer’s The Mist for later in the day – either over the top of my makeup, or when I’m going out.

My night time routine is my favourite. I’m really big on having a solid night time routine and really rely on it as a way to wind down for bed.

I wash my face with Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution, then exfoliate with Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate, which is one of my absolute must-have products. Then I use my Dr Dennis Gross LED face mask for 12 mins on the red setting, and three to six minutes on the blue, and follow this with a night serum or a face mask (if time allows), then seal it all in with moisturiser.

My top night time serums are Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel (it’s really my standard), Drunk Elephant T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum and Skinbetter Science Alto Defense Serum. If I want to moisturise with something light I choose 111Skin Cryo Activating Hydra Gel and if I need something heavier, I use La Mer’s The Soft Cream.

I’m huge on face masks – they are one of my favourite things to do to relax, or while doing emails.

I have a dermal roller with a 0.3mm needle (Ed. note: try Lonvitalite Dermal Roller) that I use before a face mask to maximise its effect.

I particularly like the Dr Barbara Sturm Face Mask and 111Skin Meso Infusion Overnight Clinical Mask for hydration, and Omorovicza’s Silver Skin Saviour to clear congestion. In terms of sheet masks, I use the 111Skin Anti Blemish Bio Cellulose Facial Mask for clearing, and the 111Skin Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask to hydrate and brighten.

The beauty look I aim for is very natural and fresh, with a youthful glow. I am inspired by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Kate Bosworth, who both have incredible skin and very well-applied makeup.

I hate that wearing makeup generally makes me break out, so I don’t often wear a full face, but I do love using a couple of products to give me that ‘no makeup-makeup’ look. I start with Dr Barbara Sturm Glow Drops, cover up any redness with Chantecaille concealer, then add RMS luminiser and The Brow Bar’s clear eyebrow gel (Ed. note: available in salon only).

Even for a night out, I think all you need is eyebrow gel, mascara and a good lip gloss which can do double duty – I often dab my finger in my lip balm and use it to highlight my cheekbones.

I’ve always had long blonde hair. It’s really fine and knots like crazy, so I’ve had a good hair routine since I was little (otherwise my mum probably would have cut it all off!). It’s probably become my favourite feature, I think because it’s always consistent. If I’m having a bad skin day or feeling bloated or like I look tired, I know my hair will at least be reliable.

My mum has always worn lipstick… in fact, she never leaves the house without it. Her approach to makeup didn’t rub off on me, but she was always yelling out “are you going to brush your hair?” before I left the house, and that must have had some effect! I was always really into doing my hair everyday – braiding or plaiting it. I generally wouldn’t go out without my hair being immaculate.

I get my hair done at Que by the lovely Monique. Most days I wear it up in a high pony or in a bun. I don’t blow dry or straighten it, ever, because I’ve worked really hard for years and years to get it hydrated and healthy after damaging it so badly during high school with colour and heat. I use Christophe Robin products as I think they are incredible and smell amazing. I specifically like their Hydrating Shampoo with Aloe Vera and the Volumising Conditioner (my absolute favourite), and their Baby Blonde Shade Variation Care mask. I also regularly use Wella’s SP Luxe Oil.

I hadn’t really thought about ageing until a year ago. I started to notice a fair amount of sun spots appearing all over my body, and some frown lines and pigmentation on my face, which gave me a real fright.

I have spent a lot of time this past year trying to improve the texture and brightness of my skin. I spent way too much time in the sun as a teenager, just out frying myself and not wearing sunscreen. I have been going to Martina Lavery Dental and Skin Studio, which is about ten minutes away in Winston Hills, and I have had a series of treatments with her. These have included a HydraFacial deluxe package with LED light therapy and lymphatic drainage for toxin removal, Vampire Facials with antioxidant or vitamin mesotherapy skin boosters, PDO Threads in nose to lip folds, and teeth whitening with hydrogen peroxide.

I also get less intense but very enjoyable beauty treatments, in the form of having my nails taken care of at Venus Nails at Beecroft!

I have loved flowers for as long as I can remember, but I never really thought that I could make a career out of it.

I have always been creative, and was also influenced growing up by my mother’s beautiful gardens. While I was studying at uni, I started up my floral business on the side as a hobby to try and earn some money. It took off really quickly, which I definitely was not expecting and wasn’t prepared for. I ended up deferring uni to work on Boutierre full time within six months of starting it up. I love that I get to work with flowers everyday, and that our creations allow us to bring smiles to our clients’ faces.

I think my personal style is quite practical, which it has to be because of my work, but there’s usually a side of bling or something edgy.

I’m often in jeans and a large coat when working. I like to wear that with a really fun pair of shoes, or a standout accessory or cool jacket, to feel more me. My favourite designers and brands at the moment are Alexander Wang, The Row and Stella McCartney. And I’m always a huge fan of Acne for work staples.

I love cooking, and especially baking, but I do find it hard to muster the enthusiasm to prepare a meal when I’m cooking for one or when I’m really tired.

I do manage to always have a good breakfast, usually either boiled eggs, or cereal with some fruit and yoghurt. When my team and I are working, we generally live off smoothies and snacks from great heathy places nearby, that keep us going. I always have bananas, grapes and muesli bars in the van for when we are on the go and if we have 15 minutes to stop for lunch we usually go for poke, açai bowls or sushi. For dinner I generally throw a piece of fish and some broccoli in my steamer, which just takes a few mins, or have one of the meals I order from Nutrition Station (which are light, healthy and amazing).

I don’t take any regular supplements at the moment, but I have some Kora Organics Noni Glow supplement powder I’m excited to try. For me, it’s remembering the water in the first place, let alone what might go into it! This past year I have been working really hard on drinking more water. I am so terrible at it. I can go two or three days with only drinking half a glass and not noticing. (It might sound silly but I promise, drinking water is really hard when you don’t get thirsty!). My friends and the Bouti girls have been so great at encouraging and reminding me to drink more.

I find it really hard to exercise regularly and take care of my body, given my job and sleep patterns. I do try hard to make getting good sleep a priority, and I love stretching on the floor for an hour in front of TV.

I’ve never been into going to the gym… although I do have a gym bar attached to my bedroom door which I love using. It’s genuinely hard to walk past it without doing some chin ups!  I prefer going for long walks, just to enjoy being by myself and being outdoors. My job is extremely active and physical, so each day I try to use an hour’s walk as time to wind down and, for instance, take notice of the beautiful gardens around me, rather than just to tick a box of having exercised. I love to read to relax – it’s probably one of the only things that helps me stop thinking about work. And I really enjoy gardening and yes, cleaning (who am I?).”

Story by Zoe Briggs. Photography by Camilla Quiddington. Styling by Kristin Rawson.

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