In the world of influencer collaborations, there’s nothing off limits to a woman with a sizable Instagram following.
Eleanor Pendleton, the founder and editor of Australia’s digital beauty magazine Gritty Pretty, built her career on finding and decoding the best new beauty and skincare products and trends. Pendleton, who had been a freelance beauty editor for publications like InStyle and Harper’s Bazaar Australia, said she identified a white space in the market for an online publication dedicated only to beauty.
Gritty Pretty, now two years old, has a team of five full-time staffers and works with about 25 freelancers. The digital magazine editions, which are released four times a year and feature online “cover” girls like Lily Aldridge, are supplemented by daily content in a blog-like feed. In addition to feature stories, the Gritty Pretty team creates original video and interactive graphics.
“When we launched, we were trying to create something in the market that didn’t exist,” said Pendleton. “I wanted it to be the quality of a print magazine that also had some level of interaction.”
Gritty Pretty’s self-reported readership reaches around 300,000 per quarterly issue. Pendleton, who said she’s become synonymous with her online magazine, has 64,000 Instagram followers — and her status blurs the boundaries between influencer and editor. Her realm of expertise reached beyond beauty at the end of November when her first designer collaboration with a fashion brand went live. Pendleton was tapped by customizable retail platform Shoes of Prey to create an original five-piece shoe collection, which resulted in an assortment of flats, heels and boots that are sold on shoesofprey.com and online through Shoes of Prey and Nordstrom, which has invested in the company.
Pendleton’s next project is to build out Gritty Pretty’s e-commerce arm, an online store that will be stocked with the magazine editors’ best-of beauty products from favorite brands.
“I straddle the two,” she said of being both an influencer and an editor. “I approach everything like a beauty journalist would. We put information first, and with that, my following has grown.”
We asked Pendleton to share five of her recent Instagrams from her feed to tell us more about her life through their lens.
Outgrowing office space
“I recently moved my team out of our small creative office space at Sydney’s La Porte Space into a large standalone office. I had taken a moment on the morning we moved in to reflect on the business I’ve built and how, in less than two years, I migrated from my kitchen dining table to a small office, to a huge standalone space. I’m really proud of how far Gritty Pretty has grown – we haven’t even scratched the surface.”
Just woke up and I had the wildest dream… #EPxSoP @shoesofprey @jodieannefox
A photo posted by Eleanor Pendleton (@eleanorpendleton) on
Dream job
“The morning after the Eleanor Pendleton x Shoes of Prey media launch event, I thought I was still dreaming. It was such an incredibly surreal moment to launch my shoe collection. I’ve put so much into this collection, and I can’t wait to see women wearing my designs.”
On set
“I had the pleasure of shooting this beauty editorial with Nars makeup artist Uzo. Following the recent fashion week trend of drawn-on freckles, we wanted to create this look in a grown-up way. She was such a wonderful creative to work with. Upon meeting Uzo, I discovered she left her career in medicine to pursue her passion for makeup — and she has since spent the last 15 years working alongside makeup great Francois Nars. Meeting interesting and inspiring people like Uzo is one of the many joys of my job.”
A photo posted by Eleanor Pendleton (@eleanorpendleton) on
Cover girl
“Unveiling the latest issue of Gritty Pretty Magazine every season is always a proud moment for me. We celebrated our recent issue with its cover girl, Lily Aldridge. Our next issue will be published on December 12, and it’s our best one yet. It’s extremely fulfilling creating a cutting-edge publication with my team – we strive to deliver the very best of beauty in an animated, interactive and intelligent way. We believe all women should have free access to education and inspiration of all things makeup, skincare, fragrance and hair.”
Personal celebrations
“I recently became engaged to my long-term boyfriend. His proposal took me by complete surprise. We celebrated our engagement with close family and friends at The Newport in Sydney. Mathew is my one constant in this world – he keeps me completely grounded.”
