Elle Macpherson was dubbed “The Body” by Time back in 1989, and the supermodel has managed to keep up her momentum in the industry by launching various product lines.
Also in ’89, she introduced the Elle Macpherson Intimates line, made in partnership with the New Zealand clothing company Bendon. When that partnership — which she called “restrictive” — shuttered in 2014, Macpherson turned her sights to wellness products with WelleCo, a range of beauty supplements and teas meant to detox the body.
Although she re-entered the lingerie space in 2016 with a new brand called Elle Macpherson Body, sold at places like Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom Rack, WelleCo, along with its cult-loved Super Elixir (a daily, plant-based vitamin powder that retails for $30 to $195), is her buzziest brand. It’s now sold in over 60 countries and through stores like Net-a-Porter, Selfridges and Anthropologie, as well as on its own website.
WelleCo’s number one product, The Super Elixir
The line stemmed from a consultation Macpherson had with her nutritionist, Dr. Simone Laubscher, around the time she turned 50.
“I was feeling run-down and unwell,” she said, “and I discovered that my fast-paced life, processed food and everyday incidental toxic overload was the culprit.” Laubscher advised her to adopt an alkaline, plant-based diet, part of which included the specially-developed green powder now known as The Super Elixir. “It turned my life around,” she said.
At the same time, the larger beauty world seemed to be increasingly keen on plant-based ingestible nutrients, she said, so she teamed up with Andrea Horwood (who helped launch Becca Cosmetics) to build the concept into a real brand.
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We asked Macpherson, who lives in Miami, to detail a recent day in her life, which included two rounds of exercise, calls to Australia with her business partner and a lengthy pre-bed ritual.
5:00 a.m.: I like to wake early and lie in bed for about 30 minutes before getting up. I set my intentions for the day and check into my feelings, my body and mind. As I do this, I practice mindful breathing and meditate.
5:30 a.m.: Once I’m up, the first thing I sip is warm water with lemon. I used to have two strong espressos to ramp-up my metabolism, but all it did was deplete my adrenals. Today, if I feel I need a boost, I just add cayenne pepper to my lemon water. It works!
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6:00 a.m.: I wake my son, Cy, and take two heaping teaspoons of our Super Elixir bioavailable super greens in filtered water. It is the best way to start my day, knowing that my body has all the nutrients it needs for the day ahead. My energy levels, sleep patterns and skin all benefit.
6:15 a.m.: I always eat breakfast with Cy. I love my Nutribullet and Angel 8500 juicer — I may not be the best cook, but I’m a super smoothie maker. Since I’ve started juicing and taking our Super Elixir bioavailable super greens, my skin glows, my brown spots have faded, the whites of my eyes are clear, and my tongue is no longer coated. Sometimes I’ll have a green smoothie or one of our nourishing protein smoothies, which I make with hemp seeds and water. Although I prefer a raw vegan diet, if I’m craving something hot, I’ll have a poached egg on sunflower or wheat-free dark rye bread, raw oatmeal with agave or a raw chia pudding soaked in almond milk.
6:30 a.m.: I dress in my workout gear (I’m loving all things PE Nation at the moment, as well as Melissa Odabash, Lisa Marie Fernandez and Lenny Niemeyer swimwear) and drop Cy at school, before heading to a yoga class. I prefer not to go to the gym; I would much rather be outside, doing yoga or swimming in the ocean. If I’m traveling, I like to go for a jog and explore.
9:00 a.m.: I shower and do my makeup, which I keep very natural. My everyday beauty regimen starts with cleansing my face with a glycolic wash, exfoliating and moisturizing. Then I dry-brush my body head-to-toe (great for the lymphatic system), take a hot-then-cold shower and moisturize with organic body cream. I always try to finish that off with a good slathering of SPF. I’m a firm believer that beauty starts from within, but I have learned the importance of sunscreen!
9:30 a.m.: When I’m getting dressed, I like to make sure I’m really comfortable. I feel less is more and don’t invest much in high-street brands; I prefer quality pieces that I love and can keep for a long time, and wearing them until they fall apart. Today I throw on my go-to tee from Isabel Marant, Levi’s jeans and a cashmere sweater by Banjo and Matilda. I also love pieces by The Row, Azzedine Alaia, Zimmermann and Céline. I tend to wear flats by Miu Miu or Charlotte Olympia, or easy-to-run-in ankle boots by Isabel Marant or Christian Louboutin.
10:00 a.m.: After getting ready, I head to work. I used to take care of business calls while driving, but I have decided it’s too dangerous.
10:30 a.m.: I’m on the phone with my business partner, Andrea Horwood, who’s in Australia, while checking emails and going through my to-do list for the day. If I’m feeling hungry, I’ll make a WelleCo Nourishing Protein chocolate smoothie with homemade nut milk and half an avocado. It helps boost my energy levels and gets me through to lunch. With two international businesses that operate on different time zones, juggling life and work can get really hectic!
1:00 p.m.: Lunch today (and often) is vegetables, which are a great protein source for me. I have a big raw salad of kale, spinach, sprouts, cucumber, cabbage, avocado, coriander, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds. It’s nourishing, satisfying and bursting with nutrients. I drench it in premium olive oil — good fats are important to my well-being. I also love sardines, because they are packed full of those wonderful omega-3 fatty acids and, being a smaller fish, have less metal toxins.
A smoothie bowl made with WelleCo’s The Super Elixir
3:00 p.m.: I scroll through our Instagram account to see what our fans have been posting. We kicked off a #superelixirchallenge at the start of January to encourage people to take two teaspoons of the Super Elixir powder daily for a month to reboot their skin. I love hearing from people about the results. Two years ago, we stopped advertising and just let our customers tell their stories, and it’s been the most powerful thing we could have done.
5:00 p.m.: After work, I like to go outside and do something physical. Today, I go for a quick bike ride with Cy, but one of my favorite wind-downs is Strala Yoga or vinyasa flow. I love the natural movement of it; it’s a great connector of breath and body.
6:15 p.m.: I’m staying in for the night, so I prepare a super healthy meal for us. I’m vegan at the moment, so I make veggie wraps — otherwise, it’s veggie pizza or vegetable pasta with pesto. When I feel like having something sweet, I’ll have my favorite dark chocolate or vegan ice cream — sometimes both!
8:00 p.m.: A good night’s sleep is hugely important to me. I have always found it difficult to unwind, so now I have a ritual that works really well: I create a calm space, wear very light cotton pajamas (if I wear anything at all) and spritz the room and my pillows with our Sleep Welle mist. It’s a beautiful, fresh scent created with organic essential oils like lavender. I also prepare a pot of tea using my traditional tea set from Japan. I always drink our Sleep Welle Calming Fortifying tea, which is a unique medicinal blend of valerian root (known as nature’s Valium), hops and skullcap. It takes about ten minutes, and is a really quiet and lovely moment just for me. It definitely helps me wind down.
8:15 p.m.: While I sip my tea, I do some journaling (I love the mini Moleskines), making a list of things that inspired me or made me laugh during the day. Appreciation for all in my life is key for me. Then I do a yoga pose, which is meant to help induce sleep. It involves lying on the bed with my legs up the wall — always in the privacy of my bedroom, of course!
8:45 p.m.: I have a no-screen policy in the bedroom. Instead, I love to read, especially autobiographies; I have a pile of them next to my bed. My nightstand also always has a bottle of of filtered water, eye cream and WelleCo’s Cacao Lip Balm, which is orange-scented and deliciously hydrating.
