After nearly a year in the hot seat at prestigious fashion magazine Fashion Quarterly, we thought it was a good time to catch up with features editor and acting beauty editor Lucy Slight. After the release of their exciting autumn issue last week, which featured an innovative lenticular cover, we quizzed Slight on what her role now involves and what we can expect from their winter issue.
How is the job going for you after taking on more beauty in the magazine?
I’ve been writing about beauty for almost 10 years, so getting to immerse myself in the world of makeup, skincare and hair again is loads of fun. Writing about beauty is so creative and there are always new trends and innovations to talk about. I’m never stuck for what to write about next, it’s harder to figure out how I’m going to fit it all in!
What does a typical day look like for you now?
Well as anyone who works in this industry will tell you, no day is ever the same! It depends which point we’re up to on an issue. I could be doing a beauty call-in for the next issue, or shooting product for the current one, writing a feature or going out and doing interviews. Beauty launches are coming in thick and fast at the moment, which is really exciting because it means brand new products to play with and feature – but juggling time in and out of the office requires very good organisation.
How much of your time is spent writing for the magazine and for FQ online?
At the moment I’m trying to write at least three pieces of content for FQ.co.nz per week. That could be a gallery, interview, product review or how-to – anything really! We can be super creative with the website, almost anything goes, which makes it fun to work on. The rest of my time is spent on the mag, to ensure everything runs smoothly in the lead up to deadline.
Are you splitting your time in half writing the beauty content and the features at the moment? –
My focus at the moment is definitely more on beauty, but I still work on a couple of features per issue. My fingers are still very much in the fashion pie!
What issue are you now working on, and when does it go to print?
We’re currently working on the winter 2016 issue – which seems strange considering how hot and sticky it is here in Auckland right now. I can’t give away too much, but I’m really excited about the features I’m working on for the beauty section. FQ’s creative director, Marcel Gull, and I have done some really beautiful styled shoots, which I can’t wait to see in print.
With the amazing Lenticular cover on the current autumn issue, are there any other new things in the pipeline for the next winter issue?
My lips are sealed! But the winter issue is one of the most fun to put together, because winter is such a killer time for fashion. Let’s just say, it’s shaping up to be a really stunning issue.