‘I never wanted to be a model’: Julia Stone isn’t your average beauty ambassador

Musician Julia Stone has decided that a gig as a beauty ambassador is well and truly worth it. Having weathered the slings and arrows of the music industry for 15 years alongside brother Angus and with her captivating solo releases, Stone is preparing for the impact of skin-deep scrutiny.

“The brand alignment thing is something that has always been floating in the background. We have had our music used in films and commercials,” Stone said. In August Angus & Julia Stone even released Life Is Strange, the soundtrack to a video game. “But there’s something different about putting your face to a brand.”

The effortlessly cool Stone relented to lend her face and hair to weDo Professional, haircare giant Wella’s more ethical entry into the rapidly growing green beauty industry.

“I obviously use haircare and I think sustainable haircare is quite interesting,” Stone said, matter-of-factly. “I’ve used some brands and the products don’t work. It’s more like coconut oil for your hair. They sent me a bundle to try and they worked. That was the starting point. I read through the pitch and I liked it.”

Yes, Stone has the type of healthy hair that can sustain a braid at Coachella but can she cope with the scrutiny of the comments section, where lucrative deals can be cancelled in minutes with one wrong social media post or recycling revelation?

Beauty influencer James Charles’s business arrangement with Morphe cosmetics came to an end in April, following allegations of inappropriate behaviour and L’Oréal’s first transgender spokesperson, Munroe Bergdorf, was fired in 2017 following comments about racism, only to be rehired in 2020. Olivia Jade’s influencer deal with Sephora ended following the 2019 US college admissions scandal involving her actress mother Lori Loughlin.

“I’m not a perfect, sustainable person,” Stone said. “I’m doing my best to be effective and efficient in the way I use products in the world.”

Putting her most fallible face forward is the correct strategy to survive as a beauty ambassador in today’s market, according to Monique Kaminski, the co-founder of New Zealand skincare brand Jeuneora, which uses sustainably sourced marine collagen in its products and green packaging.