wonder woman: ANNA ROSS

ANNA ROSS HAS HAD QUITE AN IMPRESSIVE JOURNEY WITH KESTER BLACK, STARTING THE BRAND IN 2009 WITH JUST $50, TO THEN BEING NAMED TELSTRA’S BUSINESS WOMAN OF THE YEAR IN 2016. Today Anna is known for her commitment to creating ethical change in the beauty industry. She is a self-confessed rule breaker and continually strives up the ante with both product innovation and business sustainability goals.

We chatted to Anna to find out a little more about her, read on…

You, in three words? Curious, adventurous, tenacious (and my boyfriend says ‘impatient’ is number 4).

What inspires you? Nature. Colours, places, plants, everything about getting out in the wilderness is inspiring.

What’s your work title? Founder and Director at Kester Black

What was your first-ever job? I worked in this super cute boutique hotel in a tiny town called Hyde in Central Otago NZ. I did the cleaning and made up the rooms for guests and gardening etc. Anything that was helpful! I have had so many jobs though, from cleaning hotels, working in kitchens, working on farms and even running human medical trials. Fashion, dentistry, optometry and administration assistants are also in there!

What did you want to be ‘when you were little’? A forensic pathologist.
I don’t think I would have loved it…

How did ‘Kester’ come about? It was really a happy accident. Kester Black was initially my fashion brand while studying at uni and then morphed into a jewellery line. I wanted to add some colour to my sterling silver rings. I found out that you can colour silver with enamel paint, so I bought some nail polish (which is also enamel paint) to test the theory. It was then that the idea stuck and I decided to make a small range of nail polish to add to my online store. After doing some research into the beauty industry I was appalled that no cosmetics on the market seemed to take ethical production seriously, so I sought to fill the gap myself. I launched 6 colours in August 2014 and tripled my turnover within 3 months.

Explain your usual day? We wake up at 7 am and meditate for an hour in bed. Then we get up to feed the cats! A shower and into the warehouse to pack and send the orders for NZ. Then we jump onto our computers! Emails dominate my life, especially post COVID because we all work remote. We finish up around 4.30 and usually go for a walk and cook an early dinner. Then it’s back to the computer for Europe’s waking hours. We then meditate again before bed. Oh, we on;y have one meal a day but many many beverages. Lemon water, teas, hot chocolate, chai and smoothies.

What ‘makes your day’? We live in one of the most beautiful places in NZ now, so waking up to Fergus, my partner in crime with a snuggly cat each and looking out the window to the snow-covered mountains makes it all worthwhile!

Three things in your life you can’t live without? Meditation, Cats and my Fergus.

Fave place to escape to? I don’t need to escape! I live in our dream holiday spot in Wanaka NZ. But otherwise, I love Croatia, Hagar was a beautiful island I’d love to explore more.

How do you relax? There are these amazing wood-fired hot pools near our house that have 360-degree views of the surrounding lake and mountains. We take a bottle of red wine up there and soak under the stars solving the world’s problems.

The best piece of life advice you’ve received? Trust your instincts, they are always right. And understand the difference between knowing something and believing something. I could go on all day on this question!!

What will you be doing in 5 years time? Growing organic vegetables at our off the grid house in the wilderness somewhere. Meditation and cooking and reading books in front of the fire with the cats!

What are your favourite Kester Black shades?
* Woke Up Like This
* Miracle Treatment Base Coat – this is my ultimate fave colour even though it’s a base.
* Babe