Pretty Hard

Ross Howse is a Melbourne-based creator best known for Bangin’ Sangas, where he critiques and celebrates sandwich culture in Australia.

Howse has publicly shared his journey through mental health, addiction, and self-discovery, using his platform to explore life, food, purpose, and identity.

We discuss all of the above, including a refreshing perspective of his participation in beauty culture.

Find Ross on Instagram at @banginsangas 

Joy Ben Hur is a digital creator and storyteller whose voice bridges YouTube, film, and podcasting. She launched her Youtube channel Joyish at 14 years old, as a space to share fashion, lifestyle, art and personal reflection.

As a filmmaker, Joy writes and directs, turning intimate themes of belonging and change into cinematic form, most recently for Fluff in her short film titled, Beauty is Nurture.

Through her Humble Ego Podcast, Joy holds space for creatives to unpack imperfection, vulnerability, and the inner dialogue between humility and ambition.

We talk about how Joy became aware of the concept of beauty from a young age, how the act of journalling since she was 9 has helped her navigate a sense of identity and belonging, and what it's meant and looks like today having had a presence on Youtube for almost a decade.

Find Joy on Instagram at @joyishhhh

Chantel Horvat is an Australian basketballer who studied at UCLA over a five-year collegiate career before launching her professional journey across the U.S., Europe, and home in Australia. 

She’s represented the Opals at the Asia Cup and has played for top clubs in Poland, Turkey, Spain, the WNBL’s Canberra Capitals and Melbourne Tigers, and recently, Townsville Fire.

When she's not on the court you can find her as an anything-goes creative sharing whatever her travelling hands can produce.

We chat about life on and off the court and what role beauty plays in sport. For Chantel, it's about placing less emphasis on beauty being skin deep, and instead what her body can do for her. 

Find Chantel on Instagram at @chantel_horvat

Kayla Moon is a multifaceted creative across Xxflos and Stay Soft Studio in Melbourne, where she has built a reputation as a local business owner and floral artist blending nature and structural modernity. Her story has been shaped by reinvention, resilience, and the challenges of carving space in industries that demand both vulnerability and vision.

We chat about growing up with strong, wild feminine archetypes as role models, the idea of appreciating beauty outside of oneself, alongside the pressures of society and traditional, western beauty standards, and we question where does vanity help us and where does it hinder us? 

Please note: This conversation discusses topics including body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and self harm, should you wish to skip this episode.

Find Kayla on Instagram at @whoskaylamoon

The beauty industry is brutal, for consumers, brands, and founders alike.

While glossy on the surface, behind the scenes is a world of numbers, stakeholders, and systems that are rarely discussed.

Purpose vs Profit.

Expression vs Exploitation.

Generosity vs Gatekeeping. 

In this intimate, live podcast recording from April 2025 in NYC, founder of Fluff, Erika Geraerts speaks openly with beauty journalist and writer Jessica Defino and Bread Beauty founder Maeva Heim. 

Find Jessica on Substack at The Review of Beauty

And Maeva on IG at @bread @maeva_helene

And Erika on IG at @erikageraerts and Substack at Pretty Hard. 

Eryca Judi Green is a photographer, co-owner at Opmanis & Green, and director of Smith St Bazaar. 

We have known each other for around a decade, having first met at her furniture store and very quickly becoming close friends. 

I am inspired by Eryca’s personal style, strong sense of self, and appreciation of all things beautiful - and her application of such in her daily life. 

Like me, Eryca believes that everything can tell a story, from the clothes you wear to the furniture in your house and the objects that surround them. 

We chat about her eczema experience from 17-40 years old, her recent cancer journey, and how her photography practice is a deep exploration of beauty in its most vulnerable moments. 

Find Eryca at @erycagreen on Instagram. 

Alice Edgeley is a fashion & costume designer, stylist, and a self proclaimed fashion history/ beauty nerd. If you live in Collingwood or Fitzroy, you will definitely know her work. Alice is all about questioning established notions of ‘good taste’ and challenging conventional aesthetics - and this has meant an exploration of bold glamour and following her instincts rather than the dictates of current fashion trends. We spoke about the positive influence of Alice’s mother over her life, her daily makeup ritual, and her intuitive approach to fashion and self-exploration. 

Find Alice at @ms_edgeley on Instagram. 

Carol Green is a dancer, model, and teacher, who at 67, is still dancing en pointe - having been a professional ballerina with the Australian Ballet School and having danced since the age of 5. We chat about many things including the most poetic definition of beauty, how her style has changed (and been reclaimed) over time, why she believes dance is an art form for people of all ages, and the legacy she wants to leave in terms of beauty, style, and identity. She refuses to become invisible and I left our chat feeling inspired in more ways than one.  

Find Carol at @carol_green_dancer_model on Instagram

Diana Mishka is a NY based model, marketing manager, and friend of Fluff.

We recently collaborated on a PH colour-changing Lip Oil, after getting to know Diana and her love of makeup. We thought, why pick another colour when we can work with the people that love and inspire our brand each day? What do they want to see?

In this episode we caught up across different timezones, to discuss Diana's experience growing up in Russia, being bullied at school for not fitting in to the ideal beauty aesthetic, moving to Los Angeles at the age of 18, and changing locations to New York - and the differences between the two cities.

We talk about beauty as a feeling seperate to external aesthetics, how this comes as a result of focusing on oneself and three important things: community, career, and hobbies. This conversation is for anyone who has felt lost at times, struggled to fit in to those around them, or is wondering where to start in reconnecting with themselves, or connecting to new people in a new environment. 

Find Diana at @mishka_dii 

Stacey Burt is the founder of Little Company, a holistic skin studio that offers a focused approach to the body’s largest organ, that being the skin. We love Little Company's approach to facials - it is truly a meditative ritual that we believe everyone should experience if they can, and their approach to simple, supportive routines just makes sense. Stacey is also working on a Training School for beauty therapists - a term that's polarising for Stacey and of which we go into detail. She's also a mother of 3, she's been with her partner for over 17 years, and she's about to turn 40. This was a beautiful, honest chat about the layers surrounding beauty and its connection to identity. 

Follow @_littlecompany