Melik

Elena (1919). Italian journalist with a pioneering interest in cosmetics and beauty. Born in Saint Petersburg to an Italian father and Armenian mother, she moved to Italy and began to work in 1947 as a secretary at the magazine Confidenze, published by Mondadori. The following year, while still in the same job, she edited a page of letters on beauty, the first of its kind, with advice and replies for the female readers. Later she moved to Grazia and in 1953 she began to write a proper column on cosmetics with suggestions and photographs by the editorial staff. During the course of her lengthy career, which continued until the end of the twentieth century, she received many recognitions for her work and she is rightly considered to be the queen of beauty editors. She was particularly appreciated for her honesty and straight-talking, with a capacity for criticism where necessary.