Gold medal-winning paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis talks candidly with e.l.f. about her blindness and love of cosmetics and skin care in the launch of this new series

A bold disruptor with a kind heart, e.l.f. Cosmetics continues to lead with purpose by launching “Show Your(s)e.l.f.” This uplifting, heartfelt series will feature inspirational stories from incredible role models overcoming adversity to help bring more positivity, inclusivity and accessibility to the beauty industry.

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Reflective of the brand’s commitment to stand with every eye, lip, face, paw and fin – the first of what will be many in the “Show Your(s)e.l.f." series – kicks off by celebrating the amazing story of Anastasia Pagonis, a 19-year-old blind paralympic swimmer and world record-holder, who proves that anything is e.l.f.ing possible even in the face of the toughest obstacles.

A paralympian who set multiple records in 2020, Anastasia lost her vision gradually, becoming blind at the age of 14 due to a degenerative autoimmune disease. Anastasia turned to social media to help herself deal with life, but as she recounts, “I noticed that it also started helping other people and that was amazing, so I kept going.” Now becoming a social media powerhouse, with a social following of over 2.7 million, she often posts videos about her life, how to navigate being blind, her approach to beauty and her journey as a competitive swimmer in hopes to help her community.

Sharing her battle with depression and bullying after losing her eyesight, Anastasia turned to swimming and her guide dog Radar to guide her through this time. Anastasia also tapped into her love for makeup, especially clean, vegan and cruelty free e.l.f. Cosmetics, to make her feel good on the inside and out. As Anastasia shared, “Everyone deserves to love makeup and look and feel beautiful.”

“It took me a long time to adjust to who I am and to my blindness,” said Anastasia. “But now I love to embrace it and share my dark humor and my blind girl moments, because that's what makes me, me.”

To support Anastasia’s hope to help lift others, e.l.f. is donating $75,000 to one of Anastasia’s favorite organizations, “The Hidden Opponent,” a nonprofit that raises awareness for student-athlete mental health. This is part of e.l.f.’s plans to donate 2% of our prior year profits to drive positive impact in our communities annually.

Together with Anastasia, e.l.f. is exploring ways to deepen their partnership in service to the broader community.

Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty notes, “e.l.f. doesn’t just talk about impacting change, we make change happen. Anastasia makes us better humans, and we hope her story will inspire others. Her profound impact on us inspired us to think differently. We are proud that Anastasia will help guide us on the journey as we work to make our cosmetics and skin care accessible for every eye, lip, face and skin concern.”

“Show Your(s)e.l.f." was created and developed with OBERLAND, the ad agency for purpose-driven brands. Lisa Topol, Managing Partner and Executive Creative Director at OBERLAND shares: “e.l.f. is a shining example of how championing purpose drives creative growth and bolsters the bottom line. It’s what consumers just like Anastasia demand of their brands: high quality products that stand for something more meaningful and don’t just pay lip service.”

Learn more about Anastasia and watch the first episode of “Show Your(s)e.l.f.” on e.l.f. Cosmetics YouTube channel, here.

About e.l.f. Cosmetics:

Since 2004, e.l.f. Cosmetics has made the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face. We make high-quality, prestige-inspired cosmetics and skin care products at an extraordinary value and are proud to be 100% vegan and cruelty-free. As one of the first online beauty brands, e.l.f. continues to attract a highly engaged audience and set benchmarks with new digital platforms. Our brand is widely available at leading retailers such as Target, Walmart and Ulta Beauty, and has a growing international presence. Learn more by visiting www.elfcosmetics.com.

About OBERLAND

Launched in 2014 by acclaimed marketing professionals Bill Oberlander and Drew Train, OBERLAND, is a Certified B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation, providing public sector, private sector, and non-profit organizations with fully integrated, purpose-driven solutions. (www.thisisoberland.com) has become the new face of the advertising industry: an agency dedicated to helping brands Make Good Money. Winner of Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year award, it combines the expertise of its team with passionate social advocacy, creating work that changes the world and makes conscious capitalism the new standard operating procedure for brands.

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