Sylvie Chantecaille on elephants and her orange obsession

Skincare expert and beauty line founder Sylvie Chantecaille

If you ask my three year-old granddaughter Delphina what colour I am always wearing, she would say orange. I like the energy of it – and the fact that it looks great on me

The book that made me fall in love with Kenya was A Lion in the Bedroom by Pat Cavendish O’Neill. Her story inspired me to begin the conservation projects that are an integral part of our company and my life

This safari hat isn’t from Africa, but from Figue [an exclusive boutique in Manhattan] – also one of my favourite places in the world. It protects you really well – it’s just the right length. I like a lot of sun, but I need to look after my skin, too

When I started Chantecaille in 1997, I intended it to be a nice little French fragrance company that wouldn’t be much work. After a year, I realised it wasn’t going to make any money and I had three children in private school and college. I thought, ‘OK , I guess I have to do a make-up line’

I bought this African necklace in Amboseli in Kenya, which has views of Mount Kilimanjaro. One of my passions is saving elephants, lions, rhinos and gorillas, so now I go every year

My mum was a serious gardener. We had a country house an hour from Paris. I used to love examining leaves and flowers under a microscope. I have a butterfly garden now

My husband Olivier and I met in New York. I was working in art and he was visiting from Bordeaux. We eloped three weeks after we met. This picture is from our official wedding, six months later. We did think about moving back to France, but we just never left. We’ve been together for 46 years

My female Buddha, Kuan Yin, came from my mum. It was given to her when she was young by friends who lived in Asia. I believe in past lives and I meditate with her

I have a few pieces by the Czech designer Borek Sipek. They are very hard to find, but I discovered this candlestick [one of a pair] in an antique store in Barcelona. They sit on the dining room table in our East Hampton home