The Young and the Restless' Amelia Heinle (Victoria Newman) has been a busy bee as of late, not only sitting front and center in a classic "Who's the daddy?" soap storyline, but also launching a brand new website -- called Dear March -- that has taken the fashion and beauty world by storm. Despite the slightly harried state of her schedule, the actress and mother of three took timeout to speak with Soap Central about her online venture as well as Victoria's life now that Billy has been revealed as her baby's father. And it looks like both journeys have been quite a roller-coaster for the Arizona native.
Calm isn't exactly a word one would use to describe the life of Heinle, who has her hands full, juggling full-time work and three young children. But it is a word that could aptly describe the actress, who manages to keep her head on straight and her thoughts collected -- even in situations where she's simultaneously doing an interview and driving in hectic Los Angeles traffic with two kids and a dog in the car. Tack onto that the responsibility of keeping a website thriving, and you've normally got a recipe for disaster. But in Heinle's case, she marches on seemingly unflustered -- though she tells a different story.
"It's not easy, believe me. I'm pulling my hair out," she says with a slight laugh when she talks about adding Dear March onto her already-full roster. "But it's something [I've always wanted to do]... and it's been amazing."
The site, which is a personable lifestyle, fashion, and beauty hub, is a collection of Heinle's favorite things, beauty regimes, thoughts, and travel advice that she -- along with her friend and business partner, Annie Wonderlick -- has curated for fans. Bonus: A portion of the proceeds from the site benefit Believe Big, a cancer organization that's important to the actress and her sister, Jane, who developed stage four cancer last year. "[Annie and I] started the site because we'd always wanted to do something like that, and then as it started developing... we decided that we wanted to put a lot of the proceeds that we made from the site to the organization for holistic healing and all kinds of different treatments for cancer that don't involve poisons or chemo," she explains.
"I'm not saying that we're against radiation and chemo. Just for my sister and a lot of others, it doesn't work. So [this is] raising awareness to this kind of thing that a lot of people don't know about, and it's really cool, because I didn't know about it either until she started doing it," the actress continues. "I've never had a charity before or supported any kind of charity, but this one really hit home, and it was something that really matters to me and my world. And also, I realize how many people that I know that know someone that has cancer, that has either passed away from it or is struggling to fight it. So the site kind of turned into something to help raise awareness... to this other form of treatment for cancer that people may not have access to otherwise."
Though the site benefits her sister and Believe Big, arguably the main point of Dear March is to offer fashion and beauty fanatics a beautiful space for inspiration, tips, and shopping. And though the site is relatively new -- having launched just a few short months ago -- it has already caught the attention of major fashion label Burberry. "The first blog that I did on anything fashionable was Burberry, and they liked it, so now we're working with them," the actress enthuses. "We got invited to meet the CEO and the creative director a couple of weekends ago in San Francisco. He had a cocktail party for some people, so we got to meet him, which was really neat."
And also, the actress explains, a bit unbelievable. "We were like, 'What are we invited to?! What's going to happen when we get there? Is it a trick?!' But it wasn't. They are awesome," she says, adding that Dear March and Burberry will soon be partnering for a charity event to be held at Burberry's Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive location. "The company is so smart. They treat people really well. Even though we're just starting out, they're giving us a chance, and they're really into charities and helping people and causes. They're very into giving back. That's what I've figured out, from everything. Like, who are we? We're nobody. But they know we have this cancer thing that they care about, and were like, 'That's so cool, we want to help you.' It's amazing."
At this point, some fans may be scratching their heads. Heinle isn't exactly known as the most fashionable actress on the planet. But she assures fans that she's well aware of the public's view on her style status. "When I first started doing this site, someone did an interview with me... and he was laughing, and he was like, 'Amelia, you're not fashionable!'" she recalls with a laugh. "He didn't say it like that -- it was more like, 'I had no idea that you loved fashion because people are always laughing about how you dress.' And that doesn't mean that I don't like fashion, it just means that I've got a quirky sense of style... I love fashion. My problem with fashion is that I love it toomuch. And I don't bother with it, because I can't afford the stuff that I really love! I know what I love, and I have good taste, I just can't go there."
But where she can go is deep into the world of beauty, which is an area Heinle has recently discovered to be her favorite. "I'm actually really more excited to bring in the beauty products, because... people are always asking me, 'What do you use for this? What do you use for that? How does your hair look like this?'" she explains. "And we've noticed that since we started the site, most of the traffic that we get is for beauty products and what do you use to fix this, that, and the other. So that's where we're going to start focusing for a little while. That's what I'm learning about starting a site, is that you kind of see who comes in and where traffic is going to and what they're looking at the most, and it's kind of fun to see that."
"It's still in the beginning stages, so hopefully it will get better and better," she continues. "I see these bloggers who have great blogs, and they put their heart and soul into it. They spend a lot of time on it. It's amazing. I see how hard it is now. It's not just sitting at home on your computer writing and putting up pretty pictures. It's a lot of work."
However, despite it being the direction the writers may have been going in all along, the chemistry between Heinle and Carrigan is so strong, many fans actually wanted the baby to be Stitch's. "More people wanted him to be the father -- well at least, that's what [the powers that be] told me," the actress says. "They were doing polls all the time, and more people wanted it to be Stitch's baby. And so now I'm thinking, 'Well, hmm, now I guess they'll have to get over it!' But Sean is great, and it could have gone either way, and the fans would have been happy, I think."
As for whether or not Katie's presence will have the power to reunite her parents, that remains to be seen. "Anything is possible," Heinle states. "They're [a beloved couple], so I'm sure [the writers] always want to keep that option open, you know. They're a legacy couple now, an Abbott and a Newman, so I'm sure they'll circle back around to that at some point. But it's nice to freshen up the characters a little bit and try something new for a while."
Which means (for those hoping) that there's still a chance for Stitch and Victoria. "I wouldn't rule him out just yet," the actress notes. "I think it's still a good story with him... and Victoria and Ben have good chemistry, so I think the writers are smart. They pick up on that stuff, and I think they'll probably figure out a way to keep them together. Maybe. I don't even know honestly. Right now, you can tell that he still loves Victoria, even though the baby isn't his. There's still that love there, and he knew that was a possibility all along, that it wouldn't be his baby. So I think they'll play that a little more. It's interesting."
To find out whether or not Billy and Victoria will reunite and whether or not Stitch still has a chance with Katie's mom, keep watching The Young and the Restless on CBS. Meanwhile, to learn more about Heinle and Believe Big, be sure to check out her website, Dear March.
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