Katy Hessel

Life always delivers. Often in the smallest moments, you receive the biggest blessings. One of those moments happened for me one afternoon when a beauty PR package was delivered to me, but addressed for my next door neighbour, Katy Hessel. Not having ever met Katy before, or even knowing that she now lived next door, it was clear this purple package was meant to happen – and we were meant to meet. I buzzed at her door, to which she answered with her immense and infectious warmth – the friendship was instant, and it’s been that way ever since. I imagine most people who interact with Katy experience the same. She is as effervescent and magical as you could imagine, and more.

Best described as an art historian and author, Katy could in fact be regarded as more of an investigative journalist. Otherworldly wise, curious, and instinctively aware – she embodies everything that we as a society should look for as a role model or influential person, so it’s no surprise the demand for her and her take is on a consistent upward slope.

Katy makes the London art world feel a little more human. She cares about people, their stories and discovering true history, more than simply the brushes on paper, and names for the sake of it. Yet she is always on the pulse of what’s next and what matters. With her fourth book on the way (this one diving into the history of iconic and often misrepresented female subjects through the ages), Katy is making it cool to apply yourself, cool to question things, and cool to see the beauty in all things.

Her passion and joy for her work is infectious. I recently attended one of her events at The Royal Academy of Arts where  the chair perfectly introduced her and her writing as ‘delicious, beautiful and elegant’. Katy has already established a much needed fresh angle in the industry that we are all ready for, so it’s no surprise that she is in such hot demand – and we are only witnessing the beginning.

It’s being alert to always finding the beauty in something or someone. It exists everywhere! Sometimes you have to work hard for it, and it can be even better when you finally find it, but it should be something we are always seeking. If everyone in the world fought to find it then we’d live in a much better place. Why would you not? Everyone deserves beauty, and beauty can be and is free. It can be the conduit to other worlds, dreams and possibilities. It’s why I love art. It opens our eyes to the millions of different modes of beauty, and lenses to how people see the world. Look for beauty: it exists everywhere! 

What I love about it is when you really look at a work of art, it stays with you forever. When I was a kid my sister lived in Florence and we’d go to the Uffizi and I still remember drawing the exact eyelid of Botticelli’s Annunciation, and I remember that painting. There’s something about the muscle memory of really looking, because we hardly look at anything in the world now. To look at art is to understand how people lived before you, whether it’s 10 years ago, 100 years ago, or a thousand years ago. It’s amazing.

Yeah, definitely. I grew up in the the noughties, when there was definitely a specific type of beauty that was promoted. In a way, beauty felt like something that was unreachable because it was over there, and actually, that’s such a shame. If I could go back to that kid and tell her it can be so many different things I would. Why can’t you just live with the fact that you are beautiful?

There’s something so exciting about getting older, even though I’m not that old at all. But what I love now is that there are so many different facets of beauty. It can be infinite. There are infinite ways of being beautiful. And that’s what art and artists show me: the limitless, beautiful ways of seeing the world. 

I really firmly believe that everyone has an inner light in them, and they carry it around with them. To see someone, to notice someone’s orb that exists inside of them, is the most electric thing in the whole world. I think that’s why I love talking to artists the whole time, because they are constantly showing me different ways of seeing the world, and translating it into something physical. 

That is why I wrote my first book, The Story of Art without Men, because I thought, oh my God, I didn’t learn about any women artists at school or in the museums I went to. As well as searching for my own history, I wanted to see what beauty was from a female perspective. Why would you not want to see beauty from a wide range of people? It’s like listening to music, or tasting food. If you only listened to one song, or ate one meal for the rest of your life, it would be boring. The best world is full of everyone. 

I wake up; down a litre of water and then I start my routine. My everyday cleanser (day and night) is La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser. It’s so light, gets off all my make up and doesn’t irritate my skin at all. My special cleanser is the CHANEL La Mousse. I use it around 3 times a week. I follow with my morning serum, La Roche Posay Hyalu B5 Serum. My alternative serum is the Dermalogica pro-collagen banking serum.

My everyday moisturiser is the CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion or Emma Lewisham’s Supernatural Face Creme Riche. I love Augustine Bader’s Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturiser too.For eye cream, I use the CHANEL Hydra Beauty Micro Creme Yeux. I always add sunscreen, the La Roche Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid Sunscreen SPF50+.

At night again, it’s back to La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo CleanseNight cream: Verden. My night post-cleanser is the Emma Lewisham Supernatural Vitale Elixir. Or I do an overnight face mask: ReVive Rescue Balm – this is amazing! Especially when I am on minimal sleep, it completely rejuvenates my skin. I love it.

I try to do a Gua Sha once a week and I’ll use Lumity Facial Oil (should do it more! My sister swears by it and she has the best skin ever. I love the Nocturne Magnesium Night Balm for arms and legs.

My wonderful friend (and next door neighbour) Emma also taught me to spray perfume on my pillow at night which makes all the difference!

I feel like I’ve had the same make-up routines since I was a teenager! I use the Lisa Eldridge liquid silk eyeshadow on eyelids and up to the eyebrows; then I’ll do a smokey eye using the Lisa Eldridge Vega palette, or Victoria Beckham Lid Lustre (they do the best glitter colours!), or CHANEL Les 4 Ombres Boutons (great shades of browns which are softer than black). Then I use the Lisa Eldridge seamless glide eye pencil.

I always use an eyelash curler (favourite utensil), and I’ve spent so long finding the perfect mascara, and have finally settled on CHANEL Inimitable Intense.

I don’t like to put much make up on my skin. I’ll use the very thin Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin enhancing tint – it’s like a watered down foundation. I’ll overlay it with a bronzer – CHANEL Les Beiges – or a blusher – CHANEL illuminating powder blush. But my favourite are the CHANEL sticks: blush, or the transparent highlighter. It’s like putting the softest lipstick on your cheeks. 

I have my products I stick too. I love the Natural Tech shampoo and conditioner, Philip Kingsley Elasticizer deep conditioning treatment, the Maria Nila True Soft Argan Oil and also the Pre-straightening/ blow dry: Moroccan Oil Perfect Defense is amazing.

The best thing I can do is visit the miracle facialist: Rhian Truman, who is based in Notting Hill. I like to get a super early morning appointment so it feels like getting back into bed. My face is glowing for days afterwards. I’ll walk or cycle there – always my preferred mode of transport. 

I should probably take more vitamins, but the best are the Lumity Life tablets.

My teenage years was always Stella McCartney’s Stella. If it ever comes into my ether, I am immediately transported back to the early 2010s (that, and L’Oreal’s hairspray that me and my friends would always use!). In my early 20s, I moved over to Gabrielle Chanel, which I must have worn for a decade and has so many stories attached to it… Now I love Byredo Mojave Ghost. Maybe it’s a different scent every decade, or the next phase in my life!

Put joy into the world and it will reward you back! But also; dunk your head in iced water as much as you can. If you want to feel refreshed immediately, or rid of puffy eyes etc. This will do the trick. And: is entirely free (apart from an ice tray and salad bowl!).

In London, Banya No.1 in Old Street for their Sauna, Layana in NW3 for a massage and Swanky on Chamberlayne Road for eyebrows and lashes. For a spa treatment I love Claridges, and Estelle Manor.

Koti in Mexico City is also great for their sauna.