Beauty to me, is about a self acceptance. I firmly believe the notion that the longest relationship any of us will have is with ourselves and so with that, we must learn to love ourselves in all seasons. That means getting comfortable with the changes in skin texture, dullness, the weight loss/gain etc but having paid enough attention to yourself to understand what you might need to do to get back to a place of acceptance and hopefully love too.
For oral hygiene, I start with and loving the Australian brand GEM – I’ll use their crisp mint toothpaste and mouthwash, I keep both a manual and an electric toothbrush – also tongue scraping is a must. I opt for a copper material. I can’t forget about flossing – the expanding dental floss from Superdrug is my go to.
For my body I love a combination of bar and liquid soap. My favourite bar soap is the L’Occitane Shea Verbena Extra-Gentle Soap. I also love Naturium which I pick up from Space NK – particularly the Salicylic Acid, Brightening Body Wash, Glow Getter (I use according to my needs that day) and their KP Scrub and Mask which I use twice a week without fail. I also love their Bio-Lipid Lotion for a post shower moisturiser and have been recently trying Byoma’s Brightening Body Lotion. For deodorant my go to favourites are the Vichy 72h Stress Resist and Malin + Goetz in eucalyptus.
‘It keeps my face hydrated and looking dewy with the added benefit of protecting my skin from the sun.’
‘In comparison with other lip products, this leaves my lips hydrated with a barely there tint which I love.’
‘If my skin is in a bit of a weird place this product helps me get it together.’
‘As a base for either Byredo young rose or my Dries Van Noten raving rose and of course a non sticky glow.’
£14
‘This blush has great buildable coverage.’
For my hair I’m a blonde which requires a lot of care. I wash my hair every 1-2 weeks and use a combination of shampoos by Kera Care – the Humecto range (great for colour treated hair) and Olaplex No3, No4, No5 as and when is needed. I also love the Blondeme Detox Shampoo. To dry my hair I’ll use the Dyson Airwrap Multi Styler and the Chi Keratin Silk Infusion as a heat protectant. For daily styling I love the pattern and use a spritz of hydrating hair mist and strong hold gel from and scalp serum before bed.
I’m a refy convert – I stick with the basics for day time make up and use their Lash Sculpt, Brow Sculpt, Cream Blush in cherry. I like to dab a bit of blush along my nose and sometimes over my eyelids for a bit of additional colour. For my lips my go to is Dior Lip Oil in cherry although I also love the NYX Butter Gloss which I have in many shades. For the evening I’ll use the same base but add a winged liner using the NYX Epic Ink Liner in black and on the lips use either MAC lipstick in the shade antique velvet or a Pat McGrath lipgloss in the colour bronze.
I start my day with a ginger shot from Moju and a big glass of water followed by multiple waters throughout the day. I love tea and have a cupboard full of loose leaf and special blends, I drink a lot of mint, green daily. I’m a fan of Teapigs and T2 as well as picking up loose leaf from local health shops. Supplements I get from Holland & Barrett’s Turmeric, multi-vitamins, peppermint for digestion, Vitamin C and magnesium from the brand together health. Oral Vitamin D Spray from the brand Better You. I meditate every morning and go to yoga/pilates 3-4 times a week, alongside walking daily.
A lymphatic drainage/sculpting massage at least once a month, yoga/pilates 3-4 times a week.
I came to love the brand Byredo because as soon as travel restrictions were lifted in 2021 I took myself on a solo trip to Paris and wandered through Galleries Lafayette and selected a few travel sized perfumes alongside the travel case which included Dal d’Afrique, Oud Immortel and Mojave Ghost. I wore each one of those fragrances every evening of my stay and have the fondest memories of feeling such joy being out in the world again, in one of my favourite cities and wrapped in fragrances that made me feel beautiful. Oud Immortel has since become my go to evening fragrance which I alternate with Dal d’Afrique and during the day I opt for Young Rose from Byredo or Raving Rose from Dries Van Noten – the Dries perfume was a birthday gift to myself and so I associate it positively with that occasion.
Dior Lip Oil in cherry, Chanel Miroir Double Facettes Mirror Duo, Byredo Rose of No Mans Land Hand Cream, Cuccio Cuticle Oil (15ml) in milk and honey, Aesop Rinse Free Hand Wash, Smint XXL Peppermint and a mini version of whatever perfume I’m wearing that day.
I love the app Urban for massages as they come home to you.
‘This holds my brows in place all day long.’