This week’s Inside My Beauty Bag comes from my friend and all-round fabulous woman Hattie Hawksworth, Farfetch’s Editor in Chief. We actually met at a children’s centre in Lewisham (not glamorous in any way shape or form) when our babies were both only a few months old. It took us weeks before we realised that we actually both worked in fashion and shared a mutual love for dressing up and makeup (even when we’d been up all night breastfeeding or consoling our tiny babes).
Hattie always looks amazing so i loved speaking to her about her makeup and skincare routine. It also reminded me that you don’t always need to buy the premium makeup brands either – there are so many drugstore versions that are just as good for a snippet of the price.
“My first memories of makeup are discovering mascara around the age of seven. I thought it was a miracle. Living magic. My fine blonde lashes were transformed into Disney princess proportions and I was hooked. So, yeah, I stared wearing mascara every day from around the age of nine and thus began a life-long dedication to makeup and the art of self care”.
“Throughout my whole professional life I’ve always dressed up for work and been in offices where everyone else does too. I love stepping into a work character with heels, lipstick and a nice dress, and always earrings”.
SKIN
“Since I was about 18 I’ve struggled with breakouts especially around my period. When I had my son and started breastfeeding it completely changed my complexion – I had crystal-clear skin. Weirdly, it didn’t make me happy. Maybe because I was up all night with a baby clamped to my breast and alone a lot in the day for the first time in years. My clear skin was also somewhat diminished by my thinning hair! Anyway, now my baby is a year old and my skin has kind of normalised- it will never be perfect but it’s ok, and that’s ok”.
“I am dedicated to Paula’s Choice products – they’re fragrance free and just include the vital ingredients. My skin is pretty greasy so I need a good chemical exfoliant every day – salicylic acid is best. Then from PC I also use a light oil-free invisible moisturiser in factor 50. My guilty secret is a fake tan face spray that I mist liberally each night. It gives a nice natural glow – Garnier do a good one. If I do get a horrible spot which happens fairly frequently I try and control it with Origins on the spot. Pre-baby I used to mask a lot then two things happened: I had no time and my skin became much more sensitive, but Dermatologica’s gentle cream exfoliant is still great if I leave it on for about 1 second”.
MAKE UP
“I’ve got to the point where I do pretty much the same thing every day. I am absolutely not a make-up on the train girl. Not that I object to that; I kind of wish I was that person but my routine is a bit too involved. I absolutely swear by Bourjois foundation and the Healthy Mix Serum Gel is the bomb. It just makes you glossy straight away. There’s no shimmer or anything like that and it doesn’t sit in your pores or eyebrows. I subscribe to the Lisa Eldridge school of skin makeup that says where your skin is clear, you should embellish very lightly and where you have breakouts you should pinpoint spots with very high coverage concealer”.
“I use Double Wear Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer by Estée Lauder. It is incredible. Those on a budget should also try Collection 2000’s version. Because of my greasy skin, powder is a ride or die for me. I love Chanel but also enjoy Urban Decay’s loose ‘Velvetiser’. It really does vanish pores and make your skin look velvety. My tip is to apply with a round cotton pad- it’s more hygienic if you change it frequently and allows for more targeted application where you don’t want a fully matte face. I’m all about adding highlights where appropriate – at the temples, down the nose and I even use the same highlighter as an eyeshadow base. MUA does the best and it’s super cheap – Champagne Shimmer is the perfect gold/beige”.
“I love blush but tend to use a lipstick on my cheeks and then use the same colour on my lips as it brings everything together. I am absolutely obsessed with Mac’s Cream Sheen Lickable lipstick which is a sheeny, Barbie 80’s pink – my favourite but sadly discontinued. I wear eyeshadow everyday but don’t want a greasy old creased-up eye. For this I swear by Urban Decay’s eyeshadow primer; it’s insane and you won’t get one crease all day, even in 30 degrees”.
“I love a deep brown eyeshadow in the socket. I have quite deep-set eyes so it suits me I guess. For mascara I’m all about L’Oréal. So Couture is thick and clumpy just how I like it but I’m seriously thinking about jumping onto the extension wagon. My eyebrows are crap so I’m considering microblading but in the meantime I’m ok with a Collection 2000 Clear Lash Mascara and Mac’s Brow Pomade in Dirty Blonde”.
“For special occasions I’m obsessed with adding a really high pigment glitter, just on the lid, again Urban Decay does the best gel-based glitters that last and are crazy bright”.
HAIR
“You could say my hair is my thing which is ironic as it’s so low maintenance. I don’t blow dry or style it. Just wash with anything I can get my hands on and then I put in Paul Mitchell super sculpt or Moroccan Oil Curling Cream. I’m considering cutting it off just below the ears in a kind of blunt messy bob like Paris/Texas style but the baby hairs are growing at a weird rate post pregnancy so I think that’ll have to wait. I’ve never been anything other than bright blonde and that won’t change”.
FRAGRANCE
“Frederick Malle makes the best perfume in the world, no question. If you’re ever in Paris I would strongly suggest a visit to the store, but Liberty stocks well in London. I wear Lipstick Rose all year round. It’s a violet-y, sugar-y, powdery cloud of pink and I love it. Each of FM’s perfumes have really strong identities. I wish I was cool enough to wear Portrait of a Lady but it’s just too overpowering. It has a masculinity that just doesn’t sit with me but I absolutely love it”.
NAILS
“I’m ashamed to say I’m a nail biter so getting my nails done makes me feel amazing. I get extensions and I love them. I know they destroy your actual nails but mine are rubbish anyway. I love a trashy French manicure which is what I had for my wedding day or a really bright neon pink or orange red in summer or a pastel pink. My toes have to match and in winter I go for a Rouge Noir”.
You can follow Hattie on Instagram here.