CLAIRE ALVES, 34 Co-founder, Lulu Bare
After eight years in public relations for Chanel in London, and a brief stint as the Executive Fashion Director for InStyle, Alves now divides her time between her fashion label and two children—Mia, three, and Sebastian, one.
Monday,Tuesday and Thursday are my
work days. I’m currently looking at office spaces. It’s hard working at home because as they get older, the kids get more aware that you’re at home. So I arrange play dates for them on the days I’m working. The weekends, as well as Wednesday and Friday afternoons, are all theirs. It’s hard.You either don’t see your children enough or you don’t get enough work done. It’s all about striking that balance. My tummy is never going to be what it was. But that said, it probably wasn’t that fantastic before I had babies. I do personal training at Body Temple once a week—our trainer is all about very intense bursts and failsafe interval training for toning up. I get a keratin blow dry once every three to four months. It’s eye-wateringly expensive, but it is money well spent, especially when you don’t have time to straighten your hair every morning. I have it done with Edward at Casey Inc Hair & Beauty. Diane Kruger is my style and beauty icon. When I worked in London, we worked closely with her, and she’s the kind of woman who can wear any kind of shade and lipstick and look amazing. I love the way she experiments with her hair and makeup. Admittedly, sometimes she’s slightly off the wall but has a glowing confidence that shines through. Style is an expression of your personality, and Diane used to choose the look she wanted instead of letting a stylist do it for her.
Vaseline is an oldie but a goodie. A girlfriend of mine has no wrinkles and is madly in love with Vaseline—apparently she puts it under her eyes and on her forehead and eyelashes every night before bed. I have a wrinkly forehead and I’ve started to religiously layer on the Vaseline.
It is most vital to protect your skin. Mia’s very lucky and has this olive skin that doesn’t burn easily, but I’m well aware, bringing up my children in the tropics, that the tropics is not the best for their skin. I always lather Mia with sunscreen… when she lets me.
Some of my time-saving products. Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturiser because you’ve got SPF, hydration and coverage all in one. And By Terry’s Baume de Rose lip balm for its nourishing feel on my pout. I also love Clinique’s Lash Power Voluminizing Mascara because it doesn’t smudge when I go swimming with the kids.