MY LIFE IN BEAUTY
Singer, podcast host and mother of five Sophie Ellis-bextor talks about the fun of make-up and family bath times
Singer Sophie Ellis-bextor’s best buys
My early beauty memories are smells, really. My mum [actor and presenter Janet Ellis] went back to work when I was tiny, so I spent a lot of time in theatres. I love the smell of old-school stage make-up, sort of clean and waxy. I also remember a lip gloss she had from Yves Saint Laurent that had a very strong floral scent. For my kids it’s hairspray, which they say is the smell of me going out. My mum was emphatic about skincare.
She taught me to cleanse, tone and moisturise, and to always take off my make-up before bed. She’d be completely horrified by how little regard I’ve given her advice! I do have some really lovely skincare products, but I just don’t have the same strict approach to it. The older I get, the more I understand that my skin is not the same as my mum’s and doesn’t need a lot of fuss. I do sleep in my
make-up occasionally and it doesn’t affect me much. I just never tell her! I’m passionate about make-up and own tons of it. I try not to get stuck in a rut, so I like seeing something in a magazine and having a go at it. It’s brilliant, clever stuff that can totally change the way you see yourself. My husband [musician Richard Jones] and I were doing little gigs on Instagram during lockdown. Getting ready was one of the loveliest parts for me. I like looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, what do I feel like? What am I going to wear? What colour am I going to make my eyes? I’m fairly instinctive at putting things
together. If I’m wearing my bright pink sequined dress, I might do pale pink glitter on the eye with an orange lip to keep it punchy and fun. A make-up artist taught me to always do eyes before skin. Once you’ve done your
eyes, the rest of it is quite quick and you don’t get particles of eyeshadow dropping on to your base. Some make-up artists have put sun cream under my foundation before a gig; there’s something in it that makes skin look a bit dewy. When I’m not working I do wear make-up, but not a full face. Mascara, a little hint of something on my lips – a tint, or lipstick with a bit of balm – and blusher. Blusher is a good friend of mine. I’m quite pale, so it keeps me looking on the healthy side. I’m a big fan of a punchy lipstick.
My favourites are usually from MAC. MAC Amplified Lipstick in Vegas Volt, £17.50, is a good pinky-orange.
And MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in Mandarin O [5], £19, is matte but with a satin finish that feels really smooth. If I’m going out, a black ‘tick’ of liner is my favoured eye make-up. Lancôme Hypnôse Artliner [8], £24.50, gives
I don’t want to look younger than I am
good control and, if it does go wrong, I use a little cotton bud to neaten it up. I’ve been using Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes Volume 2 mascara, £25, for a while; I like my lashes quite clumpy and retro. For eyeshadow, I like
Huda Beauty Palettes [2], £27 each, for shimmery pinks, golds and ambers. I wear as much or as little base as my skin needs. Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach [3], £14, is good under my eyes if I look tired. Foundation can look cakey on my skin, so if I need more pep, I’ll mix Giorgio Armani Power Fabric [4], £44, with moisturiser.
I also like Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter [7], £34. It goes back to that ‘sun cream under your foundation’ vibe, as it has a slight shimmer to it. I’m so jealous of my kids’ bath time!
Someone running a bath for me and getting me into my pyjamas would be a really nice way for my day to end. I’m a Childs Farm ambassador, but it’s been a part of our lives for years. It’s gentle enough to use on my littlest, Mickey, who has eczema, but even my teenager uses the Childs
Farm Bubble Bath [1], £4, which I love, too. The product that made the biggest difference to Mickey’s skin was the
Fragrance-free Moisturiser [6], £4.50. We have sunscreen all around the house. I have five kids between two and 17, four of them with red hair, so it’s the mainstay of our summer. I’ve never been brown in my life – I just go pink. When I was doing Strictly Come Dancing, I said I’d have a fake tan if I got to the final. But when I got there, I chickened out and just did my legs! I think self-tan looks good on people who tan naturally, so it’s not really for me. I like the smell of roses, but nothing too musky. I’ve been wearing Agent Provocateur Eau de Parfum, £69, for years, but smell just evaporates on me, so I don’t think anyone associates it with me! I still like the way it signifies that I’m having my own time. I don’t wear it daily, so when I do, it’s that nice feeling of ‘off we go, into the night’. I don’t want to look younger than I am, I just want to look like a good version of my age. I have positive associations with getting older; feeling more relaxed in yourself and not minding so much what other people think. If I look a bit more wrinkly, then that’s par for the course, isn’t it?