Charli Howard – made you blush

Model, writer and brand founder Charli Howard talks self-love, beauty lessons and letting go of people who drag you down

In this social media-savvy world, it can feel like the pressure is on to have self-love down to a T. But it’s often not quite as simple as that. ‘Self-love is something we’re all told to embrace, but it’s actually really difficult to learn how to do that, especially for women,’ says Charli Howard, model, writer and founder of the skincare and make-up line Squish Beauty.

‘For me, every day is a learning step towards that ultimate end goal, because even though we’re all now taught about body-confidence, it takes a long time to achieve that, with so many conflicting messages out there.’ So how to move forward? ‘It’s a continuous thing. Every day I’m trying to love my body more. Not only from a looks perspective, but from a personal perspective, with who I let into my space.’ For the latter, Charli says being mindful of her social media consumption has been key. ‘I’ve cut some people out and, honestly, the moment you do it boosts your mood.’ She takes a refreshingly cut-and-dried approach to deciding who to cull and who to keep. ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend from school, a celebrity… if you follow an account and it makes you feel bad, just unfollow them. There are hundreds of great accounts out there! When we were younger, we didn’t have that power – all our media was dictated to us, but now we have the ability to follow what makes us actually feel good.’

Charli’s is one such feelgood Instagram account (@charlihoward), with regular self-love reminders, fabulous make-up inspo and beautifully candid self-portraits, including body shots showcasing what she calls ‘my cute rolls’. ‘It’s really sad that we think people being “brave” is posting a picture with your stomach rolls. That’s not bravery, that’s just your body. That’s what we

– as normal people – look like.’ What about those of us who aren’t feeling so confident about our body right now? ‘We’ve just been through a pandemic – the first in our lifetime – give yourself a break! If you’ve put on a bit of weight who honestly gives a fuck?’

Charli’s continued self-love journey is something that extends to her beauty routine. ‘I had bad acne for a long time and I made it worse by using heavy foundations that were really oily – caking it on without thinking of what my skin actually needed.’ Thankfully, foundation formulas have advanced dramatically in the past few years, many now featuring skincare-grade ingredients that enhance your natural glow and care for your skin in the long-run. ‘It’s all about getting to know your skin and what works for you,’ says Charli, ‘and a good make-up product can really transform the way you feel.’ This is the age of feelgood beauty – and we’re here for that.