We heard you wanted to get to know Cult Beauty’s Content Team a little bit more? Well, your wish is our command!
Hi, I’m Alice, one of the Senior Copywriters here at Cult Beauty. I joined the team one year ago to the day (nearly!) and, without it sounding like I'm filling in a profile for a dating app, I thought I’d introduce myself – quickly, don’t worry. Home is Norfolk but I've been in London ever since I arrived for Uni (so about eight years now). When I’m not all-consumed in beauty products at work, you'll most likely find me with friends at gigs, the cinema or at the theatre – I've seen most musicals in the West End at least twice.
Anyway, enough about me! Let’s go through my daily routine, from skin care saviours to the make up I can’t live without and everything in-between.
Ready to #GRWM? Let’s go...
MY SKIN CARE STAPLES
FROM AM...
As anyone in my team – or my flat mateCiana – will tell you, I am the definition of a morning person. Always the first person to arrive in the office, I wake up naturally around 6.30am, roll out of bed, make a coffee (milk and a sprinkle of sugar)and then the skin care session starts.
Of course, like all beauty obsessives out there, my routine follows structured steps that I follow diligently: cleanse, tone, treat, moisturise and SPF.
My cleanser of choice at the moment? Paula’s Choice Clear Cleanser. I have quite dry skin so need a formula that’s non-stripping yet revitalising and thanks to the infusion of glycerin and panthenol (vitamin B5), this staple delivers long-lasting hydration and softness. Next, I reach for Glow Recipe’s Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner to balance my skin’s pH levels and provide a post-cleanse glow. When it comes to serums, I tend to chop and change what I apply depending on how my complexion feels. On my skin care shelf, you’ll find Alpha-H's Vitamin E Serum for when my skin feels particularly parched and Murad’s Cellular Hydration Barrier Repair Serum when slightly tender. To seal all this hydration in, I then slather on KraveBeauty’s Oat So Simple Water Cream, a featherlight formula laced with plant-derived squalane to leave my complexion in hydrated harmony.
The last step in my morning skin care routine is, of course, SPF! Whether rain or shine, winter or summer, sunscreen is always the final skin-shielding step and I bet everyone at Cult Beauty HQ would agree with me. In my beauty bag you’ll find Medik8’s Advanced Day Total Protect SPF 50. I’m a Medik8 stan – truly obsessed – so you won’t find me straying anytime soon from this protective hero....TO PM
Although I’ve recently waved a fond farewell to my commute on the Central line (AKA the most polluted London Tube line *cry*), my skin still feels coated in the city’s grime once I walk through the front door after a long day in the office – and drinks afterwards... let's be honest. So, I can’t wait to wipe off the remnants of the day before making dinner and settling down in front of the TV.
To remove my make up? I opt for Farmacy’s Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm (a great recommendation by Josie, our Content Manager), a balm-to-oil formula that makes light work of dissolving dirt, make up, sunscreen and excess oil.
The next steps depend on a variety of factors. Roughly two or three times a week, I’ll use only Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold. A resurfacing, AHA treatment, this signature solution improves skin tone, texture and luminosity – I’m not kidding when I say I can see visible results come morning. For nights when I’m not using an acid or overnight treatment, I’m a retinol girl through and through. From OLE HENRIKSEN's Double Rewind 0.3% Pro-Grade Retinol Serum to Medik8’s Crystal Retinal, I’m someone who wants to speed up the line-smoothing, brightening, firming and dark spot-diminishing process as quick as possible.
After I’ve applied Medik8’s Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream and right before I turn out the light to get some sleep, I swipe LANEIGE’s Lip Sleeping Mask in ‘Berry’ across my pout. Holding a permanent position on my bedside table, this fruit-fuelled formula feeds my lips with moisture, so I wake up with a smooth, soft, and supple pout.
MY MAKE UP MUST-HAVES
Once my skin care has soaked in and I’ve taken another big sip of my morning coffee (the first of about three cups), I then turn my attention to make up...
I tend to keep my look fairly subtle on weekdays. I have netball on Tuesday nights (big up ‘Spice Goals’) and workout other days of the week, so I don’t wear too much – AKA no pore-clogging here. It’s why I start with a lightweight tinted moisturiser (NARS’ Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser to be exact) with a light dusting of Sweed’s Miracle Powder on top. I’ll then add some colour with Milk Makeup’s Matte Bronzer and Saie’s Dew Blush before coating my brows with the flake-free and long-lasting Benefit 24-Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel. To finish? I draw on a quick flick with Danessa Myricks Beauty Linework Eyeliner and then lengthen lashes with VIEVE’s Modern Mascara. Then, after a spritz of Augustinus Bader’s The Face Mist, voilà...
MY HAIR CARE HEROES
I’m not afraid to admit it: I can be super lazy when it comes to my tresses. After I’ve completed my wash day routine (usingamika’s Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner bundle) and quickly blow dried my hair, I either leave my locks natural and straight or (depending on time)I’ll curl them using straighteners or Kitsch’s Heatless Curling Set.My go-to is definitely a curl of some kind;I’m quite lucky that when I put a curl in my hair it lasts three – if not more – days. How? JVN’s Embody Volumising Foam and Complete Blowout Styling Milk have a huge part to play. So, does Fable & Mane’s Detangling Leave-In Conditioner. The finishing styling touch is a hair oil. My favourites? Either Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Oil or Hair Rituel by Sisley Precious Hair Care Oil.
