When it comes to our beauty crushes, us Grazia ladies are proud to admit we are 100% obsessed with the gorgeous Cheryl Cole. The last time Team Beauty met with Cheryl, she was busy promoting the new Elnett Styling range as well as planning her imminent 30th birthday celebrations, so we couldn’t wait to hear what the stunning starlet had been up to since. Six months on and it’s safe to say Cheryl has been a busy bee, indeed.
La Cole was recently unveiled as the new face of L’Oreal Paris’ Skin Perfection Skincare and even went bare-faced (yep, no foundation!) in the latest campaign. We were beyond excited to chat to the fresh-faced Cheryl yesterday afternoon, who revealed to us her skincare secrets, her new passion for Tracy Anderson's workouts and her well-manicured tootsies that looked tres chic in a stunning pair of blush pink Alaia heels. Read on for all the deets on when Grazia met Chezza...
Grazia Daily: Would you say that you are naturally more of a makeup or a skincare girl – which comes first for you?
Cheryl Cole: Well, I love makeup and while it tends to be more fun and exciting, having healthy, clean skin, unblocked pores etc., really is essential before you can even start applying your make up. Foundation, for example, may mask and cover problem areas, whereas skincare addresses the problem itself.
*Left: Skin Perfection Serum, £16.99 Right: Instant Touch Perfect Blur, £12.99 *
**Grazia Daily: What does your daily skincare regime look like? **
Cheryl Cole: I always start by using my favourite cleanser, L’Oreal Pure Zone Face Wash, which I have been using for 11 years! This has actually been discontinued for the past 2 years although someone managed to track down 23 tubes of it in Italy for me and had it exported here - I just hope it has a long expiry date! I also have my serum which is just dreamy and loaded with the magic LR 2412. And then it's all about the amazing Blur Cream which is all that I wore in the advert.
**Grazia Daily: How did you feel about going without foundation for the ad - it's so brave of you! **
Cheryl Cole: Well, can you imagine going on a set like that-with no foundation on?! When we first got it back I watched it between my fingers, although it was actually quite liberating in a funny way because after you get over the initial 10 or 15 minutes when you think everyone is looking at you, it was actually really fine and I felt very free. Plus, it's so much less hassle-on a normal shoot you’re constantly having an eyelash touched up or something!
Grazia Daily: Are there any other insider cult skincare products that you have come across at shoots or through makeup artists and now can’t live without?
Cheryl Cole: Ooh, definitely Sudocrem. If you have a spot it's just the best. I always steal it off my nieces and nephews. I swear to you it's amazing!
Grazia Daily: What sets the new Skin Perfection range apart from other skincare you have used before?
Cheryl Cole: It's so great that it’s for women in their 20s. It just horrifies me to see 20-year-old girls having Botox- it’s so drastic and really unnecessary. I think because of what I do I’ve had to look after my skin since I was so young, which is fortunate, really. Ever since my twenties I’ve taken really good care of my skin, so I think it’s great that women now have a preventative regime rather than trying to cure damage by putting poison into their skin. It encourages them address their skin care issues and not just cover them with makeup.
Grazia Daily: Which do you think is the hero product in the range?
Cheryl Cole: Well, I love the serum as it has an amazing texture and absorbs so quickly into the skin. However, the Blur Cream saved my live in the advert so I have to be loyal to that, too!
Grazia Daily: What are the best skincare tips that you have picked up backstage at shows and on shoots?
Cheryl Cole: On stage I have to wear really thick makeup and then you sweat quite a bit, so I think it’s important to make prep skin before makeup and then also remember to take it off after really thoroughly. Never go to bed with your makeup on!
Grazia Daily: Who do you turn to in terms of facialists/skin specialists when you want to give your skin some extra attention?
Cheryl Cole: One of my friends is a masseuse and she is really good- massaging my face in the same way she does my body. I'm not really one for having my body touched - I find it really personal so I tend to wait till I am abroad when they don't know who I am! There's a really great skin clinic called Kinara in LA. They do a really nice lymphatic massage using castor oil and then wrap you in silver foil and leave you to melt. It's crazy, and you end up with baby soft skin.
Grazia Daily: You travel so much, which is obviously not great for the skin. How do you look fresh faced when you land?
Cheryl Cole: My secret is to just never apply makeup on the plane aside from a dash of mascara. Then, in that boring last hour of the flight l add a splash of lipgloss or a bit of blusher and maybe some BB cream, but the secret is a pair of sunglasses!
Watch Cheryl in the skincare commercial
*Skin Perfection Skincare is available nationwide from Monday 5th August at www.boots.com.Let's celebrate with a look back at Cheryl's greatest beauty moments in the gallery below...