Is it just me, or does Millie Mackintosh constantly look like she's glowing? Seriously, I didn't know it was possible for a person to look that dewy all of the time. I think it might actually be illegal. So, when I heard she'd collaborated with Birchbox (the company that deliver a box of mini beauty goodies to you monthly) to bring us her very own 'Never-Ending Summer' Birchbox – which, by the way, you can totally still buy right now – *obviously *I had to talk to her about it. And find out some of her beauty tips along the way.
Hey Millie, congratulations on your Birchbox!
Thank you! What what do you think of it?
I really like it! What’s your favourite product in the box?
I’m really happy with all of them, they’re all products I use and brands I love, but the lip pencil because it’s one I created with the Birchbox brand, ‘Love of Colour’, to get that perfect really natural pinky shade that’s very me. I like that it’s in a pencil, and it’s really moisturising and easy to use. It’s multi-use as well, so I kind of dab it a bit on my cheeks too, like a creamy blush.
That’s so good and it’s ideal for travelling.
Exactly, it means you need less products with you, so you don’t need a gloss and a lipstick and a lip balm.
Do you tend to gravitate towards pink shades when it comes to lipsticks?
Normally my everyday shade would be natural pink. The only other shade I really would wear would be bright red. I wouldn’t wear it on a particular occasion, just sometimes when I feel like it, but not that often. I’m more likely to do something on my eyes and keep my lips quite natural.
Oh really, so you prefer a smoky eye or something like that?
If I’m getting really dressed up, I prefer a smoky eye. Quite a natural look. Then sometimes I might mix it up and do a bright red lip and a really nude eye. But I wouldn’t do both. I think it looks great on other people, but on me and my features it looks too much.
So how does your holiday makeup and skincare routine differ to everyday life?
Obviously SPF is really important in the day. So I’ll use a moisturiser with an SPF in it and then on my body I’d use quite a high factor. It depends where I’m going, but SPF 30-50. I kind of feel like I’m getting much more conscious of sun damage now, compared to when I was younger and I’d just wear like 15. I think about it now, and it’s just like big hat, sun block. I always remember SPF for my lips because I hate it if you burn your lips in the sun, it’s so painful, so that’s a good one to remember.
That is the worst. What about your makeup?
I’m really all about dewy skin on holiday. I like to keep it quite natural with a tinted moisturiser or just a bronzing primer – I’m really liking the Tom Ford Bronzing Primer at the moment. It gives a tiny bit of coverage, but it’s quite nice on its own or sometimes I might put that on and then a little bit of concealer rather than doing a whole face of makeup.
I need to try that! I was actually going to ask you about how your skin always looks so glowing and dewy. Do you have any other tips or products?
I also like the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, that’s a really good one. I like the Tom Ford Bronzing Powder, and I use a blusher from NARS called ‘Orgasm’ and the NARS Multiple which gives a really natural and rosy sheen. And otherwise, it’s just very boring – sleep, water, lots of fruit and veg!
In summer there’s loads of festivals and holidays and obviously that might involve drinking and not-so healthy food. How do you offset that?
Just balance. I try to have the Elle Macpherson Super Elixir in my water every day, two teaspoons in a big glass of water or in a smoothie. It has loads of greens in it – more than you could eat from your vegetables – and different algaes and things in it which are really alkaline, so that’s meant to be good for skin, hair, nails, your digestive system, your immunity. I take probiotics every day, I think that’s really important especially if you’re indulging and changing what you eat quite regularly. Like, last weekend, I went to France and I just literally ate cheese and bread non stop. I find it easier to be in a healthy routine when I’m at home. I try not to worry too much when I’m away, I just tend to enjoy myself and then when I get home I know where I can go to get a green juice and a salad, so I’m just making sure that I’m upping my vegetable intake if I haven’t been eating as healthily. I’m quite good in the week and then I kind of indulge on weekends. And exercise as well; I feel if you’re staying active I think you can be less conscious of what you’re eating.
Yeah balance is key. What beauty products do you use on flights?
The Indeed Labs mask and the Caudalie cleanser in the Birchbox are really good. The cleanser’s a cleansing water so you don’t need to use water so you could literally just put that on cotton wool and take your make-up off. I always take my make-up off, especially on a long flight. Then you might think you look silly, but I would for sure do a sheet mask on the plane, I wouldn’t care, or after wards when you’ve got to your destination and you feel a bit dehydrated. And then a facial spritz – Caudalie do a really nice one – it’s a hydrating mist that I’ll frequently use when I’m travelling.
Do you have have a particular holiday style icon?
I love Olivia Palermo’s holiday style, she always has amazing beach bags with lots of pom poms. She just looks very chic.
She always looks amazing! What if you haven’t been on holiday, do you have a favourite fake tan?
I do - I have spray tans sometimes, I had one before Glastonbury, I just think it hides a hangover a little bit and you feel like you don’t really need to wear much makeup when you’ve got fake tan on. After a holiday I like to extend my tan with a moisturiser with a bit of tanning agent in it, so you can just slowly keep it going. St Tropez is one of my favourites, it comes up well on my skin because it’s quite a natural colour. Charlotte Tilbury does a roll on body product [Supermodel Body] that’s really nice and illuminates your skin and gives a tiny bit of a bronzy glow.
Your Instagram always looks amazing – do you have any tips for really good holiday Instagram pictures?
I don’t use any apps to edit, I probably should! I know quite a lot of people who use Afterlight and other ones. I’m quite lazy and I like to do things quite quickly, so I just go into the Instagram edit options and I do Valencia because it just looks really bright and gives everything a slight softness. If you tap it twice you can take some of the filter off – so I do half the strength Valencia and put a frame round it. I often use the editing tools to add a bit of brightness and a tiny bit more saturation and sharpness. So it really pops, not loads, less than 10%. I feel like when you’re doing a bikini picture, those things can be quite flattering as well. I’ve given away my secrets now!
I’m going to tell everyone. What’s your top three beauty products you couldn’t live without?
My LOC lip crayon would have to be number one. Number two I’d have to say my trusty tinted moisturiser because I’m a diehard fan – it’d be my desert island product with SPF in. I use Chantecaille Just Skin. I use different shades depending on the time of year. And the third one I would say would be hydrating facemasks, like the Indeed Labs mask in the box.
I can’t wait to use it. Thank you, Millie!
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Follow Chemmie on Twitter @chemsquier
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.