Made In Chelsea’s Louise Thompson On The £4.50 Lip Pencil She Couldn’t Be Without

Made In Chelsea star, Louise Thompson has been keeping busy in lockdown with her rigorous workout regime as part of her fitness program – Live Like Louise. One scroll through her Instagram and you’ll see the impressive results with her toned, strong physique that has made the cover of Women’s Health magazine on more than one occasion. No one tricky pony, Louise has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and while she studied at Edinburgh University, her and her close friend Ed launched a womenswear jeans brand - ‘Pocket London Jeans’. Since, it has evolved into a luxury yet affordable athleticwear brand, Pocket Sport that has really taken off over the past two years. Here, Louise talks to Grazia’s Beauty Writer, Emma Stoddart on staying motivated, at home workouts and her absolute must-have beauty buys.

On life in lockdown…

‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster – there have been highs and there have been lows – but in the grand scheme of things, I’m incredibly lucky.’ Louise resides in London with her fiancé and fellow fitness fanatic, Ryan Libbey. The couple live next door to Louise’s brother Sam Thompson and girlfriend Zara McDermott. ‘I’ve got outside space, I’m close to my family and my business partner – so I haven’t been lonely.’

‘My dad said to me “you must call people who are living alone” – so, if anything, I’ve been more sociable during lockdown – face-timing friends a lot more.’

On lessons from lockdown…

‘I’ve learnt that I have the power to say no. It’s something I’ve always struggled with – I’m such a yes person, but there’s so much power in saying no. I’ve learnt that I do have a choice and I don’t need to do things just for the sake of it. But also, time is so precious, I’ve decided I’m going to refine my life now and make sure I’m doing the things that I really want to do.’

On keeping fit and home workouts…

‘I’m basically the fittest that I’ve ever been. Before we went into lockdown, I would work out three times a week – which is what our programmes recommend as it’s manageable. But once we went into lockdown, Ryan and I decided to host live workouts five times a week so they could fit into people’s schedules. Each session is 30-40 minutes long and they’re high intensity.’

To find the workouts, head to the ‘Live Like Louise’ Facebook page where you have to pay £20 a month to join the group (which works out as £1 a class). ‘We wanted it to be as accessible as possible and build a real community who support each other.’ On her favourite workout, Louise loves their Saturday live session – ‘it’s the one most people tune in for and it involves weights which I love as you can go slower with the movements.’

On staying motivated…

‘I’ve recently been reading up on this idea of motivation – and I don’t know whether motivation is something you can conjure up. I think it’s something you feel in the moment and it’s very hard to just switch it on and off. When I’m feeling motivated and have lots of energy, I make the most of it and exercise in those moments.’

‘Goal setting is also a big motivation and I like to remind myself of my goals every month, so I don’t fall off track. If you’re trying to get into fitness, I would recommend writing goals, but don’t make them numerical, think about the bigger picture and what it is you want to change in your life.’

On her skincare routine…

‘I’m definitely spending more time on my skincare routine in lockdown and I'll always take off my make-up before bed – which is something I didn’t always do pre-lockdown. I’ve really noticed a change and my skin is a lot better than before.’

‘In the evening, I use the ByTerry Cellular Rose Cleansing Oil, £44 – it’s an oil and gets rid of everything, including mascara. Sometimes I’ll double cleanse and useThe Organic Pharmacy Rose Diamond Exfoliating Cleanser, £55. Together they make a great combination. If I can be bothered to tone, I’ve been using the Decorte Vita de Reve, £37.’

‘When we went into lockdown, I was finishing off the Elizabeth Arden Prevage Progressive Renewal Treatment, £180. I used it for a month – you get these little pots and every week you use a new one. Now, I’m using the Murad Retinol Youth Night Cream, £70.’

On retinol…

‘The first time I tried retinol I was given a pure form of Vitamin A from a skin doctor and it was so potent. I have sensitive skin, and my entire face was blistering up. But this Murad one is a really good and has no side effects or irritation. I also apply the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream, £62, which is 1%, just by my ears as I have deep pigmentation there.’

On her top three holiday beauty essentials…

‘The Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser, £35, is so good. I love the consistency and use shade 2N1 which is the perfect colour match for me. It also has SPF30 in so it's great for holiday.’

‘I can’t go anywhere without a brown kohl pencil – I don’t really like my face without eyeliner on my waterline. MAC and Rimmel both do good ones and they can double up as a brow pencil.’

‘And finally, my absolute favourite lip pencil, which is from Morphe, called Coffee + Kissy, £4.50. It’s a lovely dusty rose and I’ve had lots of compliments on it.’

On her ultimate sun-kissed, glowing make-up look…

‘I’ve started using blusher again, which I love, I think it’s really important to add a little colour to the cheek. I’ve gone back to my old faithful - Nars Blush in Orgasm, £25, it’s such a classic.’

‘Highlighter wise, I’ve invested in quite a few as I really want to nail that glow-y look. I like Glossier Futuredew, £23, dabbed across my brow bone. When I’ve got a full face of make-up on, I go for a powder as it stays in place – I really like MAC’s Hyper Real Glow, £36, which has three different shades in. I also love the Illamasqua Beyond Powder in OMG, £34, I’ve used it for years and it’s really pigmented. I’ll apply it with a fan brush on my cupids bow and the inner corners of my eye.’

On becoming a blonde…

‘I absolutely LOVE being a blonde. I had two stages of going blonde pre-lockdown – I started with one blonde streak at the front and then gradually got more put in and now I’m really blonde at the ends. Eventually, I’d like to be blonde all over and get to the stage where I just need to touch up my roots.’

‘My saving graces during lockdown are the L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Blondifier Cool Shampoo, £12.95, and the Fudge Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Conditioner, £15.’

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