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Opening London Fashion Week with the first big event of the season is no easy feat, but Molly-Mae took it in her stride. 'I'm not nervous!' she says from the make-up chair backstage, 'Everything is rehearsed and ready to go, I'm just excited'. In her new role as Creative Director for PrettyLittleThing, everything from personally casting the models, to their hair and make-up looks was all about championing diversity and her personal vision for the brand.
Speaking exclusively to Grazia, we asked Molly-Mae for her make-up tips, the inspiration behind the show, and what feeling beautiful means to her.
On The Show's Make Up Looks
"So for all the models we've gone for a look that's similar to the one we used in the PrettyLittleThing campaign photo shoot that we shot in London," says Molly-Mae. "I like quite stripped-back makeup that is still quite glam, especially a glam eye. It's a bit more of a stripped-back look for PrettyLittleThing".
Senior Make Up Artist Chloe Winter coined the term 'snatural' when talking Grazia through the inspiration behind the look. “It's the ultimate soft glam. We've gone with a winged look, a glowy, glossy look, and a natural, minimal look with no lashes and clean skin, we like a really strong eye focus that draws the eyes up. We call it 'snatural' - snatched but natural - and that runs through all of the girls looks". Completed with a little cream contour under the cheekbones, along the jaw and blended into the hairline, the finished effect is intended to serve as a five minute facelift, and makes use of softer, warmer tones for a subtle finish.
"We used the PrettyLittleThing Concealers, £5, to brighten under the eye, and Morphe eyeshadow palettes, but at the moment I'm obsessed with the brow soap. If you've got brows that don't always stay in place it really holds them, and you can finish them with the Brow Pomade, £6, that creates perfect strokes for feathery brows".
And for Molly-Mae's signature look, there's a surprising bronzer-related tip behind it.
"I love using bronzer in the crease just because it saves money on buying an eyeshadow palette," Molly Mae shares. "You can use the same bronzer on your cheeks and as well as in the creases to deepen an everyday eye a little bit". For the show, Molly's MUA Hollie Flynn uses the Master Mattes Palette, £46, from Make Up by Mario for her smokey brown shadow, and the PrettyLittleThing Bronzer, £7, and touches of highlighter for a bright, runway ready complexion.
On The Show's Hair Looks
Each model's own preferences were taken into consideration when creating the hair looks. "My brief for the hair was to focus on whatever made each model feel the most confident" says Molly-Mae. "Some may feel better with their hair down, and someone else might love their hair up, so we were quite open to the models' own ideas, It was all about them feeling their best. As for my look, it's all about the asymmetric parting, and we're clipping in a big pony that's going to be really zhushed up and curly".
Working on hair was stylist Carl Bembridge, who used Beauty Works tools, products and extensions to achieve the ultra glam results that appeared on the catwalk. "I feel like the look is very high fashion and very glam-edge, it needs to feel effortless. Every girl is so different, so it's all about embracing and enhancing each model's natural beauty as well'.
Standout hair looks included coily, voluminous afro-curls, slicked back ponytails, and long, glamazon waves, sectioned off, pressed with the wavers into uniform S-waves, and brushed out for a soft finish. 'We used a mixture of Beauty Works straighteners, different sized tongs and the wavers to bring to life the total look" The brand's Super Hold Hairspray, £10, also featured on Carl's product station, as well as the Texture Spray, £10, and plenty of Argan oil 'for the slick, snatched looks'.
Being beautiful is about accepting yourself and loving yourself just the way you are
On Getting Her Fillers Dissolved
After speaking frankly about the decision to have her fillers dissolved, Molly-Mae is vocal about why scaling back on cosmetic procedures has made her feel more confident, and beautiful, than ever.
"It's a journey that I've been for on the last three years, and it's about accepting that you are the prettiest just the way you are. I think some girls do find that fillers give them more confidence and make them feel better, and I'm completely on the fence. I'm totally here for it if girls find it gives them confidence, but I can also can understand the negative effects that it had on me not doing my research properly, going to practitioners that didn't really know what they were doing, and I think it's just something to be really careful with. But, I feel without it, I'm the most confident I've ever felt, so it's taught me that I didn't really need it, and that being beautiful is about accepting yourself and loving yourself just the way you are."
Main image credits: Instagram @mollymae
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