From her post-punk beginnings in the band Rip Rig + Panic to her career as a chef, restaurateur and presenter of the BBC’s Great British Menu, there isn’t much that the joyously frank and fun Andi Oliver can’t turn her hand to. Daughter Miquita followed in her footsteps, forging a career in TV presenting noughties T4 music show Popworld. Living opposite one another in east London, in lockdown they became closer than ever, joining forces to create low-fi show What’s For Dinner Mummy? in which they cooked, danced and drank cocktails. Here they share their beauty differences, similarities, rituals and more.
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Skin Rituals
Andi: My own mother drilled into me the importance of looking after your skin. ‘Cream your skin, cream your skin, cream your skin, drink loads of water and cream your skin!’ she’d say. She is big on subtlety – it’s not just about tits and ass. She’s very into the inside of the wrist, the crook of the elbow or a beautiful neck, teaching me that those things are classy. When I say cream your skin, I’m not talking £700 moisturiser, I mean Palmer’s Cocoa Butter [2], £3.99. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just plentiful.
Miquita: Yep, Mum is mad on moisturiser, which means that for 37 years cocoa butter has been a big part of my life. We’re always thinking, why don’t people just use cocoa butter?
ICONS
A: ‘I have always loved wild women who look like they’re on fire! We both think Grace Jones is pretty magnificent.’
THEIR MAKE-UP M.O.
A: ‘I am the queen of the bold and bright eyeshadow. I love Pat McGrath everything – like the Divine Rose II Palette [5], £115. And for me it’s fake eyelashes all day long. I absolutely j’adore the lashes.’
M: ‘I use single lashes on the outer corner to create a nice almond cat’s eye – Sweed X Nikki Wolff No Lash-Lash [3], £22, are the best. When it comes to brows I like to keep things natural, brushing them up and fixing them with a gel. I love Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat [7], £22, and Glossier Boy Brow, £14. As for contouring, I got quite freaked out when it reached odd heights a couple of years ago, but actually I’ve come round to a bit of natural enhancement. Clinique Contour Chubby Stick [1], £21, is great.’
ON THEIR SHELF…
M: In the ’90s, Mum learned a trick from a model friend who said that if you bite into a capsule of evening primrose and put the oil on your face at night, you’ll stay young forever!
A: Yes, we take two capsules of Holland & Barrett Natural Evening Primrose Oil [4], £11.99, swallow one and make a hole in the other capsule, and put it on our faces at night. Honestly, it makes your skin so supple and smooth – brilliant if you’re feeling a bit drab.
A: I’ve just been introduced to Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil [6], £45, which is this incredible blue colour. I only need a couple of drops, and when I wake in the morning, well… just call me Velvet Jones!
M: Akoma Skincare Kocha African Sponge, £3.89, is a complete joy to use and means I exfoliate on a regular basis. The net exfoliator has been a part of Ghanian bathing culture for a very long time.
THE NEED FOR CHANGE
A: ‘Miquita and I get so frustrated going into beauty shops that are supposed to cater for Black women and being met by staff who don’t really have any information or knowledge about our skin or hair, or any enthusiasm for the products. You know, you want to have a beauty experience that inspires you and makes you feel wonderful. It’s not what it should be and it’s high time that somebody changed that – I think that is probably going to be me and Miquita.’
M: ‘Yes! Mum and I agree the Black beauty space is quite lacking. We feel that it doesn’t have the same infrastructure as the white beauty experience. We spend a lot of money and should be catered for accordingly. It just seems ridiculous that Black people don’t own more of this industry that’s for them.’
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