Mollie King’s £1.50 Eye Make-Up Trick Is Simply Genius

Mollie King made a name for herself as a member of The Saturdays - a girl band that locked down thirteen top-ten singles back in the day - and began work a couple of years ago as a BBC Radio 1 presenter. Mollie is spending lockdown with boyfriend Stuart Broad (an England cricketer) and beloved dog Alfie (he even has his own Instagram account - give @alfiethetoy a follow if you're a sucker for a pup!) and took the time out to talk Grazia's beauty editor Annie through her go-to skincare routine, recent hair removal revelation, the unfortunate mishap that occurred whilst attempting to cut poor Stuart's hair at home and the £1.50 eye make-up trick that proves her beauty genius...

On Her Skincare Routine

'I tend to try and mix up my skincare products every six months or so. At the moment I’m using Murad's Environmental Shielf Essential C Cleanser, £30, and the Murad Environmental Shielf Essential C Day Moisture SPF30, £65, or sometimes the Murad Nutrient Charged Water Gel, £50. I cleanse and exfoliate then I moisturise. Body wise I really like to use the exfoliating brush that comes on the Braun Silk-épil 9 Flex 9-100 Beauty Set Epiloator, £241.77. It’s amazing. I was never in the habit of exfoliating and so many people told me that that was the best way to avoid ingrowing hairs, but I never got around to it. Now I try and add that into my daily routine.'

'At night time I stick to the same cleanser, but I don’t exfoliate or use a toner. I like using oils in the evening, I go for Estee Lauder and Oskia ones.'

On Her Go-To Make-Up Look

'When it comes to my everyday make-up I always start with a Laura Mercier primer as my skin can get a little bit shiny. Next comes my foundation. At the moment I’m using MAC Studio Face + Body Foundation, £27, because it’s quite light, I don’t like using anything too heavy. Then there’s the Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Away, £24, I use that under my eyes. I try and get my brows looking as bushy as possible with Soap Brows, £30, and eye wise I stick to a slick of mascara and leave my eyelids pretty bare.'

'Now, this might sound quite odd but I sometimes add the tiniest bit of Vaseline Original, £1.50, to my lids to give them a dewy look. I definitely like a bit of dewiness. I guess spending years in the band I got used to a lot of stage make-up and everything looking quite "set". Now I’m really enjoying wearing more natural looking make-up. For blusher, if I’ve used a soft pink on my lips, I’ll use the same lipstick for my cheeks. I like everything looking quite glossy and creamy as opposed to powdery.'

On Her Hair Heroes

'My go-to hairdressing salon is Daniel Galvin, I go there for my colour, but my go-to hair stylist who cuts my hair is Patrick Wilson. He always does my hair if I go to events too. He’s so lovely. We’ve been doing a couple of hair tutorials on Instagram Live and we crack up constantly. He makes everything look so easy!'

On Her Close Shave

'I tried to cut my boyfriend's hair during lockdown and oh my goodness...! I did not have a good experience! I tried to give him a slight trim with the clippers and I accidentally gave him a zero on his sideburns! He said "What are you doing?!".'

'I had forgotten to put the guard on the clippers, I’ve never shaved anyone’s head before! I felt awful. Inside I was secretly thinking "Thank goodness I tried that on Stuart first and not the dog, I would hate it if Alfie had a bad haircut!". Poor Stuart had this terrible haircut for about a month. It’s finally grown out now but I don’t think he’ll let me anywhere near it again. I definitely haven’t tackled my own after that experience either, poor Stuart was the guinneapig unfortunately.'

On Hair Colour

'I normally have highlights and I know that’s something I won't tackle myself at home. I can't wait to get done when lockdown’s over. It’s been quite sunny and I feel that has changed the tone of it. I’ve been using Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet Shampoo, £23.90, it’s been so goot at taking down those brassy tones, but I definitely need to get to a hairdresser soon!'

On Her Big Hair Removal Revelation

'Before lockdown I always booked in waxing appointments but as soon as lockdown hit that was no longer an option. I’ve never really liked shaving, I don’t like that you have to do it so often and the way that the hairs grow back sharp instead of soft, it never appealed to me. I hadn’t used an epilator before but one of my friends would always tell me she swore by hers. At the start of lockdown I decided to get on board with it and - of course I’m a Braun ambassador - but I can genuinely say that it’s [Braun Silk-épil 9 Flex 9010 Wet & Dry Epilator, £319.99] been a game-changer. It’s so quick. You don’t have to book an appointment, I don’t have to endure weeks of regrowth because it can tackle hairs as small as a grain of sand, it’s been a revelation. When lockdown’s over I’ll be able to travel with it, I can use it in the shower or bath – which makes it a lot easier to get into as an epilating newbie - it’s incredibly convenient. I’m a convert. I’ve been pushing my sisters to try it too.'

On Holiday Beauty

'I love going to Cornwall, I’ve been there for the last two years with my family, I have a big family and loads of nephews all under the age of 5. It’s just such a great place to go for walks. I like to keep my packing light when it comes to going away and, having spent years travelling with the band, I’ve become quite good at it. I take my nail varnish off and use holidays as a time to apply nail oils.'

'I turn to all my SPF heavy skincare and smother myself in sun cream. I wasn’t that great at protecting my skin when I was younger and I have sun spots on my face. I think as I’ve got older those things don’t go away, so I’ve become very conscious about wearing an SPF. My favourite facial one is called PCA Skin Weightless Protection Broad Spectrum SPF45, £40, it’s non-greasy, I find many can be quite greasy. It’s so good.'

On Fake Tan

'I am a fan of fake tan. People either love it or hate it but I’ve become so aware of how damaging the sun can be for your skin. I used to love lying in the sun but now I’d rather be in the shade, that’s why I often turn to fake tan. I don’t like anything too strong, I use the Tan Luxe products that gradually build acolour gradually. I’ve definitely had times in the past when I’ve gone a bit wrong stronger fake tans and applied too much. I think we all like to have a bit of a summer glow but I like to stay out of direct sunlight, I’m quite aware of it because of the pigmentation I already have.'

On Looking Foward To The End Of Lockdown

'I can’t wait to see my family and friends. It’s been so hard not seeing my parents and hanging out with my sisters. We have such a close family and ordinarily we get together a lot because we live really close. I just want to give them a hug. You forget how much you love having a hug and when you can’t have one you miss it so much.'

On Alfie's Grooming Habits

'Alfie is nearly 11 and everyone says that he still looks like a puppy, at which point I always joke that he’s using a good eye cream! I don’t do much in terms of grooming with him, but I have started using a Tangle Teezer on his fur because it gets so knotty! He went to the groomers a week ago when they all opened up again. I was laughing at the fact that he could go and get pampered when I couldn’t!'

On The Perfect Pamper Evening

'I love having a massage, that’s definitely something I miss. I love having a deep tissue massage and putting on face masks, the SKII ones are amazing. It's all about sitting there with a gin and tonic or a cup of tea and watching a Netflix series.'

On Her Favourite Perfumes

'I love Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum 30ml, £59, it’s really deep, I tend to go for those sultry sort of scents over anything too floral. I also love Miller Harris Leather Rouge, £150. I mostly wear perfume in the evenings.'

On Her Big Beauty Journey

'I have learnt so much about beauty over the years. When I was 19 I auditioned for The Saturdays and I knew nothing about make-up. When we went away on our first trip I was carrying some Tupperware with a bar of soap in it and I remember Rochelle looked at it and said "What is that?!' I told her it’s what I used to wash my face and she said "Girl, you need to learn about face products!’. We also had a great make-up artist called Celena Hancock and she taught me so but about make-up. Nowadays I’m so into it, I love finding out about new products. I think it’s really important and something we should pay a lot of attention to, not necessarily for vanity related reasons, but for our health, our skin is so important when it comes to our health. I have just as much interest in beauty products now as I do in fashion. I’ve definitely learnt so much.'

Shop Mollie King's Favourite Beauty Buys

READ MORE: We Test The 'Botox-In-A-Bottle' Buy Reportedly Used By Kate Middleton And Meghan Markle

READ MORE: The Best Mascaras Specifically Formulated For Sensitive Eyes