Made In Chelsea’s Paris Smith Talks Skincare, Make-Up And Her Go-To £3.99 Conditioner

Made In Chelsea is back on our screens with its 24th season and cast member Paris Smith, who joined the show back in 2020, is continuing to make waves with her sartorial edge and beauty know-how. Take one look at her Instagram feed @parissmithldn and you'll see more of the same - outfits to screenshot and beauty advice aplenty. Here she talks Grazia through her natural hair journey to date, her minimalist skincare routine, and the the multi-tasking make-up essentials she's rarely without.

Interview originally conducted in March 2021.

On Made In Chelsea

‘I really, really, really enjoyed filming Made In Chelsea – it’s one of the best experiences that I’ve had so far in my life. There’s been so much support from the viewers, the crew and my fellow Made In Chelsea cast members, especially from Ollie and Gareth. I don’t think the season could have gone any better for me and I’m just happy with how it’s turned out.’

On being the first woman of colour to be on the show, Paris says ‘I feel honoured to be able to represent the culture in London. As a child I’d question whether I could go into acting or TV as I didn’t see mixed-race people or Black people in the performing arts arena. But now, channels like Channel 4 are trying to cast more diverse people in their adverts and television shows. I just hope I’ve inspired another little girl who wants to get into acting or reality TV.’

On Her Skincare Routine

Owner of seriously great skin, Paris takes a very minimalist approach to her skincare regime. 'I don’t know if it’s the story you’re looking for but here we go,’ laughs Paris. ‘The first thing I’ll do in the morning is rinse my face with water because I have very sensitive skin. I used to have eczema when I was a teenager, so I stopped using soaps. Now, I’ll only use water or the Simple Facial Cleanser, £3.49, before applying La Mer Face Cream, £125, which is great – I’ll focus it on the areas where I get dry skin and rashes which is normally on the forehead and in-between my eyebrows.’

'For my eyes, I’ll use the Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll-On, £5.19, before a shoot because it takes away any puffiness and is also great before applying make-up as it creates that flat effect make-up artists love.’

On Treating Eczema

‘The thing that really helped my eczema was E45 cream, £8.99,’ says Paris, ‘it’s very standard stuff but I’d apply a heavy layer before bed and eventually my eczema cleared up. It's also key to remove anything scented from your skincare routine and just keep it simple. If exfoliating, don't rub too much as this will dry your skin out even more.'

On Her Less Is More Approach To Make-Up

‘When I first started modelling, I’d wear a lot of make-up – all the Instagram faddy stuff. But I realised as I became more confident in my modelling, I became more confident in wearing less make-up.’

‘There are a lot of influencers and reality TV stars who wear a lot of make-up, and that's great, every woman should be able to wear what they want - and they look A-mazing. But I do think it’s important for young girls to have a role model where they can see that you can also choose to be natural and still look beautiful. You can go out without feeling like you have to conform and put-on eyelashes, lip liner and the rest of it.’

‘Now, I just dab on a little concealer, a bit of colour on the lip, mascara and eyeliner. Those are my four key essentials.’

On Make-Up That Doubles Up

‘First, I’ll use pencil eye liner all around my eyes which makes them look so dramatic. Then, take that black eyeliner pencil and draw a line along the crease of your eyelid before rubbing it in with your fingertip and boom – you have a smoky eye.’

‘My technique is just using two products for everything. So, the lip liner will be for lip liner, lipstick and I’ll smudge a bit on my hand to use for blush. Then concealer and bronzer to sculpt the face. One good tip I've picked up from modelling is to take your bronzer underneath your bottom lip - where it dips and this creates a shadow that makes your lips look pouty.'

'I never go too heavy on my eyebrows, because I think if you keep your brows light no matter how heavy the rest of your make-up is, it will still have a natural feel.’

On Her Haircare Routine

‘For me as a young Black woman, I went through the stage of conforming - trying to straighten my hair and make it look as Caucasian as possible from a young age. And because of those years of straightening and dying and damaging, it did leave me with some bad hair.'

'At the beginning of last year, I took out my extensions and spent a lot of time investing in the health of my hair. I started taking supplements, the Vitabiotics Hairfollic Her by Wellwoman, which are packed with vitamins and biotin. I also bought silk pillowcases and hair bonnets because I find that as a curly haired girl my hair does get dry and as you sleep you move and get that friction – so If you want your curls to stay in place it’s always good to wear a bonnet. I'll also give myself a 5-minute head massage three times a day – this will help stimulate blood flow and hair growth.’

‘My haircare routine starts with washing my hair – I only use shampoo every couple of weeks because it really does dry out my hair. Next, I’ll use the Aussie Miracle Moist Conditioner, £3.99, which is amazing, it makes my curls so soft and healthy. After that, I’ll use a silk t-shirt to dry my hair or an air diffuser which takes away all the frizz.’

'I really do love my curls now and my hair has grown from chin length to just under the boobs - and that's since the beginning of last year.' Impressive!

On Staying Positive

‘I like to start the day with the intention that today is going to be a good day and that I’ll control my emotions and surroundings to make sure my day is good. I’ll then create a mental or physical list and write down what it is I’m grateful for – it could be that I’m grateful for my mum, waking up in the morning, having an early night. And that just sets you off in the right mood. You could go online and scroll through Instagram or watch the news, but if you make the decision to make the first hour of your day about being happy and being grateful then it just translates into the rest of your day. Joy attracts more joy – you’ve just got try and think more positive thoughts.’

SHOP: Paris Smith Beauty It Kit

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