Meet Kiss and Makeup's Editor-in-chief - Gemma Cartwright
Skin type: Normal to oily. Occasional break-outs.
Hair Colour: Dark blonde
Hair Type: Thick and wavy with dry ends
Hair Length: Long with loads of layers
Eye colour:Dark green
Skin colour: Pale and pasty, covered in moles and freckles.
Perfume of choice: Either Viktor & Rolf 'Flowerbomb, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Philosophy 'Amazing Grace' or B Parfumerie 'Love'. I also collect the limited edition Summer scents by Escada.
Read on for her full beauty regime & fave products...
Skincare:
Facial skincare regime: My skin needs quite a lot of attention to look its best. I use a wash rather than a wipe-on cleanser, or my skin doesn't feel clean. I tone when I can be bothered and apply a serum / refinisher and moisturiser, going for something a bit stronger at night if I need to. I use Simple make-up wipes on late nights - but I pay for it a few days later!
Body skincare regime: I tend to use the creamiest shower product I can and moisturise as much as possible, either with a body oil, butter or lotion. I also use a body scrub once a week, and occasionally use fake tan.
Favourite skin / body products: For my face: Cleanse & Polish, toner and light moisturiser from Liz Earle. Spot Remover, Make A Difference Skin Rejuvenating Treatment and Modern Friction scrub from Origins and Estee Lauder Idealist Skin Refinisher. For my body, I love Dove and Philosophy cream washes, Bliss cellulite cream and scrubs from The Body Shop, Lush or Origins. I finish with any affordable, rich body moisturiser (MOR, Body Shop, Palmer's Cocoa Butter or Lush Dream Cream).
Top skincare tip: Don't overdo it on your face. Use the gentlest products you can and go for natural ingredients where possible. If your toner smells like alcohol, it's too strong! Also remember that even spotty skin needs moisturiser from time to time, just make sure it's oil-free and applied sparingly. It'll help you avoid those flaky, hard-to-conceal dry patches while spots are healing.
Haircare:
Hair products used: Shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair (I switch frequently, but I like Lush, John Freida, Redken, James Brown London, TRESemme and Aussie) and Dove Hair Silk, Terax Crema or Aussie 3 minute miracle as a deep-conditioner once a fortnight and pre and post holiday). Lush Marilyn once a month as a treat (left on overnight). For a big blow-dry I can't live without Bumble & Bumble Thickening Lotion and styling spray. I don't use many styling products, but a bit of serum helps out on frizzy days.
Hair tools used: Hair Tools or GHD straighteners. A Nicky Clarke hairdryer, and Braun tongs for sexy waves. I'm also a bit retro and use heated rollers (my mums, straight from the 60s, or a new set from Babyliss) quite a lot.
Top haircare tip: Leave your hair to dry naturally whenever you can, you'll be surprised how many compliments you get. On holiday, sea water makes a great texturiser for beachy waves, but it's drying, to be sure to deep-condition when you get home.
Makeup:
Favourite brands: Stila, Too Faced, MAC, NARS, Urban Decay, Rimmel (for mascara), Pop and Pixi, Bare Essentuals, B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful, Lancome.
Daily essentials:Bare Essentuals mineral foundation and concealer. Clinique airbrush concealer, Nars Orgasm / Laguna duo on cheeks, Rimmel mascara (I love them all, but Volume Flash is my favourite), Stila smudge pot in black and one of my many, many lipglosses.
Makeup splurges: Aside from Nars blusher and Stila and MAC eyeshadow, I also collect Too Faced palettes and adore Vincent Longo lipstick.
Top makeup tip: Never underestimate the importance of blusher / bronzer. I never used to wear it because I blush all the time anyway. But then a make-up artist used a brownish pink on my cheeks and it instantly sculpted my face. Now I don't leave the house without a sweep of something on my cheeks, even if I'm wearing nothing else but mascara and lipbalm.
