She’s one fifth of the one of the most successful bands of the moment but not that long ago she didn’t know a foundation from a concealer. Spokesmodel for Maybelline Mollie King lets us in on her beauty voyage of discovery.
I’m a woman of many contrasts… 'I’m expected to wear make-up when I’m working so on my rare days off I like to keep everything really natural and just let my skin breathe. When I’m working my make-up is doing either one of two things; if I’m on a shoot my make-up tends to learn towards natural but if we’re on stage I go glam. It’s nice to have that contrast and I enjoy mixing things up a little.'
There’s a fine line between glam and ‘porny’… 'I think Brigitte Bardot was one of the few who could manage that balance. She looked really cool and glam and actually she wore a lot of make-up but it never looked too much. I would go as far as to say she is my beauty icon; I even have a massive black and white print of her at home. I love the eyeliner flick she wore and copy it on myself. Like me, she’s blonde, which I find makes it difficult to go glam without looking overdone. I need to master how she did it but with her face she could really pull-off anything.'
Touring can be bad for your skin… ‘We get sweaty on stage so as soon as we’re done the make-up comes off and the hair goes up into a bun. When we’re touring I can be on stage every day for a month – on a day-to-day basis I wear Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin foundation because I feel like it allows my skin to breathe but on stage we set it with Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, £19.50. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, £7.99 is my must-have when I’m on stage and pretty much anytime I know I’m going to be photographed.'
I have a thing about lipstick… 'I love to wear a bright lipstick and leave everything else quite simple. I always go for bright pinks and orange-toned reds – I find warmer reds look more youthful than darker, deeper shades.'
I’m not massively high maintenance when it comes to my skin… 'I occasionally have a facial but it’s hard to find the time to fit it in. When I manage to fit one in I always go to see Ferray at Nevilles in Knightsbridge; she uses microdermabrasion and gets really stuck in. My skin always feels like it gets a lot out of it.'
I try not to worry about getting older… 'I have body hang-ups just like every girl and I use anti-ageing products to ward off the inevitable as much as I can, but I don’t allow myself to obsess over it.'
Exercising puts me in a good mood… 'I used to ski regularly so I’m used to working out. If I can I try to visit Bodyism in Knightsbridge three times a week but sometimes, when my schedule is manic, I’ll only get there every six weeks. What I love about my trainers is that they don’t totally kill me and when I leave I don’t feel like I’m going to collapse on the floor. They keep me chatting while I train so that I don’t even notice how hard I’m working.'
I’ve never really dieted… 'I prefer to eat healthy most of the time. I love fish; it’s my favourite meal and I really don’t drink much alcohol. But I do have a sweet tooth and I love dessert. When I’m on tour I’m really strict with myself and cut out all diary products so that they don’t affect my throat and my voice. I always feel my best on tour.'
I haven’t always known what I am doing when it comes to make-up… 'When I auditioned for The Saturdays I didn’t even understand the difference between foundation and concealer so I dotted the concealer around my face and then rubbed it in like a moisturiser. I then just threw on a bit of mascara and some Vaseline on my lips. I knew I wasn’t good at doing my own make-up. The first time I had my make-up done professionally I was completely amazed.'
I learnt everything I know from being in the band… 'My mum doesn’t wear make-up so I knew nothing about it before The Saturdays. I’ve learnt everything I know from the girls in the band. Before the band I didn’t know anything about cleansing or toning, the girls taught me everything. I used to carry around a bar of soap, the girls were like ‘what are you doing?’ Rochelle discovered the soap when we were on tour with Girls Aloud and dragged me to Selfridges, she literally changed my life there and then.'
I thought all pop stars wore hair extensions… 'My stylist Nick Peters banned me from getting them and now when I look back I’m so pleased I listened to him. My colour is done at Daniel Galvin in London.'
I’m terrible at doing my nails… 'Every time I do my nails myself it’s a disaster but I feel naked if they’re not painted. So if I'm doing it on my own I always use a neutral shade so that the mistakes are less obvious. I swear by Essie.'
Oh, and here’s something not many people know about me… 'Before I put on foundation I always have to blow my nose.'
