Senior Beauty Editor Katie Thomas sat down with the Irish beauty to chat her go-to beauty look, skincare that actually works and what you can achieve whilst getting your hair done
Ahead of the Love Island finale, Laura Whitmore - TV host, radio presenter and writer - explains why we love the show so much, how pregnancy gave her the best hair of her life and why red lipstick is her ultimate go-to.
On Love Island
'I don't think there's been a Casa Amor like it. It was intense. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to wait and see what happened. We all know boys like those in the house. We're on season 7 and you kind of think, well I've seen everything that can happen to relationships, but then here's something new. As much of a guilty pleasure as Love Island is, I think the reason that we love it so much is that it's so much like real life. We connect with it. It doesn't matter who you are or how old you are, we've all had unrequited love or have someone not be totally truthful with us. There are so many comparisons to real life.'
On her morning routine
'My morning routine starts the night before. Years ago - teenage years, first years of uni - I was the person who when they woke up was wearing half their face from the night before. So now before I even start my morning skincare routine, I'm hoping to wake up to nice skin, because I prepped it the night before. I'm talking thoroughly removing my make-up with the best cleanser, maybe doing a face mask - something that sinks into the skin. When you wake up in the morning, and you know you have to get to work or you have a child, you don't have to spend too much time on your skin, because you've prepped it the night before.'
On being busy
'With beauty, it has to fit into my schedule. Beauty is so time consuming - keeping up to a certain level of grooming takes time. I don't have time to sit for an hour to do a whole routine. In my fridge, along with the milk, I have my AluminerMD Eye Rescue Pads. I stick them on whilst I'm making a cup of coffee. If I'm in a rush - my moisturiser has to have an SPF in it. Even if I'm not going to be in the sun, I have to have my best SPF moisturiser on. The things I get done whilst getting your hair done. I wrote some of my book, I reply to emails, I feed a child.'
On fitness
'Fitness for me is more linked to my mental health than my physical health. I used to do hot yoga all the time, but that hasn't happened in forever. My schedule is crazy at the moment, I'm working on a show that's very spontaneous and I'll be told: 'you're going to Mallorca this week.' Which is why it's important for me, no matter where I go, to have a pair of trainers in my bag. Whether I go on a walk or a run, maybe a little bit of stretching or Yoga by the side of the bed. You can do no wrong.'
On Love Island beauty
'What I love about Love Island is that the girls have their own eclectic looks. Iconic is the word. Some of them do make me smile. It's all about confidence. That's the important thing about beauty, you have to wear makeup that makes you feel good about yourself. I'm so jealous of their tans. I am the palest person on Love Island. They sunbathe all day and then I walk in with my Irish Skin and it's reflecting. And that's me with some tan on.'
On her go-to beauty look
'The most important thing when it comes to makeup is skin. I want it to look healthy and glowy. But my little tip is really just to throw on some red lipstick. When I'm feeling a little bit shit, I put some red lipstick on and I'm like 'I am ready'. If you're wearing red lipstick, no one is looking at the bags under your eyes. It hides a multitude of sins.'
On being pregnant
'When I was pregnant, I found that my hair and skin were the best they'd ever been. I don't know what was going on, but it was brilliant. I couldn't fit into any of my clothes, but my skin looked good. And I don't know if it's because I'm breastfeeding, but my skin and hair still feel quite good.'
On skincare
'My skin changes changes so much throughout the year and my regimen changes with it. It changes depending on the time of the month, the weather, the country I'm in. It's important to evolve your skincare with the changes in your life. When I was younger, I had psoriasis and eczema so I have really sensitive skin and I've always been really wary of what to use. I try to use cruelty-free products where possible. I really love that with AlumierMD, you have a consultation and then they prescribe products that are best suited to you. One of my favourites is the Bright and Clear Solution - it's active and I can feel it tingling. It makes your skin feel boom-ting. You can see a difference straight away. My make-up artist even told me recently that make-up is actually going on better thanks to these products.'
On being pale
'The most important thing is to love the skin that you're in. But when I was younger, I definitely did not. I hated how pale I was. It's taken me a while to accept it. I think there were lots of Irish girls in the early 00s the colour of an Oompa Loompa. When I was growing up there weren't any foundations light enough for me. I'm so pleased that now the beauty industry is embracing all sorts of skin tones of different colours. My mother used to put SPF50 on me when I was younger, but it used to dry out my skin. Now I use the AlumierMD Sheer Hydration Broad Spectrum SPF 40, which has a good SPF, but also hydrates.'
