It’s not every day you jump into the plushest of beds with your interview subject, overlooking London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus, but not every interviewee is Millie Mackintosh.
Aptly, this king-sized cloud is somewhat symbolic of the cloud nine Millie finds herself on IRL. Asking what is behind her notable glow, Millie replies, “I just think life is good: I’m feeling very grateful, very happy, I’ve just got married and I am getting to do my own thing. Life is good! ”
Fresh off the back of that mega wedding and on the eve of launching her second range for her namesake beauty range, here Millie refreshingly opens up about how she has turned adult acne into a source of empowerment and how a gratitude diary could be the secret to her ever-growing success…
If you are going to put your name on it, you have to believe in it…
Girls will be taking my makeup range home and I want them to LOVE it as much as I do. I really care about that. I really wanted to bring out a line of products that includes the things that I use every day and are really easy to use and are affordable. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to work on something where I could be involved in the formulas, every stage of the production, and really choose the products that speak to me.
You don’t have to stick with the rules – this is a multi-use line…
It really depends on your taste and how you use it as well. The products can be used in multiple ways, so you can use them on the lips and cheeks. You can use the illuminator mixed in with your moisturiser and not have to wear any other makeup. You don’t have to stick to the rules – that’s how you discover the best combinations and the best ways of doing things.
My ultimate beauty hack is…
For eyeshadow, make your brush damp when applying so you really get it to stay on all night and really get an intensity with the colour.
I want to look like a Krispy Crème – but not all over my face…
It’s hard to achieve the right amount of glow only in certain places. You don’t want to look sweaty! I go for a matte t-zone and then highlight in the right places. If you put on your makeup and you want it to last all day, put a layer of powder on at the end – and to stop it looking cakey and to keep it looking fresh – you just use a layer of hydrating mist at the end it will stay put without looking shiny.
The product that makes me feel the most empowered is…
Mascara. I feel like if I’ve got my brows and my mascara on, that frames the face perfectly – mascara just opens the eyes. But I cannot go out without my brows – that’s the first thing I have to put on.
Millie Mackintosh posted an Instagram story of her acne issues and we’re here for her honesty
Sharing my journey with adult acne has helped me deal with it…
We need to share things on social media that aren’t perfect because we all have imperfections and sharing them makes you feel stronger. I had acne as a teenager and then you get into your twenties, you think you’ve left it behind and then it decided to make a comeback in your twenties. I am nearly thirty, already having to deal with adult sh*t and now your skin throws acne in the mix and its really annoying. Adult acne affects so many people and it’s not that talked about, so I decided to share my journey with it through my Instagram. I feel better about it even just from sharing it.
Everyone needs to remember that one piece of acne advice doesn’t fit everyone…
I’ve had so much advice from people. It can make you feel really rubbish but you just have to remember that there’s different things for everyone – there’s a hundred different things you can do. You have to choose what you are going to do and stick to it.
Cutting back on products and revising my diet helped my skin…
I’m trying to deal with it from a few different angles so I’m not really eating sugar, I’ve cut back on diary. These are things that are proven to aggravate your skin and cause acne – not for everyone – but if you’re prone to it, they are good things to cut out. I’ve cut back on cheese, booze and cake but my skin is getting better. I’ve started seeing Dr. Nick Lowe because people told me he was the best and I’ve started using some of his acne skincare, which is really good – he has got a great mask. I’ve been going in to do some laser treatments, too, which have been helping with it.
When you are stressing about bad skin, it’s not going to help…
It has really got me down. I was even worried about doing the press day today and fashion week but actually, I’ve just put makeup on and I’ve actually just got over it. I’ve covered it as best as I can and it’s fine – I can forget about it. I’m calling it my ‘Hormonal Beard’ – we all live quite stressful lives and that, combined with digestion, can cause acne. You have to try to look at being less stressed, looking after your digestive health and using the right products.
Meditating and using a gratitude diary has been a game-changer for me…
I try to use the ‘Headspace’ app, every day for ten minutes but if I miss it one morning, I try to not give myself a hard time. I exercise, too, even if it’s yoga as I think as long as you are doing something that makes you concentrate hard enough that you’re not thinking about anything else, you give your brain the break it needs. Getting enough sleep is also so important to me so I try to get a good 7-8 hours. I’ve been trying to do a gratitude diary where you write about what you are grateful for in the morning and in the evening.
I think journaling does make you feel happier and calmer. Doing these things has made it easier for me to deal with difficult situations that might make you anxious or uncomfortable. Having these breathing and mind techniques to calm yourself down – whether in your work life or personal life – is so good because you can’t predict what life is going to throw at you and it’s not always smooth sailing.
The bully is actually the one with the issue – there’s nothing wrong with you. They have a problem that is making them really unhappy and insecure, so they are lashing out and projecting it. If you are dealing with it, you need to remove yourself from it and remind yourself that it isn’t about you. You don’t want to get caught up in it. Ignore it. Report it. Delete it. Definitely don’t respond. We can’t all like the same things, you can’t make everyone happy and that’s something I have discovered about social media: you’re not everyone’s cup of tea but that’s totally fine!
