Chef and presenter of Great British Menu Andi Oliver shares her love of skincare, punk and poetry
My mother saw beauty as an energy. For her, it was about the impact you made when you walked into a room, so I grew up with that in mind. She also always said that the most beautiful thing about a woman is her neck and back; she thought that’s where elegance is and that the rest is window dressing!
I grew up as a Black girl in England in the 1970s, and because the beauty pages of mainstream magazines didn’t have any Black or biracial girls in them at the time, I never really felt part of anything – like I was outside of beauty norms. But then, luckily for me, punk happened, and punk said: ‘Who gives a damn? Hey, why don’t you dip your hair in a bucket of red paint? Or paint your face however you want – loads of makeup, none at all, whatever you feel like!’ And I think that was very empowering for young women – to not have to conform to rigid ideas of what was thought of as beautiful.
During that period, I would wear a lot of black eyeliner. I’d been wearing it since I was about 13 – and I still do! When I wear makeup, it’s all about the eyes. I love Maybelline Master Kajal Eyeliner, £6 (2), or the Pat McGrath Labs Legendary Wear Velvet Kohl Eyeliner, £26 (13) – which is great for my allergy-prone eyes – and I wear it with Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, £6.99 (12). I don’t use foundation; I’ll just add a little bit of blush from my Sleek MakeUp Blush By 3 Palette, £9.99 (6), some Kiko Milano 3D Hydra Lipgloss in Natural Beige, £9.99 (7), and I’m done.
I first shaved my hair off in my punk days. I just got really fed up with it. My hair breaks easily, it’s very fragile and takes a lot of maintaining. So, one night before a gig (I was in the band Rip Rig + Panic), I was moaning about it to my friend and bandmate Neneh [Cherry], and she said to me: ‘Oh my God, either shave it off or shut up!’ So we went to Boots, bought a Bic razor, and shaved it off!
Today, as far as scalp care goes, I use the same on my head as I do on my face – a pure vitamin E oil, and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, £3.70 (11), which I’ve been using for 40 years. I use it on my face, on my scalp, on my body, on everything! I used to suffer from eczema, so when I’m not working, I keep my skincare pretty simple.
When I am working, I’m wearing a lot of makeup for long periods. My amazing makeup artist Kellie Licorish (who has become like family) has a strict skincare routine for me that includes diligent prep and removal – she looks after my skin beautifully. We use Weleda Skin Food, £13.50 (3) and Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Eye Balm, £5 (9), as pre-makeup fixes. If my skin needs a bit of extra hydration, we go for the Rodial Bee Venom Moisturiser, £105 (1
