Beauty Full Lives

I first met Tova Leigh at the launch of her first book, Fucked at 40, which as the title suggests is a rather no holds barred look at some of the things Tova had experienced in her then 40 years.I liked how forthright, fun, and funny she was, and put her on my wish list of guests to come on the podcast. The pandemic slightly thwarted our efforts to have a chat, so in the end, we recorded this episode over zoom.In it, Tova explains how she went from a studious married woman living in Jerusalem to a divorcee in London, before meeting her husband Mike and going on to have three children. Does that sound like a neat and rounded off happy ending after which our heroine rides off into the sunset? Probably, but Tova, being the boldly honest woman she is, adds nuance, talking about the mental and physical trauma of having children, the need to travel away from them sometimes to reconnect with herself, and the desire that, despite loving them, they’d on occasion, in Tova’s words, ‘just fuck off.’We also talk about enjoying rather than performing sex, how she navigates representing her relationship online, and how Tova has used the very same face cream since she was 20. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I first came across Irish make-up artist Aimee Connolly a couple of years ago, when I picked up a lipstick by her brand, Sculpted by Aimee, and was blown away by the quality married with clever design. That lipstick, by the way, is the Lip Duo in Pink Pair and it is a lipstick with a liner on the other end - very handy - and it is now a staple in my make-up bag.After that find, I started to try more and more by Aimee’s brand and continued to be impressed. Aimee came over to mine to record this episode, and I found that the woman behind Sculpted by Aimee is no less impressive; she is a savvy entrepreneur who was brought up as an only child solely by her mum, from whom she draws inspiration. She never took a loan or investors in her business, and she started saving money in uni to fund it.Aimee’s grit and a clear vision has served her really well - Sculpted by Aimee is now in its 6th year, and has over 40 products in the range.In this episode, we talk about how she has taken a small brand and grown it across the UK, how she now finds balance as a very involved business owner, and just how she achieves that signature glow.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carrie is an artist who works in a variety of media creating her designs on items as varied as car bonnets, plates and paint cans made of ceramic. She has worked in film, performance and sculpture. Carrie's website describes her output as “anarchic artworks where vintage floral, kitsch, royal and religious crockery is given a new twist by refiring with layers of new ceramic decals." Carrie is perhaps best known for her mosaic home which has become so well known over the twenty years that she has been decorating it, that it has become a recommended stop for tourists making the trip to Chiswick where Carrie lives.To record this episode of the podcast I visited Carrie's home, which as you can imagine doesn't really need a door number because the house is immediately recognisable, standing out from the red bricked buildings on the street thanks to its multi coloured mosaics of all sorts including a cheshire cat, flying eyeballs, dancing skeletons and palm trees covering the front of the house. The legend "I'm an artist, your rules don't apply” is displayed prominently. A bumper detail on the taxi parked in front of the house, also covered in mosaic, reads ‘beware artists, they mix with all classes of society and are therefore the most dangerous.’I first became aware of Carrie's work when I received one of her pieces as a Christmas gift - a plate which said ‘buy less, fuck (excuse the expletive) more.’ It was kitsch, and yet anarchic. I was curious, so went to take a look at her mosaic house. Here’s a woman with a story, I thought, so I asked her on the podcast. Carrie’s answer to being invited on a podcast focussing on beauty was ‘I hardly have a ritual - I just wash off grout.’ That sealed it - I had to have her come on to tell her story, and to explain how a woman with such a keen eye for adorning had never been seduced by beauty.We sat in her garden to record this, which is why you can hear cars, wind, her dog scratching around, and the general bustle of London. I hope to you that adds to the picture, fleshing out what it’s like to have a very frank conversation with a very frank woman. We talk about all sorts from Dolly Parton to art as therapy to how Princess Diana helped to destigmatise self harm to her friendship with a death row inmate. I loved this having this conversation, and I hope you enjoy listening to it.(A little warning before you listen, as you may have guessed, Carrie isn’t one for holding back, and you might find some of the topics we discuss triggering.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Internet sensation Hyram grew up on a cattle ranch in what he describes as a ’toxic’ environment, leaving the country life behind to move to tropical Hawaii at the age of just 18 in the hope of finding a new life. He found it, amassing millions of followers for his forensic and refreshing reviews of products, brands, and skincare routines.Hyram is also now the founder of his own brand, Selfless by Hyram, in partnership with The Inkey List. Every single product purchased will help to contribute to organisations including The Rainforest Trust, who protect tropical forests from deforestation through buying land, and the charity Thirst Project, to provide clean drinking water.In this episode he recounts his journey from a rather challenging start in Arizona, to his flourishing career today, as well as touching on the products he can't get by without - and why he isn't afraid to take on the big players in the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actress Kristen Bell believes, in her own words, 'in moderation with everything.' In today's episode, she talks about how this relates to her attitude towards food, make-up, and her career, as well as running through the products which mean which she simply can't get by without.This episode is sponsored by Scandi brand Mantle, who are kindly offering 20% off their face and body products with the code MADELEINE - but only to the first 50 buyers, so get in there quickly if you'd like to take advantage of the discount to try their CBD-powered wellness products. You can check out their products at https://www.hellomantle.co.uk or @hellomantle on Instagram.To browse Hello Bello products, head to https://hellobello.co.uk.This episode was produced by Rich Jarman, with artwork by Sung Lee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me and journalist George Driver for a very rambling meander through the beauty highlights and themes in some of our favourite Christmas films including Home Alone (HELLO Kate McAllister), While Your Were Sleeping (the jumpers! Elsie's soft cashmere skin!), The Holiday (Jude Law's absurd tan and Diaz's very expensive-looking hair occur), and Love, Actually ('would we call her chubby?'). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode in the Innovator's Series, in which I'm shining a light on some of the brands doing excellent things within the industry, I'm joined by GP specialising in dermatology Dr Anita Sturnham to discuss EVERYTHING you need to know about IPL, and about the Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 IPL device.We cover how it works, who it is suitable for, why it's safe to use at home, and little details around using an IPL device like the shaving before and - a question I was desperate to have answered - what on earth happens to the hair once it's given up the ghost?This episode is powered by Braun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode I’m joined by brand founder and make-up artist extraordinaire, Danessa Myricks. Her story is quite something - she grew up with busy parents in Queens as one of 10 siblings, worked alongside her dad cleaning funeral homes, then did a stint at Burger King at 14, before working in nursing homes and hospitals and becoming the director of a nursing school 19.She then moved into make-up, where she taught herself, and grafted hard. Fast forward to today, and Danessa is one of the most influential people in beauty, with an award-winning brand that’s lauded by make-up artists and beauty fans the world over. I can’t wait for you to hear her story. Ad info: this episode is powered by Parfumado, the perfume subscription service, who offer a smorgasbord of scent options from curated sets to personalised room sprays, to gift cards - so if you’ve got a fragrance lover in your life, check them out.A monthly subscription where you - or they - will receive an 8ml scent a month is £12.95, but if you use the code MADDIE50 at check out, you’ll get 50% off your first subscription.You can of course buy the gift cards right up to Christmas Day (phew), but if you want a physical Parfumado gift box of three fragrances in your hands beforehand, you’ll have to get your order in by the 13th of December. The gift box costs £49.95, but you can use the code MADDIE15 to get 15% off it and across the entire gift shop over at uk.parfumado.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I’m joined by the TV personality and author Georgia Toffolo. We spend some time discussing the acneic skin that has affected her confidence deeply throughout her life to the extent where she was allowed special dispensation to apply a layer of foundation during her stint on I’m A Celebrity, as well as lots of joyous things: dogs, Abba, her top beauty essentials, and politics which, for Georgia, is a topic that arouses great passion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, I’m joined by the make-up artist Hannah Martin. She’s far too discreet to divulge her client list, but let’s just say there are a fair few royals on there, and she’s created some of the most dreamy ‘them but better’, so to speak, make-up looks that you’ll be well acquainted with.This episode is a bit about how Hannah embarked on that journey - I especially loved hearing about how a counsellor changed the trajectory of her life, and found her tips towards the end handy - but it’s also a lot about her life, about how Hannah navigated the grief of losing her mum, and about the secret to her long marriage to Simon. I was very moved by a lot of what Hannah said, particularly so during those sections. AD Info / This episode is brought to you by TEMPLESPA; one of my favourite luxury british skincare brands. Using only the finest ingredients, TEMPLESPA are all about creating exceptional results-driven skincare and experiences that make a real difference to your skin and soul health. If the SPA TO GO experience appeals to you and you'd like to host a class as I did, here's a link to book: https://bit.ly/3Fn4yJIAlternatively, if you'd like to become a SPA TO GO Lifestyle Consultant, here's a link for that: https://bit.ly/3oI9nqX Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.