How does she get such shiny, shiny hair?
In the latest edition of Beauty Bytes, I stood in for our digital beauty editor Katie and sat down with the new face of Head & Shoulders, TV star Claudia Winkleman (who has a really great personality, might I add). We discussed roast dinners, the importance of getting enough sleep, and the skincare product that is so good she 'almost wept'. Serious business.
LA: How do you take care of your hair?
CW: This is an excellent question, thank you so much for asking. I’m obsessed by Head & Shoulders, I always have been. My stepdad always used it so the rest of us did too. They approached me and said, ‘will you be helpful?’ I thought maybe they wanted me to open the post. I was like, I’ve got a tortoise, maybe Head & Shoulders want me to bring him in. And then they said no, will you try it? Anyway, I said, that’s weird – I’ve been asked before, can’t tell you who by but hair humans, but I’ve never used their products. But Head & Shoulders was part of my life.
Then, I’m not even making this up, I gave some to my cousin because Head & Shoulders sweetly sent me some – people stop her in the street and ask about her hair. I love it, it’s sort of clean, and I like the fact that it comes out as yoghurt. It’s so weird, it’s white, thick, delicious unguents. I washed my hair in it this morning, you know when your hair comes out and it’s properly clean. So that’s how I look after my hair, but I don’t do anything else to it. Sometimes I’ll put a bit of oil in it, at the ends, and I feel very glamorous doing that. I feel like maybe J-Lo would do that. Know what I mean?
LA: Probably, shall we ask her?
CW: Yes, let’s get her on the phone!
LA: How often do you wash your hair? Because, it’s quite shiny, I feel like you are known for having shiny hair.
CW: I love you for saying that to me. I don’t wash it that much. I think my hairdresser once said to me, don’t be one of those people. Also, one, I prefer to be napping over anything. Napping, or eating a cheese toastie. So probably twice a week. Do you think that’s too little – are you looking at me with nerves?
LA: Oh no, I’d do two to three times a week. However long I can eke it out for. You’re busy.
CW: Yes! Also, it looks great second day, then it goes extra glossy. Super hot, you want to sleep in your hair.
Head & Shoulders Supreme Colour Protect, Boots
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LA: What are your biggest hair concerns; what’s really important for you about your hair?
CW: I like it to look as messy as possible. I don’t want neat. That’s disgusting. I like a very heavy fringe, as we know, but that’s also because I’m now 46 and my forehead looks like one of those Shar-Pei dogs. I’ve got squirrels up there, toucans, snacks. If you ever want a bowl of soup, you can find it under my fringe. So yeah, I want a heavy fringe and for it to be quite messy.
LA: Worst beauty trend you’ve ever tried?
CW: OH. Get ready. Buckle up. Once, when I was 14 I thought easily the most glamorous thing was white eyeliner inside the eye and then heavy lip liner round the mouth. I think I looked repellent. You could say I’ve swapped because I now like a white Tippex mouth and a dark liner in the eye. I once went to an awards ceremony where I’d done my make-up in the car with no mirror and I sort of had conjunctivitis... But I also think it’s quite good to do it badly. I’ve got very bad eyesight, but as long as I have orange face, black eyes, white mouth, then we’re alright. Panda. The other thing I did, I got very excited about Sun-In when I was about 15. I’m quite impatient, I couldn’t even do the spray, so I just unhooked it with a friend and poured it on.
LA: So how brassy WAS it after?
CW: It was extraordinary. It was nerve-wracking. And quite crispy.
LA: What about the best beauty advice you’ve ever had?
CW: It’s not really beauty advice, but I’d say advice on all things is from my mum, which is: get back into bed. Sleep. Sleep all the time if you can. That’s why everyone had sleepovers at mine. She’d once sat next to a doctor who said ‘sleep is the best insurance our body has.’ Everything sorts itself out when you’re asleep. And so they would come over after school on a Friday and sleep over, and she would never come in, she wasn’t that mum who said 'you’re wasting the day'.
LA: That was my mum...
CW: I’d get up at midday and she’d go, good girl. Good girl. Do you fancy a nap? I don’t know who she sat next to, maybe she’d interviewed somebody, but they’d said that. So, I mean I look disgusting, but I do try and sleep a lot.
LA: Best beauty product recommendation you’ve ever received?
CW: Right, get ready for this. And I really need everyone to focus. There is somebody called Dr Dennis Gross.
LA: There is!
CW: I don’t know if he’s a man?
LA: He is a man.
CW: Right. A human?
LA: Yes.
CW: Right. They have tanning pads in little sachets.
LA: They do!
CW: Sali Hughes introduced me to this when we went ‘In the Bathroom’. Anyway, they very kindly sent me a couple – GAME CHANGER. It was almost like, I’m gonna burst into tears. It’s that good.
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads in Gradual or Intense Glow, Space NK
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LA: Have you used the normal ones before, without the tan?
CW: I’ve used one, but because my love of orange is more than my love of good skin, I just need the tanning ones in my life.
LA: But you swear by them, so I’m now going to tell everyone to try them. I’ve seen them and been a bit cautious of the tan – I’m so pale.
CW: Everyone must try them. I’m that colour. I’m paler than you, but I paint myself. I’m blue.
LA: What is your, the house is burning, grab one beauty product to save?
CW: MAC Fleshpot lipstick or Lord & Berry Kajal eyeliner. Because it goes on and never comes off. I’ve never knowingly taken my make-up off. The stuff you see me in I first put on in the 70s.
LA: Stands the test of time, then!
CW: It’s fine! But MAC Fleshpot is my favourite lipstick of all time.
MAC Satin Lipstick in Fleshpot, ASOS
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LA: What’s your beauty secret?
CW: I don’t have any secrets; I don’t believe in secrets. I’ll tell you anything.
LA: Top three beauty brands?
CW: Ooooh. Charlotte Tilbury. Blisteze. I don’t know if that’s a brand. Stay with me. You know, it’s the lip salve?
LA: Oh! Blistex.
CW: Blistex, Head & Shoulders, then we’ll go MAC. MAC, Charlotte Tilbury, Head & Shoulders then in brackets, I love a lip salve.
LA: What are your other favourites?
CW: I don’t believe in Chap Stick, I’m going to say that right now. Carmex can sometimes feel like too much of an attack. It’s just too much sometimes. I don’t like a film, do you know what I mean? I like quite medicinal.
LA: What’s in your make-up bag right now?
CW: Oh I wish I had it! I had it at home. Alright, here we go. Charlotte Tilbury no. 6 Light Glow. MAC Fleshpot. Charlotte Tilbury, the brown and the white. Highlighter…
CW: Lord & Berry Kajal Stick, YSL Faux Cils, a small bottle of YSL Opium. Euthymol toothpaste and toothbrush. Divine. A Diet 7UP, if it would fit. It’s the best beverage. Wait a minute, what else would I have in there? My three kids, no. Oh and I’d have a MAC, one of those little pods that you just put on with fingers, eyeshadow. Peacock. It’s sort of irridescent-y. It’s a bit like, has she been out for four days, is she drunk? Yeah, put it on, both sides. And a brush by somebody amazing… They sent me a brush and I. Almost. Wept. I’m going to find out. The brushes are OUTSTANDING.
(We later confirm that the brushes in question are Spectrum – which Team MC can confirm are outstanding indeed)
Spectrum 35 Piece Holy Grail Brush Set
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LA: As well as Lord & Berry, top three eyeliners. You are the queen of eyeliner.
CW: Oh, here we go! Lord & Berry Kajal. MAC, I think it’s called Feline, Jet Black, I think they stopped making it? Let’s turn around that decision between you and I. And third, the Charlotte Tilbury one which is navy. Sapphire or something? A thin kohl, navy, you know what I’m thinking? Yuletide, Christmas party, going to a pub for a glass of port. Yeah.
LA: How often do you fake tan? I know you get spray tans, but do you ever DIY?
CW: Right, here we go. I sometimes do it manually, but it doesn’t end well, I’m going to be honest, because of that whole hand washing thing. I forget about it, I’m on to a new thing, I’m napping. So I love a spray tan – if it was up to me, the girl who does my spray tan called Sophia, she is really cute, she really doesn’t want to but she would live with us.
LA: Have you asked?
CW: I have asked, but she’s really happy with a lovely boyfriend, she’s got a baby, and they’ve just got a dog – so cute. Put all of this in. She’s amazing. But I’ll use any fake tan I can. Dr Dennis is the best thing I’ve ever come across, but I love Lancôme Flash Bronzer, and Clinique do an amazing fake tan that comes out almost yellowy. It’s not sticky. I don’t like a tacky, do you know what I mean? It’s why I don’t approve of lip gloss. Or very long nails, I’m like, how are you opening a can? How are you coping in the wind? How can you cope with a gloss and a big nail? Anyway, have a look at it, Clinique, it’s for the body and it comes out yellowy, sparkly. You put it on and then the next morning you look like you’ve been in Ibiza for a month.
Clinique Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion, Selfridges
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LA: How do you take care of your skin? I feel like you’ve answered this one already…
CW: I don’t even know what that means. I’ve never knowingly taken anything off. Or put anything back on again. You know everybody needs a different signal? If I am standing over a sink with a cotton pad with toner in it, everything’s gone wrong. Everyone’s left me, maybe it’s just me and the cockroaches. That’s when I go, oh, it’s all fallen apart. And also, I like to look good at breakfast – this make-up, Michelle is amazing, it’s fine now, tomorrow it’s going to be amazing when I take my son to play football. Lived in, messy, smudgy, with a bit of sleep in the eye. Hotness.
LA: I mean, can you take us through your morning and evening routines – redundant, really.
CW: Hilarious. Brushing teeth. Sleeping. Diet 7UP, eggs and bacon. I’m obsessed by brushing my teeth. I do have, have you come across Aesop? They’ve got a cleansing foam, which feels like a gift, and it lasts for 17 years. And I like Eve Lom Cleanser, so I do that in the morning with a muslin cloth.
LA: The original one, or the new one? Because they’ve brought out a new one…
CW: That’s unacceptable.
LA: ... It’s like a Gel-Balm Cleanser.
CW: I want to try that! I have the sturdy pot. Eve Lom is amazing. By the way, their lip salve is outstanding. Tell them that I like it.
Eve Lom Cleanser, Fabled
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LA: I definitely will do. Best make-up tip a professional make-up artist has given you?
CW: Well, here’s the problem. The people who do my face can’t tell people they’ve done my face, because otherwise they lose a lot of work. We’re all used to that, it’s fine. Often we go, do you want a credit? No thanks, no thanks, I’m just here earning a living, I’m going to go home now. Because of the orange-black-white thing. But yeah, the main tip that I’ve taken is: lip scrub, quite powerful. That’s a good idea. I mean, their tip would be maybe tone it down a bit, you’re not Jean Simmonds.
LA: But that’s no fun, no?
CW: No. But they’re lovely, they’re lovely.
LA: How often do you work out? Favourite way to exercise?
CW: Never. I definitely have a favourite way, my favourite thing is to do spin because I’m locked into the bike, so I can’t leave. Because anything else, I will leave. I don’t like sweating, I don’t like pain, I can’t get my head around any of it. It’s not for me. I know when I’m best and that’s lying down. There are other friends of mine, really great friends of mine, they love it. They sweat, they’re in a bra, they listen to music, then they go up and shower and they have a great day. But I’m not that person, so I haven’t done anything for six months. But weirdly, I think I will go next week. By the way, I’ve been thinking about it for a month and we’ve had many family discussions about it. ‘Should mummy go and spin?’ And I go to Psycle which is amazing. I love it, you know why? Because I never go out – I’m now, as I said, 110. In my fantasy I’m wearing knee-high boots, I’m in a night club, I’m dancing, there are tequila shots, I’m waving at Lenny Kravitz.
LA: Great picture, by the way.
CW: I had to physically stop myself from mounting him. It got quite weird. There was security. That’s all I’m saying, that’s how it ended. So, what was I wanging on about?
LA: Psycle, night club, tequila.
CW: Yeah – that’s my fantasy, but the fact is I put my babies to bed, and then we get into bed, we might watch an Ozark, but I’m asleep at 10 like that. And so if you go to Psycle at 10am, I feel like I’ve been to a night club, the music’s loud, it’s pitch black, I’m moving my body. Awesome.
LA: They’re going to love that. Do you have a signature fragrance –
CW: Yes!
LA: – or what are your go-tos, but, signature.
CW: I only have one fragrance because it smells of filth. And it’s called Opium by Saint Laurent – the classic one. Not this Black Diamond business. Not the new one, that’s outrageous – don’t jzush. Just stick to the classic. I love that smell. It’s the best smell, it just smells of a great night.
Yves Saint Laurent Opium Eau de Parfum, John Lewis
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LA: Three most used emojis – are you an emoji person?
CW: Are you mad? I’m 46.
LA: You don’t know what they are?!
CW: I know what they are, I just don’t understand – my kids send them to me all the time. I don’t even have the emoji keyboard on.
LA: I love that.
CW: I like the very, very smiley face, and I also use this a lot for my kids, I’ll show you. I use the shower head. When it’s 7 o’clock and I realise they haven't showered. And the very happy face. So cute.
LA: Favourite book?
CW: Of all time? The book that made me love reading was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Up until then I was quite anti-reading and I remember my dad gave it to me. They couldn’t find me because I was just in the back of a sofa just reading and reading and reading. I love Charlie and I love Grandpa Joe and that’s probably my favourite book. But then I got completely obsessed with Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen. I mean, I like old-fashioned. I’ve just read a brilliant book called Educated by Tara Westover that everybody should read. Not my favourite book, but I’m just saying everyone should read it.
LA: What’s your 'cheat meal'?
CW: I’ve got quite a lot to say about this. Number one, I don’t think it should be called a cheat meal. I think we’re getting on very well, I do, I feel like this is fun, you can stay all day and come home with me and see my beauty routine. But I think, then what are the other meals? I think we all have to be careful about the way we talk about it. So, not a cheat meal – what is my favourite meal of all time: roast chicken, roast potatoes, horseradish.
LA: With chicken? Nice.
CW: Thank you! Buttery peas, then a cheese board that WILL include Gorgonzola, and then probably Tiramisu.
LA: Can I come for dinner today?
CW: Yeah!
LA: Great. Favourite TV show to binge watch? Are you a Netflix-er?
CW: Yeah, I’m obsessed by Ozark. It’s brilliant, but I loved The Defiant Ones, I thought The Defiant Ones was amazing. We had to cancel going out because we were halfway through and were like, ‘this is great!’
LA: Favourite Instagram account?
CW: The Fat Jewish. Mine’s awful.
LA: Are you joking?!
CW: Mine’s awful, I have two followers. Two. I literally have two followers, I never know what to post. I’m so boring. The Fat Jewish.
LA: Do you have any tattoos?
CW: No; I want one.
LA: Who were you most star struck meeting?
CW: I think your readers won’t remember this. You won’t remember this because you’re literally 11. But I once met somebody who played a character called Harold Bishop on Neighbours.
LA: See, I do know! My granddad loved Neighbours.
CW: I almost dropped what I was holding. I’ve been very lucky, I’ve met all sorts of people and interviewed all kinds of people, but when I was at university, no, when I was younger, at school, Neighbours was our lives and he was in my sitting room every single day. And so I could not cope with seeing Harold Bishop. Random, but. He’s phenomenal.
LA: Most embarrassing slip-up made on TV?
CW: Oh, all the time. It’s the only reason I get work. Because, ‘ooh, what’s she going to do now?’ I’ve fallen over – I once fell over and had to turn it into a roly-poly when I was dressed up as, I believe, a kiwi for 'fruit awareness week' on This Morning. They came to me live, I was dressed as a kiwi, I had to interview someone who was dressed as a pink pineapple or an orange. My dad was really, really proud-slash-alarmed. And I think I fell over, it was quite confusing as I couldn’t see my feet because they were covered in furry tufts. But I hope I make lots and that’s why I love live TV, you can sort of mess up.
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