Felicity Jones talks J-beauty, cat eye make-up and Meryl Streep

Welcome to Beauty Bytes: a place where I chat to celebrities about all things beauty – from their favourite products, to their biggest beauty disasters and social media habits. You know, all the important things that we need to know about.

As it's December and our skin is taking a battering from plummeting temperatures outside and central heating inside, I wanted to chat to someone who's nailing their winter beauty regime. Who sprang to mind? Actress Felicity Jones, who's pretty vocal about her love for a simple but effective routine.

We met up to chat about exactly that, as well as how to care for coloured hair and get the perfect cat eye with liner...

FIONA: SO, YOU'RE A J-BEAUTY SUPERFAN...

Felicity: I am!

FIONA: WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT JAPANESE SKINCARE?

Felicity: I recently visited Japan and one of the main things I learnt is the importance of having a ritual, to take time to look after yourself and your skin and the effect that can have. It’s like a relationship – the more you look after your skin, the better it looks, so I now have a routine that I love to do.

FIONA: BUT NOT 13 STEPS LIKE KOREAN SKINCARE ROUTINES, RIGHT?

Felicity: No, no, I think that the power of skincare is in the simplicity and finding the best products that are a shortcut to looking good.

FIONA: SO HOW DO YOU LOOK AFTER YOUR SKIN?

Felicity: I use the Clé de Peau Beauté Softening Cleansing Foam every single day and also The Serum, which I’ll often work in using a facial roller…

Clé de Peau Beauté Le Serum, £215, Harrods

Buy it now

FIONA: I ALWAYS TAKE A FACIAL ROLLER ON A FLIGHT FOR DE-PUFFING...

Felicity: Yes, exactly! I like to use that in the morning because it helps to wake your face up. If you are up early in the morning for shooting, a facial roller definitely helps to ensure a little face gym goes on beforehand!

Herbivore Amethyst Roller, £38, Cult Beauty

Buy it now

FIONA: I'VE TRIED THE SERUM - THE TEXTURE IS BEAUTIFUL...

Felicity: Oh yeah, I am totally addicted. I also love La Creme. It's a luxury but it's very light, which is perfect for sensitive skin because it doesn’t bring you out in any kind of breakouts.

Clé de Peau Beauté La Creme, £520, Harrods

Buy it now

FIONA: DO YOU HAVE QUITE SENSITIVE SKIN THEN?

Felicity: I do and this is one of the only moisturisers where I don’t get red spots. Usually when I use something new I’ll get red spots in like three days, it’s a nightmare! But this is just perfect.

FIONA: DO YOU ALSO FACTOR A GOOD DIET INTO THE MIX WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THE SKIN OF YOUR DREAMS?

Felicity: Well, I don’t drink very much caffeine because it is so dehydrating and my skin and body is very responsive to alcohol, so I am trying to limit that.

FIONA: BUT IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE A LAST MEAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

Felicity: Spaghetti bolognese and a glass of dry white wine!

FIONA: WHAT'S IN YOUR MAKE-UP BAG RIGHT NOW? 

Felicity: I don’t like make-up when it’s too heavy so I use the Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Cream Foundation because it’s very light, plus mascara for a bit of definition and a rosy pink shade of lipstick.

Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Cream Foundation, £100, Harrods

Buy now

FIONA: YOU MUST HAVE ACCESS TO AMAZING MAKE-UP ARTISTS WHEN GETTING RED CARPET READY. WHAT IS THE BEST TIP YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN?

Felicity: Well for the red carpet, it’s definitely to wiggle your mascara wand right into the roots of your lashes.

FIONA: SO YOU'RE DOING MORE THAN JUST THE USUAL ONE OR TWO QUICK SWIPES?

Felicity: Exactly. The key is spending a lot of time doing that and then you don’t need any false lashes. Also apply more mascara to the outer corner of your lashes. This means that you can lift up the eye and achieve an almond shape.

FIONA: ANYTHING ELSE? 

Felicity: I have another great tip for liquid liner on your top lid. The trick is to draw the flick at the end first and then do the rest afterwards so you get a neater line. You sort of pull the skin out, do the ends and then go in the middle.

FIONA: GENIUS, I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO TRY THAT. NOW, HOW ABOUT THE WORST BEAUTY TREND YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED?

Felicity: Um…I think electric blue eye shadow is quite a big one. I was probably about 16 and had started going to house parties and things like that.

FIONA: WHAT?! THAT'S PRETTY COOL FOR A HOUSE PARTY...

Felicity: Yeah exactly! Now that rainbow colours are in, it’s almost back on trend, isn’t it? So I’d like to say that I was way ahead of my time.

FIONA: WE TALK A LOT ABOUT WELLNESS THESE DAYS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?

Felicity: It’s making time for yourself. Looking after your body and your mind. But I think wellness is also about forgiving yourself and not being hard on yourself, not telling yourself horrible things, which I think is quite hard for women to do.

FIONA: WHEN YOU'RE AWAY SHOOTING, IS IT HARD TO MAKE WELLBEING A PRIORITY?

Felicity: Actually I learnt not to feel guilty about taking time out. I love having hot baths, doing yoga and I’m getting into aromatherapy, too.

FIONA: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE AROMATHERAPY OILS? 

Felicity: I love lavender oil. It’s just very simple and sometimes I’ll mix it with massage oil-based products and put them in the bath.

Lavender Essential Oil, £9.50, Neal’s Yard Remedies

Buy it now

FIONA: SO YOU'RE A BIG FAN OF SOAKING IN THE TUB TO RELAX? 

Felicity: Definitely! Adding Epsom salt and magnesium salt is great, too, especially for aching muscles. If I am prepping for a role, I work with a trainer and it can be quite intense. I'm currently working with Louisa Drake who is very Pilates based but also a little bit of yoga and weights.

FIONA: LET'S TALK HAIR. WHAT ARE YOUR MUST-HAVE PRODUCTS?

Felicity: I try and do a conditioning mask once a week. I love Leonor Greyl’s Masque Fleurs de Jasmin when I’m feeling flush and I’ll leave it on overnight. I also use Kerastase Reflection Bain Chromatique Shampoo, which is for coloured hair and utterly brilliant. I’m often colouring my hair for films so it does take a bit of a bashing.

Leonor Greyl’s Masque Fleurs de Jasmin, £36.85, Look Fantastic

Buy it now

Kerastase Reflection Bain Chromatique Shampoo, £20.20, Lookfantastic

Buy it now

FIONA: HOW ABOUT FAVOURITE FRAGRANCES? 

Felicity: I love Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain, which I’ve used for years. I adore the smell. It’s not too sweet or sickly. It has guts to it and a sort of unisex quality that I like. It’s sort of musky. I’ve worn this scent for so many years it’s just become a part of me.

Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain EDT, £105, John Lewis

Buy it now

FIONA: OK, WE'RE MOVING AWAY FROM THE SERIOUS STUFF. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK? 

Felicity: It would have to be A Room With A View by E.M. Forster. I love the film and the book and it’s rare that you can say you love both.

FIONA: NOT THAT YOU HAVE MUCH SPARE TIME, BUT IS THERE A BOX SET YOU'VE BEEN BINGE-WATCHING?

Felicity: Oh my gosh, I’ve been absolutely obsessed with Succession.

FIONA: I'VE NOT SEEN IT YET...

Felicity: It’s so good. I would recommend everyone sees it. The writing is brilliant, it’s just hilarious and they’re a collection of the most vile characters possible. It’s glorious to watch!

FIONA: FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO STALK?

Felicity: I use Instagram a bit like a magazine, so I love following young fashion designers like Simone Rocha and Molly Goddard. I’ll often be looking at those guys. Then I have a Kate Moss feed. Yeah, it just has random pictures of Kate Moss throughout the years!

FIONA: WHAT DID YOU BUY WITH YOUR FIRST BIG PAY CHEQUE?

Felicity: Alanis Morissette Jagged little Pill. I was about 16 so it was my Archers pay cheque.

FIONA: WHAT AN ALBUM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'D JUST BROKEN UP WITH SOMEONE! FINALLY, WHO HAVE YOU BEEN THE MOST STAR-STRUCK MEETING?

Felicity: Probably Meryl Streep. I remember meeting her at the Academy Awards when I was presenting with Riz Ahmed. Meryl Streep – I was going to say Meryl like she is my friend...

FIONA: THAT'S OK...

Felicity: So, Mezza was on before me and I remember her rehearsing her lines before going out on stage. It was so reassuring to see someone at that level still being so dedicated. And also that nervous. Apparently she does still get nervous about public speaking.That even the greats like Meryl get nervous is good for everyone to know. I just love her. She built her career on such wonderful parts. They don’t really make those films these days, but she’s someone I’d always want to emulate.