Maya Jama Interview 2019: The Presenter On Festival Beauty

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

Maya Jama is the TV and radio presenter we've all had a girl crush on for years. She's partnering with ghd for the SS19 festival collection, so we grilled her on all things festival, travel essentials and the importance of changing your pillowcases. KT – Digital Beauty Editor

KT: WHAT'S THE BEST BEAUTY ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?

MJ: Wash your make-up brushes regularly and don’t use foundation, just use a good concealer instead. Also change your pillow cases frequently, it helps prevent ageing and fine lines!

KT: WHAT'S THE BEST BEAUTY PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

MJ: My makeup artist taught me how to preserve and reuse my fake lashes, so I can wear them more than once. I love Eyelure 117 fake lashes, I wear them for big events.

Eyelure Texture 117 Eyelashes, £5.40 Boots

Buy Now

KT: YOU’RE GOING TO A FESTIVAL AND YOU DON’T WANT TO LOOK THE SAME AS EVERY OTHER PERSON THERE – WHAT BEAUTY LOOK DO YOU CREATE?

MJ: I usually go for more of a muted and natural makeup look, but when I went to Coachella it was definitely the time to experiment. I went for a bright orange eye to stand out against the blue of my jumpsuit, then completed the look with my disco mermaid hair.

KT: WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE BEAUTY BRANDS?

MJ: MAC, ghd and Kiehl's.

KT: WHAT’S IN YOUR MAKE-UP BAG RIGHT NOW?

MJ: Laura Mercier powder, because it stops you from looking sweaty and gives you a great glow; Mac concealer, because I don’t like wearing heavy makeup and it does the exactly what foundation does, but less heavy; Fenty Beauty highlighter and Gloss Bomb lipgloss; Rodial Dragon’s Blood Eye Masks to help soothe and hydrate tired eyes; Mac lip liner; Maybelline mascara, because it gives a great false lash look effect without having to wear fake lashes all of the time.

Rodial Dragon Blood Eye Masks, £39 for 8 Space NK

Buy Now

KT: HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN WHEN YOU TRAVEL?

MJ: I’m a flexitarian when it comes to skincare and my face – sometimes I am really into it, but sometimes I’m super lazy. Whenever I fly though I always use a full face sheet mask to keep my skin hydrated.

KT: WHEN YOU’RE ON HOLIDAY, WHAT ARE YOU FAVOURITE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS?

MJ: Headphones, sombrero and bandana to hold my hair back.

KT: HOW OFTEN DO YOU WORK OUT? FAVOURITE WAY TO EXERCISE?

MJ: I don’t really do proper workouts, I just dance around with weights.

KT: WHAT IS YOUR ‘THE HOUSE IS BURNING – I MUST GRAB THE MOST IMPORTANT THING’ BEAUTY PRODUCT?

MJ: My hairdryer! I use the ghd air Festival Collection Dryer. It’s great for drying my hair quickly and smoothly without damaging, before I style it.

ghd Air Festival Hair Collection Dryer, £99 Fabled

Buy Now

KT: IF YOU’RE STRAPPED FOR TIME – THREE BEAUTY RELATED THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE?

MJ: I would brush my hair, clean my teeth and pop on some Mac concealer.

KT: HOW DO YOU LOOK AFTER YOUR HAIR?

MJ: I love Kerastase serum for my ends, Olaplex to keep my hair soft and nourished and ghd Heat Protect Spray is my go to ahead of blowdrying or styling.

KT: DO YOU HAVE A SIGNATURE FRAGRANCE?

MJ: Yes, Dior Poison is my go-to for every single day.

Dior Posion EDT, £65 for 50ml John Lewis

Buy Now

KT: THREE MOST USED EMOJIS

MJ: ❤️️, 😁, 🤢.

KT: FAVOURITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?

MJ: Wine.

KT: FAVOURITE BOOK?

MJ: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelo.

KT: WHAT’S YOUR CHEAT MEAL?

MJ: McDonalds for sure!

KT: FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT?

MJ: @Veryveebrown

KT: WEIRDEST PICKUP LINE?

MJ: I don’t ever get picked up, but ‘Are you Jamaican, because your Jamaican me crazy’ or ‘Did you fall from heaven because you look like an angel’ are pretty weird.

KT: FAVOURITE TV SHOW TO BINGE WATCH?

MJ: Ex on the Beach on MTV.

Katie Thomas is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over 10 years of experience on women's luxury lifestyle titles, she covers everything from the best beauty looks from the red carpet and stand out trends from the catwalk, to colonic irrigation and to the best mascaras on the market.