Lucy Slight, fashion & beauty editor, Girlfriend Magazine
After finishing her Bachelor of Communications Studies at AUT, Lucy entered a competition through MTV to win an internship at Girlfriend Magazine. She interned for a month, doing anything and everything to try and score a job and at the end of the internship was offered the role of editorial assistant. After two years she became the fashion and beauty editor and in December it will be her four-year anniversary with the mag.
Have you always been into makeup or is it something you’ve grown interested in due to your job?
I’ve always played around with hair and makeup, my Mum says I was the only five year old in my ballet class who could do her own bun. Being able to do hair comes really naturally to me (I may have been a hairdresser in a past life) but makeup is a lot trickier. I’ve definitely become more interested in the science behind products from being a beauty editor, I find it all so fascinating. But I definitely have more skills to hone in the makeup application department! Learning is all part of the fun of it though and when I master something (like gel eyeliner) it’s so satisfying.
What’s your first makeup memory?
A friend of mine at high school used to wear glitter gel on her cheekbones and eyelids and I thought it was so cool. She’d bring the pottle with her and on the way to school in the mornings we’d stop on the side of the road and swipe glitter everywhere. It was multi-coloured. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Describe your daily routine and which products you use?
I’m making a real effort at the moment to wear sunscreen under my foundation as well as using makeup with SPF. I use Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF 30+, followed by Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, Revlon PhotoReady Makeup and Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer to cover my dark circles. I never leave the house without bronzer (right now I’m using The Body Shop Baked-To-Last Bronzer) on my cheekbones. Designer Brands Beyond Amplifying mascara on my lashes after curling them with an eyelash curler (it makes such a huge difference) and shading in my eyebrows with Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde. Oh and MAC Cream Colour Base in Shell on my eyelids, I’m obsessed.
For skincare, I use Dermalogica Ultra Calming cleanser followed by Burt’s Bees Radiance Toner and Linden Leaves Porcelain Brightening Serum and Essential Facial Moisturiser. At the moment my zit fighting weapon of choice is Lush Grease Lightning Spot Treatment, it’s seriously awesome. I’m quite bad at sticking to just one brand, but my skin doesn’t mind a bit of mixing and matching! I definitely prefer to use more natural skincare products though, they always smell so amazing and I find them really gentle on my skin.
What’s your daytime makeup-look preference?
I definitely try to go for the no-makeup makeup look for during the day. I’ve always got a lot more on that people would think but I just try to make it look as natural as possible. If I want something a bit more dramatic I might go for a bright pink lipstick but I always keep my eyes really understated.
How do you change this for night?
I usually just do my normal day makeup but use a bit more bronzer and play around with different eye makeup. If I don’t have much time, I’ll use an eyeshadow palette with gold and bronze colours (they’re pretty fail-safe and I’m not the best when it comes to eyeshadow). Sometimes I dabble in a bit of gel eyeliner. I love Bobbi Brown Gel Liner which I apply with a really really tiny pointed liner brush from Manicare Artiste.
Do you have a signature fragrance or do you rotate one of many?
I can’t go past Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb and I wear it almost every day. I’ve smelt a lot of perfumes over the years but I’m yet to find one that beats this! Sometimes when I feel the urge to mix it up the next in line are Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh and Elie Saab Le Parfum.
Are you big on accessories and nails?
I go through phases with my nails. At the moment I’m trying to keep them well polished and maintained and I’ve been wearing a lot of brights lately too. One of my favourite shades is a light purple from Essie which seems to work well with all my clothes (I HATE when my clothes and nails clash – I’ve known to be late to work because I had a nail polish to clothing colour crisis).
Most recent purchase?
Cropped red jeans from Lippy. They’re high-waisted, super stretchy and super skinny. The perfect combo.
What’s on your wishlist?
The Stolen Girlfriends Club Tee Shirt Dress in the Day Garden print. I’ve pictured so many occasions I can wear it… It will probably be hanging in my wardrobe any day now, I have no self-control. And I have lusted after the Meadowlark Protea Cocktail ring for way too long now – I just need someone to buy it for me…
Do you have any makeup and skincare rules that you adhere to?
I always always take my makeup off before I go to bed, no matter what time I get home or how I’m feeling. If I don’t take it off I can’t sleep.
What’s been your biggest hair/makeup disaster?
When I was in first year uni, I was a model for a hair competition and I naively thought they’d leave my hair long and just change it up slightly. Next thing you know I’m sporting a horrific bob with thick blond streaks, Most traumatic year of my life trying to grow that out! I got very good at up-dos that gave the illusion of long hair. Never again.
What trends are you likely to follow this summer?
I’m not usually a big fan of wearing lots of colour but you can’t help embrace it when the stores have every hue of the rainbow covered. So bright block colours are definitely filtering into my wardrobe!
What would you tell the younger you if you could turn back time?
Quit dying your hair dark brown! It doesn’t suit you. Become friends with an eyebrow pencil, it will change your life (and your face). And stop worrying that you don’t know what you want to do for a living – everything will fall into place as it’s meant to.
