Chatting with Leigh Blaney from Artiste by Leigh Blaney

Hello, and welcome to Let’s Talk Weddings with Your Scottish Wedding. I’ll be your host, Lesley Traynor. And today, we have the beautiful and extremely talented Leigh Blaney Howie. Leigh, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited for you to be here. I’m excited. Every time we’re together, I kinda always go, “Don’t look at my makeup.

Don’t look at my makeup.” Because I’m not professional at doing this, and you are, and you always look so glamorous. How do you do it? I don’t. Yeah, you do. Believe me, I don’t. I do not. No, I do not. I’m literally, see the way you talk about doing your makeup that’s exactly how I do my own makeup. But you know all the tricks of the trad.e

I’m just used to doing, you know, your own face. You just quickly do it, you know. Like, I don’t spend the time. If I’m going out, I would, like, I would spend a good hour and a half. I tell everybody to do that anyway. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get the prosecco open. Enjoy it. It’s self-care.

You get that time, and then you’ve not got that whole big rush. You know, the taxi’s coming, you’ve not got your lashes on yet, blah, blah, blah. Give yourself a decent amount of time to- Oh, I’m rubbish. Like, even if I’m going on a night out- Mm… like, it literally takes me five minutes. I just plop it on and go, “Right, okay.

That- that’s fine.” Yeah. That’s the- Get out the door… I think that’s the difference with, with, like, our kinda age group as well. The younger ones definitely take time to do it all. They love it all. And I love that though. Yeah, me too. I think that’s a really good thing. Me too. So you’ve just recently changed your company name.

I have. So you were Makeup by Leigh Blaney. Yeah. And what are you now? So I’m Artiste by Leigh Blaney. I love that. I felt as if I had to keep the name in there somewhere because- Of course… to transition like that I don’t think people would’ve known that it was the, it was a new company. But you are the brand.

Yeah. You are the person. So- Yeah… it would just make sense. It does. But you’ve upped, you’ve done a lot of… I was gonna say you’ve, you’ve upped what you’ve done. I don’t mean that. What I mean is, like you and you’ve brought in some really incredible new products into the business. Yeah. So, like, your lips and eyebrows- Yeah

and you’re gonna have to sort this out. Um- Anytime… so let’s get booked in. I’ve told you before. Let’s get booked in. Yeah, definitely. So, so yeah. So just explain to me a bit as to, to why you wanted to, to change the name. So, uh, Makeup by Leigh Blaney, as it was, was 18 years old. Ah. So I was celebrating, and it really did feel like a moment for me.

Yeah, yeah. I’ve been in the industry for a long, long time, and I’ve seen and done so many different styles. Yeah. I’ve evolved. Yeah. So this one felt like a big evolve. So I wanted to do something else for my brides. I didn’t just want to do, just makeup. I, I enjoy the process of seeing them again.

You know, after you’ve been doing it for 18 years, you, you see the gran, the mum, the- Yeah… the daughter. I’ve been doing the proms of, like, some of the wee junior bridesmaids this year. How exciting is that though? It is. I think that’s lovely. It’s so lovely. It is nice. It is. That is nice. It’s very personable, isn’t it?

So when it was Makeup by Leigh Blaney, it was okay because that’s what I was doing. But now I do that many different things. I do PR events, music videos- I know… you know, everything. It’s not just bridal predominantly. But you do a lot of- It is bridal predominantly. Yeah, no, of course. It is. So it is predominant.

But, but you also do a lot of theater work as well. Yeah. And, like, shows, like, TV shows and stuff. Yeah. But you’re obviously behind the scenes making everybody look incredible for going out onto the, the TV shows. But- Yeah… you’ve got such a huge variety of what you do and what you offer.

So that’s, it felt like a natural, uh thing to do was just call it Artiste then. I love that. So that’s where it came from. And also doing the semi-permanent makeup that I’m now doing. I know. It fits into that now. It’s not just makeup, it’s the- Yeah… semi-permanent. So hopefully, and, you know, like, as I’m starting, this is my first year doing it, hopefully the brides will go, go on a journey with me.

Absolutely. You know, get their brows. I wanna, uh, really concentrate on very, very natural, you know, like, really skin lead makeup. Nice. Skin lead kinda semi-permanent as well, so it’s ideal for brides. I can’t wait to get in your chair. Honestly, I can’t wait because my brows, the older I’ve got, my brows just seem to get thinner- Yeah

and thinner, and I’m sort of drawing them in and stuff. It’s a thing, isn’t it? Oh, yeah. Yeah. And it makes such a difference to people. I know. It’s, I saw brides come in, brides and mums come in for years, and it was one of the biggest things that they, they spoke about was, “Oh, my God, the makeup’s amazing, but look at my brows.”

And it was always something. Then they would go and get other treatments done. It was maybe somebody that wasn’t thinking of it as in a wedding- Yeah… bridal kinda way. Yeah, yeah. It’s okay for every day- Yeah… but not for your wedding. No. It has to be really natural. Absolutely. You want to not think that you’ve had anything done.

Correct. You know? Yeah. That’s, that’s the joy, I think. Right. Definitely get me b- Get me booked in for sure. Abso- Signed up, yes. Absolutely. So when brides book you, how long in advance would you recommend that they do that for you? Because obviously you’re, you’re very in demand, having been in the industry, having built up that incredible following.

Like how long- before their wedding date should they be booking you? So at the moment for, for makeup for the bride, for the wedding dates, 2028’s opens, in the summer. Obviously, the summer dates go quickly.If they were wanting any semi-permanent work- Oh, that’s longer…Yeah

uh, it would be like the- Yeah… I would say it would be like the, you want to kinda try and get that the year before- Yeah… you’re getting married. Definitely. It’s part of the skin journey. Just to get used to it as well, I think. It’s part of the skin journey. Like, if you’re wanting to be, like, you know, when you go to the wedding fairs now, you’re getting your teeth done.

I know. You’re getting, you know, it’s all the things. You’re wanting to look the best you possibly can. People are- So it’s the year before. Yeah, and people are- Mm… spending so much more time on things like, as you rightly say, maybe getting a filler here, there, or, you know, doing a huge

skin regime that they’ve never maybe done before. Getting their- It’s a personal journey, isn’t it? Ab- absolutely is. A journey. But I kinda love it- Me too… that we are investing in ourselves or I’m gonna be investing in myself, but yeah, they’re investing in themselves because they just want to be their best version.

And who doesn’t want that? And that’s what it’s all about. And who wouldn’t not want that? So yeah, I absolutely love that people are doing that. Yeah… so yeah, so you’re saying if they’re gonna do the semi-permanent about a year. Yeah. And if it’s to book you in for makeup, so potentially bridal, bridesmaids, moms, maybe grans.

Yeah. Aunts, anybody who’s sort of wanting their, to look glamorous on the day. The full package. Yeah, of course. Yeah, yeah. Uh, so. Yeah. I enjoy doing all ages. I- Yeah… I really enjoy, like, doing the younger ones, because again, with the industry’s went through a, a big evolve with makeup. It really has.

Everything’s changed. Yeah. It’s not all completely matte and long-lasting. It’s very skin-focused. Yeah. The young ones are so ahead of the game. They know exactly what they want. They know all the products. Do they really? They know all the products. They know everything. Good for them. And that’s another exciting thing that’s happening.

Obviously, we’ve got Sephora coming to Glasgow. Yes. That’s huge for us, and Edinburgh, of course, but that’s, that’s huge for us. It’s every single brand within that, that shop. I know. It’s- I’ve just been in America… something. I’m just back from America, and we did, a wee sort of shop day, and we went into that shop, and I was like, “Oh my God.”

Honestly, my, put in my basket was like, Tess, like- No… “We’ve got a suitcase to try and get back home.” He’s like, “Stop it.” I was like… I know, but it’s, it’s, it is exciting. Yeah. The first time I went to Sephora was when I was getting married in New York. Oh, really? And Brian, we went into Times Square the night before I was getting married.

Mm. And he went like that, “Ta-da.” And I was like that, “Oh my God.” No flowers, just there- No… there you go. There’s your wedding present. Sephora. You’d have been in your element. I know. I was like that, “I’ll see you another.” I’ll see you, that immediately means two hours, Brian. It’s br- absolutely brilliant. I love it.

Yeah. I love it. So doing, so doing all the different ages- Yeah… it’s great fun, so you’re doing- Yeah… like the junior, the junior bridesmaids right up- Yeah… to the grans, and it’s all good. I love that. You know? It’s all good. And it’s also different skin types, obviously, that you’re working- Yeah… with then.

So do you sort of say to them, like, “This is how, what I would recommend?” Because- Yeah… I kn- I know I’ve got a, an oily T… Is it a T-bar they call it? Yeah, it’s a T-bar. T-bar. T-zone. T-zone. So I’ve got an oily T-zone, so I know that other people then have to- Yeah. Like, if they’re, if they’re doing work here that they have to compensate for that.

Yeah, yeah. So you’ve got to compensate for dry skin, for people that maybe get eczema- Yeah… or, you know, skin conditions or, or maybe they’re allergic to lots of things or- Yeah… like, there’s a whole host of things that you’ve got to- It’s-… be aware of… and it’s, do you know, I think that’s what’s really good about the job as well, though.

It’s challenging. You know, you challenge yourself all the time, and you’ve got the know- It’s not just about making people look pretty… you’ve got the knowledge to hit… Yeah. You’ve got the knowledge to do these things for people, and that’s the joy of the job, see, being able to make people feel like that and to make- Yeah

people go, “Oh my God, what have you just done?” Yeah. See that feeling. Yeah. That’s what makes you do it. I know. You know? I love it when you always do the reveal, and they, so that you’re sort of chatting to them and they go, “Oh, so I really like, you know, this, and I don’t wear heavy makeup- They’ve had the up and down.

and I don’t do this, and da-da-da.” And then you sort of work your magic and then they sort of look at it, and they’re just always like, “Oh my God, it’s incredible. I look great.” I know. I think that’s such a lovely… You must feel really chuffed, though. I actually get emotional.

Yeah? I get emotional with them. I would as well, because I actually get emotional sometimes- I know. It is… watching your videos, ’cause you maybe see somebody and they go, “Oh, I don’t really wear makeup,” and- We’re really down about ourselves… this is a bit… I know. We’re terrible. We, as women, are really down about ourselves.

See, everybody that comes to get their makeup done especially doing this job you can hear everybody like, “So I really hate this bit about myself, and I really hate this bit.” “Do you think you’ll be able to cover this bit? And I absolutely hate my nose,” and I’ve not even- I know… seen any of this.

Right. Until they point it out to me- Yeah… I’ve not even seen any of this. It’s like I’m scanning their face. I’m looking at the color of their eyes- Yeah… what I’m gonna use on their eyes- Yeah… ’cause their eyes are gonna look amazing with this color. Yeah. A wee bit of this, a bit of that.

Their skin sh- their face shape- Yeah… how I’m gonna bring that out, give them lovely cheekbones. I’ve not even looked at a little pimple. It’s nothing. No, I know. It’s absolutely nothing- I know… ’cause you just cover it up, you know? But it’s obviously a thing for them, isn’t it? We, we obsess about all the tiny little things

instead of just looking at the bigger picture. And that’s what they see when they get the reveal. Yeah. They see the bigger picture then, you know? I know, but it’s so nice though- It is… when they actually look and they go, “Is that me?” Like, “Look what you’ve done. Like, that’s incredible.” That is just lovely.

Yeah. It’s so nice. That’s what keeps you going. That’s- Yeah. That’s, I think that’s the main part of the job is we’re all obsessed by makeup, but that’s not what keeps you going. That’s not what gets you up and wants you to do the job. Yeah. It’s the people. But that’s your experience. Mm. That, that’s, that comes from longevity.

That’s not, you know, “I woke up one day and I wanted to be a makeup artist”, and then you’re- Yeah… producing all that. That’s all your experience in all the different genres that you’ve worked in. ‘Cause you haven’t always been a makeup artist, have you? No. No. I’ve not. No. So what were you before you were a makeup artist?

‘Cause you’ve had quite a colourful life before. I did. It actually feels as if I’m talking about my wee sister sometimes. No, I was a dancer. So I was a dancer and a singer. So yeah, I did Francine and Josie’s last show, the farewell show, and worked with- Fabulous… Ricky Fulton and Jack Milroy and everything.

Incredible. And I was Sleeping Beauty in panto. Amazing. And the diamond fairy. Yeah. We’ve, I’ve done loads and loads of stuff. I was, I was a corpse in Taggart. A corpse. The well-known villains. The makeup on that must’ve been great. I know. Just painted me white with blue lips. I love it. Yeah, no, I was, I was a dancer and singer, but most, most people will get into, like, teaching after it.

I tried it. The kids ra- were swinging from curtains and things, and I was just like, “I’ve got no control over this lot.” Too, too much. “I can’t do this job.” Yeah. So teaching wasn’t for me, and then, I was gonna try different other kinda things that a lot of my friends we started flying, you know, like they, they started doing that.

Oh, right, okay. Yeah, yeah. I’ve got really bad ears when I’m flying, so I thought, “What else can I do?” And everybody was like, “You should get into makeup.” And it just wasn’t a thing back then. Right. So yeah, I did an evening class at Clydebank College. Yep. And- You do Clydebank College?

Caroline. Yeah. Yeah, it was amazing, actually. And Caroline, the lecturer there, she was like, “You should come back and do the HND.” And I’ve… It was something I’d never thought about. So I went back and did three years, and this was like, there was no social media. No. There was nothing like that.

No, no, no, no, no, and I thought I would go into theater, which I did. I did a lot of the theater shows first. ‘Cause this was a new thing for theater as well, ’cause usually the big shows would bring their makeup artists with them. Oh, really? But a lot… Yeah, Right, okay… once you got a couple of jobs out there

you could see that that’s the difference it makes, the makeup does in theater. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I did loads of theater work, but because we’re in Scotland, it’s such a big country to get married in. Yeah. You’ve got people coming from all over the world- Absolutely… getting married in castles. I know.

It’s a big romance thing, isn’t it? I know. It’s great. I do love our industry. Me too. Like, I know I bat on about it constantly, like, I love our industry- Yeah… but this needs to change, or I love our industry. Yeah. Like, it, you know, we’ve sort of remained the same for years and years and years. Like, let’s switch it up.

Yeah. But I think there are a lot of companies out there that are switching things up now, and that really excites me- Yeah… ’cause I’m like, “Let’s not be the same as we were 10 years ago- Yeah, you can feel it… or 20 years ago.” Yeah, and it’s great. You can feel the movement. No, it’s great. I feel it myself.

I feel as if I’ve fallen in love with my job again. I love that. Which means you’ve fallen in love with your business. You’re falling in love with yourself again. You know? It brings so many different- Yeah… points to it. Yeah. Like, compa- uh, it’s not that you lose the passion. You’re just going through the motions.

Of course. And, and this is a, it’s such a big difference in the industry, all the content and everything. I know. It’s great. It’s, it’s another job in itself. It’s like, I know. But see, if you just actually just do what you can just do what you can and just be yourself. Like, I feel that’s the difference.

I’m just being myself. And I think people would much rather see a real human being other than somebody who’s, like, playing at it. Yeah. You know, like, just putting a face on for, like- It’s very polished. I had the polished content. And there’s no need for that. Yeah. ‘Cause we’re all… See, at the end of the day, we all get up in the morning, like, you know, we all start our day off

more or less the same. Like- Yeah… we’re just human beings. Like, the, we don’t have to do all that nonsense. I’m, I’m not a fan of all that polished stuff. Like, you know- If you slip up, you slip up. If you make a mess of something, then that’s life. Yeah. We’re human beings. And po- That’s, that’s what we’re going to do

Polly’s content doesn’t always mean- No, it doesn’t… you know, professionalism and- Ah… reliability and- No, totally… you know, all these kind of things, so. Totally. But, yeah, no, so this is totally out the, the comfort zone, like doing a podcast, but- Yeah… needs must. Like, we have to move with the times, don’t we?

Yeah. We had a podcast- Yeah… back in, I think it was either 2022 or 2023, and I just wasn’t overly happy with how we were doing it. So then I put the kibosh on it, and then I just recently thought, “Do you know? It’s time.” Yeah. “It’s time now.” It’s the, it’s the natural next step for us. And on the back of this we’ve got something really exciting coming as well.

So stay tuned, people. It’s good timing for it. And people- Yeah… people love a podcast. Yeah. Everybody’s got them- Absolutely… on in the car. Yeah. Walking the dog. Yeah. They’re always listening to it. I’ve even listened to some myself. Oh, have you? I’ve moved into the 21st century. Absolutely. I know, we’re just of that era though, aren’t we?

Yeah. Like, we’re just like podcast Yeah. What? I think we’re finally getting it, though. No, I know. Totally. I think that’s what the shift is. Yeah, totally. I think we’re finally getting that it’s time to do this. People are interested. Yeah. They want to know who they’re ba- Yeah… who they’re, uh, or who’s our booking.

Yeah. You know? They wanna hear that. I also think, like, so see when you rock up to the, a venue to do somebody’s, makeup on the day for their wedding, like, like makeup artists in general will always sort of show their brushes out and or all their makeup palettes and things like that. But, I watched something and it was, it was quite funny where, you know, they were walking in and they were trying to get through the revolving doors, and they had like two suitcases, a chair- Yeah

like a mirror and something else, and I’m going, “That’s the reality of it.” It is. Like, you know you’re not just rocking up and going, waving a wee wand and it all just sort of sets itself out. Like, you’ve got- Yeah… kit and you’ve got a lot of kit. Like, it’s not just… That must weigh a ton. It does.

And the time it takes to set up. Like, even though we’ve condensed it all into this, these little, you know, mini kits and things it still takes a long time. We’ve got lights, we’ve got, now we’ve got selfie sticks. I know. But yeah. All your new kit. Oh, have you got to take- Lights and, you know, chairs.

But I got this dinky little chair, and I researched it so that it would fit in the car and it would be smaller to carry. It weighs a ton. Well, does it really? It’s he- it’s like double the heaviness from the other one. All right, you need to bring somebody with you when you- I know, I know

when you’re going out- Well, when Brian’s home-… traveling to-… he can come and help me… oh, bless wee Brian. He’s lovely. He’s lovely. I just want to always do this with his beard. Mm. Find a couple of bugs in there. Absolutely. Absolutely.

What’s sort of next for you? What is on the cards for, for Leigh Blaney, how are you- So just to keep… I mean, I’m excited about, like, this year. This year- Yeah… and next year are looking really, really good. Yeah. Like, already. I’ve got a couple of destination weddings booked.

it’s exciting. That is really exciting. I, I really enjoy it. Especially when it works out with your diary. Yes. You know, ’cause sometimes they’ll, they’ll message you and it’s just you’ve got weddings already booked in. So. And I think we forget that as well, like, just because you’re a makeup artist in Scotland

doesn’t really mean that you have to remain in Scotland. No. Like, if somebody, as you’ve said, you’ve got clients that you’ve had for a long, long time- Yeah… of course they’re gonna want to take you to wherever that is they’re getting married. That’s great. That’s very exciting. And it’s important because there’s so many of my brides that did go away and get married.

This was a, a good while away though. Like, things have definitely changed. Yes. You know, there’s not as m- many kinda language barriers and things like that. There are- Yeah… people from here that are living over there doing it. But, there’s, you know, you’re, you’re not used to the same products that we use here.

Yeah. You know? Like, we know what to do in the heat- Yeah. Yeah… and things, believe it or not, coming from Scotland. But we know how it’s gonna last the pace. No, of course. There’s no conversation you know, uh, stops. Just things like that. I think it’s quite important to feel comfortable on your wedding day as well.

Yeah. Like, you don’t want the anxiety thinking- Yeah… what is this gonna look like? What if this doesn’t work out? You know, you know. You’ve already had your trial at home. Yeah. You know? And the anxiety, I think as well- Mm… comes from- Mm… I don’t want to look like a different person, I want to look like me- Yeah.

The best… but just a wee bit more glamorous. The best version. And you obviously pull that off very, very well for everybody because every video I see I’m just like, “Look at-” And I’m really enjoying it as well, ’cause I don’t even… You forget it’s there. You know? It’s, and it’s just, it’s natural.

And try and relax a bit more. This is n- this is people’s natural reactions- Yeah… ’cause they’ve forgotten that it’s getting filmed. Like- Of course… the phone’s away beside the light. Yeah. Yeah. And it’s really, like, I’m yet to have one that they’re like, “Oh my God.” Right, okay. Let me see if I can fix that one.

Yeah. So Leigh, so Leigh did, you did, my best friend’s wedding- Aww… last year, in October. And, so I went last. I was like, “No, no, no, just get everybody else done. That’s fine.” Yeah. Like, “I’ll go last.” And you said- As you do. I know. Yeah. And you’re like, “I’m just gonna do something totally different, Lesley.”

And I was like, “Okay.” I know. “Okay.” And I thought, do you know what? I trust you, so d- Yeah… it doesn’t matter. And I think I did that whole, “Oh my God”, but not in a bad way. I was just like, “Is that me?” Yeah. Like, “Is that me?” And like- But you, you do normally just kinda play it safe. Oh, I do. You’re very safe.

Oh, I’m terrible. You know, like- I’m just like- I, but I would be the same… ’cause it doesn’t take me an hour and a half to get- Yeah… to do this. It’s li- Yeah… literally just slap it on and- But it’s just- Get out the door… it’s nice to get, it’s nice to get your features brought out the way- Yeah… a makeup artist would do it

rather than yourself, ’cause you don’t look at yourself the way a makeup artist looks at you. No, of course. And that’s why I hate sitting with you just now, because I’m like, “She’s totally analyzing my face going, ‘Oh, she’s done that. She’s not done that.'” That is the last, that is the last thing that I do as well.

Is it? So I think if that was- All my friends are the same. All my friends- I think if that was my profession, I’d be like, “Oh, I’m so crap”… honestly, see every time Natalie comes, Natalie James- Yes. Uh-… comes and gets me for lunch or something- Oh… she says that. Natalie’s lovely. “Right, don’t look at my face.” I’m like- I’m like, “I’m not gonna look at your face.”

I’m looking at your face. I just can’t help it. I know. She’s like, “Right, that was in a rush.” She makes excuses for her makeup all the time. Oh, bless her. Bless her. I know. That’s, yeah. Natalie’s lovely. She’s- Yeah… she’s such a, a great gal. She’s good. Yeah, no, she is. She is. She does quite a lot of destination weddings as well, doesn’t she?

She does. Uh- Yeah… I know. We’re, we’re hoping to get one together. Yay. That would be amazing. That would be great. So just tips. Like, can you give somebody tips on that they’re maybe not confident, or they maybe don’t know about certain brands or certain things. Like, what’s your sort of go-to, like, the, your must-haves in your kit for people, like- So I know it’s a very obvious one, but I can’t see past Charlotte Tilbury.

Okay. I’ve been Charlotte Tilbury from the start- Yeah… right through. Yeah. There’s just some things that if, say, Charlotte Tilbury was to close down tomorrow, which would never happen, that’s not happening, people… it’s not happening. But if it was, I would be devastated. Yeah. Definitely devastated. Yeah.

But I do love, I love Vieve. I’ve got loads of Vieve things- Yeah… in my kit. Yeah, yeah. I’ve got a couple of wee… I’ve actually got a new wee couple of Prada things I read up, and they were really, really nice. Nice. Actually lovely, yeah. Yeah. I, I, you know what? I really try all different things. I love all the, the skin kinda focused things now- Nice

I have to say. So I’ve got a lot of, so I’ve got, like, an extra big pack of skincare in the morning. Amazing. So that makes a big difference to people. You know? Especially, like, the older ones that have just been using a moisturizer, and that’s what they’re used to putting- Oilers, yeah, like… see, I’ve, you took the, you took the words right out my mouth.

I swear to God. You as well.

It’s Ole Is it Ole? Oil of Ulay. There you go. Uh, or Astral or Ponds Oh, right, or Ponds. I remember Ponds. Yeah. My mom using Ponds, So I, you know, like it’s nice for them to get like a nice serum, some- Yeah… cooling eye pads, you know? Nice. Yeah. And plus it’s that wee bit of luxury that you would, you want on your wedding day.

That they’re not wanting to do, and It’s, and see their wee faces. They’re just like, “Oh, what’s that now? What’s that now?” And people take the list down. Or they contact me after the wedding and go “What did you use?” The only thing is I do, I mix so much in. Yeah. So if you’re asking me what base I’ve used

it’s like a, a wee list of 10 things, you know? So it’s not just going out and getting the foundation that I use. It’s like 10 different foundations. Yeah. Yeah. No, absolutely. But still happy to do it. And I remember us talking about the, is it the red light mask? So the red light mask, is that- Do you swear by that or like, ’cause I’m like, “Do I get one?

Do I not get one ’cause I’m getting a bit older now or?” I think it’s hard to judge because I do use, like, so much skincare on myself. I can only, I can only do it and I can only advise if it’s something that I’ve used myself. Yeah, no, of course. Like, I’m not gonna just say ’cause I’ve read it in a magazine or something like that

No, no, no… or, you know, like- Because you’ve got one though… on TikTok or something. ‘Cause I remember you said- I’ve got one… that you’d got one and that you were enjoying it… I feel, especially going through menopause, I feel that that along with my really good skincare- Yeah… my skin’s never been better.

Yeah. Like s- and I mean, in comparison to my 20s. Well, you always look incredible though. You- I’ve had, I, I have actually had skin issues. Like, I had acne- Have you?… when I was younger and- Did you really? Yeah, yeah. definitely. Right. I had like, you know, like, it’s, it’s all hormonal, isn’t it? So like, yeah, I had like the big boils under my chin and- Right

I mean, I look back in a lot of, like, my wee dancer photographs- Yeah… you can see I’ve done my makeup and you can see I’ve patted on the powder- Right… along this area. That was like my wee- But probably only you would notice that. Yeah. We wouldn’t notice that. You might notice that but- Yeah. But I’ve like pat- patted that along

’cause that was my wee insecurity. But yeah, definitely now c- in comparison to the, to the 20s- Yeah, amazing, my skin’s definitely better, so I would put that down to the mask- Yeah… and the, the skincare. But who knows? I know. I don’t know. I know. Somebody might be like that, “Those masks are rubbish.”

But I love it. Final tips, on like if for brides out there, like what would you, what would your sort of must-do tip in the preparation up to your wedding day? So what I normally tell my brides is they all want to know what skincare to use and what to, what they should be doing- Yeah… what they should be doing- Yeah

the year before the wedding. Yeah. You have to find out what you want to look like- Yes… on the day. What do you want to look like? Yes. Don’t listen to everything that you watch ’cause TikTok’s overwhelming. I know. It really is. They get so many different wee tips all the time. Yeah. They feel as if they should be doing this and then they’re listening to all their bridesmaids- Yeah

and it’s a stress. Do what you feels right for you. Yeah, absolutely. Get your skin sorted. Make sure that you’re s- you’re doing everything for your skin journey. Yeah. If you feel good with, uh, lashes done get your lashes done for the wedding. Yeah. It’s absolutely fine. Yeah. Like, I can work around anything.

Whatever you want to do, get a tan, whatever you want to do, you do you. But what not to do is the months before the wedding, go into a blind panic and think that you have to get every treatment under the sun. Oh. That’s f- that’s so m- so often. You turn into a bride. You literally- Yeah… turn into a bride.

I did it myself. Mm. I was like, “Oh, I need to put a pack on my face, and I need to do this.” Like, the week of the wedding. Yeah, yeah. Just stop. It’s not gonna make a difference at that point. No. I do think you go through that stage though, don’t you? Like a, and it is probably a month before the wedding- It is

where you’re like, “Oh my God, there’s only four weeks- “I need to be a bride.”… and I’ve not… and I’ve not done this, and I’ve not done that. And, and you think, “But actually I don’t do that-” In a normal day. Yeah. So why am I doing it now? But yeah, but you’re- I mean, I’ve literally had a bride come in and get her- Yeah

her bridal trial, and she was leaving the trial, wanted to get some skincare to wipe it off ’cause she was going for a chemical peel. And her- Oh, really?… her wedding was in a month’s time. I was like- Oh, wow… “No, I’m not letting you leave here until you phone and cancel that beautician appointment.” Oh, ’cause it’s just not enough time.

No. Does she know that it’s your wedding? You need to, you need to say. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, you can’t get a chemical peel a month- No… before your wedding. No. What if? I know. Just a what if. No, I know. Don’t put yourself in a position that something might irritate your skin. Yeah. No, absolutely. That was incredible.

I loved talking to you, Lea. Thank you so much for coming- You’re welcome… into the studio and chatting to us. And I’ll hopefully catch up with you again later on in the year. That’d be good. Yeah, and we can find out about all your, how your wedding season went. Yeah. Thank you so much, Lea. It’s been a pleasure.

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.