meet our guest editor... Charlotte Jolly
Charlotte Jolly. Great name. Completely and utterly lovely person. Sorry, all formality has gone out the window here, as we’re still stuck indoors, juggling endless balls, listening to the news with trepidation and clinging onto every bit of good stuff we can with all our might. Charlotte, or Charlie as she is known, is Beauty Director of Hello! and Hello! Fashion and very graciously agreed to give us a window into her bathroom cabinet and make-up bag over the phone, the day after New Year’s Day, when by all rights she should have been prone on a sofa with her head in a bucket of Quality Street. If there’s anyone we trust to spill all the good beans, it’s this lady. Her own pared back make-up look is always on point and we are huge fans of her weekly beauty shoots and incisive writing.
>> Read on for Charlie’s favourite celebrity interviews and her top 5 make-up and skincare products.
This was an almost impossible task apparently but these are the products that made the cut...
I don’t wear blusher very well and I can quickly look very clown-like if I'm not careful so I literally dot this onto my cheeks and blend it out for a really subtle glow. I find that blusher can sharpen the shadows under my eyes so I use it very sparingly.
I guess not everyone would classify this as make-up but I use it as a primer or as a highlighter over make-up and it's just one of those products that has a cushioning, blurring, brightening all round flattering effect on your skin. You just can’t go wrong with it.
When I've got time I like to blend two MAC Lipmix creams in Magenta and Orange and set with their Magenta Pigment Powder for a real colour pop but that would tip me over my 5 product quota so I'm going for this liquid lip crayon that gives you that stamped-on Gwen Stefani look. Velvety and matte with great staying power.
This is double ended so I use the comb to brush up my brows and then once they're up I just fill in any gaps and accentuate. The nib is so fine and soft, I find you can draw on individual hairs for a nice understated but very groomed effect.
For me, dark circles are my thing, my bugbear. I've tried a lot of concealers over the years and this is the one. It gives great coverage but at the same time is really inconspicuous. I was really surprised that this wasn’t in your top 5 (noted Charlotte!) It’s kind of magical - its camouflaging properties are that good.
As with many people in this industry (we are beginning to realise), Charlotte says she fell into beauty. “I studied History and I was definitely going to be a lawyer or a historian.” she laughs. Two years working in Paris took her off course and she returned to London with a new plan to be a journalist. An internship at Condé Nast Traveller, then a job as a PA on Easy Living magazine was the springboard she needed to get onto the hallowed beauty desk. ” I thought I wanted to work in travel or on features but actually, the thing about beauty is that it offers such a dynamic role. You can be researching a really technical skincare feature one day or writing a love letter to the latest fragrance but then you also get to art direct shoots, work with photographers and experience that whole creative side… I was really drawn to that.”
Angelina Jolie is just astonishingly beautiful. Those cheekbones and lips and all the shadows that fall in just the most exquisite way…
These days you’ll find Charlie overseeing the beauty content of both Hello! and Hello Fashion, titles that as you would expect, give her a plenty of access to A-list celebrities. Who has she enjoyed interviewing the most over the years?
“I’d definitely put Karen Elson on the list. She is a proper beauty aficionado. She knows so much! Everything about skincare, fragrance, make-up and she’s just so interesting. She’s British so there was all this common ground but she lives in Tennessee and she’s a musician too – I didn’t realise what an accomplished musician she is – and she’s just really fascinating. I absolutely loved interviewing her.”
Anyone else that really left an impression?
“I suppose the biggest celebrity I’ve met is Angelina Jolie. I’ve interviewed her a few times through Guerlain and she is very professional and just astonishingly beautiful. Those cheekbones and lips and all the shadows that fall in just the most exquisite way… You can’t stop looking at that bone structure. “
We asked Charlotte to pick her own personal top 5 for her Fiive Guest Editorship and she chose home comforts, which is very apt. “I think everything is about feeling grounded and happy in your own space at the moment. It has been such an unsettling year for everyone and these are the little things that make me feel just that little bit more peaceful and calm.”
Thank you Charlie. Here’s to feeling more grounded very soon. Stay home, stay safe everyone.
You can follow Charlotte Jolly at @mscharliejolly and see her work in Hello! and Hello! Fashion
Images: 1. Charlotte with Gigi Hadid for Maybelline 2. Karen Elson from her album, Radio Redhead Vol. 1 3. Charlotte with Angelina Jolie for Guerlain. 4. Some of Charlotte’s work for Hello! Fashion
All images from Instagram
Lockdown began straight after the birth of Charlotte's second daughter. Apart from plenty of cuddles we asked her what creature comforts really make the days feel brighter at home in between walks, walks and more walks...
This is one of those if you know, you know products. It’s a body mist but I’ve always kept one on my desk and I spray it into the air whenever I need a little re-set. I think I was working at Stylist when I first came across it, where they would sporadically spray the office with it.
This year  has really elevated the status of the humble handcream and this one is really hardworking. It’s silky, softening and it smells glorious. A pleasure to use.
My wearable hot water bottle. You can cuddle it you can sling it over your shoulder you can wrap it round your waist and because of the length it does a really good job of warming up the bed. Great for post-natal too. I find it really comforting.
Some life advice that I’ve always held onto, was given by the father of the bride at a wedding I went to. He said, always keep a bottle of fizz in the fridge so you can celebrate the good things that come along. I loved that. The idea that you should live in anticipation of good things happening. We visited a family run vineyard between lockdowns and have a bottle of their Ashling Park sparking wine in the fridge now. It’s excellent.
While I’ve been doing night feeds, I’ve started listening to all the old Desert Island Discs and I came across Wendy Cope’s interview and remembered that I had her book. I love dipping into these poem’s and reading Wendy’s words of contentment.
Proof that you don't have to spend a fortune to get great skincare results...
I feel like I have such an affinity with The Body Shop. I grew up with them and they are such a trail blazing British brand. I love this because it’s in a proper tin, so no plastic packaging and it's just £11. It melts on contact with your skin so it really encourages me to take the time to do a facial massage, which I’m a huge advocate of. It's a great cleanser that lifts of all SPF and make-up. I use a warm flannel to take it off.
I met the founders of The Inkey List, Mark and Collette and they have such a refreshing, maverick approach to skincare - they're really shaking it up. All of their products really work and I've found that PHA’s are my sweet spot for exfoliation. It's a more gentle way to exfoliate that really works for my skin. This little PHA bottle really works for me.
I could have put a Vitamin C product in here but I had to sneak a bit of self tan into my skincare and I think this is an effective juncture to put some tan in to my regime - after I’ve really buffed it and it’s super clean. This gives a really good reliable glow and it contains hyaluronic acid and anti-oxidants so it's a really great formula.
This is part of my Winter skin wardrobe. It’s really hydrating and incredibly healing. My skin can be quite blotchy and dry at this time of year and this works on several fronts, soothing and firming and plumping – I really love this moisturiser.
I have used this product for years. I wear SPF every single day, all year round and this is like a silky fluid that you could mistake for a make-up primer. I find it evens out and brightens up my skin and with SPF 50, it provides really good protection. My absolute favourite.