Beauty Full Lives

In this episode, Madeleine is joined by Joseph Harwood , a British model and artist, who talks about their childhood growing up in a church with a Grandad who was a preacher, about how they parlayed success on Myspace into modelling for McQueen, and about turning the inevitable disappointments that pepper every career into something better. There's also a fair bit of love for sentimental products,...

In this episode, Madeleine is joined by the broadcaster Emma Willis , who takes me through her beauty journey from her childhood, where her heroes were Sandy from Grease and Kylie Minogue, both of whom she says appealed because they have that girl next door thing about them, through her years of smoky eyes while working at MTV, all the way to today, where she’s more focussed on health and discussi...

In this episode, Madeleine is joined by the stylist Bay Garnett , the celebrated stylist who pioneered second hand clothing and made thrifting part of mainstream culture again. We talk about that, and many other things from the skinny culture that still prevails in fashion, why some fashion people are a bit snobby about make-up, the Charlotte Tilbury mascara tip she live, and her views on injectab...

In this episode, Madeleine Spencer is joined by the writer Ella Ward , who, in Ella's words "has worked in advertising for 22 years. This means she has a proclivity for profanity and doesn’t respect punctuation. In 2018 she was hit with the cancer stick, which apart from being rather frightening also encouraged a foray into oversharing on Instagram, and then – magically – writing. Her first book,...

In this episode, Madeleine Spencer is joined by the Australian model, actress, and businesswoman Elle Macpherson . During the episode, Elle discusses how her wellness pillars keep her looking and feeling her best at 60, and which habits, supplements, and mindsets serve her particularly well - and why she feels so strongly about WelleCo . This episode is powered by Happy Mammoth’s Hormone Harmony s...

In this episode, Madeleine Spencer is joined by the exonerate, journalist, public speaker, podcast host , and author Amanda Knox . Between 2007 and 2015 she spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial for murder and every single one of those years was splashed across the front pages of newspapers worldwide - often accompanied by the nickname “foxy knoxy”, which she explai...

In this episode, actress and activist Alicia Silverstone talks about how she came to be a household name, some of her experiences with expectations and the attitudes of the time in which she found fame, why she'd much rather be on a sofa or with her dogs than grooming herself, and how she plans to approach the signs of advancing age. The website Alicia mentions in the episode is mykind . This epis...

Author, artist, and slow-living advocate Giselle La Pompe-Moore believes that everything you need to be content lies within, and that there are no barriers to spirituality - you just have to take a moment to take it in (which, incidentally is the name of her book, Take It In ). She joins me in this episode to discuss how she entered through the frenzy of modern life and found that doing less helpe...

In this episode, the make-up artist, author, and YouTuber, Lisa Eldridge, talks about her life story, how she parlayed a passion for make-up into a hugely successful career, the eras she finds most inspiring, and which products from her bestselling range she' match up to some of her A-List clients... This episode is powered by Amly Botanicals. For 22% off your order, use the code BEAUTY22 at check...

I first met Tova Leigh at the launch of her first book, Fucked at 40, which as the title suggests is a rather no holds barred look at some of the things Tova had experienced in her then 40 years. I liked how forthright, fun, and funny she was, and put her on my wish list of guests to come on the podcast. The pandemic slightly thwarted our efforts to have a chat, so in the end, we recorded this epi...

I first came across Irish make-up artist Aimee Connolly a couple of years ago, when I picked up a lipstick by her brand, Sculpted by Aimee, and was blown away by the quality married with clever design. That lipstick, by the way, is the Lip Duo in Pink Pair and it is a lipstick with a liner on the other end - very handy - and it is now a staple in my make-up bag. After that find, I started to try m...

Carrie is an artist who works in a variety of media creating her designs on items as varied as car bonnets, plates and paint cans made of ceramic. She has worked in film, performance and sculpture. Carrie's website describes her output as “anarchic artworks where vintage floral, kitsch, royal and religious crockery is given a new twist by refiring with layers of new ceramic decals." Carrie is...

Internet sensation Hyram grew up on a cattle ranch in what he describes as a ’toxic’ environment, leaving the country life behind to move to tropical Hawaii at the age of just 18 in the hope of finding a new life. He found it, amassing millions of followers for his forensic and refreshing reviews of products, brands, and skincare routines. Hyram is also now the founder of his own brand, Selfless b...

Actress Kristen Bell believes, in her own words, 'in moderation with everything.' In today's episode, she talks about how this relates to her attitude towards food, make-up, and her career, as well as running through the products which mean which she simply can't get by without. This episode is sponsored by Scandi brand Mantle, who are kindly offering 20% off their face and body products with the...

Join me and journalist George Driver for a very rambling meander through the beauty highlights and themes in some of our favourite Christmas films including Home Alone (HELLO Kate McAllister), While Your Were Sleeping (the jumpers! Elsie's soft cashmere skin!), The Holiday (Jude Law's absurd tan and Diaz's very expensive-looking hair occur), and Love, Actually ('would we call her chubby?'). Hosted...

In this bonus episode in the Innovator's Series, in which I'm shining a light on some of the brands doing excellent things within the industry, I'm joined by GP specialising in dermatology Dr Anita Sturnham to discuss EVERYTHING you need to know about IPL, and about the Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 IPL device. We cover how it works, who it is suitable for, why it's safe to use at home, and little detai...

In today's episode I’m joined by brand founder and make-up artist extraordinaire, Danessa Myricks. Her story is quite something - she grew up with busy parents in Queens as one of 10 siblings, worked alongside her dad cleaning funeral homes, then did a stint at Burger King at 14, before working in nursing homes and hospitals and becoming the director of a nursing school 19. She then moved int...

In this episode, I’m joined by the TV personality and author Georgia Toffolo. We spend some time discussing the acneic skin that has affected her confidence deeply throughout her life to the extent where she was allowed special dispensation to apply a layer of foundation during her stint on I’m A Celebrity, as well as lots of joyous things: dogs, Abba, her top beauty essentials, and politics which...

Today, I’m joined by the make-up artist Hannah Martin. She’s far too discreet to divulge her client list, but let’s just say there are a fair few royals on there, and she’s created some of the most dreamy ‘them but better’, so to speak, make-up looks that you’ll be well acquainted with. This episode is a bit about how Hannah embarked on that journey - I especially loved hearing about how a counsel...

English fashion designer Alice Temperley MBE founded her eponymous brand in 2000 after stints at the Royal College of Art and Central St Martins, and her designs have since been worn by Kate Middleton, Madonna, Beyonce, and Halle Berry, among many, many others. Today, Alice and I discuss that ascent and some of the challenges that have come with running a brand alongside being a mum, how being a c...

In this bonus episode, beauty journalist George Driver and I discuss all things beauty - and beyond - in Dirty Dancing. Did Baby steal her sister's beige iridescent lipstick? Is Johnny's silver bracelet the Connell's chain of Dirty Dancing or is it terrible? Can a Danish pastry ever be pure protein, as Max Kellerman suggests? Is Dr. Jake Houseman the scene stealing fox of the film and why does he...

I’m joined in this bonus Innovators episode by Alex Tomic and Nik Mirkovic, who founded the Australian oral care brand HiSmile, and who continue to run it today. We talk about how they came to found the brand and how they made the most of a business idea - both are very keen on working with the best minds and on constantly trying to improve on what’s currently on the market. They are big believers...

In this episode, I’m joined by blogger, author, and founder of the Insecure Girls Club, Liv Purvis, to talk about how she came to find success online, on the joys and pitfalls of that job, how her experiences lead her to found the Insecure Girls Club, and how she finds balance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's second bonus episode in this series in which I’m highlighting some incredible brand stories and talking to the people behind it all to find out just how they did it, I’m joined by Lizzie Pike, the co-founder of Face Halo. Since launching in 2017, Face Halo has replaced around 370 million wipes in the UK, saving over a billion makeup wipes from ending up in landfill sites globally.&...

In this episode, I’m joined by celebrity make-up artist Sandy Linter. Sandy’s career exploded in the mid ‘70s, when Vogue wrote a feature on her make-up style, after which she was highly in demand, regularly making up all the top models of the day. She frequented Studio 54, and was part of the hedonistic lifestyle that characterised that era. She also famously had a love affair with the supermodel...