Krista Madden chatted with X Factor finalist Ella Henderson about her recent collaboration with Batiste, favorite beauty products and mermaids;
I always kind of have Batiste Monday or Batiste Wednesday. You know those days you think, ‘Mmm I haven’t got anything going on so I’m going to Batiste it.’?
I think that is the whole reason why I am getting involved in a brand like this. Whenever any endorsement deal comes along, you know, there has been countless record people coming along and I have turned them away just because I don’t feel like I fit the part. And I won’t go with anything unless I fully believe it. I want to represent a brand and be wholehearted about it. I was so excited when this came in because I love mermaid hair. I am all about my hair and this is a product that I use anyway. I use it everyday and as a young girl I used it back in college because I’d do a lot of dancing and dance training so I would use it so I wouldn’t have to wash my hair for the next day.
Use it under the back of the neck..?
Yes! Under the back of the neck and at the roots to create volume and texture, everything. To create my own can and vary it and get involved with the brand that closely and to be an ambassador is an exciting thing for a young nineteen-year-old girl.
How did you decide how you wanted it to smell and how you wanted it to look? Did they give you a few options or did you go straight in and say, ‘I have got these ideas.’?
I kind of knew that I wanted. It kind of always reflected back to my music and I wanted everything to tie in together with my campaign. It will be nice to involve Batiste with things that I do. So of course that is why we use “Mirror Man” for the advert and fitting with that because it has quite a cool urban guitarist. We wanted it to be set at nighttime. So we used the neon lights in Shoreditch and that is where we filmed it, in a London black cab—me just on a night out with my friends and I’m literally shuzzing my hair… It is as if I am coming from the studio, in the car with my friends and I’m off going to a bar for the night to just chill out with them. That is my everyday life. I go to a studio and I come away and I’m on to the next thing then the next and then I’m on a plane then a car. That is how [Batiste] fits into my life. It has hints of vanilla, coconut and then it has sandal wood and an undertone of musk.
What [perfume] do you wear?
Oh my gosh it changes all the time. I am always in airports so when I see perfume I spritz and I buy it–so I always have new ones. What I have done now is I have got a collection that each perfume represents a different country.
What is your go to, have to have skin care, make up, other hair thing? What are your favourites?
Probably cleanse, tone and moisturise everyday and I use the brand Dermalogica. It is incredible and it really works well for my skin. It is really soft and good for sensitive skin. Papow ointment for my lips—it is amazing. I always get chapped lips and especially as I am on a lot of planes. A really good face mask as well, and a hair mask actually. But the face mask I use a lot for when I am on the plane because my skin dries out a lot. The hair mask, obviously everyday if I am doing stuff. I’m always putting heat on my hair which isn’t great for it, so I always put a hair mask on and I wrap my hair in cling film at night and I sleep like that. It kind of sweats into your hair a little bit, all the natural oils and everything comes out. It is really good.
Who do you love, inspiration wise, style wise? Any actresses or singers?
For my hair I get a lot of inspiration from mermaids even if it just artist pictures. I am obsessed with mermaids.
In H&M there are mermaid t-shirts. Is that your thing?
Mermaids and pineapples. I swear last year there was a phase where fashion started printing pineapples and things and now mermaids are coming in and flamingoes and unicorns. It is all happening!
Where do you like to go shopping?
I like to mix it up. I like to mix high end with high street. I don’t like to go full out in… I mean, I am wearing Charlotte Olympia with Zara with Alexander Wang. I love Topshop, River Island, Zara. And then when it comes to high end stuff I like Gucci, Valentino and all of those beautiful designs that they have.
Obviously being on shoots it is fantastic because you work with so many great people and professionals, have you picked up any tips?
Probably my brows. I have only got very fair brows but they are quite thick and they are there which a lot of make up artists love. But I hate getting my eyebrows threaded and all of that but being shown how to shape my brows is really helpful. You completely define your whole eye shape.
Do you like your facials and massage and mani/pedis as well?
Yes, I get a bit restless when I am having my hair and facials done but you get used to it. I love a good spa day and relax and treating my mum and sister!
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