Wendy Rowe: [00:02:15] Hi, thank you for having me.

Wendy Rowe: [00:02:45] Well, the reason why I’ve done the book was the lot of people… You know, I used to do lots of interviews and people are asking me about my routine and what I do in the day and, you know, skincare and my regime. Then they came to me with these book offers and I was like, well, I don’t want to do a makeup book because, for me, people watch makeup videos now. I feel like a makeup book is old-fashioned. I mean, listen, there are great books that I’ve seen along the way, which I love, but they were then and times have changed and you need to move with what’s going on.

Wendy Rowe: [00:03:18] I have always cared about what I ate. I’ve always worked out. I think fundamentally that will always give you great skin. And if you have a great starting point, then makeup is easy. So that’s what I wanted to concentrate on. And also, it’s a little bit of an apothecary take on it because there are lots of things that probably your grandmother would have done, you know, back in the day before we all had doctors and whatever. That home remedies that people would have known about. I mean, a lot of the actual commercial drugs are come from plants, So there’s a lot of healing within plants and stuff that you don’t know about. So I was just trying to kind of re-educate people.

Wendy Rowe: [00:04:05] Also, it was a book for me just to remember because I’m not massively academic and I do forget stuff a lot. I’m very dyslexic, and it was kind of like a way of being concise and putting everything I needed to remember because, you know, sometimes you get them. Someone tells you something or you read a self-help book or something and you think, oh my God, that’s it. And then you don’t listen to it for a while and you completely forget it. And it’s a bit like, why can I not retain that information? You know, like something you should do that you just keep on forgetting to do, which is very simple. So it’s kind of a way of putting all of that together.

Wendy Rowe: [00:04:43] Also, a little bit about my life and some stories about traveling and stuff like that and all the things I’ve picked up along the way. You know, as a makeup artist, you’re expected to be like a paramedic, doctor, a therapist, and that’s all actually, even before you become a makeup artist.

Wendy Rowe: [00:05:03] Because you have to understand the person. You have to care about the person and you can make them look good, but you need to make them feel good. So it comes hand in hand. And it’s funny. I was thinking about this the other day and I thought, I feel good about myself when I work out and I eat well, and if I feel good, then I automatically look good. And it just comes hand in hand. So I’m just kind of giving everybody a bit of a head start before you even get into the makeup thing. And then that makes it much simpler.

Wendy Rowe: [00:05:46] Yeah. You’re not spending any money.

Wendy Rowe: [00:05:58] I mean, obviously all the greens, the dark grains. You know, I always say, eat like the rainbow. Try and make your food colorful, try and cook it from basic. I know sometimes people don’t have that option. You know, if you’ve got kids and you’re racing around but try and have things that are not already made because you don’t know what goes in it. Because they can put sugar in it and stuff like that. And that’s probably why you like it, right? It’s massive, like an addiction,

Wendy Rowe: [00:06:27] But you know, red cabbage, that’s something that people always forget. And you know, all these things with like strong colors are really good for you. Red cabbage, that’s got vitamin C. Now you wouldn’t think about that, but it’s really, really good for your skin, and it repairs and stuff like that. So that’s something that people don’t really think about. But if you think about it, the strong colors get a lot that will help you loads. It’s greens, it’s got iron. I mean, orange with vitamin C. So, try and think about bright colors and I say eat like the rainbow.

Wendy Rowe: [00:07:25] Well, I mean, I always say this which is true. It’s just like, always take your makeup off. There’s nothing… Listen I know, the odd times, listen. No one’s perfect. And this is what I want to say about my book. No one is perfect. I’m not perfect. I mean, surprisingly. But you know, no one’s perfect. And I think if you think that you’re going to be perfect, you’re heading for a fall. So don’t. Don’t be too hard but take off your makeup. It’s a real necessity. I would say every now and then, It’s okay. You’re not going to have really damaged skin afterward. It’s okay, but try and think of that as one of those roles that you try not to forget. It becomes a habit. You know you don’t feel clean until you’ve taken it off to go to bed.

Wendy Rowe: [00:08:22] I would say I would only cleanse at night. Do not cleanse in the morning, because if you cleanse in the morning, you strip away… Well, bear in mind, you should have had clean skin when you went to bed, but you would strip away all the natural oils. The skin needs time to rebalance. And the best time that you can do that is at night when there’s no pollution around, there’s nothing else going on. You’re just in your bedroom and unless you’re smoking in bed or something, there’s nothing going to, you know, nothing. There’s no outside influence, so it should be clean. So it will give you time to rebalance your skin.

Wendy Rowe: [00:08:59] And then in the morning, just water. Just liven your skin up just with cold water and a toner. And a moisturizer is about protecting. It only protects you from the outside elements. It will nourish slightly, but it’s all in fight mode, so it’s a bit like cha-cha-cha-cha. Sound, pollution, this that. So really, that’s what that moisturizer does. At night is when you can nourish. You can add extra at night because it’s got other outside influences having a go at it. So I suppose they are a couple of my golden rules.

Wendy Rowe: [00:10:17] Beauty saviors, I would say on a food level, I would say, fish to me. I mean, I know everyone’s with this whole thing about mercury and the sea’s polluted and stuff like that. Listen, there’s always going to be something, but they do have natural oils and they are good for you. So,  it’s an internal oil. Also, you can get that from avocado because I know a lot of people are like, you can get that from avocado but I like fish. So you know that for me is a savior. I think moisturizer is a savior, is a protector.

Wendy Rowe: [00:10:59] Betrayers? What did I say? Tell me because it was four or five years ago when I wrote this book. So you know know what I mean?

Wendy Rowe: [00:11:15] Oh yes, OK. They are like betrayers. Like I said before, they always got secret stuff in them. Stuff or food coloring or sugar. So it might look healthy, but it’s not. You know, you only really need to look. And if you’ve got time to check out everything on the back of a packet of stuff, then good luck. Listen, if you pick up a bit of broccoli, you know what that is, right? You just don’t need to worry too much and unless you’re a nutritionist. Good luck with that.

Wendy Rowe: [00:11:55] It’s the same thing with skincare. Sometimes it’s very complicated, even for me, for a makeup artist to understand what all these ingredients do. I’m not a chemist, I just know what works and what doesn’t work. And I always think, keep it simple, don’t overthink it. I mean, that’s a note to self too, actually. Because, you know, we all do try and overthink it. Just try and keep it simple. Try and keep it fun. Try and keep it easy, because then you’re not going to make too many mistakes.

Wendy Rowe: [00:12:37] I think the herbal pharmacy. When I had done a herbal pharmacy, I really enjoyed doing that. I really enjoyed researching it because it made me learn stuff. And in London, there’s a place called the Chelsea Physics Garden, and I went and done an apothecary course there. And it’s so interesting where things came from, naturally, and what they used before. I love stuff like that. I just think they’re great nuggets of information if you can retain them. I still look at my book, and go what was that?

Wendy Rowe: [00:13:23] Well, for one, there’s willow. And willow is aspirin. Obviously, we’re not going to be able to retract that from the plant and stuff like that. But you know, nettle is so good. A lot of teas like calendula, which is marigold. A lot of them are good for hormones and stuff like that. And getting rid of fluid retention, water retention or things like that. I love all these things because as women, we all tend to suffer from emotional ups and downs and water retention. And anything like that. And if you can get rid of it, naturally, it’s always better, right?

Wendy Rowe: [00:13:23] Well, for one, there’s willow. And willow is aspirin. Obviously, we’re not going to be able to retract that from the plant and stuff like that. But you know, nettle is so good. A lot of teas like calendula, which is marigold. A lot of them are good for hormones and stuff like that. And getting rid of fluid retention, water retention or things like that. I love all these things because as women, we all tend to suffer from emotional ups and downs and water retention. And anything like that. And if you can get rid of it, naturally, it’s always better, right?

Wendy Rowe: [00:14:28] I mean, I love ginger. So anything. Ginger in water or a mint tea. You know, ginger is great for the stomach and digestion. You know, I love light, fresh mint teas. It kind of reminds me…Obviously, things that I like remind me of certain things like, it’s very kind of North African. And I love that and it is so fresh. But you know, if you’re not someone that’s into drinking water, that kind of thing is very easy to do. It’s kind of tasty, but without being any calories or anything but only beneficial?

Wendy Rowe: [00:15:18]  You should be older having that by the jug. Maybe I should have that.

Wendy Rowe: [00:15:33] Well, you know, I always think of rose water. It’s very easy to make. You know, obviously here in the UK, rose is our kind of thing. You know, we used to have a rose garden when I was a kid. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a huge rose garden. It was just a regular garden with roses because everyone had roses. And it’s just something very easy you can do. It’s so calming for the skin. It’s gentle. Anybody could use it. I would never have a problem with anybody using it. I wouldn’t think, oh, it will flare their skin up or it will dry out. It’s just very kind.

Wendy Rowe: [00:16:13] The spirulina mask, I mean, it’s probably something you wouldn’t have in your cupboard, but it’s really worth getting the spirulina because it’s an antioxidant. It really stores the skin and the health of the skin. And you know what? The one thing about Spirulina is because you can make a lot of home masks, but they might be clay-based or over-moisturizing. This one’s super kind as well, so it doesn’t matter what’s going on. That’s why I always try and put a win-win for everybody because if you put something with clay in, well, it will dry and it will pull out stop. But the spirulina is restoring and moisturizing without it being over-moisturizing, without it being overdrying. It’s just a lovely mask. It’s smelly, but you know.

Wendy Rowe: [00:17:14] I mean, honey, but you know you need to use Manuka honey, which is expensive. And that’s got propolis in it. And Propolis is an antibacterial, and that’s why people say, have a spoonful of honey if you’ve got a sore throat and stuff like that because it’s a natural antibacterial. A lot of creams have Propolis in it which is a natural antibacterial.

Wendy Rowe: [00:17:37] So yeah, I mean, that’s good. That’s moisturizing. That’s calming. I mean, there are lots of alternatives. I mean, I like that too with milk, because that’s good as well. I mean, that’s what Cleopatra used to bathe in, the ass’s milk.

Wendy Rowe: [00:18:18] I would say what I know from the years of doing makeup, you have to prep your skin first. So I would say you need a very light cleanser and toner just to get it in a great place. Nothing that strips the skin. Super light, like a very, very light lotion and then a kind of an in-between moisturizer. More of a lotion. That will help you with everything else you’re going to do. So that’s what I’d say. I would say masks are always good but don’t use a mask that has too much product on it because it will roll the makeup.

Wendy Rowe: [00:19:03] So you need to have the right amount. It’s a real fine line. The gel masks are better, actually if you’re going to do makeup. And what else would I say? I mean, there are things that I always do. It makes everyone feel good before I’ve even started. I mean, always put on a lip balm before you even start, so you can kind of deal with your face and this is nourishing at the same time. It’s just a little…because lips get dry and that’s just the way it is. So you might as well start off with hydrating them first thing.

Wendy Rowe: [00:19:38] I don’t want to give you too much stuff because it shouldn’t be that complicated. But, take your time with makeup. You need the right products to do it quickly, and I think, most people are still kind of navigating that path. I have to figure it out quickly because I know that I don’t have much time. But if you get your skin in a good place to start with, the mistakes are minimal. Also, if you make a mistake, it’s okay because I make loads of mistakes, and then I change it. And it’s okay. That doesn’t mean I’m rubbish. Because I know sometimes people do the makeup and they go, Oh my God, it’s gone wrong or it doesn’t suit me. It might not suit you. So just change the shape slightly. You know, you can always adapt.

Wendy Rowe: [00:20:30] I mean, I always say, I’m a good decorator. And I mean, as in when I make a cake, I’m not very good at baking, but I can decorate it amazingly. So it’s a bit like once you’ve got your foundation, the decoration, you can always move around slightly. It’s never in stone. Don’t think it needs to be exactly the same as someone else’s because everyone’s face is different. And so you will suit something slightly different to someone else, and it might be really minimal. But don’t worry about that. Just do what works for you.

Wendy Rowe: [00:21:08] Yeah, and I know I say,  I’ll give you some tips beforehand because these things I just know over the years. It’s a bit like, look at your face first and try and keep it simple. I’ll just give you the failures that I’ve had so at least you’re aware of them before you start. I mean, because I think makeup is like cooking because you have all the ingredients. Listen, that dish will never turn out the same, twice. Unless you’re like Gordon Ramsay or someone like that. So for normal people, it’s not going to, and it’s okay.

Wendy Rowe: [00:21:48] And that’s the same with makeup. It will never be the same. You can kind of try and hit it at something that works good but you know, faces change. You know, sometimes it might be a bit rounder. Sometimes it might be a bit skinnier. Sometimes you might have had a good day and look amazing. Sometimes you might not have such a good day, so you kind of have to just work with what is going on. And so I say no dish will ever be the same. No face is ever the same. So, just try and tailor it for yourself, and don’t be too harsh or perfect.

Wendy Rowe: [00:22:23] You know, it doesn’t need to be that perfect. You know, you’re not doing a beauty campaign. No one’s going to see the mouth the size of a TV screen. It’s okay. And also when you do makeup, when you do your own makeup, no one is going to be that close to you. No one’s going to be like, I don’t know how to measure that, like 10 inches. They’re not going to be that close. Now, you know, they’re always going to be slightly far away. Otherwise, it’s a persona space thing. Well, at the moment, two meters, isn’t it? Or is it even more? I don’t know. But you know, no one’s that and never that close to you.

Wendy Rowe: [00:23:01] And also, I think about when you do your makeup, look at it as a whole face because I do see these things on Instagram and they do an eye, which looks amazing. But let’s see both eyes with the face because it might look a bit like, Whoa, that’s a lot. You know what I mean? So it’s a bit like, don’t just concentrate on the eye, just kind of move it back and try and see it as an overall picture.

Wendy Rowe: [00:23:52] Ok, so everyone thinks they’ve got dark undereye circles. This is a thing. Under-eye circles are normally like a blue tone. And so you just need a concealer that doesn’t look your color. It needs to be slightly orange, but still of your skin tone, but much more oranger. NARS do a great one. I think Mac do a great one. They call them eye brighteners and you might go, whoa, that doesn’t look like my skin tone but trust me on the color wheel, which is a whole another thing, it’s the opposite. So it counteracts. So just know that something with a little bit of orange is going to get rid of blue. That’s all you need to know. You don’t even need to know about the color wheel which is boring.

Wendy Rowe: [00:24:49] It’s not bright orange, though. Let’s not get into…It’s not like orange. It’s got an undertone of orange. I mean, when you’re a darker skin tone, like Indian or something, you might need to go much more orange. And that seems very weird. But actually, it will counteract because a lot of Indian skin tones tend to be darker around the eye and around the mouth. So it’s a good balance to knock that out with an orange. So that’s when you would go brighter. But for a lighter skin tone, no.

Wendy Rowe: [00:25:27] I think Charlotte Tilbury does an orange that really looks like a blush, but if you’re dark, it really works. You need to know that if you didn’t know, you’d be like, what is that?

Wendy Rowe: [00:25:48] Ok, so the thing is with that is if you can get your skin in a good place, that’s why I say you use a really light cleanser, nothing that you have to wash off of a sink. It’s not like a full-on… It’s a really light lotion. So you rub it in. And what I do is I rub it around in circles. Any dryness. Because what happens with a blemish is, you might get dry skin around it. And if you conceal it and you put concealer on it, it just goes, Oh my God, you’ve got a blemish. And all of this dry skin really stands out now, so you just try and get rid of all of that first. Give yourself a chance.

Wendy Rowe: [00:26:27] And what people’s common mistake is, they might have some blemishes and what they’ll do is they’ll put on their full coverage because they want to cover, say their cheeks or their chin. And put on a full coverage everywhere which is not the way to do it, is to put on a lighter coverage foundation so you can still spill the skin. You can still see the skin because it doesn’t look like you’ve got bad skin. And then what you do is you go in with a concealer, probably like a liquid or a cream, and then you just tap it onto the area and then do a little bit around the area and then blend it out.

Wendy Rowe: [00:27:09] And if you find that it’s not staying because it’s raised, then get a little tiny brush and just paint it in. Listen, it’s painstaking, but it works, and it looks like you don’t have bad skin. And you need to powder it because anything that sticks out will catch light. So if you put powder on it, it will flatten it and then you won’t look like you’ve got bumps.

Wendy Rowe: [00:27:34] I’ll tell you another thing what a lot of my friends always ask me is, you know, mascara, I don’t want it to move. And, sometimes people get mascara under their eyes after a little while. And I would say my best tip for that is use waterproof mascara on the bottom lashes, for sure. I mean, I always do it on all my clients, and they always go, oh Wendy, it’s so hard to get off. And I’m like, You need to use oil. I don’t mean a baby oil but a cleanser with oil and water, like eye makeup removers. Lancome do a great one. Vichy.

Wendy Rowe: [00:28:13] And so if you use that because I need things that perform, so when I leave someone and they go on the red carpet and then I’m done. I can’t do anything now. And so I need to make sure whatever happens that they’re not going to have mascara down their face because that would be like, Oh my God. And no one tells you until you go into the bathroom. The other thing is always powder under the lashes and don’t take concealer too high under the eye. Because it’ll all be greasy because you do produce oil here, so try and not take it right up to the lash line if you’re going to conceal. You’ll always have a natural shadow there anyway,

Wendy Rowe: [00:28:57] So it’ll always be slightly, I mean, we’re talking slightly darker, just a tiny shadow because the eyelashes give you shadow. So you don’t need to take concealer right up to there. Also, you might have an eye, you might have a smoky eye and have done some stuff. So don’t take it right up and make sure this is quite powdered. Overpower it you will be good.

Wendy Rowe: [00:29:27] What other things can I think about? Oh, doing a quick lip. You know, I mean, I know this from doing shows and you’re rushed and people have come in from other shows and you’re like, Oh my God, I’ve got to get this makeup on. And maybe it’s a red lip. Oh, my God. So what I intend to do is I’ll do the bottom lip and then I get them to press their mouth together. And that will give you a natural where it should naturally be full. And then you just need to just fill it in slightly. But it’s a quick way to do a red lip if you’re in a rush.

Wendy Rowe: [00:30:04] Yeah, because you can spend ages on it. When I’m doing my hair I can spend ages. I don’t overdo it very often and so I’m going, oh I don’t know. Sometimes it’s best not to think about it too much but we do. That’s what we like to do. But that’s okay. I would say don’t wear makeup all the time. Give your skin a chance to breathe. I wouldn’t necessarily… I know some people like to do this, but keep your makeup super minimal when you’re working out because the pores open and again give yourself a chance. Give yourself a break.

Wendy Rowe: [00:30:47] I think the most modern makeup is less makeup. If you want to be in fashion then that actually is quite minimal make up, and if you looked after your skin, you feel okay about that. Maybe it’s just an eyebrow or something. That’s the most modern makeup. Some people go, I want you to make it look modern. I think, well, that’s not a lot of makeup. That’s cool because it comes with everything else. You know the attitude. What you’re wearing. Because people don’t just look at your face, they look at everything and half the time you’re talking to someone, it doesn’t really matter anymore, as long as you have a nice time.

Wendy Rowe: [00:31:40] I would say, two years from opening. Two years from opening. Listen, if you like something just carry it. Lipstick, you don’t need to worry about. I think foundations, that’s a little bit more tricky. They oxidize, so they probably won’t perform in the way that you expected them to perform. And that’s because they’ve kind of turned, separated. So, if you wanted to wear a 24-hour foundation, not that I would say that was a good thing. I think probably anything that stays on for 24 hours is a little bit scary. And your skin breathes so you know I don’t think that’s great.

Wendy Rowe: [00:32:25] But if something’s not performing in the way that you want it to, it’s probably gone off. And that’s just a simple way. Apart from the fact, you can probably smell it, but if you really love it and it’s a powder eyeshadow or something. As long as it’s not doing anything to you. You’re not getting red-eye or something. Then it’s time to say goodbye.

Wendy Rowe: [00:32:49] It was lovely, but you can’t get the same thing, because obviously that would be discontinued. I know the same vein and I bit like, you know, they discontinued the most favorite thing I ever liked because that’s what makeup companies do. I don’t know why.

Wendy Rowe: [00:33:25] You can’t see behind me because I’ve put it all down on the floor but this is one of the boxes. This is stuff that I get sent all the time. I mean, I really like RMS. Rose-Marie Swift. I like her range. I think it’s great. I think her products are really good. They’re quite natural, as in natural, in finish and they’re completely natural in formulation. So I think she’s great. Who else? All right. Tower 28. I like that. That’s a nice natural range. And you know, the story behind that is the girl had eczema and couldn’t use makeup, and that worked for her. So I really do like that. I’m just looking around my room because of course, it’s a bit like you ask me a question like this and I can’t…

Wendy Rowe: [00:34:17] Just going over my mind. Jones Road. They’re doing some great stuff. Do you know Jones Road? It’s Bobbi Brown? It’s her new line and it’s called Jones Road, and that’s really lovely. Who else? Victoria Beckham. One more expensive price point. I think that’s really nice. And natural. These are all natural. I think, Hourglass, I really love.

Wendy Rowe: [00:34:47] They’re a great brand. I can’t think of anyone else but it’s a bit rubbish. And maybe if they look at my blog, I write everything down. And because you know, I’ve worked with the Soil Association in the UK for quite a long time, and they have like brands doing well. And so, you know if you just put in like clean makeup or organic makeup or something like that, then all the pages come up.

Wendy Rowe: [00:35:17] I have to remember everything.

Wendy Rowe: [00:35:28] I’m glad you enjoyed. It’s been a pleasure.

Wendy Rowe: [00:35:51] And check out my YouTube. You won’t be on it for hours. I will give you tips at the beginning and it’d be great to see what other people with the looks that I’ve done.

Wendy Rowe: [00:36:08] So, you would love it. I mean, some of them are fun. Some of them are more wearable. I try and keep it easy.

Wendy Rowe: [00:36:20] Yeah, we want a lot of that ’cause we’re always in a rush.

Wendy Rowe: [00:36:27] It’s been a pleasure and thank you for having me.