Rachel Chinouriri interview: The star spills her beauty secrets
This week, our June/July cover star Rachel Chinouriri spilled all of her beauty secrets and go-tos; from her wash-day routine to her makeup obsession, here's her life in beauty...
Black beauty means to me elegance, class, sophistication. I think there is a grandness to Black women. Growing up and seeing Black women, it's like they love to be neat, tidy, well-kept, the finest – all the way to the nails, the hair. I'm a bit more rough around the edges, and I have three older sisters who would see me about to go out and be like, 'No, you're not doing that.'
So, I think it's fierce, it's stunning, it's clean, it's chic, and I just love being a Black woman and being in the Black beauty scene.
I've had one facial in my life and she put a serum in my skin and blew it with cold air? I glowed for like three days but I was like, 'I don't know if I really needed that.' But she's telling me about all the other facials, and I'm like, 'Give me a skincare routine that will keep me in check until I have to go for the whole microneedling thing. I'll wait it out for a bit.'
I don't have recommendations for things like Botox or fillers, because I haven't started that, and I always say that I'm going to try and do my skincare for as long as possible before I hit that point, because I'm not against it. But I do have recommendations for dermatologists – Stratum Clinic in Wimbledon is like *chef's kiss*. They do laser, facials. Larysa is my queen, I love her so much. And then Dr Sharon Belmo, she's my dermatologist and did my PRP for my hair, and she is a queen. The two of them, they fix me up good.
Right, so it's quite simple actually, because I got taught that less is more. I also have a keratin treatment in my hair, which helps because it's always getting straightened and stuff. My hairdresser loves Olaplex. I just always detangle with a conditioner, and then shampoo. Which is quite easy with a wider-tooth comb, just make sure you always tease [knots] out very, very gently.
And then I use any mask which is highly hydrating, for at least 15 minutes, and then wash it out. And then I'll spray my hair with a leave-in conditioner. Because I have a keratin treatment, in my hair, my blow-dry is super easy, and my hair blow-dries almost completely straight most of the time.
So yeah, it's quite easy actually. My hair tends to be pretty much straight as soon as I blow-dry it, and it's very simple, but as long as I detangle with conditioner, I'll be good.
Yes, my go-to hairdresser is Selasie, and her Instagram is @phedeliarose. I was pulling out my hair from stress, and she saw me and was like, 'Dear Lord, let me help you.' And we're kind of on this routine together. She taught me a lot about how to actually take care of my hair health because she knows the fast-paced life of things.
Can I also shout out Shamara Roper? Selasie is my hairdresser, but I've been working with Shamara since five or six years ago? I think? And the combination of the two – we've always done such experimental pieces and things with my hair, and when my hair fell out, Shamara always took good care of my hair on set and made sure I felt like a princess. So, those are my girlies and I appreciate them very much.
Bad haircare experiences… Can I just say myself? Because there was a phase when I was braiding my own hair – I started learning it when I was 13, and by 16 I had a very sparse amount of hair, probably because of my technique. I think in my brain, I'm a very DIY queen, and the first time I got a hairdresser was probably only two years ago. And I'm realising very quickly that I was just doing everything wrong. I was just taking bits and bobs from everyone on YouTube, with all sorts of different hair types. So, yeah. Getting a hairdresser was the best thing, but I was my own worst enemy.
Let me get up this list, I actually literally took a picture of it this morning, so let me zoom into this. I can't live without UKLASH – I used to be putting all sorts of things on my lashes and I've tried every lash serum possible, and UKLASH is just my fave. NeoStrata is my favourite skincare brand – the retinol is amazing, I use the vitamin C [NeoStrata Enlighten 15% Vitamin C + PHA Serum, £62.40] from there which is amazing.
[I love this] serum, called SkinBetter Alto Defense Serum, £168. I don't really know what that does, but ever since I started using it, I've had glass skin, so kind of excited about that. And then my dermatologist said, 'Always use vitamin C. Always. And a good one.' And I use Revision's vitamin C, which is really good.
Then, I have the NeoStrata Skin Active Firming Tri-Therapy Lifting Serum, £88 – that is a game-changer. I don't know if it tightens? But that's a game-changer for me, for my skincare. NeoStrata Skin Active Intense Eye Therapy, £62 I use underneath my eyes.
Then, La Roche-Posay – I use them for moisturiser, then I use the NeoStrata suncream. Then, in the evening, I've got a retinol eye cream and the Laneige Bouncy and Firm Sleeping Mask, £32, which is just my fave.
I'm quite a simple girly. I don't do skin brushing, but I have a pair of gloves. I can't shower without the exfoliating gloves – if I wash without the exfoliating gloves, I feel like I've not showered, so I love those. And day to day, I love a vocal steam. I think my bodycare is quite limited, but you know – exfoliating gloves, and Lush Happy Hippy, £6 is my favourite body wash.
My facial skincare. My facial skincare is catastrophically expensive, and it hurts me to say, but I was like, 'Let me invest.' So, I'll use the tiniest bits so it actually lasts me a long time. But my skin – and especially for the job I'm in – my skin looks pretty good, if you ask me.
I'm gonna say UKLASH, but beauty obsession… It could kind of be anything, couldn't it? There is a blush from Sleek and it breaks my heart, I don't know if they still sell it, but I hope they do.
Okay, can this be a campaign for them to bring it back? It breaks my heart. It does not matter what skin complexion you are, everyone is using this colour right in the middle, Sleek, please – if you have any in the warehouse, anything, I'm begging you, just I will buy all of it – nothing quite hits the same. And it's just, yeah. This is the perfect time to say this because me and my housemate – who is also my makeup artist – have been going crazy trying to re-find this. It's even broken in half, we're devastated. So yeah, Sleek – that would be my one thing.
To be honest, no. I've had mishaps before I really started getting into the industry, then I met Georgia Hope, who is my makeup artist and my housemate. And now we've hit a point where I kind of don't trust anyone else to touch my face, and she's always got me looking prim and proper – exactly how I want. She's always like, 'Ooh, should we try this?' and I'm like, 'No!', and she's like, 'Okay!' – bringing me ideas and I'm always like, 'Nope, I don't want this!'
But I think she'd be the only person who could convince me to try anything, because yeah, I'm very stubborn with makeup. She's never had me looking rough, so that's my glam girlies. Mwah! Love you! It's a strong team!
My makeup bag would not be the same without a brown lip liner. I can have almost no makeup, and if I have the lip liner, it just makes a difference. So, that's my one thing I have to have. My favourite? I'm going to say MAC Chestnut Lip Pencil.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
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