Instantly recognisable for her effortless style, inspirational travel posts and tousled blonde hair, Lucy Williams has attracted a loyal following of fashion, beauty and travel lovers from all over the world. We chatted with the former fashion editor and London based influencer to discover her ultimate rituals and favourite beauty products, and to get to grips with her simple yet effective skincare routine.
The Wind Down
Ideally, I’ll start winding down around 6pm, which is the time I try to be back at home. My weekends can vary quite a lot, sometimes I’m lazy and will watch Netflix for a whole day but another weekend I can be really busy. In general, I try and keep my Sundays low-key. Usually we either cook something delicious or go out for a pub lunch. If I’m cooking I’ll take the extra time to make something really nourishing like a roast chicken or ramen. I’ll include as many veggies and nutrients as possible as I like ending the weekend feeling healthy and replenished. I try and make time on a Sunday afternoon to look through my diary and slot in those bits of life admin that I have on my to-do list. If I’m visiting my parents for the weekend, we’ll often watch Antiques Roadshow and as soon as I hear the theme tune, that music signals to me it’s a Sunday and I instantly feel relaxed. It’s like mashed potato for the soul!
The Routine
My general rule with skincare is less is more and you don’t want to overload your skin. What you put in your body is so important, listening to your skin and thinking about how you apply your products too. Sundays are the only day I realistically have a little extra time and may take a bit longer to apply my products. I really believe in investing in the basics of your skin. You only get one face and you should definitely look after it! I’ve been quite lucky for the most part as my skin is pretty clear and I try to keep it that way. I remember as a teenager I used to use quite a lot of harsh ingredients like tea-tree oil and witch-hazel. It was all about the makeup then, whereas now I’d much rather spend money on good skincare. All I used to use was a face wipe and a bit of moisturiser! Now I’m a lot more clued up on ingredients. My daily routine starts by washing my face in the shower with Dr Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser, in the evenings I use a Kiehl’s Micellar Water to take off any makeup. Then I’ll use a Kora Organics Balancing Rose Facial Mist or toner.
Next up it’s a hydrating moisturiser, at the moment I’m using Sarah Chapman Dynamic Defence Day Cream and Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream. I always finish with Dr Barbara Sturm SPF50 Sun Drops. I’m pretty bad at remembering to use an eye cream, I should probably do it more often, but I do love an under eye patch, which you can put on in the bath or when you’re flying. Multi-masking is something I’m quite into, if I’m breaking out I look for something clarifying and pore refining like Chantecaille’s Detox Clay Mask. I also like Oskia’s Renaissance Mask and Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate Exfoliating Treatment. That’s pretty powerful though, you only need to put it on for a few minutes and you can really feel it working. I’ve tried a few different, more intensive treatments for my skin too. Some of the best were meso peels, which have made a huge difference to the texture of my skin.
I’m quite forgetful about my bodycare. I’ve always have good intentions about body brushing – my aim is to start doing it before each shower, I don’t do it that often at the moment but when I do my skin ends up looking and feeling more glowy. As I’m often rushing about in the morning and short on time, I’ve started applying a rich body oil before bed and then leaving it to sink in overnight, which seems to work quite well at hydrating and nourishing my skin. For me tanning is such a good confidence boost, I only ever use gradual, buildable lotions like Kora Organics Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion to tan and I’ll use a body scrub like Frank Body’s Scrub to exfoliate before applying my tan. I love having a bath but don’t have them as often as I’d like. I’m not a bubble bath person, but I do love salts and oils. Currently I’m using Aromatherapy Associates Bath Oils and Herbivore Calm Bath Salts.
My hair is fine and I have quite a lot of it but because I colour it, sometimes it goes through periods of looking thin so I have to carefully look after it to bring it back from the edge. I’m religious about not using heat on my hair, and I have it cut regularly to keep the ends looking healthy. Blow dries aren’t very me. I think it’s because as a teen I straightened my hair so much that’s just put me off, so now I leave it to air dry naturally. If I want my hair to look and feel nice I have to wash it everyday, which is a bit of drag. I use a shampoo and conditioner specifically for coloured hair, like Oribe’s Beautiful Colour collection. Otherwise I use something for frizzy hair as it can be quite fluffy. I’ll apply a hair mask for colour treated hair like Christophe Robin’s Baby Blonde, which helps to keep the colour looking fresh and not brassy.
Bedtime
I’m a bit of a night owl and unless I put myself to bed, which I’m not very good at doing, I’d naturally stay up until 11.30pm or midnight. I find it quite difficult to switch off but recently I’ve been practising some restorative yoga and breathing techniques with my friend who runs the Good Vibes studio in London, which has really helped. I always used to watch TV in bed but my boyfriend has a strict no-TV rule, so I’ve been reading or listening to a podcast instead, which I’m really enjoying. Keeping my skin hydrated is important to me so I keep quite a few serums on my bedside table. Currently, I’ve got Dr Dennis Gross Wrinkle Recovery Overnight Serum and Drunk Elephant’s Virgin Marula Oil as well as Sarah Chapman’s Icon Night Cream. I’ll layer on a few different products to really nourish and moisturise my skin. I also keep a This Works Pillow Spray and a Jo Loves Pomelo Candle in my bedroom too. My bed is covered in feathery pillows and piles of cushions and I have white cotton or linen sheets to keep it feeling fresh and cosy.
Monday Morning
I usually get around 7 hours sleep a night, which is ok but I could definitely do with more. Even though I’m self employed I’m quite diligent and set my alarm for the same time every day – I feel guilty if I’m not up and about early. Since I’ve had my little rescue dog called Finn who’s from Cyprus, he wakes me up early wanting to go out for a walk. There was a period he woke me up and wanted to be outside before 7am. Usually I’ll wake up, make a hot flask of earl grey, pull on some leggings, a hoodie and a hat and then set out on a walk straight away. We usually walk for at least thirty minutes and up to one hour, it’s such a refreshing way to start the day. Then when I get home I jump in the shower, get changed and apply my skincare. For breakfast I usually have natural yoghurt with spelt and banana or I’ll make myself a smoothie. Then I’ll settle down to my desk ready and be ready to start the day around 9.30am.
