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The ingenious £4.80 hack for glowy skin Adwoa Aboah swears by
Plus her adult acne hacks, and the very best curl cream...
When asked how she gets her skin so glowy, Rimmel's new Global Brand Activist Adwoa Aboah raises her eyebrows and smiles gratefully. She seems... almost surprised?
After all, she's had to put in the work when it comes to developing the perfect (and effective) beauty routine. She's had her fair share of adult acne struggles, so is a fountain of dermatological recommendations. She's also curating her perfect haircare situ after growing out her signature buzzcut, going through plenty of what she calls "trial and error" on the way.
Oh, and she's a self-confessed night-owl, grappling with a busy schedule that includes gracing magazine covers, hosting her own podcast, and advocating for mental health support and education through her charity Gurls Talk. So, rest assured her arsenal of nighttime relaxation suggestions are watertight.
And it's all clearly working. After all, while she chats Cosmopolitan through ride-or-die beauty products across a Zoom call, she looks so radiantly statuesque that I mistakenly ask if her screen is frozen. But the secret to her glowing skin - heck, to her entire bold, individualist look - is a combination of experimentation, and a pretty humble openness regarding price tags.
Okay sure - she, like the rest of us is obsessed with the concept of Augustinus Bader's iconic, gilded skincare feast 'The Cream'. And of course she lusts for Diptyque as much as the next beauty enthusiast.
But with Adwoa, you get the best of both ends of the price-tag spectrum. Her current go-to eyeshadow - Rimmel, of course - costs under £8. She repurposes cheap-as-chips lip balm as a highlighter. Her perfume's a cult, affordable classic (and, for the record, also my favourite...). Her body moisturiser is comfortingly unsurprising (and, again, will cost you less than a tenner).
In other words, you might want to keep reading. This shopping list is a gold mine.
“My favourite product for a bold look? This. It isn't hard to use, but you can get a great end result, which is always handy...It can be worn in all sorts of ways. You don’t need to be a perfectionist about it - you can literally just use your finger and pat it down.”
"For building a glow, along with Glossier's Future Dew, I love a little dab of this on the eyelids, and here and there [on my the high points of the face]. It’s also how I create a glossy eye."
“I only just started growing my hair back, and now it’s trial and error to get the right products. I love this brand's Curl Cream and Hair Mask. I don’t like too sweet a smell for hair products, and that’s why Bouclème is so nice. It’s got more of a fresh, minty, neutral scent.”
"Everyone has their own idea of what's good, what's bad for your skin. I think it's just like, what works for you really... I have bits of scarring from adult acne, and [vitamin C] has really, really healed it... Medik8 is really good for that."
“I’ve been taking some medication for my skin, and so it has become quite dry... Sisley do a really great hydrating mask I'll use if I’m feeling extra dry. You just put on for a few seconds!"
“A lot of skin products are so expensive, and this doesn’t cost that much at all... It is the only body moisturiser I use. I like the tub version."
"I’ve run out of this, but I use it along with original Aēsop Deodorant. That, mixed with the smell of my Cocoa Butter is, like, one huge smell."
“I’m the worst at winding down. I’m useless. I get lots of stuff done at an inappropriate time of night. I’d love to say “yes, I meditate, and I journal…” but I start answering emails, and suddenly planning a project… but Floris do a great bath oil, and you can't go wrong with a Diptyque candle..."
“I mean, this costs an arm and a leg but it’s so good. Celia, my best friend and makeup artist told me about it. I’m not about full coverage… and it just gives you that fresh and glowy [look].”
"I’m wired at night, but I'm a big reader, which is always helpful - and CBD helps, too. The brand OTO is really good. They also have amazing hand creams and lovely pillow sprays."
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