The Charisse Report

This is the third episode in my Meet the Founder series and my guest has gone all the way from The White House to developing products for MAC Cosmetics, to starting her own brand. With a decade of experience that includes politics, government and beauty, Stephanie Lee’s own personal challenges when it came to her mental health inspired her to build a brand that was about self-exploration. The resulting brand, SELFMADE, is built with emotional intelligence at its core and in this conversation initially held on my Instagram Live @beautymepodcast, Stephanie shared how she recognised the signs that her mental health was being challenged and how her workspace wasn’t providing any coping tools. She discusses her career journey and how it influenced her decision to build a brand and shares how she ensures that the mental health of herself and her team at SELFMADE is the top priority. You can watch the conversation here and be sure to check out SELFMADE at https://www.beselfmade.co. Thanks for listening and do please share this episode with anyone who needs it.

This week’s episode is the second in the IGTV Meet the Founder series and my guest is Charlotte Ferguson, Psychotherapist and founder of Disciple London. Around three years ago, Charlotte decided to use her psychotherapy background to create a range of skincare products that would heal and calm a stressed-out body and mind. The result was Disciple London, a skincare brand that uses adaptogens, prebiotics and essential fatty acids and is quickly gaining cult status. If you want to watch this interview instead of listen, then head to my Instagram @beautymepodcast and check out the Meet the Founder series. You can also follow @disciplelondon for more information. Do please leave a review if you found this useful, or share the episode with a friend! Check out the full Disciple range here: https://disciplelondon.com Charlotte chose Dreamy Skin as her must-have product; find it here: https://disciplelondon.com/products/dreamy-skin-20ml She also mentions The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% +HA: https://theordinary.deciem.com/gb/rdn-lactic-acid-10pct-ha-2pct-30ml.html Find out more about Glow Bar London facials: https://glowbarldn.com/facial-massage/

It’s been a while since I hosted a guest face to face so I really wanted to give you something that was all about just two beauty enthusiasts sharing and comparing. My guest, Ava Welsing-Kitcher has been on BeautyMe before, as part of my Beauty X Wellness series, and I thought she’d be the perfect person to invite on for a good old beauty chat. Ava is a freelance beauty editor and columnist for Wardrobe Icons and is also an influencer known for her seriously glowing skin. In this episode I visit Ava in her home and we go through all our beauty essentials, sharing our favourite bases, highlighters and bronzers, blushers, mascaras, lips, brow products and fragrance. As you can imagine, we’ve both got a lot to say. Feel free to let me know your favourites over in the DMs or in the comments if you’re watching on YouTube. I’ve tried to squeeze all the product links, but if you want to see absolutely everything you’ll find it on my website, charissekenion.co. Also, here’s the link to my YouTube for an in-depth look into Ava’s amazing beauty cupboard: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKuq1As9ifCJOxvPOv6w3wQ If you like what you hear and see, please do review, subscribe, follow! Thanks for listening and don’t forget to follow Ava on Instagram @avawelsingk and me @beautymepodcast. Or you can check out my newsletter here.

Okay, it’s part 2 time of my SPF special. As mentioned in part 1, I simply had too much to share for just one episode, so here are my thoughts on a further FIVE sunscreens. If you missed part 1, in that episode I reviewed five products, including Ultra Violette SPF50+ Queen Screen and Medik8 Advanced Day Total Protect Anti-Ageing Moisturiser; you can find a link to that episode below if you’re keen to know more about those products. Both episodes only feature SPFs that I actually enjoyed – I feel that makes more sense; why would I get you to listen if I’m going to slam a product? I’d love to know what your favourite SPF is so be sure to pop into my DMs over @beautymepodcast on Instagram or email beautymepodcast@gmail.com and tell me! Thanks as always for listening; please do like, share and subscribe – it really helps. Products mentioned: Black Girl Sunscreen Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion for Face and Body SPF30: https://www.comprisbeauty.com/products/https-comprisbeauty-com-products-black-girl-sunscreen-spf-30-by-blackgirlsunscreen?_pos=1&_sid=b8f209760&_ss=r Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Matte Sunscreen Gel for the Face SPF45: https://www.blackgirlsunscreen.com/product/make-it-matte/ La Roche-Posay Athelios Invisible Fluid SPF50+: https://www.boots.com/la-roche-posay-anthelios-shaka-ultra-light-facial-sun-cream-spf50-50ml-10259635 Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Ultra Radiance SPF30: https://www.superdrug.com/Skin/Sun-Care/Sun-Protection-Lotions/Hawaiian-Tropic-Satin-Protection-Lotion-SPF-30/p/389100 Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating SPF50+ 50ml CURRENTLY SOLD OUT Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating SPF50+ 75ml – Australia only: https://ultraviolette.com.au/products/supreme-screen-spf50-75ml Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist Ultra Light Dry Protection Mist SPF50: https://www.superdrug.com/Skin/Sun-Care/Sun-Protection-Sprays/Ambre-Solaire-Dry-Mist-Sun-Cream-Spray-SPF50-200ml/p/898959 Products mentioned in Part 1: Ultra Violette SPF50+ Queen Screen Lightweight Skinscreen UVA + UVB Broad Spectrum 50ml Medik8 Advanced Day Total Protect Anti-Ageing Moisturiser SPF30 5 * UVA 50ml Kosé Cosmeport Suncut Water In UV Protect Essence SPF50+ 80g Vitruvian Man Resurrection Cream Broad Spectrum SPF20 50ml Garnier Ambre Solaire UV Water Transparent Protecting Spray SPF30 150ml

This week’s episode is the first in a new series called Meet the Founder and my first guest Lune Martens, founder of the award-winning vegan-friendly skincare brand Monday Muse. Lune is based between Amsterdam and London and is the founder one of the few beauty brands to launch during a pandemic. By creating this series I hope to find out exactly why my guest started their business and of course find out more about the real challenges that they faced in going from those initial ideas to seeing the product on the shelves. FYI: We definitely had some teething problems with this first episode, so throughout you might notice that I have re-recorded some of my questions, as occasionally we had some really bad echo. However, Lune’s answers are so valuable I really wanted to make sure I offered this as an audio episode and you can be sure we will iron out those issues for next time. If you’d like to see us chat online, head to my IGTV at @beautymepodcast and let me know what you think! To learn more about Monday Muse visit https://www.mondaymuseskin.com and check them out on Instagram @mondaymuseskin As always, thanks so much for listening. Do please like, subscribe and share if you found some value in this episode.

Honestly, I feel like the SPF market has exploded, bizarrely, since we’ve spent more time in the house. Every other day we’re being told of another expert – and often non-expert – recommendation for SPF usage, and over on TikTok people are SPF shaming one another. This episode has zero advice in it; if you’re someone who finds spending £50 or more on SPF indulgent or expensive then why would I tell you to use three fingers worth of that product every two hours? The tube will be finished by the end of the week! Lately I’ve even heard that we need to wash our face before every single reapplication. It’s a lot. So, I’ve compiled two episodes on the SPFs that I’ve really been putting to the test over the past three months. I really wanted to give each product enough time so that I could give an honest and thoughtful review. In this episode I’ll be discussing the pros and cons of five different products that range in price from £5 to £55. I’d love to know what your favourite SPF is so be sure to pop into my DMs over @beautymepodcast on Instagram or email beautymepodcast@gmail.com and tell me! Thanks as always for listening; please do like, share and subscribe – it really helps. Products mentioned: Ultra Violette SPF50+ Queen Screen Lightweight Skinscreen UVA + UVB Broad Spectrum 50ml: https://www.spacenk.com/uk/sun-tan/suncare/face-suncream/queen-screen-luminising-sun-serum-spf-50-MUK200029605.html Medik8 Advanced Day Total Protect Anti-Ageing Moisturiser SPF30 5 * UVA 50ml: https://www.medik8.com/products/advanced-day-total-protect Kosé Cosmeport Suncut Water In UV Protect Essence SPF50+ 80g: https://www.stylevana.com/en_GB/kose-suncut-uv-perfect-essence-spf50-pa-80g.html Vitruvian Man Resurrection Cream Broad Spectrum SPF20 50ml: https://vitruvian-man.com/product/moisturiserfacecream/ Garnier Ambre Solaire UV Water Transparent Protecting Spray SPF30 150ml: https://www.feelunique.com/p/Garnier-Ambre-Solaire-UV-Water-Clear-Sun-Cream-Spray-SPF20-150ml Link to Lab Muffin’s review of Ultraviolette products: https://labmuffin.com/ultra-violette-sunscreen-review/ Skin By Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/skinbykerr/

This week’s episode is a short and sweet beauty news update and I owe the title of it to a recent British Beauty Council event. In this episode I share some podcast and newsletter news (have you signed up yet? If not, click here), as well as my thoughts on beauty content on the Clubhouse app. I also use this episode to share my own takeaways from the British Beauty Council event, held in partnership with Facebook. Entitled Beyond Bias in Beauty, the event aimed to explore the importance of inclusion, creativity and empowerment within the beauty community, so I was really intrigued. Below are some useful links related to everyone and everything I discuss in this episode. Do let me know if you like this kind of episode and get in touch in the DMs over @beautymepodcast or email beautymepodcast@gmail.com. Darian Symoné Harvin’s Beauty IRL newsletter: https://darian.substack.com/about Jaleesa Jaikaran, founder of the largest beauty room on Clubhouse: Instagram.com/jaleesajaikaran/ Instagram.com/thebeautyroom.club For more information on the British Beauty Council visit https://britishbeautycouncil.com Kohl Kreatives: https://www.kohlkreatives.com Instagram.com/kohlkreatives Gary Thompson: Instagram.com/theplasticboy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjLx42uF3d1TLPJ21pHyr9A Sasha Louise Pallari: https://sashalouisepallari.com Instagram.com/sashalouisepallari Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter at beautymenotes.substack.com and check out my first livestream on https://newness.com/charissekenion

This week’s guest is Quebec City, Canada-based Sarah-Jane Roger-Gobell better known as @alwaysplayingwithmakeup on Instagram. She’s a busy mum, a visual merchandiser, and as her insta handle says, she is literally always playing with makeup. So I thought she would be the perfect person for the second Skin First episode. Sarah-Jane has this otherworldly glow about her, and that’s despite her saying she has a dry skin type. In this episode I wanted to find out how she gets that glow, whether she thinks it’s a case of skin first, products second, and why being creative with makeup helped her get out of a funk after giving birth to her son Noah. Products mentioned (for the FULL list head to charissekenion.co/podcast): Caudalie Moisturising Toner: https://www.feelunique.com/p/Caudalie-Moisturizing-Toner-400ml Laneige Hydrating Moisturiser: https://www.laneige.com/int/en/skincare/concerns/moisturizing/ Fit Glow Beauty Day Essence: https://fitglowbeauty.com/products/day-blue-light-essence-mist?_pos=4&_sid=37fe1a2ac&_ss=r Agent Nateur holi(c) The C Duo Calcium & Vitamin C Powder Exfoliator: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/agent-nateur-holic-the-c-duo-calcium-vitamin-c-powder-exfoliator/4829002 Fit Glow Beauty Clear + Bright Mandelic Drops: https://fitglowbeauty.com/products/clear-bright-mandelic-drops?_pos=1&_sid=49a525caa&_ss=r Fit Glow Beauty Cloud Collagen Oil: https://fitglowbeauty.com/products/cloud-collagen-oil?_pos=1&_sid=39d6c20c4&_ss=r Supergoop Glow Screen SPF30: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/supergoop-glowscreen-spf-30.html Ilia True Skin Radiant Priming Serum: https://iliabeauty.com/products/light-it-up Danessa Myricks Love & Light Beauty Oil: https://www.gurumakeupemporium.com/cosmetics-c5/complexion-c3/danessa-myricks-love-and-light-beauty-oil-p3593 Auric Glow Lust Radiant Luminizer: https://magicdusk.com/pages/auric-glow-lust Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/charlotte-tilbury-hollywood-flawless-filter.html 100 Percent Pure Fruit Pigmented Full Coverage Water Foundation: https://www.100percentpure.com/collections/foundation-makeup/products/fruit-pigmented-full-coverage-water-foundation?variant=12535342170190 Saie Slip Cover Tinted Moisturizer: https://saiehello.com/products/slip-tint-tinted-moisturizer?variant=32497603739708

This week’s episode is something a bit different. Instead of the usual audio conversation I decided to host my first live podcast on Instagram. So if you haven’t checked it out and you want to see my guest and I in the flesh, go to @beautymepodcast on Insta and you’ll see it on my IGTV. My guest is Paris Omar, a Liverpudlian law student and model. Over the past year or so we have often chatted about our mixed heritage, our love for The Real Housewives of Atlanta and shared our thoughts on how others view us, particularly when it comes to our hair. I wanted to ask Paris on to the show to discuss how she experiences the modelling industry as a mixed race woman, how the industry has affected how she views herself and her beauty and why straight hair is still viewed as more sexy and glamorous by the media at large. You can find Paris on Instagram @itsparischanel and I hope you love this episode if you do, please like, review and subscribe. Thanks for listening!

This week’s guest is London-based Medical Herbalist and Director of Forage Botanicals, Natasha Richardson. Natasha has also published the Your Period Handbook and advises women on holistic health for their menstrual cycles. I was actually really excited to have Natasha on because not only is she an expert on periods, she has also conducted a major amount of study on how race and gynaecology are intertwined throughout history. In this episode I wanted to find out how Natasha’s own experience of debilitating periods led to her studying it in depth, her advice for both young women and pre-menopausal women on what to look out for in their periods and if we can be too tolerant of pain. We talk about everything in between, including Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and poo and I think this is a brilliant learning episode for women and men everywhere. You can follow Natasha at @foragebotanicals and find out more about her natural remedies for periods at https://www.foragebotanicals.co.uk. You can find me @beautymepodcast on Instagram and do please like, subscribe and review if you enjoyed this episode. Products mentioned: Your Period Handbook; Natural Solutions for Stress Free Menstruation: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stress-Menstruation-Mental-Health-Missing/dp/1911597744 Rested Resilience: https://www.foragebotanicals.co.uk/shop/rested-resilience