No one is born perfectly flawless. We all have little imperfections whether real or imagined that we like to hide. We asked Danielle Wallace, who at the time of our interview had just made it into the top 16 of Miss SA 2019, to share some of her beauty hacks with us.
No stranger to lights, cameras and modelling, 26 year-old Danielle, a Bachelor of Social Sciences major whose guilty pleasure in her down time is having a PJ day, ordering in her favourite food and binging on Netflix, recently left Durban to pursue a full time modelling career in Cape Town. Her busy life in the limelight means she always has to look her best and to do that, she’s had to adopt a beauty regimen she swears by.
I absolutely love summer, but winter in Durban is definitely the best season for skin and beauty.
“With a little less humidity in the air, I find it so much easier to keep my hair in check, and it’s still easy to utilize your summer wardrobe with accessories like a denim jacket or a newspaper boy hat to keep off the chill in the air.”
A daily beauty ritual… I always floss before I brush my teeth. I’ve recently started using Olgani Detoxifying Charcoal toothpaste, which tastes terrible, so I end up brushing my teeth a second time with normal toothpaste to get the taste out my mouth. Then I wash my face and apply SPF face cream, I’m currently using Vichy products for this.
I also take care of my eyes by using eye drops. I find that looking at my cellphone and laptop throughout the day puts a strain on my eyes, so eye drops really help with that. If I’m going out and want a little make up on, I’ll apply Benefit Airbrush Concealer under my eyes, and on any blemishes I might have, pop on some Worth the Hype Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara by Nyx, and a little Nyx Matte Bronzer and a touch of Nyx Blush.
Most importantly, I never leave the house without looking in the mirror and telling myself how strong and beautiful I am! Self-talk is a real thing!
Don’t skip the skincare routine… Take care of your skin from the inside out. All the beauty products in the world can’t help you if you don’t love your skin from within. Drink lots of water and eat your veggies!
Don’t forget the sunscreen… It goes without saying that sunscreen is a must. Not only for health reasons (to protect you from skin cancer), but also to fight premature aging and pigmentation.
Make up made easy… I hardly wear makeup, so my go-to make-up routine, which I think qualifies as easy, involves the following essentials: concealer, bronzer, mascara and lip balm.
I believe in make-up-free days. It’s always important to give your skin a breather. Having those days where you tackle things with a bare face is a great way of promoting self-love. That said, if you really can’t go without make up but need to give your skin a rest, opt for doing either your eye with mascara or a bit of concealer to let your face breath but also still look fresh.
Never neglect your brows… Having the right eyebrow shape can really work to highlight or detract from your best facial features. Don’t be afraid to play around with it to find out what really accentuates your eyes and brightens your face.
Use the best tools… My GHD is my baby; it’s probably the best beauty tool I own. Mine has been keeping my hair on point since I was 17!
Add a splash of colour… Personally I don’t really enjoy bright make-up, so I would opt for a splash of colour in the form of a bright pair of earrings, a blazer or a clutch bag.
Highlight your best features… Know what makes you unique, and work it to your advantage, whether it’s your eyes, your brows, your dimples or your freckles. Your best features are what you decide they are. Own them.
Pick a pretty palette… I love a neutral palette with brown, nude, copper and gold shades. It’s really versatile and quite easy to swing between a very light and natural look, or a darker more sultry look.
Keep hair natural… I often let my hair air dry to limit heat styling on my hair.
Use hair oil… I use Garnier Ultimate Blends Oil on my hair almost every day. I find that it helps with dryness and frizz.
Natural Beauty Tips…
- Self-talk. Be kind to yourself, build yourself up and celebrate your beauty by vocalizing it out loud.
- Exercise and a healthy diet are great ways to make sure that you feel good. They also help give you that natural glow.
- Treat yourself to a regular Face Mask, I do!
- Hair masks are great to use (especially in winter) to keep your hair nourished.
- Indulge in a hot Epsom salt bath every now and then as a way to detox and refresh.
