Self-care will forever be our favourite hobby but we appreciate that recharging and putting yourself first looks different for everyone. Each week, we'll be asking the celeb lot to share their ideal self-care Sunday routines, the hard-working beauty products they recommend to their friends and which TV show they're currently binging…
This week it's all about TikTok legend GK Barry, otherwise known as Grace Keeling. Her pseudonym came from not wanting to be discovered by people she knew when starting out.
"I was like, 'Let me think of a name that no one will ever know", Grace tells heat, "So my best friend is called Tatiana Barry and my initials are GK. We're basically lovers anyway, so I was like, 'Let's just merge our names together!'"
As well as her hilariously relatable TikTok channel, Grace is also a proud PrettyLittleThing ambassador and hosts the chart-topping Saving Grace podcast which gets plenty of tea from the celeb lot, with previous guests including Chloe Burrows and Too Hot To Handle's Emilly Faye Miller.
GK Barry chats exclusively to heat about her beauty favourites, wellness habits and what's next for the star...
On becoming a TikTok sensation
Grace is smashing it online, so what's her advice to anyone wanting to follow in her footsteps and fancies trying out the whole content creator malarky?
"I do think be original with your content because I think it's quite easy to look at other people and copy what they're doing. Also, it’s important not to care what other people think."
Does Grace ever listen to the negative voices online?
"I do care what people think in real life, but it definitely helps to have an alter ego. I always fake that I don’t care and then you end up believing it anyway."
On iconic guests
The Saving Grace podcast is forever in the charts and has racked up zillions of views on YouTube, but who has been her favourite guest so far?
"I feel like it’s got to be either Katie Price or Tana Mongeau, 100 per cent. Because Tana as well, when I was at uni, all we would do is binge her videos and podcasts. So when she actually came on, it felt like I met the queen. The anxiety was a lot.
"Katie Price was so nice as well in person. She’s the nicest person ever, so it’s always good when you meet someone that you’ve already liked and they’re actually the same person in real life."
Who are Grace's DREAM guests for the pod, then?
"Any of the female comedians that I grew up with like Jenifer Saunders, Dawn French or even Miranda, I feel like any of them would be iconic."
On self-care
What does the ultimate self-care Sunday look like for Grace?
"I will rise at maybe 11 and will spend the day with my cat. At the moment I’m obsessed with the Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor Elasti-Cream, I will literally slap that on. Loads of tea, a Chinese and basically, a very unhealthy diet. I say it’s good for the soul, but I literally do this every day."
We love a relatable queen.
On skincare
"I used to have crazy acne, my skin used to be so bad. Funnily enough, Megan Barton-Hanson introduced me to this brand called Obagi and it completely got rid of it and I have amazing skin now. I would only recommend that. Also, there’s a cleanser by Farmacy which is amazing."
On budget beauty buys
"Do you know what, I swear by Pink Honey’s Cream Bronzer. I completely swear by it, it’s so good and it’s my ride-or-die. I wear the shade Cookie Butter."
On make-up favourites
Which other make-up bits are non-negotiable?
"I love the BPerfect foundations and I use the ByEllie Brow Shape to brush up my brows, my make-up artist put it on me and honestly, there could be a tornado and one hair would move. Also the Huda Beauty Easy Bake powder, I’ll stand by that. It’s like an IRL filter."
On daily wellness habits
What are the everyday habits that help Grace feel her best self?
"Oh my god, do you know what I love? I love a ginger shot. I know that’s really basic, but when I have it, it’s like a placebo. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll live for another 30 years, I’m good.’
"I’m also trying to be a lot more positive and instead of being like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so busy and stressed’, I should be more like, ‘Oh, it’s a good thing that I’m busy’ if that makes sense. I think it’s easy to be caught up in being stressed."
On podcast recommendations
"A really rogue one but Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett’s podcast called Parenting Hell. It’s all about how much of a nightmare it is having kids. I have no kids and no plans to have kids, but I love the pod, it makes me die. Also, there’s this one called ShxtsNGigs which is so good. They are the main ones I listen to."
On great advice
"I’ve been listening to that Atomic Habits book and oh my god, it’s so good. It's talking about not setting goals. It's about, if you look at someone and you want to be like them, how would they live? And then take those steps.
"My favourite quote from the book is, “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems.”
On future goals
What's next for GK Barry?
"I got the tour coming up in Feb which I’m really excited about. It’s called The Size Matters tour because we’re going so much bigger than we did last time. It’s so fun to see the people that follow you and see them in person. It’s a different vibe.
"Also I’ve got a series coming out with PLT, sort of like what they’ve done with Nella Rose and the Pink Courtroom, but my own idea which should be exciting. I’m looking into more telly stuff now, that’s what I’m focusing on."
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? Bad Girls Club, I’m on season 15 and I’m obsessed.
How do you like your cuppa? I like a tea with two sugars and a tiny bit of oat milk.
Go-to loungewear brand? It’s got to be PLT. Their tracksuits are sensational.
Everyday perfume? Red Temptation by Zara.
Go-to takeaway order? It’s got to be a Chinese, there’s got to be sweet and sour chicken, crispy chilli beef and rice.
Favourite candle? Anything from The White Company you know is going to be good.