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 Love Island's Lydia Karakyriakou. As a Casa Amor bombshell, the 22-year-old may have only been on our screens for a few short days, but we can all agree we were ROBBED. Not only does Lydia have Main Character Energy, but she would also have easily been a front-runner for best-dressed Islander (if she had enough time to show off her wardrobe!)
The Scottish islander has since built up a loyal fanbase on Instagram and TikTok sharing top-tier fashion and beauty videos. But what was it like appearing on such a huge show like Love Island?
Lydia tells heat, "No one can prepare you for something like that. It’s not something you do on the regular, it’s wild!"
"Before the show, I was working at Zara for six and a half years. Everybody has got this thing about Zara workers but I swear we are just under a lot of pressure and so everybody is just hanging by a thread"
Lydia chats genius styling tricks, self-care routines, really wise advice and the £7 mascara couldn't be without...
On self-care
What does a self-care day look like for the Casa Amor star?
"I love listening to a podcast, I love listening to them when I'm pottering around the house, whether it's when I'm tidying my room or doing my skincare. I love having a little something on the side to keep my mind engaged, especially if it's funny and you're having a bit of a giggle to yourself. It brings up your mood.
"I've always listened to The Girls Bathroom podcast, hosted by Sophia and Cinzia, the girls are hilarious and it's quite good because they obviously speak about relationship and friendship dilemmas and stuff and a lot of the time you feel like you can relate to it.
"I also just love skincare. I do love make-up but nothing beats putting on your skincare and having a fresh face, I absolutely adore that. I take my skincare really really seriously and it's probably the best part of my day. In the morning, in the evening, that's what makes me happiest, either taking my make-up off and feeling fresh or first thing in the morning putting skincare on, it's just great."
On skincare favourites
What are the really good skincare products Lyds recommends to her mates?
"With skincare, it obviously depends because everyone's face is different and everyone's skin is different. So honestly, it really depends on your skin type, but I always think less is more. I feel like you can end up overbuying loads of products and you're like, "I need the eye cream, I need the serum, I need this, I need that..." and your face can react because you're putting on way too much, we don't need all that!
"I actually use the CeraVe cleanser and I love that. So I'll use that on my face in the morning and then the Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate mixed with Weleda Skin Food Light I absolutely love that combination, I think it's so good. It's really hydrating but not heavy on the skin. I don't feel like I've got lots of product sitting there. I've got a Clinique eye cream because I've got quite dark undereye circles so I like anything that can brighten that up a wee bit.
"I absolutely love the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask it makes you look like you've just had your lips done or something. It gives them such a juicy look. Then for taking my make-up off I absolutely love the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, it really melts away make-up and gets into the pores and gets everything out. Those are my top skincare bits for sure."
On beauty tricks from the villa
Did Lydia learn any beauty hacks from any of the other girls in the villa?
"We were all going so quickly that we actually didn't have a lot of time to get ready, so everyone was running around beating their face with a beauty blender and trying to get everything done as fast as possible!
"But I had Cynthia next to me and she was raving a lot about Made by Mitchell and his products. She was saying, "You need to try his cream bronzer it's so good!" so she gave me some tips on some good cream bronzers. I'm very much a clean base girl, I like a lot of natural make-up, nothing too heavy on the skin, so maybe I need to pick that up and give it a go!"
On make-up for filming
"I don't wear foundation, because to be honest, I used to wear it so much when I was younger as I thought it was the done thing, like a full face of foundation, full coverage concealer... I just didn't need to be doing all that. As I've got older, I've stripped it all back and I'm very natural with my make-up.
"I use the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and then I will spot concealer with a wee bit of Nars. You don't need to add lots of layers for it to look good, you can just build it up bit by bit and it can still look really glam, but in a natural way. I use the REFY Cream Bronzer, I love that and the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Beauty Wand . Just everything Charlotte Tilbury, to be honest! I adore that brand, just loads of good products for natural, glowy make-up and I'm obsessed.
On budget beauty buys
"I love the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara, I am obsessed. Everyone's spoken about the Charlotte Tilbury one before which is expensive for a mascara, but the Maybelline one is around eight pounds and it's amazing. I would never go with another mascara ever, it doesn't transfer, it gives your lashes exactly what it needs, a good length, a good colour... it's perfect."
On stealing beauty products from the villa
So, 'fess up. Did she nab any beauty products in her suitcase?
"I actually didn't, but some of the other girls did," Lydia laughs, "I think Sammy went and stole one of the Fenty lip glosses and I'm sure one of the other girls went and stole one of the body moisturisers. I think my head was too focused on making sure I had my own stuff in my suitcase, I wasn't even paying attention to everyone else just grabbing stuff off of the shelf!"
On fashion
Lydia is easily one of the most stylish Islanders ever, so what is her current daily uniform?
"Oh my god, 80% of the time you will see me in a tracksuit, the comfiest thing ever! My style isn’t just one aesthetic, I can be really tomboy one day and then really glam the next. I just gravitate to what I think I would like to wear, I’m not into a certain category. Everyone should wear what they feel comfortable in, and experiment a bit because there are definitely trends that have come out and I think, 'Oh god that is definitely not a bit of me' and then I try it and I absolutely loved it. It’s all about experimenting with fashion, there are no rules, you don’t have to jump on a certain trend, you don’t have to wear something because someone else is wearing it, just do your own thing."
Does Lyds have any styling tricks?
"A lot of my trousers are a pure pain, a lot of them fit great around the legs and stuff like that but they can go a bit baggy around my waist, which I absolutely hate, I need them to just fit. I hate gaps. I don’t think this is a new trick but I would grab a shoelace and put it through the back loop wear the belt goes and then tie it, tuck it in so that it snatches my waist but I don’t need to put a belt on."
On daily wellness habits
"It's so funny because before I went on Love Island before I got the call to say you're flying out type of thing, every single day I saw 11:11. Every day I saw 11:11. I kept messaging my friends saying '11:11! Please, everyone, make a wish, make a wish!' I love seeing that, it makes me feel like something good is happening today.
"I do think a good walk can clear your head especially if you're feeling a bit strange. Just go out, even for 15/20 minutes, get a bit of fresh air, maybe listen to a podcast or your favourite music and just have a wee bit of alone time. I think that's good to calm yourself down and clear your head, figure out what it is you want to do, and what you don't want to do. And then just drink a lot of water. Drink as much water as you can. I'm so bad for drink water but to be honest, as soon as I got the Love Island water bottle, it made me drink a lot more water. If I've got one thing from Love Island it's a water bottle!"
On great advice
"With things like Love Island and being on TV, you can get negativity from it. It's bound to happen, not everyone is going to like you and that's just the name of the game, it's the world we live in. Not everyone's meant to get along or like the same things as everybody else. But I think something that's really important to remember is that if somebody doesn't know you personally, don't take it personal. People are going to have opinions of you, no matter what you do. But if they're not in your group of friends or not people you value their option then try and ignore it because, to be honest, it's not important. What is important is what the people around you think and what you think about yourself.
"I think as well, me going in there [Love Isalnd] you are very vulnerable. You're stripped back, you don't get to see what they're showing of you, what angles are taken of you. It's very high definition so there is no hiding from the camera if you've got a spot or anything. But it's real life, no one's perfect. You see everyone on Instagram and obviously, a lot of people can feel a bit insecure but you need to remember everyone shows their best self on social media. They're not coming on and being like, 'Guys, I've got fifteen spots today!' It's not something people do because they don't want to show that vulnerable side of themselves. But I think it's just remembering that we all go through the same things, no one is perfect, it's fine to feel shit one day, but you'll get through it.
"I heard a quote on The Girls Bathroom which said, you can't compare a flower to a rainbow. They're two beautiful things but completely different. Someone's beauty doesn't take away from somebody else's."
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? I've just finished watching You, season 4. It's very mentally hard to watch, but so good!
How do you like your cuppa? I love a cup of tea and I have mine with one sugar and milk.
Go-to loungewear brand? I've been wearing tracksuits from SLA The Label which is Sarah Ashcroft's brand. The quality is amazing and they're so comfy.
Favourite face mask? I love the Garnier Moisture Bomb, I feel really hydrated afterwards.
Go-to takeaway order? It depends on my mood, I love a Chinese sometimes, then sometimes prefer something like sushi.
Favourite candle? My manager got me the TYPO Horoscope Candle for Christmas, it's got my wee star sign on and it smells amazing.