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We love a bit of self-care and all this time at home has really given us an excuse to look after ourselves inside and out. Each week, we'll be asking the celeb lot to share their Sunday self-care routines, because taking care of yourself is more important than ever.
This week it's all about Maddie Grace Jepson, the funny TikTok starwho is essentially the humour of your girl group personified. From tongue-waggling melodies to hilariously spot-on POV videos, she is essentially the queen of the internet right now.
The 22-year-old has amassed an impressive 800k followers and 44.4 million views on TikTok and we absolutely know the secret sauce to her success. She just makes you feel better about ✨everything ✨.
Maddie chats exclusively to heat about TikTok fame, self-care routines and the life-changing books she recommends to her friends...
On starting a TikTok channel
So lets start from the beginning. How exactly did her TikTok journey begin?
"It was really random," Maddie tells heat, "I think it's probably a similar story for a lot of other content creators where lockdown happened and it was just out of boredom."
"I just started making videos that me and my friends would find funny. Then one day, one of my videos just went beyond viral and it was the most random video in the world. It was the one of me swinging my arm around, only a few people actually remember this video. I got quite a few followers from there and I continued slowly and surely to create videos that I found funny. Then more people found it funny and it just went from there."
What did Maddie do before making us lol on the internet?
"I was at drama school, I went to The Guildford School of Acting for three years studying Musical Theatre. Then we got sent home because of COVID in my third year, which was not fun. I graduated into lockdown and I was waiting for the world to open back up again."
On proudest TikTok moment
"Oh, my God, I would have probably had to be one of the singing ones wouldn't it," laughs Maddie, "because they sort of made me."
I think it would have to be one of the first ones I did, the one that goes [sings] 'we built this city!' I don't even know what made me make that video, but I did and that was it."
What's been the biggest surprise since starting a TikTok account?
"I just can't believe so many people have the same humour as me, that genuinely has been the biggest surprise. These things that I was just doing with my friends... so many other people found it funny. In everyday life, you exist in your little friendship group. You have this humour with your friends and you just don't even think beyond that people will understand it. But my big community of TikTok followers are like my friends now too and it's just so fun."
"Especially recently when I'm doing more of these like POV videos, I will find myself sitting in a situation where something's happening and just think 'this is so funny to me'. I just love the intensity of some situations when people take things really seriously. That's where my humour arises from. Like singing, when people take singing so seriously. I love to take the mick out of that because I can actually sing because I did musical theatre. But I love taking the mick out of that whole situation of really taking it seriously. The people who take their jobs so seriously, I just love it.
"I'll be sitting there thinking, that is so funny. I've got to film that later. It really is a spur of the moment thing, I don't think too hard about what I'm filming, to be honest."
On tips for content creators
So what wisdom can Mads give budding content creators on making it big time?
"I would just say absolutely go for it. Everyone has access to TikTok, it's becoming one of the biggest social media, but I think it is like, the biggest social media platform right now. Just go for it. Why not? There's something for everyone on the app and who knows, whatever you decide to make as your content will probably fit someone's niche of what they love to watch.
"So I just think go for it. Be authentic, be yourself, and have fun. That's what I always say to people. There's not a recipe for going viral, but everyone has an equal chance to do it, so why not? The same story that most content creators have is that they just went for it and it somehow happened for them, but there is no magic formula. Just do it and have fun."
On self-care Sundays
We love an indulgent self-care day and we also love having a nosey into everyone else's routines, so how would Maddy spend a relaxing Sunday?
"I'd love to glamourise the situation and say I was one of those people that gets up and does yoga in the morning. But if I'm being honest, a perfect Sunday for me is a long lie-in and a big cup of Earl Grey tea. I usually have a hair wash day on a Sunday, so I'll get in the shower and wash my hair. I love using the Kerastase hair masks, I recommend them to everybody.
"I also just bought the Kate Somerville Body Scrub which I actually love and use once a week on a Sunday.
"Then I would love to just walk downstairs to a big roast dinner on the table. I think for me, Sundays are all about relaxing, family and having that time to regenerate before the new week starts. Honestly, I just love a pure relaxation lazy day."
On skincare
"I got really obsessive skincare over the lockdown because I've never really done had a proper skincare routine and it was going mental on TikTok, I was like, 'I need to get on this, actually and start preventing these wrinkles!'
"At the minute, my routine will start with a cleanse, I use theKate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser which is my absolute favourite of all cleansers I have ever used. It was a bit more expensive, but it's my favourite and I would never change it. Then some days I will use the Paula's Choice BHA exfoliant, I love that.
"Then I'll use hyaluronic acid and to be honest, I haven't really found one that I'm loving. I'm currently using The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid which is quite nice, but I'd use just any old hyaluronic acid.
"Then I use a really, really thick moisturiser day and night. They say not to use one during the day but I really love the Weleda Skin Food . It's so thick and gives me such a glow. It's my favourite, If I don't have it and I'm using another moisturiser, I notice a difference in my skin so much, that it goes really dry.
"Then obviously SPF at the end. That's all I keep it to, I like it really simple. I'm really lucky as I've never suffered from acne or anything like that.
On lavender oil
What is Maddie's go-to self-care product for feeling zen? Turns out, it's all about lavenender oil.
"So I cannot live without lavender oil. I always have it in my bag. I also have theRescue Remedy drops, which I know would seem funny for self-care, but I'm an anxious person.
"I think anxiety is such a massive part of our society these days, everything is so busy. It's just finding those little things that you can have with you out and about because self-care is a whole day thing. It's all about those little things. It doesn't matter if you can't sit down and do like a 10-minute meditation session. I would love to sit down for 10 minutes of meditation every day, but do I have the time? No, not really.
"For me, having something that I know works for me like the lavender oil if I just put up my pillows at night before I go to sleep if I had a really busy day or feeling anxious to the next day, just having with me and putting it on my temples throughout the day. You can just buy it on Amazon and it really works for me."
On life-changing books
"Normally the books I'll read, come from something that's happened and I need a self-care book. Most of the time they're not fiction.
"The first time I read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, I was about 12/13-years-old and it completely opened my eyes up to the whole world of manifestation and the Law of Attraction. I always say to people, you have to read that book to really understand. I tell people about the Law of Attraction all the time, but you really need to understand and practise it to get it. Manifestation is something I've always done but I never knew it was manifestation.
"I also loveYou are a Badass by Jen Sincero. I was going through a break-up at the time and oh my god, it made me feel unreal, honestly. I would say you can read it no matter what the situation, but at the time I was screaming for help. I really needed something to read that would step my mind back to 'you are badass, you are amazing'. It's all about self-love and removing negative thoughts, I always recommend that book to people."
On daily affirmations
"I really swear by daily affirmations. I mean, I can't lie, I'm not perfect and I don't get through every day saying these things. But if I'm feeling anxious or if I've got a really busy day ahead that I'm nervous about, just saying these daily affirmations to myself will really help me get in the right mindset. Life is a mindset and if you go through the day, deciding you're going to have a good day today, you probably will have a good day."
"Daily affirmations can be really intense at first because it's saying really positive things to yourself. If you're in a really bad place, I mean at the time I was in a really bad place and I remember I thought, I've got to start being kind to myself."
"A lot of the time, my daily affirmations will just be you are successful, you're confident, you're loved...just things that I think are going to set me up for the day."
On really great advice
What's the really good piece of advice that Maddie lives by?
"I remember one thing I read, was that - why would you bully yourself? And that has always stuck with me massively. The things you say to yourself, you would never sit there and say to somebody else, because it would be bullying. Why would you bully yourself, you've only got you for the rest of your life. Be your own best friend. That's been the best advice I've ever read.
"I'm going to love myself because I can't guarantee anybody else is going to do that. I've got amazing friends, an amazing family who all love me but if that was to go away, god forbid, I've always got myself.
"I always say that to people, like you're bullying yourself right now. You wouldn't let anybody else do that to you. So why do you do that to you?"
Anyone else feeling v. emosh right now?!
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I love the Real Housewives franchise and I'm watching them all again from the beginning.
How do you like your cuppa? I don't mind what it is. I like herbal tea or peppermint, but if it's a tea with milk, it has to be oat milk. I do not want to taste a cow nipple, I cannot.
Go-to loungewear brand? I would say Primark, or if we're going a bit more luxury I love OYSHO. I'd never heard of it before, but it's by the same company that owns Zara and Bershka.
Favourite face mask? I don't tend to do face masks that much, but if I did it would be some sort of clay face mask. I really want to try the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask one.
Go-to takeaway order? A Chinese, so salt and chilli prawns, vegetable chow mein, some spring rolls and curry sauce.
Favourite candle? The White Company Seychelles . I could never get bored of that smell. It's the best smell in the world.
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