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 Noky Simbani, pageant megastar turned Big Brother Series 20 finalist. The 27-year-old was crowned Miss Universe Great Britain in 2022 and then in 2023, came in fifth place on the revived Big Brother, which landed its biggest audience in more than a decade.
Kind-hearted, classy and authentically herself during the six-week show, Noky was a fabulous housemate and we were rooting for her till the end. So how has life been for the star since leaving such a huge show?
"I was so crazy because I think especially when you come out in the final, you feel like you're the most clueless people on the planet!" Noky tells heat. "Because all of this has been happening on the outside and everyone is telling you how big the show has been."
"It doesn't immediately stop, but you don't see the same kind of hype you would have experienced a few weeks early so I still have no idea how big the show actually was. I don't think I'll ever be able to conceptualise it. It's such a crazy experience, I feel like I'm still one of the most clueless people about the show and I was on it, which is so weird."
Noky chats exclusively to heat about life after the show, her self-care routine and the wise advice she lives by...
On watching the show back
We need to know - has Noky watched any of it back since leaving the house? Honestly, we'd have to do a Henry Southan and watch every single episode.
Noky shares, "I've actually only watched back the last episode and I watched it back the week I came back because I felt like I needed the nostalgia. But I've seen plenty of clips, especially of like my highlights or lowlights, but I can't face watching the whole show yet. It's still too traumatising to watch right now, but I've seen the main bits of my experience. I'm excited to see how everything else comes together after the show."
On the public's perception
We only see snippets of up to fifteen housemates' 24 hours, so how did Noky find the edit and was she perceived fairly?
"From what I've heard from friends and family and from the bits that I've seen, they definitely play on the caricature of your personality. For example, my friends and family said it was really annoying for them because somebody would say, 'Oh, all she ever does is sit in front of a mirror and do her make-up' and then the show would cut to a clip of me sitting in front of the mirror doing my make-up.
"But number one, I don't think that's a crime. Number two, I'm quite quick at doing my hair and make-up and I'm definitely not spending a whole day doing it. And number three, I wasn't the only person doing it. But it's part of my caricature as this Miss Universe Great Britain and being glam was part of who I am, so I'm not surprised that that happened.
"I think I was portrayed fairly but I think where other housemates were coming from when they get upset about the edit is they're not accepting that they said what they said. With a show of that nature, they're going to show the worst of what you say and the most incriminating of what you say. So even if you say a million and one nice things and great positive things, if you say one dodgy thing that will be aired. That's what you should accept when you sign up for a show like that.
"I'm accepting of everything that was shown of me. I am not a nasty person, so the nastiness was never there to be shown. So I'm quite pleased with the edit actually."
We would be pleased too, tbh. 👏
On self-care
What does the ultimate self-care Sunday look like for the Big Brother icon?
"I'd say that self-care Sundays are different depending on what time of the month we're in. I think that's so key for women especially to recognise because I think there's so much more knowledge now about how different of a person you can be at different times of the month.
"There are some self-care Sundays where I literally just want to stay in bed, watch TV all day and do nothing. And when I feel like my body needs that, I 110% allow my body to have that because there's no fighting it. I just know that I need it and in a couple of days I'll be over it I can move on and get productive again.
"But if I'm having an invigorated, high-energy self-care Sunday, it will start off going to the gym. No matter how much I want to fight it, I know this will make me feel better. If I've been organised, I'll have overnight oats. I feel like I'm one of those weirdos that actually really enjoys it!
"Then I'll tidy up the house and that normally takes up the whole day because I've got to organise all my clothes because my house is literally 99% clothes. Then I might go and have a quick browse around the shops if I'm feeling it that day. Then I'll come home and make dinner because I absolutely love cooking and it really relaxes me. Then I'll get in the bath and the candle or the nice TV show. If I can sneak all my favourite things into one day, that's my perfect self-care Sunday."
On skincare favourites
"I'll be honest, I haven't always been a skincare girly. I just wasn't really a huge believer in using those products and I still don't use a whole lot of products now. I'm quite lucky to be fair that my skin has never been a huge major issue for me. However, when I started investing in skincare, I realised that my skin could actually get better.
"For example, I always expected to have hormonal acne and that it was a given, but when I started investing more in skincare I realised my flare-ups are now never anywhere near as severe as they used to be.
"I love the Elemis Cleansing Balm, I'm obsessed with it. I feel like I'm in a spa when I use that. I also love the CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser, I love how it has a tiny bit of foaming in it, but it's also really gentle, as I've got sensitive skin.
"My holy grail has got to be Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid Exfoliant, it's transformed my skin. If I ever fall off using it, I can always tell straight away and it's so good for hormonal acne flare-ups. I also love the Bondi Sands Moisturiser with SPF 50, it's literally perfect."
www.cultbeauty.co.uk
On make-up for filming
We can all agree that Noky looked incredible on the show, so what were the beauty products she relied on for that on-screen gleam?
"I love the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation and it feels so light on the skin but gives a really good coverage. I always remember growing up there weren't huge shade ranges so I always wore high-end foundation from a really young age. It's the one piece of make-up I'd always splurge on because you have to have the right shade for you. But over the years, other brands have expanded their range and I love the formula of Fit Me and the colour matched perfectly.
www.lookfantastic.com
"I'd wear it on a live show or if there was a party that I knew would be filmed with the big cameras and would make more of an effort to do glam. For every day, I love the Lancome Foundation which is more of a tinted moisturiser.
"Setting spray is also a big part of my routine as I get greasy skin. I actually bought the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray for the show, it was the first time I'd ever used it and I loved it."
On face masks
"In the house, I was also obsessed with face masks and eye masks. I brought in my pots of the L'Oreal Clay Mask and I was always using it, everyone in the house was always using it, and we were all loving it. That was a highlight of mine.
"I also loved the Garnier Sheet Masks in Pomegranate, that was a big part of my beauty routine because we never got any sleep in there so my face and eyes were always puffy. So anything to cool everything down was perfect."
On daily wellness habits
We can imagine Noky is mega busy with post-show commitments and events, so what are those little wellness habits that ensure she feels her best?
"I was really lucky when I did Miss Universe Great Britain I had a really busy schedule then and had a few gifted experiences and people advising me on stuff like wellness, gut health and time management.
"One supplement I got introduced to is Symprove which I swear by. It helped with my bloating so much. I found whenever I got super stressed or anxious my bloating got worse and I was at the gym, I wasn't really seeing the results of my hard work. Symprove makes me so much lighter throughout the day and I absolutely love that.
"I also love box breathing, it helps get me centred during the day. It's a really simple practice of breathing in for five seconds, holding for dice and letting go for five and repeating so I feel super calm and chill."
www.boots.com
On wise advice
"Something that I've held onto for years and years is the quote, 'This too shall pass'. It's one of my favourite sayings ever and it reminds me that time heals everything and I'll get past it."
On future plans
After Miss Universe Great Britain and Big Brother, what's next for Noky?
"I feel like one of my biggest problems in life is that I want to do absolutely everything! I've always been super academic but I love fashion and beauty and I've loved being on stage and doing pageants so it's hard for me to pin down exactly what I want to do. My dream would be to combine all of my passions into one.
I've been getting into the beauty and fashion space a lot at the moment but I always want to bring it back to my roots of bringing a bit of science and that strong, feminine spirit into everything."
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? It's so old but I'm watching Money Heist at the minute. Also, Grey's Anatomy, I absolutely love it.
How do you like your cuppa? I always have an oat milk latte with vanilla.
Go-to loungewear brand? I actually love Primark loungewear, it's so good.
Everyday perfume? Since 2017, it's always been Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal, but I've been loving the Fenty perfume as well recently.
Go-to takeaway order? It's got to be KFC.
Favourite candle? I love Yankee Candle and anything pumpkin or a warm, autumny scent. Even in the summer!