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 Sophie Hannah Richardson, the beauty and lifestyle blogger who has amassed an impressive 3.9 million followers across her social media platforms. She's best known for her viral cosplay beauty looks, unique style and very vibrant hair colours with cute hairstyles to match. Honestly? The coolest person on the internet.
As well as working with huge brands such as ASOS, Urban Decay and Google, Sophie has launched her very own haircare brand, Sophie Hannah Hair which includes fun semi-permanent colours to achieve her signature mermaid look from home.
That's not all, Sophie has just launched her debut book titled, Beauty, Hair, Style: The New No-Rules Beauty Bible which includes the beauty guru's favourite tips and tricks she's learned over the years and trust us, it's GOLD.
Sophie Hannah chats exclusively to heat about self-care routines, life-changing books and the make-up must-haves she can't be without...
On self-care
What does a self-care Sunday look like for Sophie?
"Self-care to me feels like it is lots of different things. I feel like self-care is both mental health and wellness, but I also think self-care can also be taking the time to do a face mask and relaxing in the bath. A self-care Sunday for me would be running a hot bath, and using some bath oil. I love the Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Bath Oil , I am obsessed with that. I also collect Fornasetti, so Fornasetti candles I am obsessed with those. I tend to watch a Netflix TV show rom-com or something when I am in the bath and I always do a face mask, just chilled vibes and a cup of tea."
On skincare
"Skincare is something I have upped my game with lately because I mean, I am 32 and getting into my 30s I have noticed a change within my skin, especially my under eyes getting a lot drier and I have got pigmentation and stuff I want to tackle. So I started using retinol, which I am obsessed with theKiehl’s Skin Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum I have slowly introduced it and I am only using a small amount of retinol. I am using it every day at the moment and it has transformed my skin. I had a lot of clogged pores from Halloween last year, I honestly tried so many skincare products, and that one for me seemed to work amazingly.
"I feel like I have got an evening routine and morning skin routine now, and I have had to use a lot of different products obviously skincare products don’t work for everybody and we have all got different needs so for me it was introducing retinol but then introducing hyaluronic acid and a nice moisturiser. I am loving the Drunk Elephant Protini Moisturiser I love that. Also, the CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Serum is great and for my under-eye, I have been using the Sunday Riley Eye Serum Retinoid and Niacinamide Eye Serum which has quite a strong retinol, but oh my god it works wonders. I have been using that one just once a week as it's so strong."
On budget beauty buys
"I probably have to say the Boots mousse. In my videos, I use a hair mousse for a lot of updos, and a lot of my Y2K looks and I just feel like it is a lot softer on the hair than going in for hair gel. You can really mould your hair and slick it all back but you’re not getting that crusty moose feeling. You just need a little bit and then a spritz of hair spray, rather than opting for hair gel."
On make-up tips
"Something I have learned from TikTok, I would normally just spray setting spray at the end of my make-up look, but you use it way more often. So spraying in between different applications, so spraying once you’ve done your foundation and then once you’ve powdered, spraying again once you have done your blush. This just makes your make-up last so much longer. My favourite setting spray is Urban Decay's All Nighter - it is just my go-to. I like the flip between the matte and the glowy finish depending on what kind of look I am going for."
On bedtime
"At the moment, I am obsessed with ASMR. I am addicted to watching people on TikTok pretending to do my skincare, pretend to do my make-up, brushing my hair. So they are pretending to do it on you, but do it on their phone but it looks like they’re doing it on you.
"It is all ASMR, so they are whispering, sometimes they will talk positively or they’re checking in on you. It is all sorts of sound effects for brushing your hair or doing your skincare. It sounds really weird it just makes me fall asleep in five minutes."
On make-up favourites
"I have got a little bit of a list, so I’d say the NYX Lift and Snatch pen is amazing for getting that laminated brow look. It has got a sharp felt tip pen and you can draw hair strokes to fill out your brows and shape them, so I am obsessed with that. I also love the TikTok Pink Honey original Super Hold for your brows. It glues your brows down and keeps them in place all day, only downside is that I wish they would bring out a waterproof version because as soon as water touches your brow, they do go. However, it does keep them on all day if you’re away from water.
"And then I love the Shiseido Synchro Skin Concealer, I have tried so many concealers but I always go back to it. It's one of my favourites. It has got great coverage and you don’t need a lot, you can blend it out with your fingers. The Rare Beauty Liquid Blush and the bronzing stick. I am a big rare beauty fan. I just think the products are beautiful, they blend so well into your skin they are rebuildable, and just really fresh looking. I mix and match. I tend to go for a mix between purples and peaches.
"And then foundation, a good go-to for a lot of my cosplay looks, and if I am doing any sort of glam is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation. It is really good coverage and lasts all day. I also love the finishing powder. It is super blurring, soft, and lightweight on the skin. And then my go-to eyeshadow palette is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam just because it is a great neutral palette if you just want to pop something into your crease. I love using that palette to create a soft wing liner look just by using a sharp angled brush and then black eyeshadow".
On daily wellness habits
"I actually have a journal, it’s called the Five-Minute Journal. Every day I write in there, morning and night asking you three things you are grateful for, three things you would love to get from the day, your daily affirmations and then at the end of the day you would write three highlights of your day and what you have learned. I just love doing it, it always makes me feel really good. That is something I do every day and I try my best that when I do my make-up in the morning, there is a 12-minute meditation song on Spotify and it is basically positive affirmation.
"So when I am doing my make-up, instead of meditating, I look in the mirror and say positive affirmations to myself, which sounds a bit cringy and weird but it does work and it makes you feel really good. I feel most of the time, people aren’t saying those things to each other, so you can just face yourself and say, 'I am amazing at everything I do, I deserve everything' or whatever your affirmations are. I enjoy doing that.
"Trying to get myself to the gym always makes me feel good, I tend to listen to podcasts when I am at the gym. I love the Steven Bartlett, The Diary of a CEO podcast, just because he crosses over a lot with mental health with a lot of his guests so I like that aspect of his podcast.
"I recently listened to the Davina McCall episode, listening to her past, her sister, and her childhood growing up I think it is nice because it makes people that sort of status more relatable. I was listening to it on the treadmill and I had to pause it for a second just to compose myself."
On life-changing books
"I love The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest. It is all about self-sabotage, why you do it when you do it and how to stop doing it. It is really interesting. It shows you ways people self-sabotage through jealousy or anger, lots of different things. You can relate to it, it is just a transformative book, I loved reading that. It is a really good read and she has lots of amazing as well, she writes in a way that it feels like she is just talking to you."
On great advice
"Having boundaries in relationships and friendships. I read something that boundaries aren’t a bad thing and they’re not selfish. I have struggled with being a people pleaser for a lot of my life but now I am trying to put myself first and put in boundaries to protect my mental health and I definitely want to share that with everyone that advice."
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? The Last of Us.
How do you like your cuppa? I like milk, two sweeteners and I have mushroom powders that I put in my cup of tea. They help with sleep, concentration and productivity. I love the lion's mane one from Erbology.
Go-to loungewear brand? I don’t have a go-to loungewear brand but I do love ASOS and just looking at whatever cool print jogger sets they have.
Favourite face mask? The Kielh's Deep Pore Cleansing Clay Mask, I love that one.
Go-to takeaway order? It’s so bad, but I love McDonalds. I really like the vegan burger. You can’t tell. I’m not vegan but I prefer it to ordering their burgers now. I’ll always get the vegan burger just because it tastes really good.
Favourite candle? It's probably the Fornasetti. They’re basically a collectable, they do plates, candles and incense, it’s all kind of like China. I have been collecting them for years now but their candles are amazing.