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 Sophie Hughes, the curve model and influencer who is urging us all to feel more confident in our bodies, no matter what they look like.
Sophie was a straight-sized model in her twenties but after heroically donating part of her liver to her baby nephew, she was left with a seven-inch scar down her midriff and weight gain post-surgery. She initially felt insecure and refused to let anyone see her body, but then decided to embrace her curves and begin a journey of self-love, because 'life is too short to stress about your jean size'.
"I had to learn to lean into it," Sophie tells heat, "there was a good couple of years of that transition period where I really struggled and I wouldn't put a bikini on and but following all the body positive people on social media and really leaning into the body positive movement on social media was what got me to where I am today."
Sophie chats exclusively to heat about body confidence, wellness habits and the best piece of advice she's ever been given...
On feeling body confident
Sophie is all about body positivity which we absolutely love – how can we all start becoming a little kinder to our bodies?
"I think you have to, you have to take ownership, but you have to understand that it's a journey and you have to be willing to commit to it. It's just not following a few accounts and suddenly loving your body, it's every single day committing to it and it's understanding that it's going to be a process. You're going to have good days and bad.
"I get asked a lot if social media is a positive thing or a negative thing, and I say that for me, it's such a positive thing because I've curated this world of social media that I absolutely love, so I only follow people who make me feel great about myself. I only surround myself with people who make me feel great about myself,
"If all you follow are babes on Instagram who are a size six, who all look incredible in their own way, this isn't about body shaming anyone, but if you're in a bigger body and all the people you follow are these women and they make you feel like shit about yourself - you have control over who you're following and what your influences are.
"So take that control, flood yourself and your social media with people who make you feel great about yourself, and start on that journey and commit to that every single day."
On self-care
Let's talk self-care, how does the model like to spend a self-care Sunday?
"I'm what you would call an extroverted introvert. So I am very confident and I put my life out there on social media, but on a Sunday, I need to lean into that introverted side of me and I need to recharge - I don't recharge when I'm around people."
Sophie shares how whether it's a dedicated day or just an hour, taking time for yourself makes you a better person for the upcoming week.
"I really take my Sunday and I try to not feel guilty for it. So for me, one of my top values is tranquillity, so I do whatever I can do to find peace. I just bought a hammock, I lived in Sydney for the last nine years and I had a hammock where I would read all my books in the sunshine. I love reading on my hammock for self-care.
"I also really try to set my intentions for the week. I'm really big on manifestation and self-affirmations. I'm really big on taking control of my own destiny and thinking about the things I want to achieve in the week ahead. I also always delete my social media apps on a Sunday morning, not because it's a negative influence on my life but because I don't want to spend my Sunday scrolling or comparing. I come back online on a Monday morning and I'm ready to go and feel so good.
"On a Sunday night I like to shave myself to dolphin status and I feel like it's not complete without using everything from the Lush Sleepy range. There's a cloud shaped bath bombwhich is really great value actually because you can break it into pieces and have at least four baths from it.
On budget beauty buys
"So when I was 14 and I first started using mascara, my mum told me about theGreat Lash Mascara from Maybelline . I used it and it was brilliant. But then I spent the next ten years going off and buying Chanel and YSL and now I've come full circle. I use Great Lash every single day and it's the best mascara I've ever tried.
On life-changing books
"It was actually my best friend's birthday yesterday and I bought it for her, it's Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living by Glennon Doyle .I read it a few years ago but I read it again recently in this new phase of my life where I'm newly single and living back in the UK and so much has changed. It's about having the courage to embrace change in your own life and really step into who you were put on the planet to be and lean into that and live your life for yourself and not for the approval of others. I think every woman in their 20s 30s 40s 50s and beyond should read it, it's really beautiful."
On daily wellness habits
"I don't have my phone in my bedroom, because I work on social media there are always emails or WhatsApp messages about work. I keep my phone in a different room and I bought an alarm clock. That's probably one of the best self-care things I've ever done. Otherwise, I would be scrolling TikToks until midnight and then wake up and I'm straight into work emails, and that is just not healthy.
"Another small self-care thing is that when I come downstairs, I'll be like, 'Alexa, play some chill out tunes' or something that's going to wake me up and give me some positive energy. I like to make my coffee in that kind of peaceful environment. It's just five minutes for me."
On really great advice
"I had a really emotional chat with my brother a few weeks ago and he just really reminded me that I need to have more fun and stop taking everything so seriously. I think I had been working myself into the ground and I was on the edge of burnout and he was just like, 'This isn't life, you're not doing it right. You don't look happy, you don't look healthy. You need to have more fun because you don't get another shot to have more fun.'
"It was a really good reminder, no matter where you're at in your life, what you're going through whether it's relationships, whatever it is, it should be fun, all of it."
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? I'm watching RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, I'm obsessed.
How do you like your cuppa? I have a black coffee or a green tea with pomegranate.
Go-to loungewear brand? I loveBoux Avenue.
Favourite face mask? The Elemis Herbal Lavender Repair Mask .
Go-to takeaway order? I love a Chinese, I'll always have a quarter crispy duck.
Favourite candle? The Sand and Fog Grapefruit candle.