WhatEmWore talks styling tricks, career advice and the £3 moisturiser she swears by

The fashion influencer chats to heat about her self-care favourites...

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by Aimee Jakes |
Updated on

We love a bit of self-careand 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.

Accountant by day and influencer by night (330k followers and counting) WhatEmWore, otherwise known as Emma Hothersall, is famed for her uniformed mirror selfies, chic outfits and impeccable dress sense.

Em is also an ambassador for gym wear brand TALA, which she describes as 'a real pinch-me moment'.

The 25-year-old from Manchester chats exclusively to heat about tanning routines, make-up favourites and how she shoots her Instagram content...

On balancing her workload

Em expertly juggles a career in corporate finance and her own thriving online platform and admits it's more work than she could have anticipated.

She explains, "You don't really realise when you go into influencing, how much work is involved in it, it's huge. I'm part-time for both which is very stressful as you can imagine. It's a lot of hours work but I just tried to be really organised in terms of planning out my weekend because that's mainly the time that I do Instagram and I'll give myself specific times to shoot outfits.

"If I've got brands I'm working with, I think to myself, 'what do they need?' and really plan out my day. It's just being disciplined. I've got to make time to spend time with family and friends as well, so I'm not just crazy busy all the time.

"Mornings are really important to me, I like to like get up early and exercise, so I have that time that's just for me first thing in the morning as well, it really helps."

On skincare

skincare - whatemwore
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"I do tend to keep it simple, to be honest, but there are hero products that I absolutely love. I use the SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Cleanser and serum every morning and night. The serum is incredible and the best I've ever used. I have quite oily-prone skin and it's been just really good for keeping my skin calm.

"My favourite moisturiser is one that I've used for years, my friends always think this is so weird, but it's the Neutrogena Clear & Defend. I just absolutely swear by it, it's the best oil-free moisturizer that I've ever, ever used!

"I use eye creams but I've not really found a favourite. I want to try a retinol one because I've heard that's really good for wrinkles under your eyes."

Neutrogena Clear and Defend Moisturiser

Rrp: £18.04

Price: £15.85

On tanning

Em always looks tanned and glowy, but explains how it's all down to a good routine.

"I am a fake tan addict! So, my ultimate self-care is a full-body exfoliation, moisturise and a fresh layer of tan, that is just a dream for me. My favourite fake tan always changes a bit, but the one I always come back to is the TanLuxe Hydra-Mousse or The Butter which is more like a gradual tan. They are just amazing, the colour is so natural and they don't transfer onto bedsheets or anything.

"I think fake tan application is all about how well you exfoliate before, so I recently bought a few exfoliating products and my favourite one was actually theAMELIORATE Exfoliating Body Mitt . It's really good for getting off old tan, it was the best one by far."

On styling tricks

Whatemwore
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"I would say definitely adding a blazer to an outfit. It just really takes your outfit to the next level and just makes you look a lot more put together. It's like you put more effort in but it's just really easy to do. Definitely invest in good quality blazers, because you get so much wear out of them."

"I do get a lot from Zara and & Other Stories, they're usually a higher price point than their other stuff, but they're really amazing."

On TALA

WhatEmWore
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Em is an ambassador for gym wear brand TALAand explains how its versatile styles and stance on sustainability meant it was the perfect fit for her.

"It was definitely a huge pinch-me moment. I've always really admired TALA and everything that it stands for, its inclusivity and focus on sustainability. That's really, really important to me. I love how it's obviously high-performance activewear, but at the same time, it's just so wearable every day and really flattering as well. Even recently, I paired the logo crop top with some jeans and heels for a night out. What more do you want from activewear that you can wear out as well?"

Get a set that can do both, tbh. 👏🏻

On make-up favourites

"Charlotte Tilbury is definitely my favourite brand, so pretty much anything from there. I'd say my favourite products are theFlawless Filter, it's less coverage than a foundation but gives a really really nice kind of glowy look and also the Contour Wand and the [Beauty Light Wand {href='https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/hollywood-beauty-light-wand-highlighter' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' class='add-referrer-link'}) which is a cream kind of blush. They are so so good. I'm not great at contouring and stuff but these are so easy to blend in with a beauty blender. You just look so much more awake and glowy. Also, the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in 'Yes Honey', I love that. For concealer, I love either the NARS Radiant Concealer or the Rodial Banana Lowlighter Concealer ."

On book recommendations

"My favourite book is Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love . It was really amazing, just a feel-good book. It reminds you how important friendships are and makes you really appreciate your friends."

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Rrp: £32.00

Price: £11.85

On great advice

"Consistency is key. I know it's like a really generic one, but I just genuinely believe it applies to everything in life. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, go to the gym, revise for exams or do well at work, you have to be consistent to see results."

On getting the pic

"It takes quite a lot longer than you would think!" Em laughs, "I don't even want to think how many photos I take for one outfit. Then you have to go through and pick which one's your favourite and edit the brightness and stuff. Thinking of a caption always takes a long time, too. Also the ironing of the clothes! I think I need to get a steamer or something...

"Then, key tips, I think good natural lighting. Everyone says that but it really is key, which can be a bit of a struggle in Manchester because it's always grey. Whenever there's a sunny day I like to take the most photos ever. Then I think just keeping a simple plain background so it doesn't distract. And also just like feeling confident in what you're wearing. I feel like I can always tell, my pics look so much better when I love what I'm wearing and feel confident in it."

Quickfire round:

Show you’re currently binging? The Bold Type on Netflix, it's so good.

Go-to cuppa? I like a cup of tea with milk and a Party Ring!

Go-to loungewear brand? Definitely the new TALA Court collection, it's actually incredible. I love the Volley Sweatshirt and I wear it with the Hosta Shorts .

Favourite face mask?111SKIN, they're expensive but amazing.

Go-to takeaway order? Rudy's Pizza. I think it's just in Manchester, but it's the best.

Favourite candle? The White Company Seychelles.

You can follow What Em Wore on Instagram, here. Shop TALA's new Court collection, here.

Now! More news!

Budget beauty buys loved by celebs:

From Molly-Mae Hague to Olivia Attwood, here are the celeb-approved beauty budget buys to know about...

  1. [Weleda Skin Food {href='https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weleda-Skin-Food-Rough-skin/dp/B000ORV3NC/ref=sr_1_3?tag=qheatarticle573-21' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' class='add-referrer-link'}) - loved byMolly-Mae Hague, Victoria Beckham, Olivia Attwoodand Love Island's Mary Bedford.This lot like to use it as a glowy make-up primer (trust us, it's glorious) but it can also be used for everything, from dry knees to an intensive overnight moisturiser.
  1. Sky High Mascara - loved by Little Mix's Leigh Anne Pinnock and Amber Gill, this hard-working lash extender gives your the falsie effect for just £7. If you need any more convincing, the mascara has racked up 251.5 million views on TikTok for its insane lengthening skills.
  1. The CeraVe Smoothing Cleanser - loved by Amber Gill, Jamie Genevieve andTia Lineker. CeraVe cleansers are CULT in Beauty Land and are full of good ingredients to help clean, nourish and treat the skin. Count us in.
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