Love Island’s Laura Whitmore has revealed the secret weapon in her summer beauty routine – hubby Iain Stirling. The glamorous presenter, who has collaborated with Boots on a new ‘feel good’ project said that she calls on Iain to help when it comes to self-tanning. She said: “Sometimes you need a bit of help with the back bits, so you have to get your other half to help, but we’ve all been there. That’s what love is.” Laura has teamed up with Boots – who have seen a huge 158 per cent growth in tanning sales – on their ‘Feel Good as New’ project, to help people have the confidence to get ready and get out again this summer as the nation preps for post-lockdown life. Speaking about what she missed during lockdown, she said: “When prepping for a night out, my favourite part is getting the girls over, having a catch up and getting ready together, we all end up sharing make-up tips – I missed this a lot throughout lockdown.” All about the brows Her new go-to when it comes to make-up for a night out is all about the brows. She said: “There’s always a new fad, and the moment it’s all about the brows, the bushy brows, and Boots has some great brands like Fenty and Anastasia Beverley Hills for brow products. “I’m new to that because I never really cared about the brows before and now, I’ve learned they frame the face, so that’s my new beauty hack – start with the brows. Forget everything else and start with your brows.” In a short film with the UK’s leading beauty retailer, celebrity hair stylist George Northwood – who created Meghan Markle’s ‘undone chignon’ look for her wedding reception – was on hand to offer some hands-on hair tips when he joined her in the Boots flagship store in London’s Covent Garden. Boots has launched 54 new beauty brands including Drunk Elephant, Anastasia Beverley Hills and UOMA throughout lockdown. And as the nation prepares to get ready to get back out there this summer, Boots has seen a 145 per cent increase in self-selection cosmetics – with mascara proving to be the best-selling product. But premium lip products have seen the biggest growth in sales with an increase of 1,122 per cent year-on-year as customers turn to pops of colour to add some extra positivity into their lives. Boots Beauty Specialist Yasemin Sanli said: “We have been wearing masks for a while now and brows have become a central focal point to our looks. The trend is set to continue throughout the summer, everyone is after a bushy, brush-up brow. “As a result, we’ve seen sales for brow pencils increase by a whopping 239 per cent , and brow gels become increasingly popular with sales up by 188 per cent over lockdown . “We’ve also seen fragrances flying off the shelves with sales significantly increasing by 482 per cent – so we know customers are excited to get back out there again.” The importance of SPF Boots Trend Specialist Grace Vernon said: “A key beauty look that we can expect to see more of this summer is soft, glowy, textured make-up as people really want to show off the amazing skin they managed to get through lockdown. Brown eyeliner is a hot trend as well – inspired by Rachel from Friends.” Presenting Love Island has also taught Laura the importance of the SPF in her make-up choices. She said: “My favourite product of the moment is something that’s got SPF in it because it gets really hot. A lot of foundations I use have an SPF in them to protect you from the sun so I think that would probably be my favourite beauty product for filming. “I think good skin is really important, especially under camera lights and if you’re outside under natural sunlight, so something that makes the skin look dewy – but not sweaty. “I try to shop sustainably. I try to look for brands that are cruelty-free and vegan, as much as possible. "I’m not perfect but I’m trying to find as much as I can. The Beauty Specialists in Boots are brand neutral so they can give you the best advice, no bias whatsoever, and that’s really important.” Laura had one more teenage fashion confession to make – one which shows what can go wrong without expert advice. “One of the first beauty products I remember getting in Boots was Sun-In … and maybe you shouldn’t use that when you don’t know what you’re doing with it, but I loved it at the time. “Basically, you’d spray it in your hair – it was almost like lemon juice – then you’d get into the sun. "Problem was I didn’t do it evenly so some patches would be quite yellowy … greeny … I just didn’t do it right. Then you’d get into the pool with the chlorine and it would turn a different colour. "There was a lot of us in Ireland with questionable hair because of Sun-In … but what a time. "Boots has all of the biggest beauty brands and best advice you could need, with over 600 in-store brand-neutral Boots Beauty Specialists on hand to help you feel great as you prepare to get out there again this summer."
