beauty

The $13.49 cleanser "doing wonders" for Kate Ritchie's skin.

When Kate Ritchie gave birth to her daughter Mae, she needed a simple skincare routine that wasn’t going to take up valuable time and space on her shower shelf. The actress and radio presenter tried QV skincare and hasn’t looked back, even becoming the brand’s ambassador recently.

The 37-year-old spoke to Mamamia about her wind-down routine (scotch on the rocks, anyone?) and the one fragrance she’ll wear forever.

The Morning Routine

“The first thing I do is check to see if my daughter made it into bed with us overnight! And if not, I’ll sneak downstairs to get some early morning work done with a strong, white tea.

“I do most of my morning cleansing in the shower — QV Face Gentle Foaming Cleanser ($13.49) followed by QV Intensive Moisturising Cleanser ($22.49). Using soap-free products that are high in glycerin really does my skin wonders. It’s great that the QV range is gentle enough for Mae’s skin too (although she does have her own QV Baby products) and it means the shower is not overflowing with pump actions and squirty bottles. It’s much more streamlined these days.

“It’s then a lathering of QV Skin Lotion ($16.79) and QV Face Moisturising Day Cream ($15.29) with an SPF 30, which is an absolute must every time I leave the house. If I have a bit of a lazy day at work I’ll try to pop in a leave-in hair treatment.

WATCH: A natural face mask you can whip up at home. (Post continues after video).

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“If I have time to wash and blowdry/dripdry I will use either a Goldwell shampoo or a great product I’ve discovered for my much blonder hair these days, which is Oribe. I haven’t washed my hair daily since my days working and living in Summer Bay. If I have been working and have a great blow-dry then I try to make that last for as many days as possible! On average I would say I wash it twice a week, maybe three times.”

Makeup Time

“I prefer to wear minimal makeup every day. Weekends I am pretty much makeup-free and radio allows me to do that most days, although in this day and age everything seems to be filmed for online so I have to look a little respectable.

“At the moment I am using a Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow primer ($76) which gives my face a fresh sheen without any sparkles, and I follow that with a light coverage of Armani Maestro Glow (US$64) and a NUDESTIX concealer stick ($35) I picked up in Sephora. I am currently using a MAC eye pencil in COFFEE ($29) for a little eye definition followed by loads of mascara and a splash of colour on my cheek. Bobbi Brown do some great cream blushes ($45) which keep a nice glow on the face rather than give you a powdery look.

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Don’t forget we also squeezed in kisses from Mae, a lengthy shower AND avo on toast @lillym_makeupartist ????⏱????☕️ ????????#speedygonzales #beauty @bally_swiss @allsaintslive @camillaandmarc Repost# @lillym_makeupartist with @repostapp ・・・ We got a lot done in so little time this morning @kateritchieofficial !! It was all about the ???????? so what do you use for a 15 min face?! #Chanel #beiges #foundation #chanel #styloeyeshadowpen #charlottetilbury #eyestomesmerise #hourglassmascara #tomford #bronzer #toofaced #nudelippencil #urbandecay #lipgloss #beauty #makeup #hair Hair…#oriberoyalblowout #oribetexturespray #ghdaustralia #kateritchie #beautyonthego #nofilter @oribeaustralia @weareroguebeauty @ghdhair_

A photo posted by Kate Ritchie (@kateritchieofficial) on Jun 20, 2016 at 9:55pm PDT

“I rarely touch up my makeup during the day. If you have a good mascara that doesn’t drop throughout the day, then a light powder may be all I need. If I am on a set I will usually take my makeup off with QV Face Gentle Cleanser ($21.99) and a wash flannel in the makeup van before I even leave for the day. That comes from older actresses and makeup artists drumming good skincare into me from a very early age.”

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Daily Beauty Essentials

“I do love to have the YSL Touche Eclat Highlighter ($63), which can prove to be an emergency beauty item covering a spot or dark circles after applying it as a cheek/eye highlighter at home. There is usually a lipstick rolling around the bottom of my bag too (Tom Ford or Charlotte Tilbury) along with a bottle of water and mints.

“I have a lot of favourite fragrances which remind me of different times in my life, but the one I continue to come back to you is Chanel No 5 ($164), or else Chanel Gardenia, especially in the cooler winter months.”  (Post continues after gallery.)

 

Facials and Treatments

“I have enjoyed many a Dr Spiller facial at Face Plus MediSpa over the years. I end up feeling fabulous, but maybe that’s because I sometimes sneak in a snooze too… I have recently had my eyebrows feathered with Gee at GeeGeeBrows. It’s certainly not relaxing but I am loving them and the structure it gives to my face on those makeup-free days is amazing.”

Kate during the QV campaign and ambassador launch. (Image supplied)

The Night Routine

"Am I allowed to say I sometimes enjoy a scotch on the rocks? Ha! I need to learn to wind down in the evening far better than I do now. I tend to work on the computer until late and then head straight to bed, which sometimes makes for a restless sleep I feel. "A ‘getting ready for bed ritual’ sounds very glamorous and somewhat sexy, but no, I don’t have one. My beauty night routine doesn’t differ too much at all although I might apply a little more or a heavier moisturiser for sleeping. I will also moisturise my feet and wear socks to bed too."

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What does your daily routine look like?

Featured image: Instagram.