boy brow — Blog — Hannah Castleman

Working from home can mean many things - freedom, flexibility, distraction, low motivation, pyjamas… I’m trying to take a structured approach to my morning routine to make sure I get up and get things done, without rushing around or panicking about the work I have to do that day.

All photos were taken by the amazing Anna Harding from Hello Ding.

Since I’ve been on the Gut Dysbiosis diet due to ongoing health issues, my breakfasts have been more of a focused part of my day. I’m terrible at waking up and up until recently very lazy when it comes to making breakfast (all meals actually), but now I make sure I eat properly. Normally it’s porridge, eggs or pancakes. These banana and blueberry pancakes are delicious and sweet, and only have five ingredients: blueberries, bananas, wholewheat flour, eggs and pumpkin pie spice mix from Trader Joe’s. No added sugar but super delicious.

I used to work for a coffee roaster in London and can’t begin a day without coffee. Although I drink decaff, for me it’s much more about the taste - as well as the habit and routine of making it - than the caffeine buzz. We use a metal filter as it’s reusable and I swear by Oatly, it’s unbelievably good. The spoon pot was made by Pip Hartle and it’s perfect.

I like to start my day by reading. I try and read before I look at my phone, but let’s be honest - this hardly ever happens. Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors and I’ve just preordered her new novel The Testaments which is due out in September. I’m counting down the days. The jumper is from Monki (thank you ASOS) and the playsuit is from Topshop via One Scoop Store, my favourite second hand shop that has amazing pieces at ridiculously good prices.

A happy unintentional matching of vinyl to furniture - this Band of Skulls record is consistently playing in my house.

After breakfast, I like to get ready as if I was going to work, I find it puts me more in the ‘office mood’. I wash my face with warm water and a Coco Shine pad (Louisa Revolta’s recommendation), before applying Rodial’s Dragon’s Blood moisturiser and eye cream. Then I use Boy Brow, Balm Dotcom and Lash Slick from Glossier, and when I’m feeling super fancy I use Fenty Beauty’s liquid liner, which stays on forever.

I had my last tour date of the 2017/2018 season with The Spitfire Sisters on January 10th, and I'm missing it already.

There are so many aspects of touring I love. Meeting people in venues and cities we haven't played before, long car journeys to theatres listening to the past (ahem, music from the 90s), and hanging out with the band in amazing places. The house we stayed in for our tour date in Cornwall had a hot tub. Living the dream.

One of my favourite things, however, is the 20 minutes we have between soundcheck and curtain up to do our makeup and get changed.

Getting ready at Hall for Cornwall at the beginning of January. Please note the difficulty with my false eyelashes - I have to apply them twice. Still learning!

I used to hate this part of the evening. I used to panic. I could never get my false eyelashes on. One eyeliner wing would be oversized and dramatic and the other would be practically non-existent; the more I would try to even it up, the more abstract they would become. My lipstick couldn't be contained by any amount of lipliner or cotton bud tidying up. Essentially, it always looked like I had broken into my mother's make up bag and gone wild.

Everything changed after I gave up my full time job at a coffee roastery and started temping between gigs. I only did this for about a year - I've been performing and teaching full time for just over a year now - but I had a lot of time where I'd finish one task and be waiting for the next one to appear. I decided that I would seize these moments to do my research on how to take a more organised approach to skincare and makeup.

One essential resource that I go back to again and again is the website Into The Gloss. I've been a fan of Into The Gloss for years, all because of founder Emily Weiss's appearance on The Hills - I am a sucker for those 'Whatever Happened To Those Teenagers From Those Shows You Watched When You Were A Teenager' kind of tv show. Reading Into The Gloss was a big part of my temping life. Before I began religiously reading their Top Shelf articles and product reviews, the idea of wearing makeup everyday was crazy to me. I had to desire to do any kind of skin care, and I really wasn't prepared to spend money on products that I had no idea if they would work on my skin. Every so often I would go crazy and spend £14 on some false eyelashes - £14!!! - and immediately regret it because we all know Eylure make the best false eyelashes and they are a third of the price.

At the Glossier showroom in London last November.

So when Into The Gloss sent out an email that said Glossier were launching in the UK, they already had my trust. They're more expensive than drugstore products, but not by much, and they work. As soon as I could, I invested in their Phase 1 Skin Set, which includes Milky Jelly Cleanser (the only face wash I have ever used that doesn't dry my skin out), Priming Moisturiser, and Balm Dotcom in Birthday. I purchased Boy Brow at the Glossier Showroom in London in November, and over Christmas my Glossier collection expanded with Glossier You and Super Pure Serum. Seriously, I'm a woman who uses serum now.

Phase 1 Skin Set. Look at that packaging! I'm all about branding.

Aside from my clear Glossier addiction, I have really started to expand my make up bag in other ways. After a bizarre bout of Impetigo a couple of years ago I purchased bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Foundation. For me this was a pricey purchase, but I keep going back to it because it lasts a good amount of time and it is the only foundation I've ever used that doesn't dry out my skin. I get on a lot better with powders than I do creams, and this gets rid of any shine which is especially important for when I'm on stage sweating it out under the lights.

I'm a sucker for free samples and I've just worked my way through quite a few from REN, including the Revitalising Night Cream which is amazing, and has made my face so ridiculously soft that I can't stop touching it, which I know is against Skin Care rule 101. I'm thinking of investing but it is a little bit more than I want/can afford to spend right now so I'm looking for recommendations. I normally swear by E45 in the winter but it's a bit heavy for the warmer months, but you can't argue with the price.

I'm always looking for ideas about what to try next, so send me any suggestions.

By the way, if you fancy 10% off Glossier send me a message and I'll send you a code. (This is not an advert and I am not affiliated with Glossier in any way, I just genuinely love their products.)

Sometimes there's a wig involved in getting ready.