Beauty Detail
Jade Thirlwall Took This Crystal On Her First Date With Jordan Stevens
Crystals & astrology had a big influence on the singer's new BEAUTY BAY eye shadow palette.
In Bustle’s Beauty Detail, we dive into the beauty bags of our favourite talents for intel on the rituals that keep them glowing and the MVPs (most valuable products) they can't live without. Here, Jade Thirlwall tells Bustle about her new BEAUTY BAY palette, the crystals she can’t live without, and how her approach to makeup has changed over time.
For Jade Thirlwall, beauty is personal. When I ask the Little Mix singer her favourite look from 10 years in the band, for example, she’s quick to responds with her BRIT Awards this year because of what it represented for her.
“It was quite a heavy look for me but I wanted to try something new,” Thirwall tells me. “I said to my makeup artist, ‘I want my hair and beauty to reflect a bit of my Egyptian heritage.’ The artist was part Egyptian too and said, ‘Oh, this is so exciting.’ So we did a beautiful sort of dark brown and bronzy eye shape.”
Thirlwall – who describes herself as a “big fan” of beauty and someone who loves to “turn out many different looks” – has followed that thread with her new BEAUTY BAY eyeshadow palette, too. The name of each shade within the palette (which launches on October 11) holds a special meaning for the “Sweet Melody” singer. You have Nefertiti (a brown matte), another nod to her Egyptian heritage; Red Planet (a red matte), a song on Little Mix’s very first album; Orion (a khaki matte), the name of the band Thirlwall was part of with Leigh-Anne before Little Mix; Sunshine Skin (a shimmery orange), a song written by her boyfriend Jordan Stevens; Northern Star (a deep blue matte), a shout out to her Geordie roots; and 37 others.
The shimmers within the palette represent Thirlwall’s love for crystals and all things astrology, which the singer says “really helped [her] mentally – especially during lockdown.” But her favourite crystals? “Tourmaline, which is the black crystal,” she says. “It's all about protecting you from negative energy. So I take those sort of ones on tour with me, because you're obviously meeting so many different people all the time, you've got to ward off any bad vibes.”
Rose quartz is a firm fave, too. “I know it's quite a typical one, but it's all about love and loving energy. And I took one in my bag on my first date with Jordan, so it must have helped somehow,” she laughs.
Crystals are part of Thirlwall’s daily wellness routine and, when it comes to beauty, she likes to keep things very simple: concealer, a tiny bit of blush, a neutral pink lip, and brushed brows. “Brows are very important these days,” she says with a smile.
“I do love a matchy-matchy moment, though” she adds. “So if I'm wearing baby pink one day, I love just having on a very quick wash of baby pink on my eye, and that tends to be my good sort of go-to thing.”
But pink hasn’t always been Thirlwall’s friend. When asked what beauty advice she might give to her younger self, she answers quickly, “I’d say, ‘Hun, lay off the bright pink fuchsia lip. You don't need that.’”
Ultimately, though, it’s all comes back to being herself. “I would actually remind myself at that age that make-up doesn't have to be a mask to cover your face.” Thirlwall admits that, in the early days of Little Mix, she became obsessed with “having to cake it on constantly” because, if she didn’t, she “wasn't a pretty pop star.” But as she’s grown in confidence, it’s become a vehicle for self-expression rather than a way to hide herself. “It's something that I enjoy doing, it's art, and it's something that helps just elevate what’s already there.”
Keep reading to find out what beauty products the singer uses on the daily.
The Eyeshadow Palette
“The palette for me literally has every single colour I could possibly need. Whether it's a day-to-day, whether it's just a quick wash of a pastel colour or a bronzy eye – something more bold and shimmery and out there. It was important for me to create a palette that literally ticked every box for everyone. And so I literally do use it every day, depending on what I'm doing. It’s a perfect all-rounder, that's why it will always remain in my backpack for a bit of help.”
Her Fave Hair Oil
“My hair is thirsty as f*ck. It's because I've got naturally quite thick curly hair. It's always gagging for a bit of moisture. So I carry oil in my bag constantly, and it just keeps it healthy. It's not too heavy so it's never going to look like you've suddenly put something greasy on your hair. It's very light and lovely.”
Her Go-To Scent
“So this is actually a perfume that a fan bought me a few years ago. A Brazilian fan at a signing turned up with this perfume. And then I looked it up and it was a f*cking fortune. So I was like, ‘Oh my God. Bless them.’ Firstly, thanks so much for spending that. And secondly, it's the best thing I've ever smelled. It's a unisex perfume, not too floral. And it is a bit spenny, but it literally lasts me six months for one bottle. And it's the type of scent that whenever I go anywhere, everyone's like, ‘What are you wearing? What have you got on?’ And it stays on the clothes. Even if I wash my clothes, it's still lingers on it.”
Her Must-Have Brow Fix
“I use this every single day. It locks the hairs in place and makes them look gorgy.”
Her MVP Cleanser
“I have it in my bag all the time. Just because I do a lot of travelling around and if I get on the Tube or something, my skin always feels a bit gross after. So I have to have cleanser or wipes in my bag just to quickly whip out and clean my face again. I'm a bit of a clean freak. And if you get on that Bakerloo Line, hun, your skin's not thanking you for it.”
