We Chat To Entrepreneur, Model & Author Ruth Crilly About All Things Beauty
With over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, entrepreneur, model and beauty guru Ruth Crilly shares her skincare, fashion and interiors advice across her Instagram, YouTube and blog ‘A Model Recommends’ – and we can’t get enough. Her honest reviews provide expert insights into day-to-day beauty looks and how to get that enviable model glow.
We chatted with Ruth Crilly about her love of beauty and skincare, from her holy grail products to luxury skincare worth investing in, and got all the details on her book:
What can readers expect from your book How Not To Be Supermodel?
I think readers are surprised when they start to read How Not To Be A Supermodel; they expect high-fashion anecdotes, when in fact, it is a book about total catastrophe and my ability to find chaos in any situation. My favourite part to write was the story about the red furry coat that dyed me red from my chin to my ankles just before a really important casting in Paris.
It was awful at the time – I didn’t get the job, obviously – but so funny to recall every single excruciating detail!
What beauty products could you not live without?
It is really hard to EVER pick one product that sits above all of the rest, but I can do it with the following, no questions asked:
1. Philip Kingsley Itchy Flaky Shampoo and Conditioner
2. Renew+ Me Nightly Active Treatment (my super-strength retinoid I’ve been using for years)
3. Skin Rocks The Antioxidant
4. Weleda Skin Food Cleansing Balm. (A new discovery, but I now never want to be without it).
Best new beauty discovery?
Oh I spoke too soon – Weleda Cleansing Balm! I can’t believe how well it performs (and how good it smells and feels) at that price point. Superb.
What are your favourite beauty tools?
Either the Current Body LED Mask for improving skin texture and tone (I use the face one AND the neck-n-dec!) or the ZIIP Halo for a dramatic and instant lift. Very different beasts, so difficult to pick…But I use the mask more consistently at the moment.
Either the Current Body LED Mask for improving skin texture and tone (I use the face one AND the neck-n-dec!) or the ZIIP Halo for a dramatic and instant lift.
What were the top tips and tricks you learnt from working as a model?
There are so many, and it’s hard to recall them in a way because you do them for so long, and you don’t realise that they’re anything out of the ordinary. I think that I’ve mainly learned that keeping things low-key and looking effortless will always look more chic and youthful than overdoing things and trying too hard. I MIGHT have come up with that tip because essentially, I’m lazy and don’t want to have to put too much effort in. When I was modelling, it was all about how you looked as a blank canvas, with very little makeup on and no fancy hair styling, and so I really learned the importance of getting the foundations right. Good skin, hair that’s in great condition, nice nails.
What does beauty mean to you?
Well, it’s definitely not a 2D image of something or someone anymore. I like to know how someone moves or talks or smiles or laughs because increasingly it’s the whole package that I’ll find beauty in and not a perfect face. I’m not a fan of the over-perfected beauty standard that dominates now, where every unique trait or perceived imperfection is eradicated in the pursuit of this one accepted type of face. I feel as though that’s what “beauty” has become, especially on social media (or perhaps only on social media), and it doesn’t hold as much interest for me.
Who do you follow on Instagram for beauty?
This would just be a long list of my mates, because they are all brilliant. But I don’t want to miss anyone out…
Best luxury skincare brand that’s actually worth the £££?
I am VERY partial to Omorovicza’s Queen of Hungary Mist and every single face mask they make. When I look at the prices, I almost want the products to be awful so that I don’t have to think about them again, but they are so top-notch and treaty.
And best budget heroes?
Currently: Inkey List Collagen Serum, elf cosmetics Camo Blush, the aforementioned Weleda Cleansing Balm (did I say it was good?!) and Yepoda Day Light moisturiser. All just epic. Oh! Curel night cream.
What is your all-time favourite fragrance?
I love the smell of L’Occitane’s Almond range, but if it were an actual perfume, I think it would have to be Santal 33 from Le Labo.
Do you have a favourite spa?
I like the Lazy Lake at Soho Farmhouse, which I’m not sure counts, but you sit with your mates in a giant tub inside a lake and it’s like a posh version of being in Shrek’s swamp. They can bring you cocktails, which in my books makes it a 10/10 experience.
What’s your approach to the sun and SPF?
I am a sunshine lover. I can’t live without it. From May until October, I just want to be outside, and I tan very easily even through my religious application and re-application of SPF. I keep my face out of the sun at all times, if I can, and I fake tan it a bit with Vita Liberata face tan to match my body. I am now very good at applying SPF all year round – I used to just do it in the summer months, but apparently 80% of visible skin ageing is caused by the sun, so…
Which hair brands and products do you really rate?
Philip Kingsley for my scalp stuff, Sam McKnight for my styling stuff and Living Proof for the advanced dry shampoo, which is the best I’ve found. I also love Wet Brush and Manta Brush for detangling wet hair and the Good Wash Day towel for gently drying it.
Has being a mum changed your approach to beauty?
Only in that I suddenly had less time, I think. I love beauty products, and I love taking care of myself, and any time I can carve out to do any sort of routine feels so precious. I think I probably love beauty MORE now than I did before, but that’s because I’m older and there are more concerns to contend with.
What’s your approach to fitness and working out?
I go on my Peloton every other day and maniacally cycle around 7 miles in twenty minutes, sweating and swearing at the screen. I live in the countryside, so I also walk a lot and am outdoors a fair bit, but the Peloton is my exercise backbone, and I try to stick to my every other day rule as much as possible.
Where do you love to shop for interiors?
Andrew Martin is usually my first port of call, and I get quite a lot of stuff from Soho Home, Graham and Green, and Heals. But actually, as the years have gone by, I’ve bought more and more second-hand and antique, usually via Vinterior online. I am a serial house renovator and have a holiday cottage business, so I’m always on the lookout for new and amazing pieces.
Easy beauty routine for the AM?
Cleanse, antioxidant/vit C serum, SPF. I honestly don’t think you need any more steps than that.
The products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however, The Handbook may make a small commission on some products purchased through affiliate links.
