Love Island 2022 winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu captured the nation's hearts with her sassy humour, honesty and charisma – not to mention her fiery relationship with boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti. Whether glammed up for an evening in the villa or fresh-faced for a day of challenges, the Turkish actress never failed to amaze audiences with her onscreen radiance.
READ: Love Island winner Ekin-Su addresses Dancing on Ice 'curse' – and reveals Davide's reaction
HELLO! spoke to Ekin-Su all about her day-to-day beauty routine, the pressures of social media, and her new campaign with Beauty Works. Keep scrolling to discover the Dancing On Ice star's best-kept beauty tricks, tips and secrets – plus why she's going back to basics.
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"My neck is like a fifty-year-old's!" Ekin-Su says, pawing at her wrinkleless décolleté. She is no stranger to confrontation, as proven by her time on the ITV2 hit show, yet I cannot help but vehemently disagree with her. "Start young. Start when you are 15. The younger you start the better you prevent it," she continues while discussing her vigorous anti-ageing skincare routine.
Ekin-Su has partnered with Beauty Works
As expected, there is no fluff with Ekin-Su, who responds to beauty-themed questions with a military-style directness – even when it comes to the more sensitive subjects. "I'm going back to my natural roots. I'm getting rid of my lip fillers, I'm against all this stuff now. Fillers can make you look worse. I can see that. I haven’t had anything major done to myself except the lips. Women look up to me. Girls look up to me. So why should I be fake? Be yourself. That's why I've gone dark, because the real Ekin is dark."
The star maintains a thorough skin and haircare routine
The star, who claims her first big post-show purchase was a wide selection of La Mer products, is referring to her recent decision to go back to brunette and ditch the blonde balayage. How does she feel about reverting to the dark side? " It feels so good. Being back to your natural roots is so good. We like the dark side. I had fun as a blonde, but I feel more real now."
The Turkish actress says hair is the most important part of a woman
There is no understating how Ekin-Su feels about the significance of hair – I mean, Phoebe Waller-Bridge said so herself: "Hair is everything," and Ekin-Su couldn't agree more. "Hair is the most important thing on a woman," she says pointedly. "If your hair is sexy, then you're [expletive] sexy."
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Yet, how does she achieve such luscious locks? "You've got to do the step-by-step. People think you just need shampoo – no, you need the heat protection, you need to do the frizz control, put all the oils in and make sure you blow dry your hair."
The 28-year-old has recently gone back to brunette
Her meticulous attitude also applies to her skincare regime: "I'm 28 now. I've got to use my toner, my scrub once a week, mask every night. Kiehl's firming mask is really good overnight. It’s not even that expensive. For women who can't afford high-end products, even Nivea. Get the basics – toner, moisturiser, and night cream. That's all you need."
"I love Beauty Works. I loved it even before I was on Love Island. I think they're a good quality product company. I feel like Beauty Works resembles me because it's very high-end quality."
Ekin-Su previously rocked long blonde-tinted locks
Even boyfriend Davide has been subject to Ekin-Su's beauty principles – letting his girlfriend wash and style his natural curls on occasion. "He's actually really good with his hair. I always tell him he looks good with curly hair," she smiles. "You should smell his hair, it's really nice."
When asked about the pressures of looking on-point all the time as a social media presence, the star is refreshingly open. "I don't think I always look good. I don't use filter anymore; I try and do stories with no makeup or when I'm just casually walking down the street. I want to show different sides of me. You saw me on Love Island raw and fresh in the morning. Mine and Davide's reality show is coming out – you'll see me again with no makeup, having just woken up. You'll see me in trackies walking around Istanbul. I'm not always glamorous. It's unrealistic for me to be glamorous all the time."
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There's a lot that goes into achieving Ekin Su's self-dubbed "Turkish Delight," aesthetic, but the actress is taking a step away from the influencer mirage. Dissolving the fillers, binning the lashes and shelving the hair dye is an attempt to bring about more realistic beauty standards online – and Ekin-Su is leading the charge.
The Beauty Works x Ekin-Su Party Edit is now available www.beautyworksonline.com.