By the time 9pm (aka Love Island time) rolls around, I'm in pyjamas, most likely munching on chocolate biscuits, and invariably make-up free. It's not a pretty sight, but my less-than-groomed appearance is further highlighted when I see the glamorous female contestants of said hit TV show (not sure if you've heard of it? LOL). Preened to perfection – think lashes, lipstick and hefty applications of foundation – the Love Island ladies definitely put me to shame.
But I have an unlikely ally in Instagram. While the beauty trend on the social media channel used to be all about deep contour and a serious lack of pores/fine lines (hello FaceTune!), we seemed to have turned a corner and shifted towards a more natural aesthetic – hooray! I suspect the Duchess of Sussex sparked this movement when she walked down the aisle with her freckles proudly on show. Suddenly, it wasn't only OK to have freckles, it was cool to have freckles, and to accentuate them, rather than cover them up with a tonne of make-up. Look at how gorgeous she looked this week on her visit to Chester - she is obviously wearing lots of makeup, but you can still see her freckles peeking through.
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Meghan's former make-up artist Lydia Sellers revealed to HELLO! that her freckled look has always been intentional. "Meghan favours a less-is-more approach to beauty; fresh, dewy skin to show off her natural tone and freckles," she told us.
Kylie showed off her bare-faced beauty and smattering of freckles in this gorgeous Insta snap
And it's not just Meghan! Kylie Jenner is the latest celeb to jump on the trend, sharing an au naturel snap of herself with her baby girl Stormi. Despite sporting eyelash extensions, the star is predominantly make-up free and proudly showing off her gorgeous freckles. In my opinion, Kylie looks better in this pic than any of her heavily made-up, airbrushed selfies – but I'm sure the multimillionaire superstar doesn't really care about what I think.
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If you have freckles, there are a few make-up rules you need to follow: firstly, make sure you choose a light coverage foundation - this creates a sheer veil on the skin. The foundation colour is also important – match it to your neck, so you're not tempted to go too dark and make the freckles look muddy. Lastly, go easy on your blush and bronzer – use a big, fluffy brush to give a soft sweep of colour without covering any of those lovely freckles.
Do you love showing off your freckles? Do you love seeing celebrities posting makeup-free selfies? ! Let me know on Instagram @alexlight_ldn. Find out who gets my #AlexApproved seal of approval next week.