5 Beauty Lessons I Taught My Mum: Mother's Day Beauty With FTF Brand Manager, Zalia

Happy Mother's Day! Today is the day where we come together to celebrate our wonderful mums and the mother figures in our lives to show them just how much their love and support means to us.

To mark the occasion Face the Future style we grabbed one of our fabulous brand managers, Zalia, along with her lovely mum, Giulia, to ask them a few questions all about Mother's Day beauty and skincare to learn all about the beauty lessons that Zalia has taught her mum over the years. 

What's your earliest beauty-related memory you have of your mum? 

"I remember watching my mum applying her lipstick," Zalia says. "It was always a purple or a red colour. Then I'd watch her toss her hair in loads of hairspray to get lots of volume!"

Did you always love skincare and beauty products?

Yes! I loved makeup from a really young age - I used to love those children's lip balm and eye sets." Zalia says, "I have videos of me from as young as five-years-old with glitter lip balm across my eyes, and gloss on my lips!"

As many of us did as children, Zalia took every opportunity to go through her mum's makeup bag whenever she could, "I'd leave my horrendous nail imprints as evidence!" Zalia laughs. But her real passion for makeup and skincare began when Zalia was around 13 years old. She soon realised she wanted to carve out her career to involve skincare and makeup, and it was around this time that she started to use her first three-step skincare system. As Zalia explains, over the years she's worked in the industry, she's tried countless brands. "Some I've loved, some I haven't," Zalia says, skincare is so personal - it's all about finding out what's right for you."  

In her 20's, Zalia began to work for Estee Lauder - and her love for skincare and makeup only grew. 

Did your mum influence your thoughts on skincare and beauty?

"Actually, my Mum didn't really use much skincare," Zalia says, "she had her makeup routine, but when it came to skincare, she didn't really have a routine in place. But I very quickly started to teach my mum the new tips and tricks I was learning." Zalia explains that she expanded her knowledge by watching her favourite beauty influencers on YouTube. "I loved watching people like Jaclyn Hill, Casey Holmes, Carly Bybel, Jamie Genevieve, and Lauren Curtis - they were really influential to me, and I learned a lot from their videos."

What are five things you’ve taught your mum about skincare and beauty?

1. Exfoliation is essential
"I always taught my mum the importance of exfoliating." Zalia says, "when your skin is clean and the build-up of dead skin cells and other impurities are removed, your skin can absorb your skincare products so much more effectively. Whether it's a physical exfoliator or a product that includes chemical exfoliators like AHA's for pore reduction, they're an essential step!"

2. Always double cleanse
"Even if you use the same face wash twice, always double cleanse." Zalia says. "The first cleanse is a superficial cleanse and removes makeup and surface impurities, the second cleanse allows you to purify your skin and remove any stubborn remaining traces."

3. Product extension 
"Always take your products down your neck and onto your chest," Zalia says. "This is another essential that I taught my mum. Our necks show the signs of ageing very quickly and can look dry and crepey if they're not given much care and attention."

4. Keep a quality routine
"I'm lucky that I've worked in the industry so long as to know which brands are effective and contain high quality ingredients." Zalia says, "I always make sure my mum is using the best products and she has a solid routine to ensure she gets the best out of her skincare regime."

5. Layer up
"When it comes to makeup, I taught my mum to use cream products to allow her to build in layers," Zalia says. "It's so much easier to blend cream products out and to sheer out any mistakes with a little buffing or a beauty blender."

What’s your favourite beauty treatment to enjoy together?

"We love a spa day together!" Says Guilia, "we always enjoy doing face masks together and spending some quality time with each other."

Zalia adds, "I love it when my mum calls me to say she's going out - I nip over and do her skincare, makeup, and hair for her. I love seeing the confidence it gives her, and it allows us to spend more time together, too."

What’s your most recent skincare purchase?

"I recently restocked on my holy grail product from Dermalogica: the Precleanse!" Zalia says, "I love this product so much and think I always will. It's the first step in my double cleanse routine and gently removes my makeup and sunscreen with ease. I've also added a couple of new items to my routine recently, too."

Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion

"This lotion is amazing!" Zalia says, "it took me a while to want to invest in this, but wow, I'm glad I did! I struggle with skin texture on the back of my arms, and it really has helped to improve this for me."

Gatineau Radiance Enhancing Gommage

"This is such an amazing product that really transforms the texture of my skin, but it's so gentle." Zalia says, "I bought this for my mum because I knew she'd love it, too. It goes on like a balm then turns into an oil once it's ready to be rinsed away. It feels really luxurious. I love the limited edition packaging too that the brand brought out for their 90th birthday!"

Giulia, what’s your most recent skincare purchase?

Decléor Peony Anti-Ageing Eye Cream Absolute

"I recently started using this on Zalia's recommendation and it's really lovely!" Giulia says, "it's got a thick, rich texture and feels really hydrating, but it doesn't cause puffing like some eye creams do."

And what’s your favourite skincare product and why, Giulia?

"I love skin polishing products that help to even out my skin texture and leave my skin feeling soft and smooth." Giulia says, "I also love a good BB cream moisturiser because I love a healthy glow!"

What was the first skincare product you both ever bought?

"It would have been the 3-step routine from Clinique!" Zalia says. "My mum bought this for me. As for the products I first ever bought for myself, it would have been a L'Oreal hydra serum and eye cream." 

"Mine would have been a face cream," say Giulia. "I'm pretty sure it was from Estee Lauder."

What’s your favourite ‘splurge’ skincare item, Zalia?

Augustinus Bader The Cream

"This is absolutely skin transforming!" Zalia says, "whenever I get the opportunity, I love to splurge on this. The price-point is high, but that really is reflected in the efficacy of the product. It's definitely a 'splurge' item."

And what’s your favourite ‘save’ skincare item?

CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser

"This is a great product for the price!" Zalia says, "it's an easy pick up when I need to save a few pennies and makes my skin feel really clean and soft!"

What are your top 3 ‘can’t live without’ products, Zalia?

Decree SOS Revitalising Mask Edit

"This contains two masks - one for your face and one for your eyes." Zalia says. "both masks are so soothing and relaxing to use. The brand founder, Dr Anita Sturnham, recommends using the full face mask before a special event or evening out, and using the eye mask the next morning as much-needed hit of rejuvenation!"

Dermalogica Precleanse

"Again, this is a holy grail for me! A true essential in my routine" Zalia says. 

Color Wow Dream Coat For Curly Hair 

"This is an amazing product for giving me frizz-free, super-shiny hair. It's one of my all-time favourite hair products that makes a real difference." Zalia says. 

Giulia, what are your top ‘can’t live without’ products?

Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage BB Cream

"I really like BB creams as they give my skin the coverage that I like along with a healthy glow," Giulia says, "this one contains an SPF which I really like as it keeps my skin protected."

Avant Skincare Anti-Ageing Collagen Lip Line Corrector

"This helps to keep my lips feeling soft and smooth," Giulia says, "it also helps to fill in any little fine lines. It's really nice to use."

A big thank you to Zalia and Giulia for sharing their beauty stories with us today! Our Face the Future team are wishing a very happy Mother’s Day to all of the incredible mum’s and mother figures who nurture, protect, teach, and love us without expectation each and every day.