My recipe for A-list skin: make-up artist to the stars Wendy Rowe shares her secrets

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She’s the stars’ glow-to girl, famous for creating flawless-looking skin, but make-up artist Wendy Rowe believes that a beautiful complexion starts with a skin-nourishing diet

Wendy, 47, practises what she preaches – with fabulous results

If you had asked me years ago, I would have said that great skin is mostly down to make-up and skincare. Make-up is my profession, after all, and making people look their best is my trade. I’ve become known as the ‘master of nudes’ because I figured out a way to do make-up that was invisible to the eye but made the model’s skin look amazing and enhanced her features.

When things go wrong on a photo shoot I’m expected to sort out all sorts of problems, from black eyes to broken relationships. I’ve become good at hiding imperfections, applying skin products as a temporary measure. But there is no quick fix to achieving a perfect complexion.

Until recently we treated skin from the outside. But I’ve come to see that skin troubles are a reflection of what’s going on inside. While I live and breathe make-up, I firmly believe that it won’t look good on skin that is clogged or irritated. And skin won’t look good unless you pay attention to your health in general and your diet in particular.

Honest, inspiring and delicious! Actress Sienna Miller on the wonder of Wendy

I first started working with Wendy in 2007, and she has done my make-up ever since. As well as the fact that she is fantastic company, I genuinely believe that there is no one more talented working in her field. She has a real artist’s ability to understand light and shade and is a pioneer with skin.

I have often wondered how she manages to look as glowing as she does, given that she is on a plane every other week, and this bible reveals her secret. It’s so refreshing to find an informative book about nutrition by someone who is honest and not trying to preach or inflict guilt, and knows how to have more fun than anyone. 

I have tasted Wendy’s food and the recipes are inspiring and delicious – just like the woman herself. I can’t wait to get cooking!

GOOD DIGESTION

Good skin isn’t possible without a well-functioning digestive system. I know from experience that if my digestion is ‘off’ it will show in my skin, which will look dull and be prone to blemishes. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that skin disorders are connected to problems in the gut. 

The root cause of many issues, if you ask a naturopathic doctor, is an overgrowth of candida, a naturally occurring fungus that’s present in the intestinal tract. 

Left unchecked, it’s thought that candida can break through the wall of the intestine and get into the bloodstream, releasing toxins that eventually erupt in the skin. 

The reason we get this overgrowth of candida is down to a number of possible factors including poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, overuse of antibiotics, oral contraceptives and the usual suspect – stress.

Signs of candidiasis

• Bloating, constipation or diarrhoea
• Tiredness
• Weight gain
• Skin issues, such as eczema, psoriasis or a rash
• Irritability
• Strong sugar cravings

PREBIOTICS AND PROBIOTICS

There are ways to reclaim control of your gut health naturally, including cutting out the chief dietary offenders such as refined sugar and alcohol. Making sure you eat plenty of fibrous foods, to help keep things moving through the intestinal tract, is vital too. 

When fibre is non-digestible – as with bananas or jerusalem artichokes – it’s known as a ‘prebiotic’. It feeds the good bacteria already present in your gut. Probiotics – such as you find in live yoghurt, kefir and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, miso or tempeh – will help increase the healthy flora in the gut. You can take probiotics in capsule or liquid form, too, but avoid ‘probiotic’ drinks because they are full of sugar.

A roughage-rich diet will help your gut to function at its best, making it better able to absorb all those skin-benefiting nutrients that help promote a healthy glow.

DETOXIFICATION

A healthy, fully functioning liver is crucial to the body’s detoxification process. When the liver is overworked and less able to eliminate toxic waste products this can manifest itself in breakouts and rashes. 

A sluggish liver is often the result of the modern lifestyle – too much exposure to toxins in the form of alcohol, fatty foods and excess sugar, which need to be constantly filtered out of the system to keep us healthy.

Signs that your liver may not be working at its best

• Bloating
• Itchy and/or blotchy skin
• Acne or rosacea
• Regular acid reflux (heartburn)
• Difficulty losing weight

Fortunately there are ways that you can support the liver so that it will keep your system clean and your skin super-healthy:

• Start each day with a glass of hot water and a dash of lemon juice.
• Eat lots of fresh veggies.
• Add garlic and turmeric to your meals.
• Choose foods that help the liver to function better, such as onions, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower.
• Take a break from alcohol and caffeine.
• Opt for dandelion tea or milk thistle tablets/tea.
• Use a tongue scraper in the morning to remove any toxins that have built up overnight (especially after a big night out).

BEAUTY BETRAYERS AND SAVIOURS

Food betrayers 

Refined sugar, white bread, alcohol, deep-fried food, fizzy drinks, too much dairy, snacking, ‘low fat’ anything.

Food saviours

Fresh produce, including lots of different coloured fruit and veg, staying hydrated, cooking and eating a leisurely meal.

Skin betrayers

Dessert on a regular basis, alcohol-based toners, wearing make-up every day especially if you have a skin problem (your face needs time to rebalance to avoid congested pores), not removing make-up before bed, dirty phones.

Skin saviours

Spending time outside, trying to achieve one thing a day that will make your life easier, doing something creative to improve your mood, having a go at something completely different, not being a slob – make your bed!

WENDY’S GOLDEN RULES

• No raw food after 4pm – it’s better to eat salads for lunch when your metabolism is fired up and the stomach is better equipped to digest foods.
• Chew, chew and chew to produce the enzymes needed to break down food.
• Steer clear of processed foods, which lose nutritional value when heat-processed and often contain chemical additives.
• Listen to your body: all too often the warning signs are ignored. If you have indigestion after eating a particular food then avoid it.
• Hands off! Stop touching your face – hands can be filthy, transferring dirt and acne-causing bacteria from place to place. Clean hands will help keep your skin clear and congestion free.
• The key to a healthy glow and losing weight is simple: eat less, exercise more and go to bed early.
• Live and let live. The most important rule is to concentrate on you and do what feels right for your body

Why Wendy has the wow factor

Interview: Victoria Woodhall

No one is more surprised that make-up artist and Burberry Beauty Artistic Consultant Wendy Rowe has written a book than Wendy herself. ‘Being dyslexic and having read only five books in my life, I’m honestly much better at looking at pictures,’ she says. 

The Waltham Abbey girl, whose Essex inflections are only slightly softened by more than a decade of shuttling between homes in New York and London, is the go-to make-up artist for Sienna Miller and Victoria Beckham and has worked with pretty much every A-lister on the planet.

She’s also the brushes behind Burberry’s renowned celebrity ad campaigns, which launched Cara Delevingne in 2011. Last year’s festive campaign, groaning with actors, supermodels and musicians and shot by Mario Testino, featured 13-year-old Romeo Beckham. Surely he didn’t need any make-up? ‘No, it was more about getting rid of the crumbs around his mouth and whether he needed to blow his nose,’ Wendy chuckles.

From left: Wendy with model and actress Suki Waterhouse; Sienna Miller works Wendy’s red-carpet look

But her new book is not about concealing, contouring or the latest Gothic lip. Eat Beautiful is about the canvas that underpins all of this – the skin, which in Wendy’s case has lived for 47 years but still glows like a 12-year-old’s. Her secret? An organic, seasonal diet of natural produce, as well as exercise and a scrupulous cleansing routine.

Behind the scenes, Wendy is known for being a mine of information on fixing problem skin from the inside – information she has researched over two decades of working with all types of complexions and from practising what she preaches (‘Why would you trust me if I turned up with a face full of spots?’) A colleague suggested that she put all of her tips into a book – and if Vogue did cookbooks, this would be it.

Wendy’s much-copied, flawless ‘no make-up make-up’ look came about almost by accident in the mid-1990s during shoots for style magazine I-D. ‘It was all about grunge then, and no one wanted make-up, but I was booked and needed to do something, so I’d do a ‘no make-up’ look; then it became all about the skin,’ she says. Plus it chimed with the sort of radiant skin that Wendy herself wanted, having had teenage acne and still suffering breakouts as an adult.

Not long afterwards, she moved to Paris. Her skin cleared up and she shed half a stone without trying. She put it down to the French way of cooking fresh seasonal food from scratch, and it’s been her way ever since.

From left: Cara Delevingne and Victoria Beckham

When, in 2011, she beat high-profile competition to become Artistic Consultant for Burberry Beauty, creating the beauty looks for the label’s collections and catwalk shows and developing the brand’s make-up range, she cried. The products became a bestselling success because, like her recipes (see below), they’re everything Wendy likes made easy.

Wendy is no overnight expert or Instagram nutritionista; nor is she fun-free – laughter and tequila both get her vote. And, as model Suki Waterhouse observes, Wendy is ‘never shy of an impromptu boogie’.

Eat Beautiful is the culmination of 25 years of graft and experience; getting under the skin of beauty while not forgetting to live a little.

wendyrowe.com

Wendy’s top 25 skin superfoods

ALFALFA

The mini-superhero

Packed to the rafters with amino acids, vitamins and an array of minerals and phytochemicals, there’s not much the mighty alfalfa can’t do. Known to detoxify and alkalise the blood, alfalfa also acts as a diuretic – helping to relieve fluid retention – and supports healthy blood-sugar levels, as well as being anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal in its effect.

AVOCADOS

The inner moisturiser

Avocados contain monounsaturated fatty acids that keep skin healthy and help protect it against UV damage. They also help soothe symptoms of skin sensitivity and inflammation. Not only are they delicious to eat, they can be applied to the skin externally as a moisturising mask.

BANANAS

The hangover cure

Bananas contain high levels of vitamins C and B6, which restore natural radiance, while vitamin A helps to repair dull and damaged skin and restore natural hydration for a more supple look. The fibre they contain helps to flush the body, and a high natural sugar content makes them a great healthy option when you have a hangover and are craving something sweet.

BASIL

The antibacterial superfood

Rich in antioxidant flavonoids and vitamins, basil fights the ageing effect of free radicals in the body, helping to preserve a youthful glow in the skin. What’s more, the anti-microbial compounds in basil help restore the microbial balance in the gut, which in turn helps skin conditions such as rosacea and acne.

BLUEBERRIES 

The skin elasticiser

No skin-feeding regime is complete without a regular serving of blueberries. They are packed with flavonoids that help keep your skin looking radiant and youthful. They’re also a rich source of vitamin C, which boosts collagen and skin elasticity, and are even known to help strengthen damaged blood vessels to help improve broken capillaries.

CHICKEN

The lean protein

A great source of low-fat protein, chicken contains a host of skin-nourishing nutrients including high levels of selenium, which helps to repair sun damage. It’s also high in the essential amino acid tryptophan which helps us produce serotonin, the ‘feel-good’ hormone, and is a rich source of phosphorus, too, which promotes strong bones and teeth.

CORIANDER

The blood-sugar stabiliser

This is terrific at keeping blood-sugar levels on an even keel, and therefore can help prevent the breakouts that follow blood-sugar spikes. Coriander is a potent antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory as well as a digestive aid. It also helps to support the liver and detoxify the body thanks to antioxidants such as quercetin.

COURGETTES

The rehydrator

The great thing about eating fruit or veg from the squash family is that they contain so few calories that you can eat as much as you want. And the high water content of courgettes in particular (90 per cent) helps to rehydrate your skin in the summer months. Courgettes are also packed with other nutrients including the skin’s favourite vitamins A, B complex and C.

DARK CHOCOLATE

The anti-ageing treat

High-quality, low-sugar dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and can help to protect the skin from UV rays as well as reduce stress hormones such as cortisol, making skin less vulnerable to collagen breakdown. And a happy mind from the dopamine boost it gives means happier skin.

EGGS

The perfect protein

Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse: the yolk is packed with vitamins A and D, which help to regulate cell turnover, while the nutrients in egg whites help to repair and brighten the skin.

FIGS

The inner exfoliator

Figs are full of fibre, so I don’t feel guilty about eating such a sweet fruit – anything that moves through the body quickly, allowing it to absorb nutrients more efficiently, is good. Figs help to detoxify the skin, making them excellent for treating conditions such as psoriasis. In addition to providing roughage, fresh figs are a brilliant way to sweeten dishes as a healthy alternative to refined sugar.

KALE

The detox superstar

This is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, loaded with vitamin K, helping to strengthen blood vessels, boost circulation and protect the liver. Its anti-inflammatory properties also address bloating, which is good news for the face as it helps to reduce puffiness and redness, so this is perfect for treating skin conditions such as rosacea.

LEEKS

The natural diuretic

The only way to promote radiance in the skin is to keep the body and the skin toxin-free and functioning well. Like other members of the allium vegetable family such as garlic and onions, leeks help to trap and flush away toxins in the body, which in turn promotes clear, healthy skin.

LEMONS

The natural purifier

I couldn’t live without lemons and often start the day with a glass of lemon, ginger and hot water to stimulate my liver and help to flush out toxins. Lemons are packed with vitamin C, the number one skin brightener. They also help to treat stress, address adrenal fatigue and are known to help with weight loss.

MINT

The stomach calmer

Fresh mint is what I always go for when I have an upset stomach. The phytochemicals carvacrol, thymol and menthol also enhance the calming effect of mint in tackling flatulence – just the thing if you are feeling a bit bloated after a meal.

NATURAL RED WINE

The youth potion

Including red wine in a skin-feeding diet is totally legit! It has to be an occasional glass and a ‘natural’ variety – made using organically grown grapes with no chemical additives or preservatives. Natural wines have no added sugar, so there’s no sugar hangover the next day. The powerful anti-ageing antioxidant resveratrol in red wine fights disease-causing free radicals and slows the growth of acne-causing bacteria, making it especially useful for those who are prone to outbreaks.

PARSLEY

The wonder herb

This is a win-win ingredient: great tasting and brilliant for the skin too. Parsley is jam-packed with wonderful nutrients such as vitamin A, which helps balance excess sebum secretion in oily skin, and zinc, which combats inflammation and redness. And thanks to its vitamin K content, parsley can help with under-eye circles.

PINE NUTS

The skin-feeding seed

Pine nuts are actually seeds, and have been eaten since ancient times for their nutritional benefits and incredible nutty flavour. They are packed with antioxidants, including selenium, and vitamins A, B, C, E and K, all of which help to combat signs of ageing.

QUINOA

The protein powerhouse

High in protein and fibre, and low in carbs, quinoa is one of my best food friends. It’s a rich source of amino acids, which are great for healing wounds and repairing skin cells, and it contains a good dose of B vitamins for improved skin elasticity and a youthful complexion.

RADISHES

The post-winter brightener

Radishes are high in vitamin C and have an antioxidant function that helps to restore radiance and build collagen for a clearer complexion. Radishes also help to repair damage to the skin and prevent skin disorders, and their anti-inflammatory properties make for a calmer complexion. What’s more, they have a high water content, which helps to rehydrate the system from within, promoting a rejuvenated look.

SALMON

The omega 3 hit

The omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon help boost the production of collagen and elastin to leave the complexion looking more plumped up and youthful. It’s also a rich source of selenium, which helps to repair sun damage and reduce pigmentation.

STRAWBERRIES

The collagen-booster

Not only are strawberries a British summertime institution at events such as Wimbledon, they’re also known to enhance the complexion. They’re a rich source of vitamin C, a known radiance-restoring vitamin that fights the free radicals that age skin and destroy collagen. Full of fibre, they aid digestion and the detoxification process, helping the skin stay pimple-free. What’s more, the folate in strawberries helps speed up cell regeneration and also addresses UV damage.

TOMATOES

The Mediterranean must-have

A rich source of vitamins A, K and the B-complex vitamins, along with the minerals potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus, tomatoes help the body’s natural detoxification process, which is hugely helpful for the health of the gut and skin. Lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes, has an antioxidant effect that helps the skin’s natural UV defence and is thought to shield the body from certain cancers. The vitamin A in tomatoes is also helpful if you have acne because it reduces the production of sebum, which is what makes the skin oily.

WALNUTS

The acne fighter

Most nuts benefit the skin, and walnuts are excellent for treating angry skin conditions such as acne thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties. As well as targeting infection in the sebaceous glands, walnuts are also one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for a peachy complexion. Eating just a handful of walnuts a day will have you pretty much sorted for antioxidants, and your skin will love you for it.

WATERMELONS

Edible water

These are full of water and skin-feeding nutrients. When I drink a glass of freshly juiced watermelon, it feels as though it’s rushing through my system, rehydrating and replenishing as it goes.

This is an edited extract from Eat Beautiful: Nourish Your Skin From the Inside Out by Wendy Rowe. 

To order a copy for £15 (a 25 per cent discount) until 3 July 2016, visit you-bookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over £15.