Lauren Murdoch-Smith

Ever wondered what products make it into a beauty editor’s bathroom cabinet? After a busy week juggling a career as Vogue’s Beauty & Lifestyle Editor and two young children, we take a look at the Sunday wind-down rituals and beauty habits of cleanser addict and nail obsessive, Lauren Murdoch-Smith…

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The Wind Down

Sunday for me is all about R&R. I try not to have anything in the diary as my week is normally so busy and Saturdays tend to be a children’s day with back-to-back activities like football, swimming and birthday parties. I like to cook, normally batch cooking for Sybil as she’s one and a half so still needs prepped meals in the week, but I’ll also try and sort through my beauty products or tackle the washing. My husband plays football on Sunday mornings for a couple of hours so I have time to catch up with Sebastian and Sybil. I try to leave my phone in my bedroom so I’m not tempted to scroll through Instagram or answer emails, but instead just focus on them. I find a bit of a digital detox and some quality time with my children is the best formula for switching off and winding down. When Ben is back from football, he always makes a protein shake with greens and fruit but he always makes me my own with The Beauty Chef Glow Inner Beauty Powder. It’s such an easy and yummy way to get in some probiotics and skin-boosting ingredients.

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The Routine

My little girl Sybil still naps in the day for around two hours so I usually take the opportunity then to take a long shower and catch up on some beauty maintenance. I start by shampooing my hair with Philip B’s Peppermint & Avocado Volumising & Clarifying Shampoo to cleanse the week out of my hair as I use lots of styling products that tend to build up. I have long hair that gets extremely dry so I use a hair mask and leave it on for the required time. Christophe Robin’s Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil is really hydrating and my hair drinks it up. I then comb it through with a Tangle Teezer otherwise my hair would be beyond knotty. I love using an expensive, indulgent shower gel (I hate baths FYI) on Sunday, it just makes it so much more relaxing than my normal five minute one during the week. I love Diptyque’s Do Son Shower Oil and This Works Energy Bank if I’m feeling tired.

I then comb my hair through again and add a leave-in, nourishing conditioner; I love Rossano Ferretti’s Dolce Protecting and Detangling Spray as it does a bit of everything. I steer clear of any hair styling so that my hair has a bit of a rest for one day of the week but sometimes I finish with IGK Thirsty Girl Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner once I’ve dried my hair to keep it silky for the day.

I then do a full body moisturise concentrating on the bits that get neglected when I only have 30 seconds to apply body cream. I’ve always had quite dry skin so the thicker the better; By Terry’s Baume de Rose Body Cream is one of my favourites and when I was pregnant I made sure that whatever happened, I would never skip applying this. I swear it helped my skin stretch with my bump.

I try and spend a bit more time on my face too. I like simple, calming cleansers like Sisley and Caudalie and I like to add in an exfoliator too, it’s my version of a double cleanse I guess! Nude’s Detox Gentle Brightening Fizzy Powder Wash is great for making skin feel squeaky clean without drying it out.  If my skin is feeling sluggish or clogged, I use DCL’s AHA Resurfacing Lotion 20. I like to massage in eye cream and Sisley’s L”Integral Anti-Age Eye and Lip Contour has a massaging applicator tool which encourages me to do a bit of under eye work. I like to wear a serum in the day and save any treatments for night time. I love de Mamiel and Sarah Chapman as their products are gentle but effective. I then try not to apply any makeup, but sometimes I’ll put on a slick of mascara even if I’m staying at home all day, it just makes me feel pulled-together.

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Bedtime

My husband and I love to get engrossed in a good boxset to unwind, so if we have one on the go, we like to climb into bed early between 8.30pm and 9pm with either a Turmeric Oat Milk Latte or hot water with lemon, ginger and honey (we’re so rock and roll) and binge watch. This is when I get my best pampering work done! After another cleansing session, I apply a face mask; I love 111SKIN’s Rose Gold Brightening Facial Treatment Mask which is low maintenance as it’s a sheet mask, and Omorovicza’s Deep Cleansing Mask. It depends what my skin needs though. I’ll also do an eye mask if I remember, Sisley’s Eye Contour Mask is great as you don’t need to remove it. Once I’ve masked, I’ll go in with some tech. I love light and lifting tools like FOREO’s ESPADA Blue Light Acne Treatment,  great for when my skin is misbehaving and I like NUFACE’s Mini Facial Toning Device too. I’ll then use a few drops of face oil like Sarah Chapman’s Overnight Facial or La Mer The Moisturizing Cool Gel Cream as it’s not too rich.

I’m a nail obsessive so every night without fail I apply a good amount of hand cream. I’m obsessed with my matching Byredo hand wash and lotion which I have in my bathroom, but at night I like to use a thicker, richer cream like the Byredo Suede Hand Cream. I then put some on the heels of my feet and then I finish with some oil on my cuticles and toes. I apply a thick blob of lip balm, so that it acts as an overnight lip mask — I like anything with lanolin in it like Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips. The final touch is a spritz of Byredo’s hair perfume in Blanche. I like nothing better than wrapping my ponytail over my face at night, a bit of a comforter if you will, and I love the clean smell of Blanche. It’s my kind of pillow spray. Ideally lights off before 11pm but it depends how good the boxset is!

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Monday Morning

I love sleep so I try and stay in bed until the last possible moment which normally means my little boy waking me up and asking for his breakfast. I then jump in the shower and do an express version of the day before. I wash my hair everyday so I have showering in five down to a fine art! If Sybil is awake I pop her in my bed and she has her milk whilst she watches me apply my makeup and blow-dry my hair. She’s already trying to copy me and is a master at unscrewing product lids! It’s always such a rush in the morning but I get to spend some time with the children whilst downing a cup of tea which I can’t go without. I don’t normally get to catch up on emails or messages that have come in late overnight, so on my walk to the station and on the train I catch up so that I feel ready to face the day.

lauren murdoch-smith's sunday sessions