Vanity Affairs: Ciaté London’s Founder, Charlotte Knight, Shares Her Secrets To The Perfect Glowy Base

Welcome to Vanity Affairs—a series where we document the beauty routines of notable people.

There are some people who have an I-can’t-put-my-finger-on-it kind of glow—a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. You know the ones—their hair falls just right, their skin is dewy but never shiny, and they seem to exude confidence.

In the interest of public service, we’ve set about tracking down these actors, influencers, models, founders, entrepreneurs, musicians, spokespeople (and more!!) to find out their secrets. Have you got your pen and paper ready?

Previously, we’ve spoken to Jules Sebastian, Georgia Fowler, Jonathan Van Ness, Lara Fells from St. Agni and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Today, we’re going deep into the beauty routine of Charlotte Knight, the founder of makeup and nail brand, Ciaté London.

As the brains behind one of the UK’s most successful indie beauty brands, Knight has always prioritised creating products that are efficacious, good for you and good for the environment. With products that are PETA-certified and cruelty-free, Knight prides herself on being a true innovator in the industry.

Starting her career as an editorial nail technician, Knight went on to launch Ciaté as a nail brand in the late 2000s. Now with a very healthy makeup and nail polish product offering, it was only a matter of time before we became inundated with requests to take a peek inside her personal beauty cupboard. Here, Knight shares every single product she uses in her daily beauty routines.

“For my morning routine, I start off by cleansing my skin with the Skin Proud Velvet Cloud Cleansing Foam. I am obsessed with anything foaming but without the SLS. It’s so rich and creamy and doesn’t create any dryness on the skin. I will then use the Skin Proud Sorbet Skin Water Cream to moisturise. It’s a really light, cooling formula that melts into the skin so easily. Then it’s onto eye cream. My favourite is the Origins Ginzing one as it helps to depuff and reduce my dark circles. My biggest skin trick, though, is making sure I stay hydrated, exercise regularly and get eight hours of sleep each night.”

“Since I’ve been working from home so much more, my makeup routine has definitely streamlined a lot. My go-to for everyday is the Ciaté Dewy Skin Tint for a sheer, glowing coverage. Then I’ll do my brows with our Microblade Brow Pen and add lashings of mascara and an aubergine eyeliner to make my blue eyes pop. The Ciaté Dewy Stix Balm is also a must-have for me. I pop it on my cheekbones and brow bone and then add a lip gloss to finish off the look.”

“Ciate started out as a nail brand, so I am super passionate about doing my own manicures. I love painting my own nails and experimenting with colours and looks. We recently launched a product called The Cheat Sheets which are foolproof nail stickers in all sorts of designs that help you create the nail art you see all over Instagram, in the comfort of your own home. They have quickly become a firm favourite of mine.

“On an everyday basis, though, my manicure routine is pretty simple. I like to tidy my nails using a smooth or glass file, then I push back and trim my cuticles, buff the nail to smooth any ridges and remove any discolouration. Then it’s as simple as a base coat, two coats of colour and a top coat. I finish it off with a cuticle oil to hydrate and nourish.”

“Up until very recently, I was a signature scent kind of girl. My favourite was the Escentric Molecule. It’s pretty niche but that makes it even more appealing to me. It is such an enigmatic smell which personalises to each wearer and then mellows throughout the day with an adaptive scent. However, I recently discovered a fragrance called Lake & Skye 11 11. It’s a clean formula, made with organic sugar cane alcohol, and it has these rich, musky notes that I adore in the men’s fragrances I’ve come across, but with a subtle sweetness. The simplistic blend of amber and musk smells clean and fresh but with a hint of sexiness that makes it so alluring.”