Born to be Wilde

With a name like Kim Wilde, you’d expect her to go for bright, outrageous colours of make-up. But – surprisingly, for a girl who’s been brought up in a showbiz family – she says, “I shy away from being too adventurous, and I think there’re probably a lot of girls like me who prefer to go for a much more natural look.

“I haen’t always been like this, though! I seriously began using make-up in a natural sort of way when I was about seventeen, but I’d been painting myself something atrociously before that!

“When I was fourteen I remember going to school with thick black lines drawn all round my eyes. If you can believe it, I thought I looked like Sophia Loren, which was a laugh. But the teachers never seemed to complain. They were more concerned about how high our heels were!

“Anyway, I soon grew out of it when I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror, looking quite dreadful, and vowed to tone things down a bit.”

“When I hit the charts and appeared on ‘Top of the Pops’, I thought everyone’d say I was trying to imitate Debbie Harry, but that’s not so. This is just the way I look!”

Does she have any favourite brands of make-up, we wondered…

“No, I don’t go for any particular type, although I suppose i have a liking for Mary Quant and Biba products. Usually, most make-up looks OK to me. I’m easy to please in that area!

“I don’t like to wear a lot of cosmetics – I want the real me to come across as naturally as possible. I’m afraid I’m not very adventurous with eye make-up. When I wear shadow I usually go for browns and mauves. As it happens, Mary Quant eyeshadows have been my thing for quite a while now – ever since Mum gave me a set as a present, and they seem to have lasted ages. But more often than not I’ll just use a Kohl eyeliner and nothing else.

“I must admit, for photo sessions I’m made up with these incredible cosmetics that make me look great. But I have to restrict using them, ‘cos if I went about like that every day, I’d soon come out in spots!”

Kim says she also avoids using liquid foundation. “Instead, I just cover up the rough bits with powder! I’m far more interested in cleansers, ‘cos I believe half the beauty problems girls suffer from stem from poor skin care.

“I always use eye make-up remover as well as facial cleanser and toner, then I use Oil of Ulay moisturiser. I like my skin to feel really clean and fresh.

“As for perfume, well, I don’t go too heavy on that, either. I can’t stand it when some girl waltzes by and wafts something strong up my nose! Subtle perfumes are OK, I guess.

“Another thing I wouldn’t use is nail varnish. In fact, I tend to keep my nails rather short. I can’t stand it when they’re long and I’m not able to do this or that in case they break.”

As for her hair… “I’ve always been lucky with it”. She grins. “I started dyeing it a few years back and it seems to be OK. I usually cut my own hair, too – or get Mum to do it – and a quick brush seems to set it in place perfectly!”

And the nice thing is, she doesn’t let success go to her head!