Leona Lewis' Beauty Routine Decoded: The Singer Talks Us Through Her Picture-Perfect Look

Leona took to the red carpet at the Tony Awards last night [Photo: Getty Images]

It’s not every day you get to talk to a global mega star like Leona Lewis, but we snuck in an interview with the glamourous singer this week to quiz her on all things beauty and style.

Having just been to the CMT Music Awards, Leona was still recovering in Nashville following a mega performance with Pitbull and Cassadee Pope. If you haven’t already seen the show, check it out – especially the chic black suit she wore onstage.

We also swooned over her fiery red carpet number, too…

The singer at the CMT Music Awards [Photo: Getty Images]

Leona, you looked incredible at the CMT Awards. How do you do it? We can barely decide what to wear to work, let alone at a star-studded music event.

It all starts with a great stylist and an idea – I thought about the sort of thing I wanted to wear and they help to pull things together. Performing in the US is slightly different to the UK because they put so much more into the production.-like ten times more, so I have to adjust my make-up because of the lighting and effects. I find that I wear a lot more make-up to really accentuate my features, especially my eyes. The atmosphere is incredible though, so much fun.

What about when you’re not performing? Do you like to wear make-up in your downtime given that you have to wear stage make-up so often?

I definitely pare it down a lot, even more so when I come off tour. After performing, sometimes I just want to go completely bare and not wear any make-up at all but I still always would have my lashes, I love a good lash. If I could only have one product, it would definitely be lashes.

When it comes to beauty products are you a high or low maintenance kind of girl?

Probably somewhere middle…ish? I’m all about a simple beauty routine, I love a really good moisturiser, like one by Caudalie, but the rest is all very minimal.

With make-up, however, I love trying lots of different things. There are always so many brands coming out with new products and I get sent a lot, so I love playing around with make-up. I’ll try new techniques and experiment with nail colours but my skincare and the rest of my beauty regime remains very simple.

If we were to have a nosy around in your make-up bag, what would we find?

I’m really into my brows at the moment and I’ve just got this great Kiss Brow Kit (£6.74) which comes with different shaped stencils to help you can fill your brows yourself – I’m looking forward to experimenting with the brow shapes on myself.

Other beauty bag staples would be Too Faced Mascara (£19) and my Lily Lashes by Kiss (£3.99). Thinking about it, I actually wear strip lashes more often than mascara - it’s easier and less messy. It’s just like two seconds and you’ve got instant eyes. The Beauty Blender (£16) is also in my kit, plus some sort of tinted moisturiser too.

We often see artists donning big (and sometimes bizarre) beauty statements on stage. Is this a trend you plan on jumping on board with?

When I’m on stage, the lights wash you out a lot so my look is all about accentuating my features and enhancing them, especially my eyes. I love using false eyelashes to change things up, I can’t believe how many types of lashes there are to choose from these days. Before there was only one standard false lash that looked a bit fake and you could see the obvious line – not good.

I think it’s great to have a variety of lash styles available because you can have different looks for day or night, plus not everyone’s eyes are the same – a natural lash for one person is probably more of a fuller lash on another person. They’re a must-have for me though.

Leona is the brand ambassador for KISS Products. [Photo: KISS]

How did you get involved with KISS?

I’ve been using Kiss products for years, my make-up artists would use them on me too. I really loved them so when I was asked to become their ambassador, it seemed like a really natural fit. I love the range of products that they do and their lashes are so good, really fluffy.

But what about those of us who aren’t blessed to have a make-up artist? What are your top application tips for us to try at home?

Trust me, I don’t have a make-up artist all the time! In fact, I’m literally sat here now applying some ImPress nails and they’re extremely easy. It’s a false nail set which comes with a built in sticky tab so you literally just press them onto your nail.

These Gel Fantasy Nails (£7.99) give an amazing manicured look too - I’ve actually worn the glitter version when performing. They come with glue but if you don’t like traditional nail glue, they also come with the tabs to peel off and stick on. The tabs are my personal favourite as I find them absolutely foolproof.

We heard you got the star role in Cats on Broadway. Congratulations! How do you feel about the prospect of performing in full body make-up?

This is such a different opportunity for me but I’m so excited about it. Doing Cats is a whole new challenge and Grizabella is such an iconic role. With all the hair and make-up, it’s like taking on a different character so I’ve really been getting into that and getting used to playing someone else – it’s a fun experience.

Unlike Grizabella though, your hair always looks healthy and perfect. How do you manage that when you have so many appearances to style your hair for?

I try and balance the heat styling with no-heat days, keeping it a bit more natural and not using styling tools. In fact, the other night at the CMT awards I didn’t use any heat at all – I just used a smoothing product and tied it back really simply.

It’s just about making sure you don’t do too much all at once to your hair and giving your hair a rest from styling. I also like to use hair masks and hair oil regularly – especially Argan Oil and Marula Oil.

Balmain Argan Moisturising Elixir £7.25

We’ve talked about looking good on the outside, but what about from within? We’ve heard you follow a vegan diet but do you have a regular exercise routine too?

Yeah, I try and work out three times a week if I can. I like spinning, I’ve done that for absolutely years. Hiking and running are great too but I try and switch it up – I have to make sure I don’t get bored. I need to do different things otherwise I won’t stick to it.

The weather in America permits more outdoor activity but when I’m in London I tend to do more classes – I really love Barry’s Bootcamp and Kobox in Chelsea.

We see a lot of performers branching out into fashion and beauty, whether it’s collaborating with a brand or selling items online. Would you be interested in starting your own brand or business?

Thinking about it, I’d love to. I’m all about very natural skincare – I believe that if you’re putting something on your face and skin everyday, it’s eventually being absorbed into your body.

My mum makes a lot of her own lotions and oils so I’d love to do something like that. It’s just about finding the time, you really need to invest and build a team for that sort of thing but I’m guess I’m busy being a cat for a while now!

You heard it here first! False lashes aren’t what they used to be and you might need to sacrifice a pillowcase to get great hair. Are you going to try any of Leona’s beauty tips? Tweet us your thoughts @YahooStyleUK.

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