Advertisement

Lydia West swears by this £17 conditioner for perfect curls

Photo credit: BEN BLACKALL - Channel 4
Photo credit: BEN BLACKALL - Channel 4

If you're anything like us, you'll have spent the first part of this year both crying over the heartbreak of Channel 4 show It's A Sin and fawning over the fashion and flamboyance in the hit series.

Telling the story of a group of young gay men who move into a London house share in the 1980s, the five-part series shows their carefree coming-of-age (and identity) suddenly cut short as the AIDs epidemic begins.

Fans of It's A Sin will remember Lydia West's star turn as Jill Baxter: loyal friend and flatmate to lead character Ritchie Tozer (played by Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander). Not lest for her vibrant fashion choices, unapologetic 80s blush and perfectly coiled curls — the secret to which West revealed in an interview with Who What Wear this week.

The 27-year-old star started by gushing over several skincare favourites like Kiehl’s Avocado Nourishing Hydrating Mask, £36, Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, £40, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick, £20 and This Works Sleep balm, £12. She then listed her go-to curly haircare products — and considering how perfectly coiled her curls were on It's A Sin, we were all ears for these recommendations.

West is a big fan of the Imbue range — designed for kinks, curls and coils — and Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream, £24.45, and touted Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner, which is currently retailing at just £17.18 on Amazon, as one of her three must-haves if she could only use three products for the rest of her life.

Whilst there's no denying that Russell T Davies poignant series — which recently confirmed it will not be returning for a second season (sob) — tugs at the heartstrings with its tragic AIDS storyline, it was the flamboyance, fearless attitudes and the fashion that had us hooked from day one. So we're thrilled to be able to now recreate one of our favourite looks from the series.

West told Elle in an interview back in February, that she hopes viewers will take away the fun and nostalgia of the decade – from the 80s fashion to the music and culture, to the feeling of freedom and liberation and the joyful times the gang had in the Pink Palace — along with raising awareness around the important issues depicted in the tragic series.

Photo credit: Channel 4
Photo credit: Channel 4

The groundbreaking series — which also stars Keeley Hawes, Stephen Fry and Neil Patrick Harris— was praised for its unflinching, compassionate and vivid look at the LBGTQ+ scene at the time, as well as highlighting the huge prejudice the gay community faced from wider society — something that is often overlooked.

It attracted 6.5 million streams on All 4 when it aired in January, making it the third biggest series to date and most binged new series ever, with the first episode All 4’s most popular drama launch on record.

Subscribe to Red now to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.


You Might Also Like