In an online exclusive, Get The Gloss went behind the scenes for Revlon’s Autumn/Winter ’13 campaign starring newly crowned Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model winner, Lauren Lambert. We spoke to her about how her life has changed since wrapping up the series and got the inside scoop from the beauty pros about the gorgeous look that they created using Revlon’s new Evening Opulence Collection...
At a majestic 6’1’’, Lauren had always been told that she was too tall to make it as a model. However, after beating hundreds of entrants in a closely fought competition, she’s proven her critics wrong with her enviable portfolio of pictures and by repeatedly wowing judges Elle Macpherson, Tyson Beckford and Dannii Minogue week in and week out with her work ethic, professional attitude and ability to pull off a killer pose under the trickiest of circumstances.
With a number of Pictures of the Week under her belt, she could always be counted on to produce head-turning photos that always proved hard to beat no matter what was thrown at her (whether it was water, wings, snakes, cows or even the daunting task of recreating Kate Moss’s iconic St Tropez campaign shot - the bravest of feats in our book). We sat down with this rising star of the runway to talk catwalks, concealer and computer games…
GTG: First of all, congratulations on winning! How does it feel?
Lauren: I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I tried modelling when I was 15 and it didn’t quite work out as I got told by agencies that because I’m 6’1", I was too tall. That was always the case on every door that I knocked on and so to win is like a dream come true really. I really wanted to pursue it as much as possible. I focused and I made it and I’m here. It’s just the best news ever.
GTG: How did you hear about the competition and what convinced you to enter?
Lauren: I’ve watched Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model for years and I’ve watched the American version too. My nan had passed away before the castings and I had made a promise to her that I would do my best to live out my dream. I was 23 as well so I knew that I was pushing it in the industry, so I thought that this was my last chance and that I just had to go ahead and do it. And it landed me on the show.
GTG: I’m sure she would be really proud.
Lauren: I’m sure she’ll be looking down saying ‘I’m so proud of you!’ I didn’t give up but I was literally at the verge of just packing it in. I just thought, ‘I’m never going to give up because I’m stronger than that and I’m better than that too.’
GTG: What was your favourite moment of the series?
Lauren: All of it! I can’t say that I have a favourite to be honest because I would never have been given the opportunity to do what I’ve done on this show or meet the people I’ve met if it wasn’t for it all. I think everything I’ve done has been a blessing.
GTG: What is your best beauty tip?
Lauren: Sleep [she laughs]. No, but for me I can never go without concealer. If I have concealer then I’m happy because it can cover up everything. You can use it to contour or highlight your cheekbones by just applying a lighter shade to the area for added illumination and to draw out your whole bone structure.
GTG: Is there one piece of advice that a particular judge told you on the show that really resonated with you?
Lauren: Yes, in fact all of the judges said the same thing to me. They saw for themselves from what I was producing, that I always do better when I’m myself and so they all said to just let Lauren be Lauren because then, she produces. You’re your own character and you know yourself better than anyone else does, so just be you. When you try to be someone else it never works.
GTG: And people usually pick up on that as well - when you’re not quite comfortable that is.
Lauren: It’s true because Elle Macpherson noticed that one day when I had done a shoot and she came over and said ‘Aw Lauren, you don’t seem yourself,’ although I was smiling at the time! But deep down inside I was miserable and she saw right through me. She knew instantly and said, ‘What’s the matter, talk to me.’ When I spoke to her she said she knew that I wasn’t OK because normally when she looks at me, my eyes light up and I have this glow, but I didn’t have that.'
GTG: If you weren’t a model, what would you have gone into?
Lauren: I wanted to be a games software developer because I like video games!
GTG: What’s your favourite game?
Lauren: Call of Duty. I’ve got every single one! I would love to develop a Call of Duty; I’ve got this thing about the army. I’m fascinated about it but because I know I would never actually go out there and do it myself, to be able to just play it and have a feel for what it could be like appeals to me. I’ve got the headset and the control pads too! I’m in a group so I play in a clan and there are about 60 of us. Right now we’re ranked about 40 in the world but in MW3, we were actually ranked number 3. I’m better than most of the guys in the group!
GTG: Did you get quite close with the other girls in the house? Were you able to support one another?
Lauren: I was particularly close with Angel and Sarah. We’re all Catholics as well so I think that’s why we connected. However at the beginning Sarah and I disagreed about something, I think it was about Victoria’s Secret Models. We had a misunderstanding but it got resolved as soon as possible. From then on though, she realised that I wasn’t what she thought I was at the beginning. The girls misunderstood me because they thought that I was cocky or overly confident but it wasn’t what I felt. You shouldn’t read a book by its cover.
I think because we were all going through the same thing and we all wanted the same thing too, instead of putting someone else down to better yourself you need to give people boosters. It’s all about energies for me and personally I believe that if you have a good energy about you or someone else has a good energy about them, automatically that is reflected in your environment and will reflect on you too. I can’t stand negative vibes because then it puts me in such a down mood. But I was definitely closest to Sarah and Angel - I get to see them soon as well! Sarah’s from Ireland but she said she’s hoping to move to London soon and Angel’s already here too.
GTG: A lot of girls struggle with low self-esteem; what would be your top tip for giving yourself a boost when you’re not feeling particularly confident?
Lauren: When I’m not feeling confident, I look to God mostly. Or I’ll do something that makes me happy - anything that makes you happy go and do it, because then that will build up your confidence. So for example, say you’ve gone out to a party and you’re lacking in confidence, to make yourself feel good, just go and quickly top up your make-up and then you’re bound to start feeling a bit better.
THE REVLON EVENING OPULENCE AW13 LOOK
The hair by Kevin Fortune
“We wanted to create something very young and fresh yet very elegant and rich at the same time,” Kevin told us. “The look ended up being a well put together, elegant, sleek, soft finger wave but then slightly broken up. Lots of young girls are always asking me how I get that finger wave look and if you know how to use a tong you can just roller it very easily, and it’s just angling it in a certain way so that when you brush it out, it drops into a wave automatically.
“You have to work it in with a few products but because I’m working with Afro hair today, I had to use lots of products that would protect the hair from heat because I knew I would be using a lot of different tongs and that I would be blow-drying the hair too. I wanted it to look sleek and smooth, but not completely straight - we still wanted to keep that slight roughness to it so that it still had some of its texture and body.”
The make-up by Lee Pycroft
“This range is all about opulence,” said Lee. “It’s about accessorising your make-up and dressing up with make-up too. It’s a palette of intense violets, a shocking pink lip gloss, contoured cheeks and beautiful luminous skin. The whole thing is luxurious and glamorous with a slight edge and a younger feel to it too.”
Lee’s Top Tips for recreating Lauren’s look
“One of my favourites is the Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Adorned , £7.99, because I think that pink’s a brilliant colour that loads of people can wear. I think it gives a vibe of being very playful and fun.
“I love putting the Revlon ColorStay Crème Gel Eyeliner, £8.99, inside the eyes and all the way round with a hint of violet using the 16 Hour Colorstay Eye Quad in Seductive , £7.99. The thing is with violet, it’s a colour that will suit a range of different skintones - it’s a great way of accessorising your make-up. Say that you have a brown tone or tones that occur naturally in your skintone such as dark beiges or caramels, by just putting a pop of purple on it, it just gives that sort of slightly haphazard look to the make-up which is slightly unusual or unexpected. You can just dab it on with your finger, just in the centre so it gives a pop of colour as you look down, just like a butterfly.”
GTG’s picks
“We have to agree with Lee – we love the new shocking pink Colorburst Lipgloss for a hit of high-octane colour worn on top of a luxurious lashing of Colorburst Butter Balm in Invite Only, £7.99.
We also adore the new Revlon Nail Enamel in Rich , £6.49, to give nails some night time star-gazer sparkle and PhotoReady Kajal Intense Eye Liner + Brightener in Emerald Empire , £5.99, to provide a softer alternative to our collection of deep charcoal kohls.