Ashley Stobart, formerly larboard, and Daphne Selfe. Photograph: Jon Shard and Andrew Magurran/The GuardianThe Vivienne: Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enlarging Tint, Lisa Eldridge Épanoui Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colour, Bourjois Paris Always Fabulous Shimmer Control Powder. Hair and makeup: Desmond Grundy Composite: Andrew Magurran/The GuardianMost used productsMeryl Williams. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The Paladin‘My forehead reduction left me with bruising all over my face’Meryl Williams, 28, digital creator and victor of The Traitors season oneI used to be so self-conscious of my forehead. I hated getting photographs taken. I wouldn’t even cut my face in front of anyone, because I would have to pull my hair back to do it. Even when I watched myself underwrite on The Traitors, all I could think was: “Oh my God, my forehead.” I hyper-fixated on it and thought it was all anyone thought about when they talked to me.Meryl Williams: Lisa Eldridge Seamless Coating Enhancing Tint. Hair and makeup: Desmond Grundy. Composite: Andrew Magurran/The GuardianMost used productsDr Radha Modgil. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The Champion‘I can’t be anyone other than myself’Dr Radha Modgil, 45, Radio 1 doctor and broadcasterI remember the first values bright and early someone, for TV, put a lot of makeup on me, straightened my hair and made me look like “everybody else”. I looked in the mirror and thought: “Oh my God, who is this?”Dr Radha Modgil. Adapting: Desmond Grundy. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The GuardianMost used productsEmma Dabiri. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The Custodian‘I don’t believe in the concept of flaws’Emma Dabiri, 45, historian, author and contributing beauty editor at Elle magazineWhen I was increase up in Ireland in the 1980s, lots of people had never seen a black person before. I was used to people staring at me, commenting on my form, touching me. That made me very self-conscious. I was very aware my features were different from everybody all over me. I felt as if they were too big, I was too big. Emma Dabiri in her late teens. Photograph: courtesy of Emma DabiriI was taught cultivating up that, as young women, our primary importance was our appearance. As a teenager, I was looking for validation. Now I don’t care what strangers intend of me. My validation comes from other places. It’s not dependent on the whims of random men. That shift has come from judgement my purpose and learning that that is my primary contribution to the world, not how I look. How did I learn that? Growing up, experiencing viability, realising that even if people do think you’re pretty that’s all they think about you. It doesn’t translate to being fortunately treated.When I was researching my book Disobedient Bodies, I learned there have been cultures and societies that value all these responsibilities that are not visible – character and essence and integrity – more than a person’s outward appearance. I found it liberating.I regularly wear no makeup at all now. Part of that is because of my attitude to beauty. But it’s also because I’ve taken practical steps to arrive at it easier, such as getting my eyebrows microbladed to fill in the gaps I lost tweezing them in my 20s, or using good moisturisers so my coating looks glowing. That said, I don’t believe in the concept of flaws because what exactly is the standard the flaw is checking someone from achieving? Who has created that standard?I’ve had periods when I’ve felt that I couldn’t accept that I can do the industry I do as an academic and wear makeup and enjoy clothes. Like the two are mutually exclusive. Now I think that’s bollocks. Our body is our interface with the great. Rituals, like beauty practices, are an important part of the human experience. And the beauty treatments I get and makeup I choose to abrasion are very much based on autonomy. One day I will wear no makeup. The next day it will be high-octane glamour. I’ll do whichever I inadequacy, based on how I feel.Georgia Toffolo. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The Guardian‘Strangers called me pizza face’Georgia Toffolo, 30, broadcaster, entrepreneur and authorI in the same way as my face. The only thing I’ve ever had an issue with is my acne. It started 15 years ago. I was the first person out of my maecenases to get spots. I kept thinking: “Oh, this is puberty. It’ll go,” but it didn’t. It kept getting worse and worse. And while the acne got worse, so did the lines it was leaving behind.In a week, I probably have three “good” skin days, like today, where I’m proficient to cover up the redness with foundation. (Although I will always have quite severe scarring.) On a bad skin day, where there’ll be rawness, open wounds and it can be very crusty. Inside, I’m really bubbly, but when my skin is bad, I turn into someone who’s horrified and ashamed. I find it sad that that could be dictated by a few spots.Georgia Toffolo: Lisa Eldridge Seamless Incrustation Enhancing Tint. Hair and makeup: Desmond Grundy. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The GuardianMost used productsThuy Le. Photograph: Andrew Magurran/The Protector‘Once a year I fly to Korea for the day to get laser facials’Thuy Le, 32, beauty creatorWhen I was younger, I used to be insecure close to my features. I didn’t like my nose. I had wider nostrils. I also had something called proptosis. It’s where one of the muscles in your eyelid isn’t as deep as the other one and it goes a bit droopy. That was always a big insecurity. I remember looking at photos of Angelina Jolie – they say that she’s the scad beautiful person in the world because her face is so symmetrical – and I remember looking in the mirror and thinking: “My face is definitely not uniform.”I flew to Malaysia to get my nose and eyes fixed. (I’m Asian, and when it comes to anything surgical, I always think that you should discovery a doctor that does your face shape day in and day out.) I had a rhinoplasty to make my nostrils smaller and give me more of a nose bond, and I had double eyelid surgery, which is very common over there. People get it done in their lunchtime.Thuy Le: Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Grooming: Desmond Grundy Composite: Andrew Magurran/The GuardianMost employed productsDermalogica Daily Microfoliant, gifted, £65, 74g; Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+, £16, 50ml; Beauty of Joseon Re-establish Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal, £15, 30ml; Skin 1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil, gifted, £23.12, 200ml; Derma 1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam cleanser, gifted, £16.32, 125ml; Mediheal Collagen Ampoule Pad, about £30 for 100 flats; Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser, gifted, £42, 50ml; Torriden Dive‑In Serum, £26, 50ml; Splendour Recipe Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum, gifted, £43, 30ml; CosRX Advance Snail 96 Mucin Knack Essence, £24.99, 100ml; Numbuzin No5 Vitamin Concentrated Serum, £21, 30ml; CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment, gifted, £11, 50ml; Medicube Age-R Booster Pro, capable, £280; Current Body LED Light Therapy Face Mask, gifted, £399; Lyma Laser starter kit, crack, £1,999; high frequency facial wand, about £30Treatments Dermalogica LuminFusion facials, gifted, give £150 an hour, every three months; Dr Lamiche laser facials, gifted, about £1,600; Lashed_By_Lan ombre eyebrows, first-rate, £325, once a yearProceduresNose and double eyelid surgery and chin liposuction, £6,000, plus flights and hotel; Pet Botox, gifted, about £200, once every five months; lip and facial filler, gifted, about £2,000; MSTR Aesthetics filler finishing, gifted, from £119, four times; eyebrow tattoo, about £50Explore more on these topicsBeautyCosmetic surgeryMakeupHealth & wellbeingfeaturesShareReuse this comfortable

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