A little while ago I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with popstar, style icon and little bundle of joy Pixie Lott. I wasn't just hanging around like a groupie, I wanted to find out what made her tick. Starting off in the semi-glamorous location of her hairdressing salon, Taylor Taylor, in East London (apparently one of her favourite places to go because they give an awesome head massage,) we quickly got in her car and spent the journey across London chatting about everything from Eastenders to festival fashion. Here are a few snippets from my afternoon with Pixie Lott...
You do a lot of gigs and concerts late at night. How do you relax when you get home?
When I get off the stage I'm always really excited because I've got the buzz, but when that winds down I'm always really tired. I'll go home, make a cup of tea, put a movie on, chill on the sofa and have a snack. I'm a big fan of bubble baths and candles, but I don't have much time for them so they're very rare for me - that's probably why I enjoy them so much, as they're such a treat. I also love massages and facials, they're my all time favourite thing; that's why I love going to the salon as they always give you a head massage!
What's on your rider?
We always just have the general stuff really - ginger, honey and lemon for my voice, a little bowl of goodies or sweets, fruit... If we don't eat it all I can take it home too, so I don't have to do my food shopping the next day! (Cheeky Pixie.)
What's your favourite venue or concert to date?
I really loved my tour, so I guess my favourite shows have been the London shows at Hammersmith Apollo. I also really love playing the stadium venues, like the 02, and I'm really excited about playing the Royal Albert Hall because it's so beautiful and I haven't played there before. I love going to concerts myself and I really want to go see Coldplay. Live music is the best way to listen to music.
You play a lot of festivals. Is that something you try to do every year?
Yes, I love festivals. It feels like you go away on a mini holiday; I love the festival fashion, meeting random people, the whole camping thing. I'd enjoy a festival even if it was raining, but when it's sunny it's just the best. At festivals you can literally wear whatever you want and nobody cares - if you want to paint on your face, shove a flower in your hair or wear something luminous, nobody looks twice! I always have to have a pair of wellies though - there's a pair I've had for years that are like boots-slash-wellies that I love.
What are the little things you do with your makeup to make you feel great?
Usually I don't go for statement lips, because when I'm singing the microphone smudges lipstick all round my face! I've tried it a couple of times and the photos afterwards have literally been me with lipstick all around my mouth, which is never a good look. That's why whenever I'm doing something where I'm not singing, I try to have fun with my lips. Before a show though I always have drama around the eyes, big lashes and smokey shadow that's brought out to the side to make it more feline. I think that's a great way to take your makeup from the day into the night, especially as lipstick can be quite hard to maintain while you're drinking.
How do you use accessories to change your look?
I pretty much always wear rings; I feel naked if I don't have any rings on. I wear little bangles and watches in the daytime, but in the night (say if I'm wearing a little black dress) I always layer chains to create more of a statement. Today I'm wearing some things from a great designer called Maria Francesca Pepe - she does loads of things with studs and bracelets with little crosses hanging down that I love. I actually got a few of them at Spitalfields market!
You went from very long to quite short hair last year - what made you take the chop?
I'd had the same hair for ages. Everyone had the exact same hair! I was bored and had a new album coming out... I didn't want to dye it so I thought I'd cut it. I was a little bit scared, but I thought 'hair grows' so why not just give it a go and if I don't like it just grow it out again? I feel my shorter hair is a little more edgy than before, (although my long hair was a lot more glamorous) and I can do a lot more with it. You can mess it up a bit, create volume - even though you think you can do less with shorter hair, you can still do loads. I just fancied a change!
Tell me about how you'd go from day to night with one accessory?
The most instant thing to update a dress from day to night? You bring a pair of heels along! I always carry them in my bag and they come off as soon as they hurt. (I've been told off a few times by bouncers for taking my shoes off... And then I get glass in my foot!) I also like a statement piece of jewellery or a necklace that says something. If I was going somewhere a bit more civilised I'd just put on a blazer or a chic little jacket to dress it up.
What about taking your hair from day to night when you've been out all day?
I always like a bit of volume and texture in my hair; I've got this great stuff which is like dust that you just put in the parting of your hair and kind of shake it like crazy to build texture. (She means Resurrection Dust!) Or you can go for an 'up do', just using a couple of kirby grips to shove it up and still go for the messy vibe. Plaits are perfect for festivals, or in the summer, to channel the whole boho thing; usually I just take a section, plait into the hair and pull it out so it's really really messy. That's kind of my signature look.
So there you go: Pixie is the Queen of many things, including messy plaits, bubble baths and accessories. She also loves Shoreditch, Eastenders, seeing her mates and potentially helping her boyfriend to start a fashion blog. Pixie is taking over the world, one part of London at a time.
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You do a lot of gigs and concerts late at night. How do you relax when you get home?
When I get off the stage I'm always really excited because I've got the buzz, but when that winds down I'm always really tired. I'll go home, make a cup of tea, put a movie on, chill on the sofa and have a snack. I'm a big fan of bubble baths and candles, but I don't have much time for them so they're very rare for me - that's probably why I enjoy them so much, as they're such a treat. I also love massages and facials, they're my all time favourite thing; that's why I love going to the salon as they always give you a head massage!
What's on your rider?
We always just have the general stuff really - ginger, honey and lemon for my voice, a little bowl of goodies or sweets, fruit... If we don't eat it all I can take it home too, so I don't have to do my food shopping the next day! (Cheeky Pixie.)
What's your favourite venue or concert to date?
I really loved my tour, so I guess my favourite shows have been the London shows at Hammersmith Apollo. I also really love playing the stadium venues, like the 02, and I'm really excited about playing the Royal Albert Hall because it's so beautiful and I haven't played there before. I love going to concerts myself and I really want to go see Coldplay. Live music is the best way to listen to music.
You play a lot of festivals. Is that something you try to do every year?
Yes, I love festivals. It feels like you go away on a mini holiday; I love the festival fashion, meeting random people, the whole camping thing. I'd enjoy a festival even if it was raining, but when it's sunny it's just the best. At festivals you can literally wear whatever you want and nobody cares - if you want to paint on your face, shove a flower in your hair or wear something luminous, nobody looks twice! I always have to have a pair of wellies though - there's a pair I've had for years that are like boots-slash-wellies that I love.
What are the little things you do with your makeup to make you feel great?
Usually I don't go for statement lips, because when I'm singing the microphone smudges lipstick all round my face! I've tried it a couple of times and the photos afterwards have literally been me with lipstick all around my mouth, which is never a good look. That's why whenever I'm doing something where I'm not singing, I try to have fun with my lips. Before a show though I always have drama around the eyes, big lashes and smokey shadow that's brought out to the side to make it more feline. I think that's a great way to take your makeup from the day into the night, especially as lipstick can be quite hard to maintain while you're drinking.
How do you use accessories to change your look?
I pretty much always wear rings; I feel naked if I don't have any rings on. I wear little bangles and watches in the daytime, but in the night (say if I'm wearing a little black dress) I always layer chains to create more of a statement. Today I'm wearing some things from a great designer called Maria Francesca Pepe - she does loads of things with studs and bracelets with little crosses hanging down that I love. I actually got a few of them at Spitalfields market!
You went from very long to quite short hair last year - what made you take the chop?
I'd had the same hair for ages. Everyone had the exact same hair! I was bored and had a new album coming out... I didn't want to dye it so I thought I'd cut it. I was a little bit scared, but I thought 'hair grows' so why not just give it a go and if I don't like it just grow it out again? I feel my shorter hair is a little more edgy than before, (although my long hair was a lot more glamorous) and I can do a lot more with it. You can mess it up a bit, create volume - even though you think you can do less with shorter hair, you can still do loads. I just fancied a change!
Tell me about how you'd go from day to night with one accessory?
The most instant thing to update a dress from day to night? You bring a pair of heels along! I always carry them in my bag and they come off as soon as they hurt. (I've been told off a few times by bouncers for taking my shoes off... And then I get glass in my foot!) I also like a statement piece of jewellery or a necklace that says something. If I was going somewhere a bit more civilised I'd just put on a blazer or a chic little jacket to dress it up.
What about taking your hair from day to night when you've been out all day?
I always like a bit of volume and texture in my hair; I've got this great stuff which is like dust that you just put in the parting of your hair and kind of shake it like crazy to build texture. (She means Resurrection Dust!) Or you can go for an 'up do', just using a couple of kirby grips to shove it up and still go for the messy vibe. Plaits are perfect for festivals, or in the summer, to channel the whole boho thing; usually I just take a section, plait into the hair and pull it out so it's really really messy. That's kind of my signature look.
So there you go: Pixie is the Queen of many things, including messy plaits, bubble baths and accessories. She also loves Shoreditch, Eastenders, seeing her mates and potentially helping her boyfriend to start a fashion blog. Pixie is taking over the world, one part of London at a time.