Livia’s Talks Beauty to Hot Tomato’s Renae King

Livia: Ok Renae, thanks for taking the time to talk to The Beauty Review. Now, before you became the ‘Queen’ of breakfast radio on the Gold Coast you studied fashion in Sydney. So what made you go into the fashion industry and what did you learn from it?

Renae: Right from when I was a little girl I loved clothes, creating and designing and would throw a pair of shorts over some fabric on the floor.. cut around them and sew them up. Having 4 daughters my mum quickly learned to be a good seamstress….and we always had the latest trends before anyone else. At school I was always better in art and textiles than the other more traditional subjects so it seemed a natural thing to do.

Livia: Being on Radio, how conscientious are you about your looks?

Renae: That’s the great thing about radio… no one can see you so you don’t have to stress. As I’ve gotten older… I don’t care so much about how I dress and I feel more than comfortable heading to do the groceries in my tracky dacks… But I do care about getting wrinkles…and in the last year I have started to use eye cream and really make an effort with skin care!

Livia: Of course one of the drawbacks of breakfast radio is the early starts in the morning, so what time do you get up and how much time do you spend on your beauty routine?

Renae: How I look at work really depends on what time I get up. I am a night owl so am generally running late cause I’ve stayed up the night before. On those days… I come to work with no make-up on….just moisturiser.. and a cap to cover the bad hair! If I have the time or know I have an event to go to when I leave work….I’ll moisturise, slick on some foundation, blush and mascara… then whip the straightener over my hair. I can be ready in about 15mins. I have never been a girl who takes ages to get ready.

Livia: What would be your beauty routine for a special night out?

Renae: A special night out is a bit different… then, part of the fun is getting ready. If I have time I’ll pop a treatment in my hair, do a full body scrub, cleanse and moisturise….then spend extra time on my makeup too. And if it’s a night with girlfriends…. There is always a bottle of wine or two thrown in. One night we spent so long glamming it up and testing out different products we ended up looking like very tipsy drag queens and decided to stay in for the night.

Livia: What is the one product you cannot live without and why?

Renae: I can’t pick just one…. I could not live without cleanser and moisturiser. I am not at all fussy with brand names and at the moment in my shower there are about 3 cleaners on the go from different price ranges. Everything from Chanel to Ponds! I use different ones depending on my mood and whether I’ve had makeup on or not. One of the cheapest moisturisers I’ve found and really love is Nivea All Day Aqua… but I’ve got a few of those on the go too.

Livia: Has your Mum ever given you beauty advice and what was it?

Renae: Not really… she’s always been a bit naughty maintaining a skin care routine…and with 4 daughters she always had one of us pinching her stuff.

Livia: Do you have a home remedy you swear by and if so, what is it?

Renae: I have done the cold teabags and cucumber on the eyelids and make-your-own face masks but I always make a mess. I love my herbal teas though.. I can’t get enough of them and have about 12 on the go at the moment. They are always good for a pick me up.

Livia: What would you say is your best physical feature?

Renae: Oh Livia, I don’t know… I always feel silly answering these types of questions. If I have to answer anything I would say my eyes??

Livia: What is one piece of beauty advice you would give our readers?

Renae: Never go to sleep with your makeup on and always moisturise. Even when you are so tipsy you just want to crawl into bed…or have a splitting headache you’ll feel 100% better for it in the morning.

Livia: Other than Latin dancing, brie cheese, prawns and Coronas, what else do you do to make yourself feel great?

Renae: At the moment I am training to run in the 10k event at the Gold Coast Marathon. Only two months ago I could not even run to the mail box without keeling over.. but now I can run 7.5ks without falling over and I am feeling great. It’s such an achievement and has really given me the fitness bug. Now instead of seeing it as a chore I see the training as something for me… a way to relax at the end of the day.