Kaz Crossley on her role as KISS Products ambassador

Yesterday I had the pleasure of heading to the Alex Silver PR offices in Piccadilly, London, to meet Love Island‘s Kaz Crossley and have a girly chat about her recently appointed role as KISS Products ambassador.

Sitting opposite the stunning professional make-up artist, I also couldn’t help but ask about her beauty tips, tricks and must-haves – as a woman that struggles to wake up early enough to apply make-up most mornings, you can’t blame me!

It was easy to see Kaz’s profound excitement about her new role as the ambassador for KISS Products while she wore nails from the brand’s Gel Fantasy range and lashes from the Lash Couture collection in Chiffon, beaming from ear to ear when I asked her about how it felt when she was asked to take on the role: “It felt amazing! I can’t believe it. Everything that’s happening to me is so fast-paced since I left Love Island and it feels like a dream come true.”

How did the partnership with KISS Products come about?
KISS always has celebrity ambassadors and with my beauty and make-up background, it seemed like the perfect fit. It’s such a massive brand to work with and, being a make-up artist, I’ve always used the lashes. Not to mention the stick-on nails are possibly the biggest in the industry. For me, it was a no-brainer.

What are your favourite products from the brand?
I love the Naked Drama collection, as the lashes produce almost like a faux mink effect look. The lashes are the type that I wear myself and wore a lot during my time in the Love Island villa: I love long, wispy lashes and these are really lightweight and the band is thin.

I also love the KISS imPRESS nails, just because they’re so quick and easy: you literally just stick them on. The latest collection sees new nail technology, making the nails 20% thinner so it fits the natural nail perfectly. KISS has slimmed down the nail to create a more natural effect, but they are just as strong.

Have you shared any of the products with friends and family?
Yes! My make-up artist is also a very good friend of mine and she’s been using KISS lashes on all of her clients. They just think it’s amazing how versatile they are and love the variety in each of the ranges. When someone wants a dramatic look and she uses the thicker, fuller lashes, they’re not heavy and the band is not too thick, making them lightweight and super wearable.

What do you love about the nails in particular?
I love that there’s such a huge range to choose from. For example, if you’re going for an everyday, natural nail look you’ve got the imPRESS range, which offer shorter designs and are easy to apply for somebody that might not have a lot of time to get their nails professionally done. You’ve also got the brand new Masterpiece collection, which offers statement shapes such as coffin and stiletto. These offer more dramatic looks with designs such as marble and holographic. There really is something for everyone.

How do KISS nails complement your busy lifestyle?
When I’m on-the-go and back-to-back with events I need my nails to really stand out, but I don’t want to go around everyday with really dramatic nails, making KISS nails perfect for me as I can quickly put them on and take them off again in next to no time. For example, for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, I wore a silver long, backless gown with a fur shawl so my outfit was really glamorous. I used KISS Gel Fantasy nails and stuck them on myself – I normally get my nails done but I could do this myself because it is that easy. My nails were red carpet-ready in no time at all. If I find a design that I want to wear for a few days then I just use the stronger glue, as this extends the wear time.

What are your make-up bag essentials?
Whenever I’m working with a client, I love conducting a whole pamper session and so always have moisturiser. Some make-up artists will just start putting make-up on but I like doing a really deep cleanse and fully prepare the skin: it just means the make-up is going to last a lot longer. If your skin is really dry or bumpy because you haven’t prepared it, then when you apply your make-up it’s going to look patchy. Make-up only looks as good as the skin underneath it. I always have fixing spray, lip balms, tweezers and all of the essentials.

What beauty rules do you swear by?
I think that a little goes a really long way, so when I’m applying make-up I just apply it really slowly rather than putting it all on in big amounts because you can’t take it away. If I’m going to do a bright lip then I won’t do a bright eyeshadow: it’s either one or the other. I always prefer a simple but effective make-up look.

What advice would you give to anybody thinking of becoming a make-up artist?
Practice on your friends and family. I started working on make-up counters and watched lots of YouTube tutorials. That’s why I make tutorials now because I know when I was younger I always used to watch and learn from them. I handed out my CV, which would really help in getting experience. Practice on people of different ages and different skin tones. Anyone can apply make-up on themselves and be good at it, but being a make-up artist is about how good you are at applying make-up on somebody with dry skin, or somebody with darker skin or older skin. Make sure you gain experience of working on different people.

Why do you love beauty?
Anyone can be interested in beauty, it’s not exclusive. There’s different ways you can perceive beauty. Beauty is about expressing yourself and is something that is never judged. Beauty makes people feel happy. That’s why I was a make-up artist: clients have the pleasure of feeling good about themselves after and it makes you feel good. We take enjoyment in getting our nails done, wearing lashes and it’s important to treat yourself to those things.

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