Recently returning to our screens on The Wrong Girl (as the ex-girlfriend of main character Lily's finance... scandalous), Natalie Bassingthwaighte has quite the creative resume. She was one of our Neighbours, playing the role of Izzy Hoyland on the famed Australian soap, which earned her three Logie nominations. Lured by a passion for music, Natalie left Ramsay St and became the lead singer of band, Rogue Traders, for which became the melodic springboard to launch her own solo career with great success. Natalie also took up the mantle as host of So You Think You Can Dance Australia and then became a judge and mentor on The X Factor in both Australia and New Zealand. She has now taken her creative hand to childrenswear; starting her own label for minis, Chi Khi, after having children of her own.
With a textured bob of platinum blonde hair and striking cerulean eyes, she is diminutive, yet boasts a bubbly, larger-than-life disposition. The gorgeous Nat, who has that rocker edge and coolness one would expect from a musical mama, swung open the doors of the Brighton home she shares with husband (and Rogue Traders drummer) Cameron and their two children, Harper, 5, and Hendrix, 2. Her ultimate skincare saviour was divulged, along with the makeup product she can’t live without, her go-to juice and a newfound love of cardio tennis (despite a self-confessed lack of talent!).
“Day to day I don’t wear a lot of makeup.
I use the Touche Eclat every time I do my makeup, I always do mascara and then a bit of bronzer, that’s it. Tom Ford’s bronzer is my favourite. Then for night, it’s a smoky eye, contouring…everything! People don’t recognise me! I had to pick my daughter up from kindergarten the other day and I was fully dolled up because I had an event to go to, everyone was like, ‘who are you?!’
NATALIE USUALLY FAVOURS A MINIMAL MAQUILLAGE
AN UTTER ULTRACEUTICALS AFICIONADO
It’s my night time moisturiser, I love everything in the range – the Vitamin C, the hydrating serum, their moisturiser, their cleansers and I’ve noticed a huge difference. My skin has completely changed its texture. The Clarisonic is amazing, too! I use it a few times a week; I probably should use it everyday, it just depends though. Before I do a shoot I usually do the SK-II mask – it’s the best.
I don’t go in the sun – I fake tan.
If I’m busy and I just do it quickly myself I use St. Tropez, or if I get a mobile tan a girl comes around and does an organic tan called Candy Tan. She’ll come to your house and spray you but it’s all-organic and it doesn’t go blotchy and it’s not orange – it’s the perfect colour. She actually owns a Pilates place – that’s how I met her!
HYDRATION GAME; AN SK-II MASK IS A MUST PRE-SHOOT
NAT'S BEAUTY LOOT INCLUDES YSL TOUCHE ECLAT, CHANEL VITALUMIERE, STILA AND KEVIN AUCOIN
I’m obsessed with – I die over it! Chanel Vitalumiere is my foundation, I’ve been using that for a while, either the portable or the bottle, but the compact so it’s much easier for travelling. For mascara, I’ve just discovered this Kevyn Aucoin and it’s quite thin so you can get all the little bits, it’s really great for underneath but I love it just as much for the top, the brush is really small so really good for curling.
Galapagos eye shadow by Nars is the best brown shade
because it kind of has this tint of gold and it’s so bronzy. Sometimes I don’t even have to use any other colour and just completely smoke my eye out with it – it’s the best colour. The Stila blush comes in all different colours but Gladiola is the one I’m drawn to the most. I use it on my lips too, with maybe put a bit of gloss on it as well. The Chanel Soleil is unreal, especially for television. It’s pretty bronzy but you can just do your collarbones, if I do put it on my face it might just be as a highlighter but that’s it. You can put it all over your arms but it’s nice to do it on the highlight points, it’s great for photography. It has that radiance, it’s illuminating.
MONOCHROMATIC BEAUTY BAG ESSENTIALS; NARS EYESHADOW, CHANEL, CHI KHI AND ULTRACEUTICALS
NAT'S BEUATY AMMO FOR A FULLER POUT; SEXY MOTHER PUCKER EXTREME PLUMP
it’s a lip plumper and it has the tingling sensation and everyone I get to try it is like ‘oh my God!’ but I love it. Sometimes [I put concealer on my lips first], not always.
Contouring and shading is the key thing for any face.
You just highlight the [good] bits, like your high cheekbones, your eyebrows, I usually shade cheekbones and along my jaw. This Stila Contouring Kit is amazing – I use the brush that comes with it. It’s really dark, but that’s what you want, you start brushing it up and you get a really good, chiselled cheekbone. It can change the whole shape of your face. Some people do it down their nose too, and at the top of your lips, that’s a good trick so you can have a little more of a fuller lip
LIGHT AND SHADE; NAT'S CULT CONTOUR PRODUCT
FLOATING WHITE CALLA LILIES COMPLIMENT NAT'S FAVOURITE FRENCH FRAGRANCE
At a certain age less is more with makeup
Everything changes throughout the years –you always have to change your [makeup]. I don’t use the same foundation I used ten years ago, because my skin texture is different, your pores are different. Just do your lashes, brighten your eyes, a bit of gloss! It’s more about the underneath of your skin and getting that glowy, I think that’s more important than the rest.
I get my hair done at Wieselmann in Toorak.
I’ve been going there for about 12 years, Di and Dee there colour and cut my hair – they’re amazing. I really like Aurora Spa at The Prince – it’s heaven! The whole experience from when you arrive to when you leave is totally blissful. I go to Missie Coco in Prahran for facials – she’s the one that put me onto all the Ultraceuticals. For eyebrows I go to Carmen the Eyebrow Queen, she’s a legend in the eyebrow world! She’s so booked out, she does Margot Robbie’s too – she’s the best.
NAT'S GRANDMOTHER HAND-MADE THIS BEAUTIFUL DOLL FOR HER 40TH BIRTHDAY
BEACHED OUT; BUMBLE AND BUMBLE SURF SPRAY AND SCHWARZKOPF TEXTURISER
I’ve been using Kerastase for about 15 years – it’s my favourite.
Sometimes I just do the Mask Intensive and then sometimes I use the other ones to shake it up a bit. I use the Schwarzkopf texturiser, it’s quite full on, but it gives you texture. So if you have just washed your hair and it’s a bit fresh and you want it bigger, you can put it on your roots or elsewhere. Then the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray is good if you want it not so done. The ghd curling wand is my favourite thing, you can just grab a bit of hair and pull it in, then get the end of it and pull it the other way and it’s not so set. You can get messy hair, just so it doesn’t look like such perfect curls.
My style is pretty relaxed…
it’s probably more masculine than feminine, and funnily enough tody I’m wearing a skirt! But generally day-to-day I’m in pants; drop-crotch pants and a singlet or a t-shirt and that’s it – that’s my go-to. And a wedged Adidas or similar sneaker. My favourite brands at the moment are probably LXE, they’ve got such beautiful pieces, you can just go from day to night in them, dress them down or up, amazing fabrics and very considered in their design. And Scanlan and Theodore – I buy almost everything from there! My wardrobe consists of Scanlan, Citizens of Humanity jeans at the moment and I’ve always been a fan of Bassike.
SHOE ENVY; A GLIMPSE INTO HER SHOE-DROBE
NAT IS RADIANT THANKS TO A MOSTLY HEALTHY DIET
I don’t get really religious with diet
unless I’m doing a shoot and then I try and cut out as much sugar, up my water intake, no alcohol, earlier nights, but I’m not like that 52 weeks of the year. It’s not how I roll. I go in and I go hard and then I go ‘ah!’ and have a few nights with some drinks so it’s not that hectic! I like to let my hair down every now and again and not feel so stressed. I’m just about to do Brock the Telemovie so I’m eating better and no alcohol but I tend to eat well anyway. The last few days I’ve really upped my smoothie intake and vegetable juices but on a normal week I just try and eat as many wholefoods as possible. I don’t bash myself if I have a pizza or a burger but I don’t do it every week. In my smoothies, I usually chuck in kale for sure, the other day I made this kale, pineapple and something else I can’t remember, it was such a strange mix but it just ended up being so delicious!
My go to juice is orange, pineapple, carrot and a big dose of ginger
because it’s great for your immune system and I like that flavour. I chucked a frozen banana in my smoothie, a massive bunch of kale, but you can chuck spinach in there, cucumber, sweeten it up with pineapple juice so it doesn’t taste so heavy, or strawberries and blueberries. The other day I made my kids some ice blocks and all we did was blend strawberries and blueberries and put them in the little ice trays and they had them for dessert and they loved it!
JUICE QUEEN; NAT ALWAYS USES KALE IN HER SMOOTHIES
FLOATY FORM; WRAPPED UP IN SWATHES OF CAMILLA
Before I started Chi Khi I was a bit more regular with exercise.
I’d like to go three or four times a week and now I’ve only just got back into Pilates – only just! I’m about to do a show so I’m like ‘alright!’ but the last six weeks I started Cardio Tennis, which is really fun. I’ve never played tennis before so I’m not very good. All you have to do is hit the ball, there is no having to hit it in the square, you just hit, hit, hit, run around, then you do volley, volley, volley, run around and so for the hour you are moving. I love KX Pilates as well, I go to the one in Hampton, it’s really hard but you really feel like it works, long and lean. We do walk a lot too; it’s a nice area to walk.”
Obviously having children, your world is all about your kids
and there were a few reasons [to start Chi Khi]. One, was I wanted to see what I was capable of. In this industry you’re always reliant on other people for work and waiting for the phone to call and I wanted to see what I could do myself. I’m still inspired by my kids, they both have sensitive skin and I knew that bamboo was really good for their bed sheets, and I thought, ‘where are all the cool clothes made from this material?’ I couldn’t find any, so I started ordering samples of the bamboo fabric and I thought OK we could do something with this and I hired a designer and a production manager and we started on this journey…and next thing you know we’ve got this whole collection!
COOL KIDS ON THE BLOCK; THE ADORABLE CHI KHI RANGE
CHI KHI'S WONDER CREAM AND NAPPY BALM ARE FOR SENSITIVE BUBS
The skin products are for sensitive skin too.
The Chi Khi Wonder Cream is for both eczema and dermatitis – the feedback we’re getting is kind of bizarre! Everyone is saying ‘It’s the only cream I’ve found that will help with the eczema’ and ‘It’s so amazing I haven’t used the Hydrocortisone once!’ I’ve used it on my dermatitis as well and someone used it on their sunburn and went ‘oh my God!’. It’s got Calendula CO2 in it, which has 45 times more healing power that regular Calendula, and then there’s passionfruit oil, shea butter, coconut oil; all the good stuff, it’s beautiful. There’s also a nappy balm, but we’ve trialled about six products and we’ll eventually get them out. It’s hard to get products that actually do what they say – can you just do what you say please and not lie!”
