The Injectable-Free Lip Cheat That Fashion Influencer Pepa Mack Loves

Petra Mackova is the woman behind Pepamack, the blog and Instagram ode to her sleek, minimal style that her more than 900,000 followers can’t get enough of. Here, she tells us about prioritising skincare well ahead of any makeup, and a bad experience with hair extensions that encouraged her to ditch them in favour of keeping things simple – an appropriate fit with the rest of her aesthetic.

“My daily routine starts and ends with my skincare.

I wash my face in the shower, only ever using a cream face wash because I have a dry complexion. I use tonic, followed by day cream and finish it with 40+ sunscreen. I have quite dry and delicate skin around my eyes, so I apply argan oil before my eye cream every day and night.

I always prefer days without makeup, however if I wear anything it’s usually a very thin layer of foundation. I’m obsessed with a clean face. It’s the best feeling after coming home after a long day, to take a shower and wash your face. I follow it up with some beautifully rich moisturiser.

My beauty look is minimal, always with a light brown lipstick. I like simple, easy to use products, keeping skin at the forefront.

My favourite feature would have to be my eyebrows. When I do my eyebrow makeup, it completely changes my look. Sometimes I don’t wear other makeup, but I always do my eyebrows.

For a night out, I love soft black kajal pencil. I put it on my top lid only and smudge it slightly so that the line is not too sharp. Also, I apply a double layer of mascara.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @PEPAMACK

My top beauty tip is to use a white Burberry pencil to contour my lips. It’s tried and true, and always creates a great effect.

I used to love doing makeup for all my girlfriends and think I learned my tricks there. When we went out on the weekends, there were bookings required and a line out the door! It was something that we loved doing together and was always a ritual on a night out.

My mom doesn’t actually wear any makeup. She has the most beautiful skin!

She would never judge me for wearing makeup or experimenting at a young age, but she was forever teaching me how important it is to really care for my skin (and to always remove makeup before bed). She is a big fan of natural herbal tonics and oils, which has influenced me to use them in my routines as well.

I’m quite simple in my hair technique and not a big fan of styling products.

My hair is very fine so I wash it almost every day. I use conditioner only occasionally, just because I prefer more volume, which I think you can only achieve when foregoing the conditioner. I don’t need to use any other products after that.

My hair was also the source of my most embarrassing beauty moment. I once on a date, wearing clip in hair extensions. All was going well until my date touched my head and absolutely freaked out!

IMAGE: PEPAMACK

I still can’t believe my job every day is to do what I love.

I have always been interested in fashion, styling and fashion photography, but there weren’t many options available to me when I was younger. It was something that I was continually working on as a hobby and was lucky enough to be able to progress that into my career through Instagram. Simply put, I enjoy the freedom, creativity and people.

I favour minimalistic style with oversized hero pieces.

Natural colours teamed with denim is always the ‘I don’t know what do wear’ outfit for me. My most recent favourite buy is a pair of white Vetements sneakers.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @PEPAMACK

I love a classic facial. Sadly, I don’t get them as often as I’d like.

My go-to spa is Alkaline in Potts Point. They do great face massages, which are one of my all time favourite treatments.

I do my own masks at home now and then. I’ve started to freshly mix my masks before putting them on the face. At the moment I am enjoying products from Buly 1803, a brand which allows you to create your own pastes.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @PEPAMACK

Ageing is a natural process; I just ensure that I look after myself more now than I did when I was younger. I believe that the key to life and ageing gracefully is balance.

I exercise maybe two times per week with body weight exercises and some Pilates accessories.Occasionally I’ll head to my local Pilates studio to take a class.

I also go to an infra sauna to relax and unwind, and when my body is dry I use natural sweet almond oil, which is such a great natural option. And I use natural plant-based supplements regularly, to assist my general wellbeing and health.

Whenever I need to relax, I love taking my dog, Elvis, for a nice long walk to the park or beach. Being outdoors with him is often my favourite thing to do.

It may be simple, but I feel my best after my shower, just before bedtime. It puts me in relaxation mode, which always makes me feel my most natural and beautiful.”