Sophie Habboo's Wedding Skin-Care Journey Was "Really Stressful"

It's not an exaggeration to say that Sophie Habboo's wedding looks whipped the internet into a complete frenzy. First, there was the London wedding (Chelsea Registry office, Vivienne Westwood minidress, bouncy blowout), then there was their Spanish wedding (luxe villa, bespoke lace gown, chic low bun). The constant between both? (Aside from her husband, fellow podcaster, and "Made in Chelsea" alumni Jamie Laing, of course.) Skin so flawless that it's almost impossible to believe Habboo has ever experienced a blemish.

Meeting with POPSUGAR via Zoom, Habboo is at home, makeup-free, and quick to tell us that her journey with her skin hasn't always been straightforward. "I've always been really obsessed with my skin," she says. "I had bumps on my forehead that used to bother me, and I got really into skin care from a young age, like 17."

However, it wasn't until she was filming for "Made in Chelsea" in Sri Lanka in 2018 that Habboo started to notice dark marks on her skin, which she now understands were hyperpigmentation. "I'd just had a spray tan before I flew, and there were splatters across my face where I thought it had left dark spots. Every day I was exfoliating and trying to rub it off — I had no idea what it was. Of course, not knowing, I was still sunbathing out in Sri Lanka. I never really reapplied my sunscreen, and I probably lied about how much I was putting on," she says.

"I got back to England after filming, and it had sort of spread across both cheeks, all over my nose, and was getting onto my forehead. Over the year it got progressively worse, and I couldn't cover it with makeup. I felt really self-conscious because it was so out of control," she says. "There was nothing I could do to stop it. It was really stressful."

Eager to find a solution, Habboo sought advice from a dermatologist, as well as skin-care experts at local department stores, who advised her she was experiencing two types of hyperpigmentation known as sun spots and melasma. Unfortunately, both are notoriously tricky to treat, and she was given frustratingly few treatment options. "The options I got were either to have laser, which was so expensive and really intense — I was also filming at the time, so I couldn't really have five days off while my face peeled. Or, topical creams, which were essentially bleaching creams, and I didn't want to do that either."

As a stroke of luck, after sharing her complexion concerns on Instagram, skin-care brand Eucerin got in touch to recommend its dedicated hyperpigmentation range. "I probably didn't expect anything from it, as it was so accessibly priced and easy to use, but I stuck with it and after three weeks, my pigmentation was pretty much gone," she says. "It had the most amazing and miraculous results."

This turning point was around five years ago, and since then, Habboo has managed to keep her pigmentation under control. But a wedding in Spain, where she would be exposed to plenty of UV rays — a key trigger of hyperpigmentation — was a concern. "I'm quite a pro at knowing how to not get it to flare up, but there were obviously worries about it before the wedding day, especially as I flew out a few weeks before. Luckily, it all held out fine."

Habboo's top tips for keeping pigmentation at bay? "I'm wearing SPF 50 basically night and day, whatever the weather. Even in a thunderstorm, I've got it on," she says. "All my makeup has SPF 50, as well as my Eucerin SPF 50 sunscreen, and I reapply it during the day. I'm a hat girl, so if I'm walking around London, I'll have a hat on and sunglasses. On holiday, I'll maybe have my legs in the sun with sun cream, but I never get my face in the sun. It's a little high maintenance, but it's just the way it has to be."

Over the years, she's found that simple skin care works best for her, especially as inflammation is another driver of hyperpigmentation. Her current (and pre-wedding) routine involves a single cleanse in the morning, followed by serum and suncream, and is bookended by a double cleanse, toner, serum, targeted pigmentation treatment, and moisturizer at night. This less-is-more approach extends to her top piece of advice for brides-to-be, too.

"Try not to do too much," she says. "I think a lot of people go overboard with their wedding and when they walk down the aisle people are like 'Whoa, who's that?' You don't want to look back at photos in 10 years and not recognize yourself. Just stick to a minimal routine — that's always worked for me." If it's good enough for Habbs, it's good enough for us. Keep reading to see the exact products that she uses.