If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked British singer Jade — who just released her new single “Fantasy” — about the fan-gifted perfume, the corn snacks she stockpiles, and hair oil she can’t live without.
I’ve worn Britney Spears’s Fantasy since I was a teenager. It was gonna take a lot to lure me out of that Britney trance. Then, actually, a Brazilian fan bought this for me on tour. I was looking through my fan gifts and was like: quite fancy. Sprayed it on. And it was like — you know those Lynx Africa adverts where everyone falls at their feet? I put it on, and all of a sudden I was walking down the corridor, and everyone was like, “What is that smell?” That was years ago, and it became my scent, to the point where people would be like, “Oh, that’s Jade smell.” I’ve not used anything else. I’m obsessed with it. You can get the teeny, tiny, perfume bottles that you can put in your little makeup bag, or you can get the normal bottle. And obviously it looks really lovely — it’s giving a cool rich auntie. It’s quite a bougie gift. It is a bougie buy. I’d say it’s probably the most bougie thing that I will always buy for myself, and it’s because it’s the best scent ever.
I repel technology, especially in a creative space. Every writing session, I keep it old school: I write the lyrics down; I write my poetry in here. I find that, like when you do stuff on a computer, it’s just not as nice a memory. There are so many big songs that I’ve written in the past where I can look at my notebook and I can see the date, and see all the scribblings of stuff I’ve crossed out, then renewed. And to me, that’s a lot more beautiful. So my little notebook comes with me everywhere. And honestly, the Liberty notebook is truly the best one I’ve ever been given. And it’s actually always been people I’ve worked with who’ve have bought me those books, and I’ve not looked back since. I always have this specific one.
So again, I’m quite old school in my ways. I’ll always opt for a more traditional digital format over, like, a state-of-the-art situation, just because it’s easier for me to use. This camera is so easy: You flip it open, you press record, jobs a good’n. I’ve been filming a lot of my creative process, but also a lot of memories. One thing I will say is make sure you always back up your footage, because my last camera did get stolen, and I was very upset about it because I forgot to back everything up. So let that be a lesson! But yeah, I carry this everywhere with me, and it’s so handy, and because it’s quite old it can be bashed around your bag a bit — you don’t have to worry about it so much because it’s not super expensive. It’s got that slight home-video grain to it, which, again, it’s just interesting that everything comes back around; I feel like people are adding that filter onto their videos now, and you can just get it organically on this camera. And it’s so easy to upload it on your laptop, all that stuff. I’ve had it for, like, a good five years now.
[Editor’s note: This is the updated — and more expensive — version of Jade’s camera, as her HC-V380EB-K camera is no longer sold by Panasonic.]
I’m a ride-or-die Yorkshire tea girl. If I travel anywhere in the world, I’ll make a little sandwich bag of Yorkshire tea, and I’ll take it. If there’s not a Yorkshire tea bag in sight when I get to the U.S. — because, no offense, in the U.S., the tea is just not hitting — I’ll have to take it with me. Yorkshire tea works for me every time.
I’m very prone to spots and acne. I definitely thought once I turned 30, it wouldn’t be an issue — but here we are. The main thing that I’ve learned is: Less is more. I’ve tried all the creams, I’ve done all the fancy-schmancy stuff, but I’ve actually found that if I just cleanse, moisturize, and wear my SPF, drink lots of water, that’s when my skin is least problematic. For SPF, I love this Supergoop one, because it’s very matte, and I’ve got quite shiny, oily skin. I actually was recommended this one by a skin doctor, and by a makeup artist who uses it as a primer under the foundation. I use it every single day with makeup or no makeup, and I find that it keeps my skin nice and matte.
I won’t leave the house without it. Always in my bag (like all these items, to be honest). Again, this was something that was actually gifted to me by a friend. I feel like I’m not very good at going out and experimenting with things or buying things for myself. So it usually takes someone to get me something, and I’ll be like, “Oh, this is really nice.” That happened with this lip balm, and now I religiously use it, especially this season, which, as we know, is chap-lip season. I do think sometimes you get what you pay for in certain things, and I’d say lip balm is one of them. It’s worth investing in a good one. And if I buy that small tub, it will last me six months. So it kind of makes sense in the long run.
I’ve used this since I was a teenager, I can’t part with it. I’ve tried other lip liners; I’ll give them a go. But I always come back to my faithful Cork. I think that’s just it, once you find that one that’s perfect for your skin tone — because obviously it’s so individual, everyone has their go-to lip color. And for me, whatever lipstick I wear, there’ll usually be a Cork lip liner involved. Even if you have a no-makeup day and you’re leaving the house, I always feel if you just have a little bit of some sort of lip on, it doesn’t matter about the rest.
My hair is very thick and very dry. Very frizzy, very dry hair! So I’ve done the rounds of every single hair oil you can think of — it’s the thing that I’ve tried and tested the most. This hair oil is, like, actual perfection. It’s to the point where, if I’m getting my hair done by any different hairstylist, I will bring the oil to them and be like, “Only use this on my hair,” because — I mean, I don’t know how to word it — it’s not too oily. It doesn’t have that horrible residue or look a bit greasy. It’s such a lovely texture. It smells nice, and it goes a long way. I use it many times during the day because my hair just absorbs it — but in a good way.
I’m, like, known amongst my friends and family as the snack person. I always have to have some form of snack in my bag. You never know when you’re gonna be hungry — even on a night out, I’ll have a snack or something in my bag. I’m definitely a creature of habit as well. Once I like something, I’ll absolutely hammer it home until I can’t bear the sight of it anymore. This is my current obsession. Just because I love a corn snack. It’s relatively healthy. (I’m trying to be a bit healthier than just buying a cookie or whatever.) And I also like these because I kind of can’t share them. It’s quite selfish, but it’s too small to really share — not like crisps. No one’s gonna want to put their hand in a little corn bag of things.
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