Pillow Talk: Designer Charlotte Simone’s night-time routine

Charlotte Beecham, the outerwear designer behind Charlotte Simone, knows how to create hype. Her highly-anticipated, limited edition drops sell out in mere minutes, and it’s not hard to see why. Her coats — think suede and shaggy faux fur in dusty, feminine hues — have been worn by everyone from Alexa Chung to Mariah Carey since the brand’s conception in 2015.

Oh, and they’re committed to sustainability too — after having to shift gears during the Covid-19 pandemic, Beecham decided to eschew the traditional wholesale model and switched to slow, limited drops, which are online for one week only.

Ahead of her upcoming archive collection drop, HUNGER sat down with Charlotte to speak about her night-time routine, and how she winds down after a long day of being a business owner…

Can you sum up what you do in five words? 

Design, direct, draw, communicate, capture.

What’s the best thing about being an outerwear designer? 

I design for myself a lot of the time. I fall in love with a shade, a silhouette or a fabric and bring it to life. The second best thing is seeing it in the wild, once the gruelling process of design and development is finally done, and I see someone spent their hard-earned money on it…. Well, that’s the best, feeling ever.

Do you miss not being able to wear your coats in the summer? 

Living in London that’s not really something I have to worry about…. I get to wear them almost 9 months of the year really.

So, on a scale of 1 – 10, how much do you love your sleep? 

10 out of 10.

What time would you ideally like to go to bed?

Around the 10:30 – 11 pm mark

What’s your usual reason for going to bed late? Work… scrolling through Instagram? 

My brain is always abuzz, I often find bedtime incredibly frustrating as my body is exhausted but my mind is still wired. I’m slowly but surely getting better at ‘switching off’ but as a business owner, it’s very difficult to leave the office at the office at the end of the day.

What side of the bed do you sleep on? 

The left.

What kind of sleeping position do you normally find yourself in? Do you sleep on your back, or are you more of a fetal position kind of person?

Always on my side, always with 3 pillows.

Light sleeper or heavy sleeper? 

Light.

Morning bird or night owl? 

Somewhere in the middle.

How do you unwind before bed? Can you walk me through your routine…

I like to have a bath if I have the time, then I’ll plod through my skincare routine, pop on some cosy PJs and get into bed with my sausage dog, Harold.

What products are on your bedside table 

I love Estee Lauder’s ‘Advanced Night Repair Serum’, Sisley ‘Hydra-Global’ moisturiser and Bobbi Brown’s lip balm. These are my skincare staples I would say.

What’s the weirdest thing next to your bed? 

I have a lot of weird things at the moment as I have just moved house, and it’s all still a bit of a mess; vases, hammers and boxes at the minute.

Do you sleep with your phone next to you? 

Yes, but I try and turn my phone on aeroplane mode before bed, so that if I wake to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I’m not distracted.

What can’t you go to sleep without doing? 

I love this stick called 4head. It sort of cools your skin/numbs your head… It’s meant for headaches but I put it on my forehead before bed every night, I love it.

Do you always take off your makeup before sleeping? 

100%. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t! I love to take my makeup off with CeraVe products, they’re super gentle on the skin.

How does your nighttime routine change on a Friday or on the weekend?

I guess if I have more time I’ll spoil myself that much more, I’ll slather on a Sisley ‘Black Rose Cream Mask’ before I do my evening routine just because… Then maybe I’ll put on an Olaplex hair mask. Basically, just take the time to really practice self-care rather than rush the process.

Can you walk me through your nighttime skincare routine?

I love the CeraVe face wash. I have very sensitive skin so find all their products beautifully simple and gentle. Then I will put some of Estee Lauder’s ‘Advanced Night Repair Serum’ onto the palms of my hand and dab it into my face. Once that’s absorbed, it’s my Bobbi Brown lip balm, and then bed! My evening routine is fairly simple as I don’t like to sleep with a lot of products on my face. I prefer to keep it simple.

What do you do if you can’t sleep? 

I’ve tried it all, from dolphin sounds and calming apps to a lavender pillow. But the thing that works best for me is a cup of chamomile tea and some deep breaths with the bedroom window open.

Charlotte Simone’s Archive Drop is available to purchase on 24.03.22, for one week only