Get To Know Kalia
On this week’s “Get To Know”, I’ll be interviewing Kalia. A British-Born Hong Kong model and fitness enthusiast. Kalia is an ambassador for Under Armour Women and has also worked with top beauty brands such as Charlotte Tilbury and Herbal Essences. Over the last few years, Kalia has shared her incredible workout routines with her followers on social media. Her workouts consist of weight training, HIIT and boxing to name a few... Her aim is to encourage people to find something they enjoy threw fitness, whilst also breaking the barriers for women.
Follow Kalia on instagram @Kalia.lai
Yasmin: How do you prep your skin before a workout?
Kalia: Before I workout I always do a gentle cleanse with Garnier micellar water to ensure I don’t clog my pores from the build up of sweat, dirt, oil and makeup. Apply Herbivore ‘Cloud Jelly’ serum for hydration. Then I use Paula’s Choice Essential Glow moisturiser as it does give me an amazing natural glow as well as having SPF 30. And my skin prep is as simple as that!
Y: Which products do you believe are the most durable for a workout?
K: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, not only does it have INCREDIBLE staying power, but it feels lightweight and contains soothing ingredients like Aloe Vera. Maybelline Rocket Mascara in waterproof, doesn’t transfer and no panda eyes after a workout.
Y: What brings you the most confidence when working out?
K: Working out itself. It’s funny because I used to think I’d get my confidence from looking in the mirror after my workouts, but even when I don’t look in the mirror after my workouts now, I still feel more confident. It’s not just the physical changes that you see in your body that make you feel more confident, regular workouts really help me with my mental health, for internal confidence. Working out is like magic to me!
Y: You model for ‘W Model Mgmt’; What’s the best part of your job?
K: The best part of my job is probably the variety of jobs that I do. Every job is completely different. The briefs, the people that you meet, locations. One day it could be sports shoot and one day it could be for a makeup brand. I do like routine but it’s also great to be on my toes and be able to adapt to different environments.
Y: Do you find that a healthy diet reflects in your skin’s appearance?
K: I couldn’t agree with this statement more, I used to really struggle with acne, around my mouth and chin area and didn’t realise it was down to so much of my diet and lifestyle choices. My diet would consist of takeaways, I’d snack on crisps, pot noodles and alot of refined sugar, I didn’t quite realise how much it was affecting my skin.When I started to make changes, having prebiotic shots, tumeric shots morning and night, eating a variety of greens throughout the day and substituted cow milk for oat milk. Not only do I suffer from less breakouts now, but if I do get an odd spot, my skin heals a lot faster and feels way less oily and congested.
Y: If you were stuck on a desert island and you could only take one beauty product with you what would it be?
K: SPF! I would be so anxious about my skin aging and the hyperpigmentation marks from any breakouts I may get from not protecting my skin!
Y: What are some of your best beauty tips?
K: SPF everyday. Less is more. The best ‘skincare’ you can give to your skin is feeding it with good nutrition which means eating healthy. A semi-dewy look in the right places can give dimension to the face, pop translucent powder under your eyes, forehead and chin and leave out the high points of your face like the top of your cheekbones, nose and the sides of your head just above the middle of your brows. Gives you a glow!
Y: Top 3 favourite beauty products?
K: NARS - Blush ‘orgasm’ it’s a beautiful flush of colour that suits all complexions, I love the subtle speckles of gold shimmer which catch in the light.
Maybelline Rocket Mascara ‘Waterproof’ - massively underated mascara, especially for those that struggle with stubborn lashes. I’ve never found anything that holds the curl in my lashes ALL day.
Laura Mercier Translucent setting powder - such a weightless powder that smooths out your skin perfectly.
Y: How do you freshen your hair after a work out?
K: The Living Proof Advanced dry shampoo! It’s absolutely incredible and lightweight, you don’t feel like you’ve got a lot of gunk in your hair by the end of the day. Alot of dry shampoos make my scalp feel itchy.
Y: Funniest beauty experience whilst modelling?
K: Probably having an MUA that put on a completely wrong shade of foundation to my actual skin tone. I went to my friend's house after looking like a ghost, she couldn’t stop laughing. I also can’t believe I was sat on the tube looking like that for the entire journey.
Y: Favourite athlete?
K: Zhang Weili, she’s a mixed martial artist, the first Chinese and East Asian champion in UFC history. I love that she is incredibly humble, relentless with her goals and in training and just does her own thing no matter what people say. She’s won some incredible fights as well as beating the opponent who discriminated against her race. It shows how mentally and physically strong she is as an athlete. I aspire to be like her.
Y: Your go to work out routine?
K: Leg Day. My favourite day! Start with a full mobility flow to make sure I can train with maximum range of motion. Hip flexor stretches to open out the hips, ankle warm up etc. I then start with 4 sets of 8 squats, 4 x 8 barbell hip thrusters, 4 x 8 barbell walking lunges. Then when my legs are warmed up and moving, I’ll do 4 x 8 deadly bulgarian split squats with a kettle bell. They really shake up your legs but damn they’re effective! Then 4 x 8 leg press and to finish superset 4 x 8 leg extension with 8 dumbbell jumping squats. A proper burner to the quads! Then I finish stretching and probably use my Theragun when I get home to reduce the lovely DOMS the next few days.
