When I meet Cat Burns in her hotel room, she’s in a bubbly and buoyant mood, wearing a houndstooth denim two-piece by London designer Tolu Coker – her hair in a halo of braids and cheeks bright with blush.
You can hardly blame her for being in a good mood, we’re in Manchester, hours ahead of the Brit Awards 2026, which this year have left London and headed to the city’s Co-Op Live. The musician and former Traitor is set to make her red carpet debut as one half of the power couple with Sarah New, as well as presenting the award for International Group of the Year (spoiler: Geese won).
But before the night began, we caught up with Cat to chat all things beauty and find out everything from her skincare faves to her journey with makeup. Here, Cat Burns speaks to Glamour about finding her femininity, her signature red-carpet glam, and why she loves wearing lots of blush…
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What are some of your earliest beauty memories?
Cat: My mum has gorgeous skin, she’s always looked after it, and ever since I was little, I remember her always prioritising her skincare – I think that’s why I’m so on it now. She has gorgeous, glowing skin, but she has the same dry skin as me, so she always moisturises it loads.
How would you describe your skincare vibe now?
Cat: I’m a bit of a dewy girl. I like glowy skin. There’s a fine line with not being too shiny, but I like a glow. I want people to think that I might have makeup on because of the glow that I have. I love Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturiser, it’s gorgeous. I love the texture and how it feels on the skin. It’s not too heavy, but gives me the right amount of moisture that my skin needs. I love a glowy, dewy moisturiser because my skin is dry and absorbs moisture instantly, so it needs to be thick enough that it can last throughout the day.
If it’s day-to-day, I tend not to wear that much makeup, because I love it but if I can feel it on my face, it can be sensory overload sometimes. As long as I’ve got my skincare routine and I feel like my skin doesn’t feel dry, I’ll do a bit of mascara and I’m sweet. I’m really low-key and I’ve got my head down, roaming through the streets, just trying to make my way downtown.
What is your go-to glam for the red carpet?
Cat: I’ve got a uniform now, so I love my glam all the time. I just always love my face. I like a ‘your skin, but better’ soft glam kind of vibe. I do love a blush, it gives Painted by Esther. Soft glam with a high blush is my signature, my go-to for the last few years. It’s been a journey with ebbs and flows. You start with full glam and you learn how to find your version of what that looks like. I find full glam to be a bit too much for me and my style and the vibe and aura I want to give off. Whereas soft glam just feels like, ‘Oh, she just looks like her skin is glowing.’
You did your own glam for the BAFTAs red carpet, what got you into doing it yourself?
Cat: I sat my makeup artist down one day and said, “Teach me how to do this.” The order of products is the thing that I think a lot of people struggle with, so when I learned the correct order, I feel like it unlocked everything for me. It’s something that we all should know, because if you look good and feel good, you step out into the world feeling more confident. Being in control and not relying on other people is a really lovely feeling.
If you do your skincare right before you put on your makeup, you will find the makeup looks way better, and I learned that quite quickly. You see makeup artists online and they’ll be like, “If you don’t do your skincare before, you might as well not even put the makeup on your skin because it just falls off your face.” I try to keep it simple and not do too many things. I cleanse in the shower and then add an eye cream to brighten the eyes and moisturiser on top to have that layer of protection before the makeup goes on.
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Do you have any red carpet rituals?
Cat: Breathe. Look into the cameras that you need to look at, but just enjoy it. The whole thing is very overstimulating, so I try to train my brain to go into a certain mode where I can do it and feel confident and as though I’m deserving to be there. Sometimes, imposter syndrome can be like, “How did I get here?” So I try to give myself affirmations to calm my brain down a little bit. It last 15 seconds really, you get your picture and then you’re off.
Tell me more about your hair and nails? What are you into at the moment?
Cat: French curls are a new thing I’ve started doing because I feel like it adds to this neck-up feeling, dolly and pretty vibe. I wanted to have my version of this old-style Hollywood blowout vibe, but with braids. It makes me feel like I’m still protecting my hair by having it in braids, but I can do fun little styles too. It’s so fab and you can’t go wrong with it.
I love an aura nail. You can’t go wrong with an aura, it’s experimental because it’s not just a plain nail. I have a kind of uniform, but I feel like I’m doing something different because I’ll change the colour which feels like I’m trying new things. I’m yet to do the same colour twice yet and I’ve been getting them for two years – I always find a different colour pattern each time. It’s simple so it’s not too crazy on a day-to-day basis, but it feels cute on a day like the Brits.
How has your personal relationship with beauty changed as you’ve gotten older?
Cat: As I’ve gotten older, I’m leaning more into femininity which has been fun. I’ve always loved the idea of feeling really pretty from the neck up and then being able to explore my style from the neck down. Whether that’s wearing all menswear or mixing it together or playing around. I love the idea of being really pretty on the face and being kind of androgynous dress-wise. When I was younger, I was hyper-femme with how I dressed and I think that was more society than how I actually wanted to present myself. Then when I came out, that just changed everything in accepting myself more and letting it flow with where I was in my queer journey at the same time.
What happens when the night ends and you get home?
Cat: At the end of the night, my makeup is coming off using my Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cleanser. I really lather it up, that’s my favourite part, especially if it’s been a really long night I’m like, “Get this off my face now.” I usually do that and then pop a moisturiser on so my skin feels clean and ready to sleep.
Finally, what do you think the power of beauty is?
Cat: The power of beauty is that beauty helps build confidence – it helps people feel confident within themselves to step out into the world. I feel confident if I feel pretty. I feel able to go into conversations with people and not worry about how I look. I feel proud and more confident in myself when I’m in situations that are daunting.
