How Love Island Contestants Really Got Camera

Jul 19, 2023

By Audrey Noble

Imagine that you've been whisked away to a villa in Mallorca to meet a group of strangers in hopes of finding The One (or the one for right now). Even better — or worse, depending on how you look at it — this is all done on a hit television show with some episodes reaching more than three million people (and that doesn't count streaming). The natural inclination is to believe that there will be some TV magic behind the scenes to keep you camera-ready while being filmed all day. After all, reality TV isn't that real. Or is it?

For those who are not familiar with the show, Love Island revolves around a group of single people looking for love while living in a luxurious mansion. Because contestants — a.k.a. islanders — can be voted off or dumped from the show at various and random points during the season, one is never sure how long they're going to be at the villa. So, according to past contestants, it's best to come prepared in the beauty department. (For the record, we spoke with women islanders; many of the men appear to be equally as passionate about grooming — and use just as many products.)

Some contestants got treatments they knew they wouldn't be able to access once they were on the show. "I had a keratin treatment before entering the villa to help reduce the frizz due to the humidity," says Chyna Mills, a contestant on Love Island UK, season eight. "It made my hair much easier to manage in the heat and quicker to [style]."

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Samira Mighty, a contestant on Love Island UK, season four, agrees that proactive beauty measures are beneficial. "I did zero prep before the villa," says Mighty. "I got my weave done, which in retrospect was a mistake. I loved it, but considering how long I was in the villa, I would have benefited from bringing in different hair pieces. [But] I wanted to stay as natural as I could, so I didn't do any other added extras before going in."

"I had less than three weeks to prepare, so I wish I could've prepped more and gotten my eyebrows microbladed or something," adds Zeta Morrison, the winner of Love Island USA, season four, who says she did find time to have micro-link extensions added to her hair. "Getting ready [in the villa] can take a lot of time and we’d [be given] only about 40 minutes," she says.

There aren't many restrictions as to what contestants can bring, beauty-wise. For both Love Island UK and USA, the only products contestants are not allowed are hot tools such as blow-dryers, flatirons, and curling irons. This is, perhaps, for practicality's sake: Contestants can bring only one suitcase. Montana Brown, who participated in Love Island UK's third season, confirms that you can bring whatever skin, hairstyling, and makeup products you want as long as you cover up the branding, lest it appear on camera.

When it came time to pack, Brown says she focused mostly on skin care (she loves Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant) with an emphasis on sunscreen (Medik8 Advanced Day Ultimate Protect is a favorite). Morrison swears by her trusty Tarte Shape Tape concealer, Becca foundation, and CHI heat protectant. Sydney Paight, a finalist on Love Island USA, season four, religiously wears individual lashes for her everyday makeup look and says she packed five to six sets, along with a whole lot of self-tanner and bronzer. Mills's packing list included Keracare Wax Stick and Essential Oils For Hair, CHI Silk Infusion leave-in treatment, and Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant.

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Mackenzie Dipman, who was on seasons two and four of Love Island USA, streamlined her beauty regimen her second time in the villa. Dipman wore Kiss Nails Press-Ons (to give the look of a salon manicure) and opted for a gradual-tan routine with Tan-Luxe Butter and Tanologist Face+Body Drops. Unlike her first time in the villa, she didn't have extensions for season four and required only medium-size rollers to style her bangs.

You might wonder why the islanders are so meticulous about their packing: Isn't there help behind the scenes to make sure they look naturally hot 24/7? A TikTok that's been floating around since summer 2022 seems to confirm that there is, in fact, a makeup and hair team on set. But it turns out that video does not tell the entire story.

Sarah Exley, Love Island UK's head of makeup, tells Allure that her team does help prep the islanders, but only on press days leading up to the premiere, the first day at the villa, and the finale. "It's hard to do full glam every night. It's hot, their skin can break out in the sun, [and] cameras pick up everything," Exley says. "I talk to the girls before they go in [to the show about] how to look after their skin whilst they are in there. I was a facialist for years before becoming a makeup artist, so I try to help them as much as possible."

Exley and her team have fine-tuned their own techniques from season to season. "Over the years, we have found new ways to deal with the heat and sun that [prevent] the [full-body] makeup from running and sweating off," she says. (Allure reached out for further details and will update this story accordingly.) "It is like no other show, [where] they are normally studio-based with controlled climate. We are filming in full sun and [working with] close-up camera [shots]. We, of course, want the islanders feeling incredible."

A group of Love Island USA season four contestants go for a stroll without a hair out of place. (Pictured from left to right: Deb Chubb, Phoebe Siegel, Courtney Boerner, Nadjha Day, Sydney Paight, and Zeta Morrison.)

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"[The islanders] fend for themselves and they do an amazing job," says Love Island UK's hairstylist Ryan Steedman. "They style their hair themselves and if they need any touch-ups in the middle of the show, they can ask [production], but if it isn't possible, then it can't happen."

Exley can't reveal exactly which products she uses on the islanders ("That would be giving all my secrets away," she says), but she can say that the brands she reaches for include Charlotte Tilbury, Pat McGrath Labs, and Kevyn Aucoin and that she constantly tries out new products. For hairstyling, Steedman uses GHD hot tools and products by Living Proof, L’Oréal Professionnel, and Color Wow.

Mills adds that on her season of Love Island UK, if you needed a beauty service, you could talk to production. She recalls that there was one day when a hairdresser came in to help refit hair extensions and a nail artist stopped by to touch up manicures and pedicures. But beauty prep for all other days of filming was left to the contestants, she confirms.

Love Island USA had a similar setup: A professional team would be present only for the first day for the original islanders and for the finalists at the finale, according to the contestants we interviewed. Production also made it possible for islanders to get a little bit of help when they were running out of their beauty essentials. "You were able to order stuff through the producers," says Paight. She says she and her fellow contestants would constantly be ordering tanning products, false lashes, and Sol de Janeiro Perfume Mist (which became a favorite for all of them).

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But what about those prestocked products and hair tools for contestants to use during their time in the villa? UK contestants have had Dyson hair tools at their disposal, while US contestants have used Drybar dryers, curlers, and straighteners and enjoyed Sun Bum hair care. Mighty says that her season was sponsored by Rimmel and the islanders had all their makeup needs pretty much covered. The current UK season is sponsored, once again, by British beauty retailer Boots, which provides brands such as Fenty Beauty, Andrew Fitzsimons hair care, Huda Beauty, MAC Cosmetics, and Soap & Glory.

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"We are thrilled to be returning to the Love Island villa as the official beauty partner for the third time," says Peter Markey, chief marketing officer at Boots, in a statement obtained by Allure. "The partnership performs extremely well for us and allows us to showcase our brands in front of an engaged audience of both new and existing customers. This winter, we want to inspire customers looking to enhance their beauty regimes or upgrade their makeup bags to try out the islanders looks for themselves at home."

Other than stocking the aforementioned products, production takes a hands-off approach and generally lets contestants style themselves however they please. "I, personally, never felt any pressure to look a certain way," says Dipman. "They do ask that you model your look for the villa around the look you had for interviews because that played a role in why they picked you. But I think since you're on TV you naturally want to look your best, especially in the evenings. I went makeup-less a lot."

"They fully encouraged us to be our natural selves," adds Morrison. "They wanted us to look good, for certain, but that didn't mean [always putting on] makeup. At times, they'd tell us we are the ones putting pressure on ourselves to put makeup on. They totally encouraged natural vibes, if that was our vibe."

The lack of a regular glam team also provided the opportunity for bonding moments among the contestants. "The girls do their best to help each other when getting ready, especially when we're under a time crunch," says Dipman. "All of us have different 'strengths' or styles of makeup, so it was really fun to learn from one another."

For her part, Brown says she learned how to use cream contour ("That has changed my life," she says) and discovered her favorite body moisturizer, Clarins Moisture-Rich Hydrating Body Lotion. She even recalls the girls attempting to wax each other. Although, after many of them ended up with bruises from failed attempts, "The show decided to take [wax strips] away for our own safety," she says.

"My smoky eye look was definitely perfected from watching all the different ways the other girls did their eye makeup," adds Mighty. "I learned to do the perfect French braid whilst I was there, which I still use pretty much daily now."

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"When I watched the show, I realized how important it is to have different shades of foundation," adds Mighty. "Spain was ridiculously hot. I got extremely tan and didn't bring enough shades. It didn't bother me so much, but it was a lesson learned."

Like many other reality TV shows, Love Island has become a launch pad for contestants to snag highly profitable partnerships and pursue other passions. UK season five finalist Molly-Mae Hague, for example, joined fashion brand Pretty Little Thing as its creative director. UK season eight finalist Tasha Ghouri signed with eBay as its first-ever "pre-loved ambassador" and Indiyah Polack, from the same season, became the first ambassador for Pretty Little Thing's resale platform PLT Marketplace. Mighty went back to her music roots, competing with fellow season four islander Zara McDermott on X Factor: Celebrity and then went on to release new music solo, including the singles, "I Love Your Smile" and "Like This, Like That."

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Beauty deals have also proven particularly lucrative. Polack landed a contract with Boots as its newest beauty ambassador after her time in the villa. Hague and fellow Love Island UK season five contestant Maura Higgins have both worked with the company Cosmetips, which partners with influencers and experts to hand-select beauty products sold in bundles.

As popular as the islanders may be, one of the many gripes viewers have with almost all reality TV dating shows, Love Island included, is how singular the contestants look, especially when it comes to their hair, which is typically long and straight or ever-so-slightly wavy.

Some contestants say the living conditions made it difficult to embrace their natural hair types. Brown, for example, has textured hair and recalls not wanting to jump in the pool every day like her castmates. She wishes that there had been more products stocked in the villa that catered to her hair type. Likewise, Love Island Australia season three contestant Audrey Kanongara has spoken about the challenges of showing her natural curls while competing for love in an environment that wasn't equipped to cater to textured hair. She told Refinery29 she opted for weaves instead of wigs because the villa did not provide products to help maintain wigs — and because she felt more accepted in a weave than in the protective braids she would have worn beneath one. In fact, there were reports of Love Island UK season five contestant Yewande Biala facing criticism from viewers for opting to wear wigs instead of showing her 4C curls.

"I would love to see many girls in different hairstyles, protective styles, and shaved hair. [I would also] definitely [love to see] a cast with different makeup looks or someone that is outright natural," says Mills. Paight adds that she would love to see diversity among the male contestants, as well, who are generally above six feet and have a similar build.

"The contestants [that production] brought on in the past fit this mold they feel average viewers want to see," says Mills, who is hopeful the tide is finally turning.

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"You've got to walk the walk if you're going to talk the talk," adds Brown. "All of the execs are absolutely lovely and fantastic at their job, but the majority are white men. Of course, the show isn't going to be more diverse if the people making the big decisions all look the same or similar. You need more diversity at the top and then it will funnel down. You've got to have people at the top that have lived experiences of being a minority — and that's where the real change comes."

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