At home with… Camille Charrière
May 11, 2020
Culture & Music
Words:
Maria Joudina
Maria Joudina
Usually never in one place for too long, Camille Charrière is the multi talented Parisienne in London, combining the best of both cities with her cool style and sharp wit. While we are all spending a lot more time at home we have spoken to her about what spontaneously gets her dancing in the kitchen, the perfect Sunday roast and appreciating a slower world.



MJ: Where have you been spending lockdown?
CC: My boyfriend and I moved in together right before this all happened, so we are currently in lockdown in the new flat in Notting Hill. It’s far from ideal going from never having lived with someone to sharing a small space 24/7 especially since we don’t have a balcony or a garden (a small price to pay for the privilege of living in central London so I guess we can’t complain). It’s not all bad though: we would never have spent so much time getting to know each other without this, so as wishy washy as this may sound, am trying to enjoy this time and feel grateful for all the small things that make each day special: the companionship (new for me as was single for 7 years before this), our great conversations, cooking for each other and yes, even the chores feel a little easier with someone to share and rant about with.
MJ: Have you managed to get a lockdown routine going? If so, what does it look like?
CC: It’s not a routine per se (mainly because am abysmal at sticking to things), but I have set some ground rules for myself that are keeping me sane and noticed that I have new home habits that (*gasp*) I look forward to every day now. I try get up at the same time (just before 9am — I don’t need an alarm); I start the day with a delicious oatmilk latte (its getting better everyday) to which I add some a drop of Hi Stevie CBD (my friend Courtney sent it from LA). I am a very anxious person and am always late or stressed so hoping this is going to help. If my day is not crazy, I’ll go for a long walk in the morning, without my phone; this really helps to start the day with my brain feeling fresh. I don’t 100% know whether these things actually work, but am finding that having little rituals amongst all the chaos is really reassuring and am hoping to carry them into the ‘new normal’ (the morning walk especially). I then have a shower, get dressed (no sweats allowed on weekdays!) and start working. In the evening, I have been allowing myself a glass of wine to unwind before dinner, which is more of a treat than a routine (I hope!) but something I never really did before as only ever had wine at dinner parties or the pub.
Click to listen to
Camille’s playlist
MJ: What’s your fave meal you’ve cooked so far during this lockdown?
CC: We have been perfecting our Sunday roast, mixing mine and his traditional family recipes, complete with stuffing, gravy, and fondant roast potatoes. It is so homey to have a big roast every weekend. I then boil the carcass with whatever vegetables we have left in the fridge and make a big batch of soup that we then have on Monday to start the week off healthy. I make it slightly differently every week so it’s never boring, and means we avoid food waste which is a small thing that has been giving me much joy during this quarantine.
MJ: How have you been looking after your body and mind?
CC: Long walks, warm baths, the headspace app, keeping a diary, online pilates booty with @JuliePujolsbenoit, a good argument with the boy, dancing about like a mad thing with @Ryan.Heffington, setting the table every day, reading, Barbara Strum masks.
MJ: What does self care mean for you?
CC: Not worrying about productivity. Accepting extreme mood swings. Being kind to myself. Allowing for downtime when I can’t concentrate. I read somewhere that: “You are not working from home; you are at your home during a crisis trying to work.”. I think it’s an important distinction worth emphasising. You can’t expect to be as creative, as efficient, as motivated as you normally would. Berating yourself is not going to help.
MJ: Beauty products, or au natural?
CC: I use Biologique Recherche and Barbara Strum on my face and have been much better about being consistent with my morning and evening beauty routines. Since I normally travel way too much (meaning my potions often get forgotten at home or confiscated at customs) now is the time to really allow for those good habits to settle in. Been also using the time to start that supplements course and stick to it. Other than that, not been doing makeup unless I’m doing one of my quaranteenies interviews (and even then I feel like I look like a ghost).

