This time last year, Mille Court was living at home in Essex, working nine to five as a buying administrator for ASOS and going through the final stages of auditions for Love Island.
Now, the 25-year-old has bought an apartment with boyfriend Liam Reardon (the couple shared the prize money when they won the dating show last summer) and has been signed up by her former employer to collaborate on collections and front campaigns.
“It seems crazy now how much my life has changed in a year,” Court says. “It’s just been a complete whirlwind, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
There have been a few challenges along the way, however.
“Going through the whole process of Love Island and coming out, I thought I was a really, really confident person, and now I’m in this industry where you meet so many confident people,” she reflects.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still definitely a confident person, but I realised actually I do get quite shy, I can get nervous at these big events. It made me realise I am maybe not as confident as I thought.”
And a few months into cohabiting with her boyfriend (without the rest of the Love Island cast) Court has had to buck up in terms of one aspect of their relationship…
“Oh my God, Liam gets the hump with me sometimes,” she says with a laugh. “He’s like, ‘Millie, you can’t just leave all your stuff everywhere.’ I’m a lot messier than I thought I was.”
Minor domestic disputes aside, the couple is feeling settled in their new abode. Court says: “I absolutely love it. We were a bit stuck when we came out of Love Island, because me and Liam were staying in my mum’s house. We didn’t have a set home together, and now we do – it’s lovely.”
Now, the fashion lover is branching out into beauty by collaborating with Eylure, her favourite false lash brand since long before she went on the show.
“I was in the villa casually putting on these lashes every night, not knowing when I was going to come out there would be lashes with my face on – how weird is that?!”
Contestants on the reality show are generally known for their more-is-more approach to make-up (and, sometimes, cosmetic fillers and Instagram filters), and while Court certainly loves getting glammed up, she’s been open about her skin struggles.
Not long before she applied to be on the show, she suffered a major acne outbreak. An aesthetician identified Court’s contraceptive implant as the cause, and prescribed a supplement called Accumax.
“My spots were reducing from the tablets I was taking anyway, but soon as the implant was out, [my skin] was amazing,” she recalls.
Still suffering flare-ups every so often, Court regularly shares make-up-free photos with her 1.9m Instagram followers, and talks about which skincare products work for her.
Having shot to fame relatively recently, she knows all too well what it’s like to compare yourself to celebrities and influencers on social media.
“As a girl who suffered with acne, looking on Instagram and seeing everyone with perfect skin, it can make you feel worse, can’t it? Because you’re like, ‘Why haven’t I got skin like that?’
“I felt like it was important for me – as an acne sufferer – to show what my skin really looks like. I do edit my photos here and there, if I’m not having a confident day… I just want to show my skin doesn’t always look like that.”
The response from fans has been so encouraging, any doubts about whether she should expose her unfiltered image have been washed away.
“I get so many DMs [direct messages] after I post [about my skin] saying thank you, thanking me for posting it and [saying] they suffer with [acne] and it’s made them feel better that day,” Court says.
“It makes me feel good inside as well, that I’ve helped someone that day. I just think it’s so much better if I do show people the real side to life.”
The 5 beauty products Court can’t live without
1. Dior Forever Matte Foundation
“Recently I’ve used the Dior Forever Matte Foundation and that’s a game changer. Absolutely love, love, love it. It’s perfect coverage and it goes on beautifully.”
2. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
“It’s my go-to mascara. I hate when you put mascara on and it [flakes] on your make-up, I can never get rid of it, even if I put concealer on top – the Maybelline one doesn’t do that.”
3. Eylure x Millie Most Wanted False Lashes #Have2Have
“These ones are shorter at the front and longer at the end, so they give you a cat-eye look. I get a lot of questions when I wear them like, ‘Have you got extensions on, or are they falsies?’ I love that about them.”
4. NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream in London
“My go-to lip, what I wear every day and have done for basically three years, starts with the Spice lip liner by MAC (£17). Then I use London or Abu Dhabi shade in the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream.”
5. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fenty Glow
“… And then I use the Fenty Gloss in Fenty Glow. Oh my God, it makes your lips look so shiny!”
