The award-winning singer has taken the music world by storm this year. And the beauty world too, as the ambassador of CK One Color. She opens up to us about music, make-up and meeting Lady Mary from Downton Abbey at one of her shows in LA.

Who did you admire for their approach to beauty when you were growing up?
Lauren Hill. I thought she just looked amazing. I remember going and seeing her in concert for her Miseducation tour and she was just so stylish. And I was always really into Jennifer Lopez because of MTV Base. She’s just exquisite and she has the best dewy skin. 

What kind of look did you subscribe to at school?
We used to all do the messy bun and we’d all have a concealer pen that we’d put on our lips as well. So stupid, so stupid. And Vaseline, everyone was obsessed with Vaseline. Vaseline we’d put on our lips, our eyebrows, our cheekbones and then lots of mascara. 

You grew up in South London, what’s the South London look for girls as opposed to say, the East London look or the Chelsea look?
I wonder if there’s a South London look? Probably good trainers. I feel like it’s a bit less thought out, which I like. It’s not as pre-meditated as maybe Chelsea. I’m South London through and through so like, I’m always going to rep’ but maybe we don’t give as much of a s*** about fashion. 

"I’m obsessed [with Downton Abbey] – I love it, love it."

Have you found that you’ve had to really work out what your style is, so that when you go to a shoot you stay true to yourself?
Oh, I’ve had some nightmares on shoots. I’ve had stylists hating me on shoots because I’m not sample size. I don’t wear hot pants so don’t put hot pants on the rail because I’m not going to wear them. I think sometimes people don’t respect that I’m not a model and therefore I’m not going to just wear anything. At the beginning I used to always bring a pair of my high-waisted trousers because I used to struggle with people putting me in trousers that didn’t fit. 

So what have you learnt about make-up through your experience at shoots?
Well, less is more. And my brows – I’ve learnt how to do brows. I never even knew how to define my brows. I think brows are so celebrated in fashion and that was really nice when I'd turn up with my big, bushy eyebrows and they were like ‘oh my god I love your brows’ and I was like ‘what, really? We were trying to get rid of them when we were at school.’ I’m really glad I didn’t. 

Have the lights of the stage impacted the way you wear make-up when you’re performing?
I definitely do a stronger lip than I necessarily would out and about. I think my boyfriend would be quite scared of the strong lip that I wear on stage. False eyelashes – I’ll wear eyelashes on stage. Also, the light can really bleed out things so you have to be slightly more full-on on stage. I remember I did a smoky eye for an event and I saw the pictures after and I was like ‘oh no! That doesn’t work for me’. You live and you learn and it’s fine.

Do you have any pre-stage rituals? Do you need to be quiet, or alone?
I’m very bad at being quiet so my tour manager has to get people out so I can calm down because if people are in the room then I’ll talk and she’s like ‘you have Conan tomorrow and you need to just be quiet for a bit.’ And I go ‘rah rah rah’ cause Lady Mary from Downton Abbey came to my show in LA and I so wanted to meet her and I was like ‘rah rah rah’ and we were just chatting away and then like an hour and a half later my tour manager was like ‘you’ve got to get up in 6 hours to do Conan, I’m pulling you away.’ She like plays bad cop a lot of the time. 

Are you really into Downton then?
I’m obsessed – I love it, love it. I haven’t watched the last episode of the last series yet though so. 
I’m really into Nashville, too. It’s trashy. And actually I swear it made me feel like a better performer. I was watching and was like ‘God, they really give it’ and then during the next few shows I really felt like I improved thanks to Hayden Panettiere! I’ m on season 5 of Breaking Bad now and I’ve just started Orange is the New Black - that’s cool, I like it. 

And what’s your weekend look?
Oh my god, I’ll be wearing my Nike’s, my Destroyer jacket, a big jumper – that’s how my boyfriend likes me as well. I think it is a South London thing. 

"I always have time for everybody because I know how it was being a young girl and being influenced by women that were older and in the public eye."

Do you get recognised a lot?
I’m never here. I went to the theatre on Saturday to see my friend in Kate Tempests new play and somebody tweeted me saying ‘ah, spotted Jessie there’ but you know, not really. My happiest spot was the other day when I was in Portland [USA] and I was buying a book – I’m never in book shops anymore – and somebody was like, ‘that’s Jessie Ware!’ and I was like, ‘you’ve seen me in a bookshop, everyone’s going to think I’m an intellect!’ I don’t get spotted in America unless I’m at a gig that people that like my music would go to. In London, I think people are too polite - they don’t really say much and I’m not like a big, big star so it’s absolutely fine. I get to go and watch my boyfriend play Sunday League – I’m not famous-famous.

You seem quite comfortable in your own skin. To what do you attribute that to? 
I think I was brought up with it and I think I’m neurotic too. I’m quiet self-conscious but socially I feel very confident. I don’t know why it happened so easily for me to know who I wanted to be as an artist but the look, the aesthetic – all of that came quite naturally to me and I knew from the start which is really nice so I - touch wood - haven’t made too many errors. I do feel comfortable in my skin and I think it’s a lot down to being brought up well by my Mum. And that level of comfort and how you mix that with your style and your music all seems to merge well whereas other artists, I imagine, go through more phases. Maybe cause I’m older too – I’m 29, I didn’t start it when I was 16 and I’m quite - not conservative - but I just want to look classy. Classy and sophisticated. 

Does having your photo taken constantly make you more critical or kinder to yourself?
I was always quite shocked when people would say I was photogenic because I never thought I was and so it was actually quite a confidence boost. I never put myself in a compromising position which would make me look too raunchy or whatever. I always make sure I feel comfortable in the clothes that I’m in. And I’m not a model – I’m me and if people want to ask me to do a photo shoot, hopefully they’re doing it because they like my music or they want to learn more about me. So, I kind of take it as a little, fun bonus to dress up for a few hours and pretend you’re this pop star but it all changes when I get into my pyjama bottoms as soon as I get home – that’s how I really am. 

Is being accessible to younger girls and female fans important to you and the way you look?
Absolutely! I’m a girl’s girl and I think you’re doing something wrong if you’re not, and girls don’t want to support you. I always have time for everybody because I know how it was being a young girl and being influenced by women that were older and maybe in the public eye, so I want to be a positive role model. I mean, I’m not shouting about world peace and trying to change the world but I definitely think I’m a girl’s girls and that’s so important to me. 

Is there a sense of solidarity among females in the music industry today?
We’re like a proper sorority and support each other. Nobody should be against each other – we should all be like sisters in this. It’s a funny old world and we all need to stick together.

Click through the gallery above to see Jessie's three favourite beauty buys.