If you haven’t heard of The Bold Type, Freeform’s new show set in the magazine world, you’re about to. The new comedy starring Aisha Dee (Sweet/Vicious), Meghann Fahy (One Life to Live) and Katie Stevens (from season 9 of American Idol) debuts Tuesday, July 11, and between the glitz, the glamour and the chemistry among the three lead stars, it’s bound to be a summer hit. And ahead of the premiere, the trio sat down with Us Weekly exclusively to chat about their fashion and beauty must-haves!
Stylish: This show is partially inspired by the experiences of executive producer Joanna Coles, who edited Cosmopolitan for years. Did you guy grow up reading magazines like that?
AD: I went to a very upper class conservative school, and we were not allowed to read Cosmo. But I knew they had it in the library, and I knew I wasn’t supposed to read it. So I would go in to the library because I just wanted to know things! I think as a young person you want to know about sex and you want to know about makeup and you want to know about fashion and all of that stuff and it was forbidden at the school but I found a way. Also there’s this Australian magazine called Frankie that I’ve loved for a really long time. They just have a really cool vibe.
KS: My mom, when I was in high school, owned a women’s boutique in my town. And she used to have Vogues and InStyles laying out everywhere and I used to just sit and look at all the fashion and all the stories and just sit there for hours looking at them because they’re like Bibles.
MF: I read Cosmo growing up. When I was still too young to read it, my friends would buy them at CVS and we’d cut out the things that we liked and paste it into this little book and we called it our Cosmo Diary.
Stylish: The show has such great style! Have you always been into fashion?
AD: I’ve always kind of gravitated to vintage styles and throwback-y stuff by going to thrift shops and getting clothes that way. Growing up my mother was a single mom, so that was where we got all of our things, from the thrift shop. Everything! Our TV. Our cutlery.
KS: I was known in high school, when we had sporting events, I would be the girl that would wear stilettos to school. That’s why I’m very good at walking in my shoes. My sneakers even have heels in them. I always have a lift!
MF: I’m learning a lot about makeup right now. For example this morning my makeup and hair person didn’t show up. So I was like, “Alright, let’s do this!” And I managed to pull something off. I think it’s because I’ve been getting my makeup done so much that I’m like, “OK, these are the brushes that look familiar to me. These are the motions that feel familiar to me.” I do like makeup but I don’t wear a ton of it. I buy it all the time and I don’t put it on!
Stylish: If you guys had, each of you had to pick a holy grail product, the thing you always had to have with you all the time, what would it be?
AD: A little spoolie brush. Cause my eyelashes get twisted. They’re very curly and they go down into my eye!
KS: Me, too! I have eyelash extensions so spoolies are important for my brows and my lashes. I don’t wear eyelash extensions all the time — just for filming. But it’s a great accessory to have because I can wake up in the morning and I feel like a little bit done because my lashes look so full and great. I would also say Chapstick. Never know when you’re gonna need to pucker up!
MF: For me, Fresh makes these lip tints and there’s a rose-colored one that I’m obsessed with because it smells really good and it’s the perfect amount of red but you can wear it literally anytime and it’s so smooth.
Stylish: Any must-haves for hair?
MF: Bumble and bumble dry shampoo! It’s the best dry shampoo that I have come into contact with and I’ve tried a lot of dry shampoos. It smells really good. You just shake it into your hair and it’s amazing.
KS: I would say texture spray because sometimes I wake up in the morning and I have a weird kink and I know if I just spray a little bit of it, it’ll make it look like that’s on purpose.
AD: I use products by a brand called DevaCurl. I have to buy things that are made for people with kinky weird hair. It’s taken me so long to figure out my hair. For so long I hated my hair. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve started to actually look in the mirror and be like, “All right, I guess that’s grows out of my head and that’s cool!”
Tune into The Bold Type on Freeform and freeform.com.
