I’ve never been into the idea of having a signature scent. Twenty seconds into trying on my first perfume (the classic, spicy Paloma Piccaso), I got bored and proceeded to add a few generous spritzes of Bath & Body Works Cucumber Melon. While this is an appalling scent combination I could never in good conscience recommend to anyone, it set the tone for the rest of my relationship with fragrance. I wear something different almost every day, flitting between bottles as often as my mood changes (aided largely by magazine testers, blogger swaps, and free samples from department stores). A signature scent that accurately reflects my inner emotional landscape and vision board at all times—this is something I cannot fathom.
Among the hundreds that I’ve sampled, there are a handful that stand out to me, and they’re all from an incredibly chic brand called Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Kurkdjian has been behind plenty of the bottles you probably already know, from brands like Jean Paul Gaultier, Elie Saab, and Burberry. And for his own line, he creates masterpieces that are incredibly evocative and beautiful, the kind of scent that will unfailingly make every day feel special. My personal poison is the $215 Grand Soir, a vanilla so well-rounded and robust that I can practically chew on it. There’s benzoin and rose honey in there, plus incense absolute, ylang ylang, cumin, atlas cedar, and sandalwood. It’s a golden blanket of spices and sweetness and warmth and just smells so expensive and cozy that I occasionally even spray it on my pajamas. It might not be the only one for me, but it’s the only one I couldn’t imagine giving up.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have to imagine it—because I got to experience saying a tearful goodbye to it firsthand. When I moved to Berlin from New York, I had to relinquish my precious bottle (along with most of my worldly possessions) at JFK, an incident I’m still trying my best to erase from my memory. Long story short, when I landed in Germany to start my new life, I also did it without the comforting presence of Grand Soir at my side.
For awhile, I convinced myself it was fine, that I would move on from missing an inanimate object and live my life like a normal person. But, it didn’t take long for me to start craving its radiance. Things just felt a little colder without it.
Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to find an exact dupe, I ventured into the aisles of my local dm-drogerie markt (Germany’s version of a CVS) with an open mind and a handful of change. The thing about vanilla is that it can be surprisingly hard to do well, and poorly formulated vanilla perfumes smell like a migraine-inducing mix between Funfetti household cleaner and plastic cupcake frosting. This is why I immediately decided against body sprays and moved on to the bath and body section. And there I found it: Dove Bodylotion Intensive Pflege (or “Dove Cream Oil Intensive Body Lotion” as it’s called in the US), for a mere 2.45€.
Please note that I am not suggesting this smells the same as Grand Soir; I would have bought out the entire drugstore if that were the case. But, many body lotions and shower gels have such mild scents that they almost melt into you, creating a smell that’s one part fragrance and one part clean skin. Although they’ll cost you far less than a mass market perfume, they can wind up smelling more expensive—and a whole lot subtler—if you find the right one.
And this Dove discovery, it’s perfect—a little sweet, comfortingly warm, kind of reminiscent of clean laundry, and not harshly sugary or shrill in any way. I use it right out of the shower, sometimes dabbing an extra layer over my pulse points, and feel instantly more cheerful. As an added bonus, it does a good job of deeply moisturizing with its oil-cream formula (because, you know, that’s what it’s actually supposed to do).
While I’ve been informed that the brand is phasing out its body lotions stateside (stock up while you still can!), its equally palatably priced Dove Shower Foam in Shea Butter and Warm Vanilla is also fantastic. When the airy lather rinses off, you’re left with the mildest hint of something sweet and soothing. It’s $6, you have to shower anyway, and you can start saving up for a bottle of Grand Soir this way. I know I am.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir, $215, bergdorfgoodman.com; Dove Shower Foam in Shea Butter with Warm Vanilla, $6, target.com; Dove Cream Oil Intensive Body Lotion, $6, target.com
We’re entering the sale dead zone: That time between Columbus Day and Thanksgiving when brands save all their best goods for Black Friday deals. It’s great if you’re trying to save up for the biggest shopping day of the year, bad if you have a shopping itch to scratch or are running low on your favorite mascara. The good news is that Macy’s sensed the void and is delivering in the form of a massive 10-day beauty sale.
Running from Friday, October 12 through Sunday, October 21, Macy’s 10 Days of Glam Sale isn’t playing around with the discounts. Each day, the retailer is offering different 50-percent off deals on some seriously good stuff. Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara, Clinique’s Liquid Facial Soap, and MAC’s Extreme Dimension Waterproof Mascara all made the list and will be half-off for one day only. Meanwhile, you can catch more products that’ll also be steeply discounted throughout the entirety of the sale, like Dr. Brandt’s beloved face scrub and Smashbox’s Vlada Highlighter. Like we said, good stuff. Sorry if you were trying to hold out until the end of November, but it’s hard to feel guilty about these deals. Scroll on for everything you don’t want to miss.
The first thing you notice is the lips. No, the eyes. Well, not so much the eyes themselves, but the eye region: the plump cheeks, the bold brow, and the plumed lashes offset by all that dewy, sculpted skin. Maybe you see beauty. Maybe you see artifice. Maybe you want some of it anyway. The good news? You have options.
We’re living in the age of facial tweaks. In addition to the rising number of masks, serums, and contour kits we’re buying, a growing number of American women are taking it a step further and seeking treatments that won’t rinse off in the pool. According to the latest report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the use of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures grew by 186 percent between 2000 and 2017. The favorites include Botox, up 819 percent in the same period, fillers, up 312 percent—collagen is out, hyaluronic acid, in—and laser-skin resurfacing, up 244 percent. (Botox and other neurotoxins temporarily paralyze muscles, which leads to a softening of the wrinkles those muscles create. Fillers, which plump skin, add volume to lips and cheeks, fill out the area around the eyes, and smooth wrinkles.)
Meanwhile, the “going under the knife” variety of plastic surgery is down 6 percent in the same timeframe, with nose jobs down 44 percent, chin augmentation down 40 percent, and eyelid surgery down 36 percent.
So how, exactly, is all this reflected in the faces of the women around us? We know the answer in big, coastal cities, where many women are inspired by their reality-TV-star neighbors and tend to go for a more-is-more approach when it comes to their faces. While they may not go full Kardashian-Jenner-West, the family’s influence is evident, especially in New York and Los Angeles. But what about the rest of the country? Are women elsewhere seeking out Botox and fillers with equal gusto? And, if so, are they looking for a radical transformation? Or subtle tweaks to their “problem spots”?
Glamour.com reached out to plastic surgeons, medical spa employees, and women in eight states across the country to learn what treatments local women are turning to, and what they’re hoping to achieve with them.
Plastic surgeries and cosmetic procedures remain rare in New Hampshire, which seems to have the most trigger-shy women among the states we surveyed. And when women do go under the knife or needle, they don’t like to talk about it—with each other, other the press. Many of the plastic surgeons and medical spas that we reached out to refused to speak with Glamour.com. This didn’t happen in the other seven states.
“Women here are more skeptical and conservative,” said Dr. Lawrence Gray, a plastic surgeon in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. While he sees a demand for fillers and Botox, they’re mostly used to address aging concerns—not to create a whole new face. He said lip lifts are growing in popularity, as they create a fuller lip that some feel appears more natural than fillers.
“It’s definitely not about creating what isn’t there,” said Emily Sullivan, a physician’s assistant at Concord Med Spa in Concord, New Hampshire, who uses Botox and fillers to smooth her face. “Women here get nervous about looking like a Kardashian or Joan Rivers. There’s not a ton of knowledge about what aesthetic procedures can achieve. It’s just not super-popular here compared to the rest of the country.” She said the vast majority of women she sees in the local supermarket or mall don’t appear to use fillers. “It’s maybe 10 to 15 percent.”
Thought facial tweaks don’t appear to be popular, overall, in New Hampshire, the youngest fans in the state are getting a little bolder. “People see social media and want that look,” said Jennifer Lawson, a surgical scheduler for Richard Zeff, a plastic surgeon in Stratham, New Hampshire.
Still, the culture surrounding plastic surgery remains hush-hush. Sullivan said the over-40 women she knows tend to keep their treatments entirely to themselves, while women in their 30s tend to tell one or two close friends. “There’s no shame or guilt, but they’re still close-lipped about it.”
Arizona has two vastly different plastic surgery cultures: In Phoenix, the state’s most populated city, and nearby Scottsdale, women whose looks were obviously inspired by the Kardashian-Jenner-Wests are a common sight. In Sonoran Desert-adjacent Tuscon, women “want to look like themselves, but refreshed,” said Dr. Raman Mahabir, a Scottsdale plastic surgeon and editor-in-chief of the American Society of Plastic Surgery’s education network. “You have that sharp contrast.”
What’s popular in Phoenix and Scottsdale? “I still have my original nose and my boobs. It’s rare around here,” said Phoenix resident Teresa Strasser, 48, an Emmy-winning writer and co-host of The List. “The lips here are not conservative. The lips and boobs are competing to see who can be most inflated. I don’t know who’s winning. Maybe we’re all losing.”
Strasser said plastic surgery, including Botox and fillers, appears to be more common in Phoenix and Scottsdale than in Los Angeles, where she used to live. There’s also a lot of enthusiasm in the Phoenix area, she said, for facials and skin-rejuvenating treatments.
From what she’s seen, women often start small and then continue to tweak until there’s little left to do. “You add a little of this and it’s so pretty,” she said. “So you want you more.”
With this enthusiasm comes little taboo. Strasser said people talk about it openly—and exchange notes: “There is not a lot of derm-shame here. Nobody cares.”
Many Minnesotans are in pursuit of the youthful femininity that a syringe of filler can offer.
“People think of us as a flyover state, but we still really see a lot of volume with our fillers, Botox, and skincare,” said Kally Karjala, a medical aesthetician at Edina Plastic Surgery, located in an affluent suburb outside of Minneapolis. “They’re out there, people do want them. They just might not talk about it as much.” Her patients are mostly 40 and older, though she does see women in their 20s and 30s as well. The younger patients, she said, want the #Instaface look—poster child: Kylie Jenner—but they want to enhance their natural beauty, and “do it without looking extreme.”
“We all want to look like Kylie,” said Samantha Prestidge, a 22-year-old web developer in Minneapolis, who said she and her friends are inspired by what they see on social media. “I think the Minnesota version of Kylie is less about her body, and more focus on the top end. We want to be youthful looking, with a feminine face.”
Dr. Joe Gryskiewicz, a plastic surgeon in the Twin Cities said, that his younger patients tend to go for bolder looks with fillers and neurotoxins. “The younger they are, the harder they want to hit it,” he said. “They want to like what they look like in their selfies.”
Oregonians aren’t against getting work done, but they’re not willing to give up on their individuality in the process.
“Our community is about being different. Portland prides itself on being less cookie-cutter than other places,” said Portland plastic surgeon Dr. Juliana Hansen. She said the women she sees of all ages want to look like themselves, not like one particular celebrity. “Our version of beautiful is so much wider. … People here aren’t buying into this notion that there’s one look that’s great or beautiful.”
Heather Moffenbeir, a 31-year-old registered nurse, began getting Botox in her forehead and filler in her lips last year. She said her goal with Botox was never to achieve a completely smooth look.
And while she’s noticed a rise in the use of injectables in the Portland area, the effect tends to be subtle. “There’s way less vanity here than in other cities,” she said. “Obviously they want to look younger, but they look for a natural-looking way to do it. And they don’t like to talk about it when they get things done.”
Kentucky women want a polished, feminine look with a little glamour, and they’re not ashamed to get help to achieve it.
They’re “looking at Kim Kardashian, they’re all looking at social media, but they’re much more conservative than that,” said plastic surgeon Dr. Sandra Bouzaglou, who has an office in Lexington, Kentucky, and also works in Ontario, Canada. “They have the same reference points” as the rest of America, she said, but they’re not going to extremes.
Marica Jenkins, 42, an order-filler at American Greetings Corp., said her favorite source of inspiration is the Bravo Housewives franchise. “They’ve influenced me more so than the Kardashians, both in terms of treatment and look,” she said. Jenkins gets Botox and fillers regularly to smooth and plump, and had a facelift at 40. “It’s really natural. I didn’t go crazy overboard.”Her most recent tweak was a lip lift: “I’m six weeks out and absolutely adore it.”
Dr. S. Randolph Waldman, a plastic surgeon in Lexington, Kentucky, said he’s seen a rise in patients interested in filling out their lip and cheek areas in recent years. “They’re recognizing the importance of the mid-face, even at younger ages.” Still, many request “a subtle, natural looking, result.”
While the women of Baltimore are well aware of the #Instaface and there seems to be a small population of Kylie wannabes, the majority of women opting for facial tweaks there want to look like a better version of themselves.
Dr. Michele Shermak, a plastic surgeon in Baltimore, said her average patient wants to “normalize, not exaggerate” her look. “People want to look refreshed and proportionate, and get back to the middle of the spectrum,” she said. They want fillers and Botox to help them look “like they’ve been on a vacation, not in the doctor’s office,” she said.
Women in Maryland “don’t use fillers and Botox like make-up,” said Amy Ford, a surgical assistant at Dr. Shermak’s office.
Mesha Ross, 40, who owns Lux Lash Spa in Pennsylvania, just over the Maryland border, said she got injections to feel rejuvenated. “I had kids, and saw my body and face transform for the worse,” she said.
She also got fillers in her lips, which she said was controversial among her African-American peers. “They question why I’m doing it,” she said. “It isn’t to make me look like Kylie Jenner. I do it get a little fuller, but I don’t get ridiculous with it.”
Ross said that the women she knows seek inspiration from plastic surgeons’ Instagram pages, not from celebrities. “What entices us are the before-and-afters of regular people,” she said. “This is the big thing. Who did her butt? Who did her face? That’s what we want to know.”
Like Arizona, we saw two distinct plastic surgery cultures in Utah: In Park City, which has a large population of transplants from big, coastal cities, women tend to go for a bolder, more obvious look. In Salt Lake City, there’s equal enthusiasm for facial tweaks, but the desired effect is more muted.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Sargent said Park City clients prefer minimally invasive procedures that have no downtime, including injectables and lasers. It’s “more of a healthy, athletic sort of look,” he said. “They don’t have any problems having something done,” but the goal is to “look youthful and fit, like you’re taking care of yourself.”
Dr. Renato Saltz, a plastic surgeon with offices in Salt Lake City and Park City and president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, said the “mommy makeover”—a tummy tuck and breast lift with optional augmentation—is popular among Salt Lake City moms, who also get facial tweaks to help them maintain a vibrant look.
Maddie Bryant, a 23-year-old student in Salt Lake City, said women there, above all, like to look younger: “Kind of ageless.” She gets chemical peels and fillers in her laugh lines. “I saw them peeking through and I wanted them to be gone,” she said. “It’s definitely a smoother look.” Facial tweaks are common among the women she knows in their late 20s, who get Botox and fillers, often in their lips.
She said Salt Lake City women want to look good and are inspired by celebs’ appearances, but “there’s a limit to how much we’re getting done. I’m not going to take away every single flaw. I just want to slow down [aging] a little.”
Women in Ohio embrace plastic surgery, including minimally invasive treatments, but most don’t want to look too “done.”
“We’re down to earth, but we also want to look like rock stars,” said Dr. Anne Taylor, a plastic surgeon in Columbus, Ohio. While she’s seen a big rise in women, particularly younger ones, seeking fillers to make them look more youthful, they don’t want their faces to look “pulled” or fake. She said a lot of her patients enjoy the impermanence of fillers, and often view them as an opportunity to “test out a new look.”
“I don’t have one friend who doesn’t [use fillers] to enhance and contour. Everybody gets filler under their eyes,” said Allison Newman, who does marketing and PR for Ponsky & Frankel, a plastic surgeons’ office in Cleveland. “Getting Botox … is as common as getting your nails done.” But the end goal isn’t #Instaface: “We want to feel pretty and groomed.”
Rachel Fife, 45-year-old stay-at-home mom, said that in Cincinnati, fillers and Botox are common among the women she knows as well. But, unlike in Cleveland and Columbus, the effect in Cincinnati isn’t always subtle. “Everyone’s trying to look the same with the big huge lips,” but she says the results aren’t always good.
Fife gets fillers to help reverse the effects of aging and plump her face. She said it can be hard finding someone who’ll give her subtle work, so she often turns to RealSelf to find good doctors. “When you live in a small city, you need help to scope out the scene,” she said
We caught up with Kim before she sets out for another season of training—and possibly Princeton, NBD—to have her answer all our Big Beauty Questions. Hot Cheetos may or may not have come up.
Glamour: Your skin probably takes a beating out on the slopes all day. What do you use to fix it?
Chloe Kim: I’m obsessed with K-Beauty. I use Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask as a lip balm—I can’t remember the last time I’ve bought normal chapstick. It goes with me everywhere. And for the rest of my face, my other two go-tos are the Water Bank Essence and the Water Bank Sleeping Mask. I use the essence before I put on makeup and at night after I wash my face, while the mask is perfect whenever I’m feeling really dry. My skin looks totally revived the next day.
Glamour: What’s one beauty trend you wish you’d never tried?
CK: Oh my gosh, thin eyebrows. My friend had really pretty thin ones. I tried to copy hers, but I ended up plucking them on top and not from the bottom, so I completely lost my arch. I had two really sad, diagonal-looking eyebrows.
Glamour: What’d you do to grow them back? They look great now.
CK: I prayed. [Laughs]
Glamour: What’s one beauty rule you swear by?
CK: Moisturizing. All the time.
Glamour: What’s one beauty rule you think is bullshit?
CK: Primer. I don’t get it. Eye primer makes sense to me, but face primer…I don’t know. I swear it doesn’t actually do anything.
Glamour: Fill in the blank, I love my hair…
CK: Not crazy. Sometimes if I sleep with wet hair, I’ll just have a rats nest in the back that I can’t get out, and the only way to fix it is to shower again. It’s the worst. So now if I shower at night, I’ll braid my hair so it doesn’t wrap against the sheets when I sleep. But sometimes when I forgot or I don’t have hair ties, I just can’t deal. It’s too much.
Glamour: Your house is burning down! What are the three products you grab?
CK: My curling iron, my essence, and highlighter. My friend just gave me this highlighter she had custom-made in some random country. It doesn’t even have a label on it but it’s so pretty. It’s like a cream compact that you dab your Beautyblender into and put on your cheekbones. I’ll have to ask her where she got it. I’m obsessed.
Glamour: What color are you loving on your nails right now?
CK: I got my first set of acrylics done a couple months ago, and I love them. It was like a white French tip with sparkles and roses on them. So right now I don’t really want my nails done unless they’re acrylics and long. They’re coming back—the claws are out.
Glamour: What’s your go-to getting ready music?
CK: I love Post Malone. When he’s in his feels, he’s the best. Stay is such a good song. And I love Billie Eilish. I’m into more mellow music typically, but when I’m snowboarding I’ll listen to hard rap. Playboi Carti is everything.
Glamour: How much time do you spend getting ready?
CK: It depends. If I have a hot date and I want to be fully beat, it probably takes me around 45 minutes to an hour. But if I’m just going out for whatever, with these lash extensions I only need 10 minutes.
Glamour: Where do you get your lashes done?
CK: It’s this new place in Santa Ana called My Lash Studio. Their lashes are fake mink, so they’re not hurting a little baby animal out there. They look so natural and fluffy, and they’re so light. I didn’t know how good they were until I got extensions done while I was traveling. My eyes were drooping because they were so heavy.
Glamour: What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?
CK: I like to lay in bed and do nothing. If I have food and RuPaul’s Drag Race is on, even better.
CK: Kill mascara because I don’t need it anymore. Screw lipstick—I’m all about that lip mask and it gives my lips a tint anyway. Which leaves me with marry highlighter—my mystery one!
Glamour: What’s the last Internet rabbit hole you went down?
CK: I found them on Instagram. Here, you have to listen to it. [Pulls up the following video…]
Doesn’t that sound so good?
Glamour: What’s your favorite emoji?
CK: The rose ?. If I don’t have a caption for my Instagram? Rose emoji. If you want a conversation to just be over and bye? Rose emoji. I use it to get myself out of any situation.
Glamour: You’ve got $20 and free roam of a drugstore. What do you buy?
CK: Waffles.
Glamour: $20 worth of waffles?
CK: And Hot Cheetos.
Glamour: You probably have, what, 10 bucks left?
CK: No, definitely $15…oh! In New Zealand, I bought the best charcoal peel-off mask for your pores. So I’d probably buy one of those. And then hair ties—I always need them.
Glamour: If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, what would it be?
CK: I feel like girls always try to cover up their “flaws” with all this makeup, but you need to own it. I have a scar on my face that I used to be so insecure about. I got scratched by a dog when I was nine. It starts right under my eye and goes all the way down my cheek. That’s what made me want to start wearing makeup in the first place. But once I started to flaunt it more, everyone was like, “That scar is so cool. Where’d you get it from?” Don’t be scared of what makes you you.
Glamour: Who are the women inspiring you the most right now?
Zendaya. She’s a queen. She always makes bold statements and doesn’t really care what other people think. I think it’s so dope that women are using their voices and putting themselves out there. Like, “I feel strongly about this, and thats how its going to be—deal with it.”
As a former ballerina, Sonoya Mizuno has some serious makeup skills. “I used to wear loads of it for performances, so I can contour and apply fake eyelashes like a pro,” she says. Even after stepping away from the stage a few years ago and reinventing herself as a full-blown chameleon on the big screen, playing everything from a disco-dancing robot in Ex Machina to a Crazy Rich Asian, the always-adventurous, Japanese-English-Argentinian stunner continues to push the beauty boundaries—on and off the red carpet. “It’s fun to channel a different mood and character through makeup,” she tells Glamour recently in NYC.
With that philosophy, it’s no surprise that global beauty brand Shiseido would tap her as the new front woman for their latest makeup collection. Still, in a world where the industry’s top players have historically and habitually featured the idealized standards of Asian beauty (long straight hair, pearly skin, monolid eyes), casting the 30-year-old mixed-race actress in a major campaign marks a huge step forward for inclusivity and representation among Asian women.
We sat down with Mizuno as she got ready for the launch of her new campaign. Here, she opens up about being multi-ethnic, taking a hair risk, and the one J-beauty innovation she says keeps her face “right.”
Glamour: What’s the one beauty rule you swear by?
Sonoya Mizuno: It’s really boring, but it works. I drink a glass of water and half a lemon as soon as I wake up. I heard that it’s supposed to balance your body’s pH. Not sure if that’s true, but to be honest, it really helps with bloating.
Glamour: What are your non-negotiable skin care products?
SM: I’ve got combination skin, so it’s difficult to find things that are the right consistency. But Shiseido’s Essential Energy is the perfect lightweight serum-moisturizer hybrid that gives me a nice dewy glow. I love everything about it—the texture, the smell, and the pot is really pretty, which is always a plus. I also use its SPF 50 every day. I find most sunscreens are heavy, but this one doesn’t clog me up at all.
Glamour: What’s the one J-beauty innovation we all need in our lives?
SM: I bought a face roller in Japan years ago—it makes giving yourself a proper facial massage kind of fun. If I’m good about doing it, it helps keep my face lifted, tight, and right.
Glamour: What’s the biggest beauty mistake you’ve ever made?
SM: I was a child of the nineties and used to pluck my eyebrows non-stop. Mine were so thin, but in my defense, that was the look back then. They’ve grown back for the most part, but there are still bits that I don’t think will ever fill in. It’s fine, though, because there are plenty of tools, products, and pros that can work some brow magic.
Glamour: What’s the best makeup trick you’ve picked up on set?
SM: Primer is a miracle worker. My skin can get quite shiny and oily, so if I use a touch of primer underneath foundation, it makes the biggest difference.
Glamour: Your new pixie cut is killer. What’s your holy grail hair product for keeping it in check?
SM: I cut it for a job, and I have admit: Having short hair is much harder than I thought, especially when it’s super thick like mine. When I wake up in the morning, it’s literally sticking up everywhere. But I have a secret method: I’ll throw in a little Aveda Confixor when my hair’s still damp, then blow-dry with a durag on. I let my hair cool before I take it off and it behaves all day.
Glamour: Seems like you’re always down for a hair transformation. What’s the next big thing you want to try?
SM: Many, many years ago my mom used to have short blond hair and I always remember thinking how amazing she looked. I’ve got the cut, so now I just need the platinum color!
Glamour: You’re multi-ethnic—part Japanese, British, and Argentinian. How has that translated into your attitude towards beauty? Did you ever feel like you didn’t fit the “ideal” standards?
SM: For most of my childhood, I grew up in the countryside of England where it was very suburban—there weren’t a lot of people who were multicultural like my family. It was a place where the blond and brunette girls in school were considered gorgeous. And because of that, I remember feeling like I wasn’t good enough. But as I got older and experienced the world outside of my hometown, I started seeing more people like me. Now, I don’t compare myself to anyone. I look the way I do, and I totally embrace that.
Glamour: What’s the one thing you wish you could steal from your Crazy Rich Asians character Araminta?
SM: So many! I’d take her energy and confidence for sure. Let’s throw in her money and insane wedding, too, while we’re at it.
Glamour: What’s your go-to getting-ready music?
SM: It depends on what kind of phase I’m going through, but at the moment, I’m all about Awkafina’s new album [In Fina We Trust]. She’s so good and it’s so funny. I literally laugh out loud when I listen to it.
Glamour: What’s your favorite emoji?
SM: My signature response is the implacable face with the straight lines for the eyes and mouth: ?. It’s the perfect way to say, “That was funny, but I’m not going to laugh” or “What you said was nice, but I’m not going to say thank you.” It’s appropriate for like 99 percent of text messages.
Glamour: What’s your best self-care tip?
SM: Sleep. I drench my sheets in lavender essential oil before I lay down and that helps a lot. Still working on getting more of it though. I swear by yoga, too.
Glamour: What smell always makes you smile?
SM: The scent of a Sunday roast, which my family would have every week growing up. It reminds me of them and all the good laughs we would share together.
Glamour: Who’s the person who inspires you most?
SM: I’m one of six and would be lost without my siblings. We’re really close. They always understand what I’m going through.
Glamour: What’s the one piece of beauty advice you’d give to your 13-year-old self?
SM: Be kind to yourself. I think back to all those ballet classes that would end in tears, and now, I’m like what was that for? I was harder on myself than I needed to be, but I guess in some ways it was good training for Hollywood—and life.
There are influencers and there’s Camila Coelho. The Brazilian makeup artist turned social media star has enough followers on Instagram alone to populate her own small country. (That would be a cool 7.4 million, by the way.) But before she became famous for her jet-setting style and flawlessly painted-on lips, Coelho got her start behind a beauty counter at Macy’s, working her way up from an in-store Dior artist to the upper echelon of digital stardom.
“You’ll never see me without lipstick on,” Coelho tells Glamour. “Even at the gym or the supermarket, I’ll always blot a little color. Lipstick for me is the product and my followers know that.” That’s why it should come as no surprise that when Lancôme was looking to team up on its first-ever influencer collaboration, Coelho and lipstick were a natural fit.
Coelho worked with Lisa Eldridge, Lancôme’s creative director, to create 10 L’Absolu Rouge lipsticks that pay homage to her Brazilian roots and love of a strong lip. To celebrate the launch, which officially lands at Sephora today, we caught up with Coelho to have her answer our Big Beauty Questions—a rapid-fire assortment of things you never knew you wanted to know. Read on, then shop entire collection here.
Glamour: Why is lipstick so important to you?
Camila Coelho: Growing up, lipstick was my thing. It all started when I was six years old; my grandmother gave me a red lipstick to wear for my passport photo. My mom wanted to change it to a light pink so bad, but I kept it. Every time I’d go to visit my grandmother, she always had her hair blow-dried and lipstick on—even if she was just staying home. She’s forever been my inspiration.
Glamour: You travel around the world constantly. What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
CC: Every different country I go to gives me a new type of inspiration. For example, when I go to New York, I feel like I can do anything I want—like go all out with a bunch of glitter on my eyes. You can really be yourself and try new things there and no one will bat an eye. In Paris I’m always inspired to be more effortless. I’ll still put makeup on but in a more minimal way. And when I’m in Brazil, I want to be more colorful and tropical.
Actually, now that I think about it, the Middle East—but particularly Dubai—inspires me the most. Women there love to put makeup on and when they go out, they go all out. All I want to do when I’m there is a strong smoky eye and nude lip.
Glamour: What about beauty do you think Brazilians do best?
CC: I always say that Brazilian women have amazing nails. We’re good with hair too, but everyone gets their nails done weekly. It’s a thing in Brazil. It doesn’t matter what they do, what their social looks like, you will always see the women there with a nice nail polish color on. The professionals do an amazing job. If you ever have a chance to go to a Brazilian nail salon, do it.
I’m the type of person who likes to try different shapes. But my go-to is more square. I’ve tried the pointy ones, which in Brazil, women don’t like. They call them “chicken nails.” There, the more classic shapes are popular—either square or round. And then for color, I love nudes and classics like white, black, and navy. This summer I wore a lot of white.
Glamour: What’s one beauty rule you absolutely swear by?
CC: Taking care of your skin first. Because if you don’t, your makeup isn’t going to look as good. You’re going to put stuff on, it’s going to melt, and it’s not going to stay on. It’s a number-one rule for me. I enjoy doing my skin care routine as much as my makeup too. It’s like a spa day. I do around seven steps every night, even when I travel, and it pays off because your skin does change when you take care of it.
Glamour: Your house is burning down! Quick: What three skin care products do you grab?
CC: An eye cream, an acid, and a hydrating serum. I can’t live without eye cream. The area around your eye is so sensitive, and if you don’t hydrate it, you get wrinkles and those creases with concealer. I also put eye cream on my lips, because the skin there is also very thin and needs hydration. As for acids, I love glycolic. I use the Neostrata Gel every other day. It helps so much with your pores, and I don’t really get any breakouts anymore. And then a hydrating serum is a must. Between traveling and always being on planes, I need it.
Glamour: What’s your go-to getting ready music?
CC: Oh my gosh, if you saw my playlist, you would die. I have everything from Brazilian country to Rihanna and Beyoncé. I like everything. Maroon 5! The only exception is really deep rock. When I’m getting ready for something big though, I’ll do more dancing songs. Beyoncé’s new album is amazing. And I’m obsessed with Cardi B.
Glamour: Your hair is gorgeous. What do you to keep it in such great shape?
CC: As a Brazilian, I have a lot of hair that’s really fine and thin. But when I moved from Brazil to Boston, I think it was a difference in the water that caused my hair to stop growing. It was becoming dehydrated, so I had to start doing a lot of deep conditioning masks. So every other day—whenever I wash my hair—I’ll do a mask. And about once a month, I’ll get a hydrating treatment at the salon. Your hair really is just like your skin. Hydration will keep it shiny and healthy.
Glamour: What is your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?
CC: Disconnecting from social media and spending time with loved ones. The time I actually feel most on vacation is when I’m home. Even if it’s just taking five hours away from my phone and not worrying about needing to post, it makes a difference.
CC: Oh, well, marry lipstick of course. I have to. Screw…what does that mean? Just a fling with it? I’d have to say highlighter. It makes you have amazing skin—in photos, especially. And I’ll kill mascara. It’s fine. Maybe it’s because I have naturally good lashes. But I feel like if you have a lip and good skin, you don’t need anything on your eyes.
Glamour: What’s the last Instagram rabbit hole you went down?
CC: It has literally nothing to do with what I do, but I’m really into animal videos. I’ll stay on them for hours. I’ll watch dogs, tigers—I’m obsessed with tigers. I’ll look for hashtags about cute animals or nature. Even my husband, who loves animals, is like, OK, enough.
Glamour: What’s your favorite emoji?
CC: Ha! Obviously, the lips. They’re even on the bullet of my lipsticks.
Glamour: You’ve got $20 and free roam of a drugstore. What do you buy?
CC: I’ll buy makeup remover wipes. Mascara, because it’s cheap. Oh, I can get a Snickers bar! I can’t go in a drugstore and not buy a Snickers.
Glamour: If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions on social media, what would that be?
CC: A lot of people looking at social media think everyone is perfect. We’re not. There are filters and apps that make you look better. Everything is in good light. Social media can make you forget that. It gets to you.
