I’ve just come in from Vancouver, where I’ve been shooting a Jane Schoenbrun film with Hannah Einbinder. A little indie horror. So that’s very cool. We’ve been there for three weeks, and I go back for one more week. It’s been phenomenal. And now I’m in Cannes in my role as L’Oréal Paris ambassador.
My beauty icon? Juliette Binoche. I think she’s so naturally beautiful. And I know it’s a very French thing, but it feels effortless and light touch — just classic. How do they do it?
I’ve started to realise that I feel my best and most beautiful when I am most rested, which isn’t very often! But it does make a big difference in terms of feeling good in my skin.
There is power in individuality. Each of us is special and unique and that is something to embrace. There’s a lot of striving for something else, or perfection. Or “if only I looked like this,” or “if only I was this size”. So much of that is about self-acceptance. And yeah, that is easier said than done, but I think it’s really important. When you are able to properly embrace that, it does have a shift in terms of how one radiates wellness.
As I get older, I am paying more attention to my skin. I have a tendency to be lazy, and it’s not the first thing on my list, so it’s taken some time for me to learn that there is value in it and it does have an impact, when, say, I take my make-up off before I go to sleep. I have started using night cream and moisturiser in the morning, too.
My routine has evolved over the years. I probably have more facials now than I have ever had before. I go to various places for these and mix it up, but I had a great facial at Soho House recently. That was a really good experience. And it’s still only once every couple of months or whatever, but at least I do it. And it really, really makes a difference.
Make-up wise, the only thing I use on my skin on a regular basis is a tinted moisturiser —not a full-on foundation. I know that if I wear something lighter it feels fresher. Particularly at a certain age, because sometimes when make-up gets too heavy it ends up ageing you. Not that that’s a bad thing. (L’Oréal Paris True Match Nude Plumping Tinted Serum, £14.99, boots.com)
I’m slightly obsessed with this fantastic Volume Million Lashes Panorama mascara that L’Oréal has (£12.99, boots.com) It doesn’t flake and it has good coverage across the whole eye and isn’t clumpy. I really like that.
I started my own brand of functional wellness drinks because I was drinking five full-fat Cokes a day and I couldn’t really find anything to replace them that not only tasted good to me, but was also good for me. It’s called G Spot (£29.95 for 12, thisisgspot.com), and it’s got functional ingredients, including nootropics. It’s also good for cognitive functioning and de-stressing. There are four flavours and I highly recommend them. It’s definitely made a difference.
My signature scent? It’s a Chanel one, but I’m not going to say which because I really, really like it. I don’t know if I could describe how it makes me feel, but it’s not too musky, not too floral. It’s odd because it’s quite a simple fragrance, but it felt familiar to me. Not as in “oh I remember somebody used to wear this,” but it made sense to me as being the smell that I would wear, and so I was pleased to discover it, maybe three years ago. I think it was actually in a gift bag after a charity event.
What would I say to younger women entering my industry? I spent a lot of time in my younger years feeling quite self-obsessed. Always feeling like I wasn’t enough. And I look back, of course, and all I see is youth and beauty. So, to care less about that. To really enjoy life. To work hard. To accept oneself as one is.
There have definitely been changes in the past few years in terms of women in front of the camera, both in the demographic and the age range of women that seem to be “acceptable” there. But one of the things we also need to continue to highlight is the contributions of women behind the camera, because it’s such a small percentage of women that are directors, and in crews. It’s only very recently that I’ve been aware of how better populated the behind the scenes and crews are with women, but there’s still a long way to go.
