My mom was strict about make-up, which made me more obsessed with it. I loved painting and started doing my friends’ make-up in the back of the bus on the way to school. In my early twenties, I was an au pair. The mother in my host family was a fashion journalist, and would bring me to the shows in Paris. I was completely taken with the romance of the runway. She received boxes of make-up from Dior and Chanel, which she gave to me. That was the beginning. Later, I went to make-up school in Paris. I thought, “At least if this doesn’t work out, I’ll be fluent in French.”
My beauty icons? Grace Kelly, Monica Vitti, Katharine Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve and Faye Dunaway — their timeless and elegant beauty is forever inspiring.
Beauty is a personal emotion and experience. It’s when you feel confident in how you look and how you put yourself together. I like to create beauty by emphasising a woman’s natural look.
The single insider beauty hack that everyone should know? Less is more — especially in terms of foundation! I like to create complexions that feel alive and vibrant.
Working on Being John Malkovich was fun. Creating the characters for that movie was challenging — I had to make Cameron Diaz not look drop-dead gorgeous. Also filming Buffalo ’66 — the blue eye shadow on Christina Ricci was awesome.
I remember a moment on vacation in the south of France with my best friend Ashley. We walked past a magazine stand where I had done every cover — French Vogue, Italian Vogue, British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar — all in one month. That felt surreal. I have to say though, building my brand Westman Atelier is my proudest achievement.
I keep busy. I am constantly working on new products, developing shades, evaluating new actives or looking at packaging design. I sprinkle in editorials, campaigns and events with actresses that I work with.
I’ve always been interested in ingredients. I grew up in an ashram in Sweden and my parents were focused on clean, organic eating. Living there, I learnt to appreciate quality versus quantity, which hugely affected my brand philosophy.
I am always trying new products and have great admiration for any entrepreneur who is building their brand. But I focus on creating products that feel true to me, and what I feel is missing from my make-up bag. I also struggle with rosacea and flare-ups so focusing on what ingredients I am putting on my skin is incredibly important to me.
I’ve been lucky to be inspired by a number of people I work with. My husband David inspires me a lot. He is patient and intuitive. Nicole Kidman and Anne Hathaway have an incredible work ethic.
There are too many pinch-me moments in my career to list. My first Vogue cover comes to mind. I landed an interview with Grace Coddington in New York. Initially she didn’t seem impressed with me, but a few months later I was hired to work on a shoot with Bruce Weber and Stella Tennant. After it was over she told me, “I haven’t seen talent like this since I discovered Pat McGrath.” That was pretty incredible!
I’m super low-key! I take less than three minutes to do my make-up. My hair is more high maintenance. I do it every two and a half weeks and only at David Mallett in NYC.
The beauty and wellness items that I couldn’t live without? The Westman Atelier Skin Activator (£138, westmanatelier.com), my Hyperwear weighted vest (£197, hyperwaer.com) and my Higher Dose sauna blanket (£699, cultbeauty.co.uk).
In my bathroom cabinet you’d find — way too much! I went blonde this summer, so I’ve been doing everything I can to extend the colour. David Mallett’s Mask No.3 (£66, revolve.com) is the most nourishing treatment. I love Flamingo Estate’s Euphoria body wash (£51, fwd.com). It’s infused with the beautiful scent of jasmine. We like to create a cosy atmosphere at home and Trudon’s Under The Trees candle (£98, selfridges.com) instantly livens up a space.
One of my favourite scents is lilac. One year, my husband surprised me with planting lilac trees on Mother’s Day. The smell reminds me of growing up in Sweden.
In London we love staying at The Berkeley — Cedric Grolet makes the most amazing almond milk in-house. We go to Petersham Nurseries for lunch and enjoy spending time in Chelsea Physic Garden.
If you could own only one Westman Atelier product? You can’t make me choose! I am going to cheat… It has to be Skin Activator and Baby Cheeks Blush Stick (£44, westman-atelier.com). Skin Activator creates that perfectly moisturised canvas before you apply make-up. A swipe of blush adds life.
