Fragrance
4 fierce women repping your favourite beauty brands
Caroline Dhavernas, Kate Moss, Adriana Lima and Gwyneth Paltrow on working hard and playing harder.
by : Vanessa Craft, Victoria DiPlacido and Carli Whitwell- Sep 21st, 2016
Caroline Dhavernas
Caroline Dhavernas has a very polite family. Case in point: She is Lise Watier Cosmetic’s new brand ambassador and no one in her inner circle has hit her up for any makeup- or skincare-product freebies. “Not yet,” says the 38-year-old actress, laughing, over the phone from Toronto, where she’s filming the upcoming TV drama Mary Kills People.
This is Dhavernas’ first beauty contract, but you could say that it was years in the making. The Montreal native, who is best known for her role in TV’s Hannibal and the 2008 movie Passchendaele, recalls her mom and her aunt using products by the esteemed Québécois entrepreneur. “We’ve all looked at our moms putting on makeup and hoped that this moment would happen for us as soon as possible,” she says. “I remember playing [in my mom’s vanity] and then going out on the street. Bright-red lips when you’re five! It’s the beginning of discovering your femininity.”
Today, instead of those bright-red lips, Dhavernas leans toward even richer hues. Burgundy is her go-to for fall. “If I have a night out, I love strong colours,” she says, though she does admit to switching up her look fairly often. “Makeup is something you can play with; it can boost your self-confidence when you need it to.”
That philosophy certainly helped when she was filming the fall campaign for Lise Watier Cosmetics. Even though she has been acting since she was eight, Dhavernas was trepidatious about embracing her inner model. “As actors, we usually hide behind the camera because we’re trying to forget it’s there. With modelling, you have to pose and offer yourself to the camera – it’s very different.”
Hair, makeup and hip hop helped her unwind on-set. “The music is always a real inspiration,” she says. “It’s like when you’re on the dance floor: If the song is good, you’re going to want to have fun.” Mic drop.
Lise Watier Dramatique Weatherproof Mascara in Brun Noir ($27), at lisewatier.com.
Kate Moss
“For me, scent is a day and a night thing. I’ll go a bit heavier at night. [My favourite note] is musk – that’s sexy for me.” –Kate Moss, the face of the first fragrance from Brit makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, Scent of a Dream. Tilbury, who used to custom mix essences and oils to wear while growing up in Ibiza, hand-picked notes of pepper, frankincense and violet for the heady chypre floral. Happily for Moss, the perfume also contains musk, which is layered with “pseudo-pheromones” that mimic the chemicals that attract us to one another. Prepare to amass an entourage.
Charlotte Tilbury Scent of a Dream Eau de Parfum Spray ($85, for 30mL), at holtrenfrew.com.
Adriana Lima
In our Instagram-addled imaginations, the life of a supermodel is one giant party as she flies from photo shoot to photo shoot in champagne-sodden private jets. IRL, not so much, says supe Adriana Lima. “People think there’s 30 minutes of hair and makeup and you put on pretty clothes and take two pictures and you’re done,” says the Brazilian, who was discovered 20 years ago, at 15. “Being on-set is almost like [filming] a movie.”
Lima’s latest starring role is as the face of Marc Jacobs’ Divine Decadence, a floral follow-up to last year’s Decadence. (Lima also fronted that fragrance’s campaign at the bequest of bestie Jacobs.) The scent contains notes of hydrangea, honeysuckle, orange blossom and, fittingly, champagne. “It’s a little bit sparkly,” she says, adding that it connects with her personality. “I have a strong side, a feminine side and a playful side.”
Lima is more than just a pretty face. She is known for her work ethic and, with numerous fashion and modelling contracts, rarely out of the spotlight. “I want to last a very long time in this business,” she says. “My mantra is hard work, discipline, responsibility and a love for what I do.” That’s not to say life is without indulgence. “My dream decadence is a day at the spa with my girlfriends. I’d have a full-body massage, facial, hair treatment, manicure and pedicure, caviar and champagne.” Just as we’d imagined.
Marc Jacobs Divine Decandence Eau de Parfum Spray ($115 for 50 mL), at thebay.com.
Gwyneth Paltrow
You have your choice of so many projects to work on – why this one?
“I’ve been curious about the idea of wellness and what that means for a long time. Over the past decade, the more I researched the effects of environmental toxins on our health, the more I started to think. I remember I was bathing [my daughter] Apple with these beautiful French-perfumy gorgeous, sudsy things when I suddenly stopped and thought, ‘What’s in this?’ Working with Juice is a real opportunity, because I – much like millions of other women – care about what I put on my body, but there is really nothing for us in terms of efficacy, pigments and the luxury feel.”
How important is eating and living organically to you?
“I try to, but it occurred to me that when you embrace something and then get very rigid about it, it can undermine the whole thing. I try to go with organic as much as possible, like blueberries, lettuce and broccoli – anything [with a surface that is] pesticide absorbent. It’s expensive [to eat organic]. My hope is that more people can buy organic; the more that happens, it will have an effect on production and drive prices down. Everybody in every socio-economic area deserves to have non-toxic food! It’s criminal that the people who truly need it the most don’t have access to it.”
How comfortable are you about stating what you want?
“I’ve always been pretty true to myself, for better or worse; I’ve always stuck my neck out and done what I believe in. I’ve always tried to push culture, ask difficult questions and drop new concepts, and I accept that that’s just part of my role in life. I try to really embrace it, and, you know, I’m nothing if not authentic.”
Juice Beauty Last Looks Cream Blush in Orange Blossom ($30), at holtrenfrew.com.
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