The actress, mum and Dior spokesperson shares her day
The actress, mum and Dior spokesperson shares her day
1 favourite fragrance
10 cartons of ice cream in the freezer
2 kids
7:00AM On days when I’m not working, I wake up at 7. The first thing I do is change the baby’s diaper. My husband usually makes breakfast for our son, and I’ll go down and join them. I wouldn’t say I’m a morning person. If I didn’t have kids or didn’t have to go to work, I’d probably sleep till noon! But I do work and I do have kids, so I’m up and alert. I’m vegan, so I generally have a very clean diet; I usually have oatmeal or avocado toast in the morning. And Mother’s Milk tea because I’m breast-feeding. Normally I don’t have caffeine, but when I’m working, I’ll drink coffee if I’m tired. I feel like it’s kind of psychological because I don’t think I’m that affected by it. I take vitamins too—vitamin D, and I’m still on prenatal vitamins. I get B12 shots once a month because it’s the one thing you don’t get from a vegan diet.
8:00AM My morning routine is basic: I put on sunscreen, which I wear every day, and deodorant. And I brush my teeth. If I wash my hair, I use Christophe Robin’s shampoo and conditioner with rose extracts. It’s like a dream—they make my shower really wonderful. My hair is naturally curly, so I’ll pull it back in a bun or a ponytail or just let it be natural. I’ll put on makeup if I have a meeting: Dior concealer, mascara, and Grège lipstick, which is a good nude, or a bold red. But just to go out of the house to my son’s school drop-off , I’ll only put on tinted sunscreen. I’ve been living in Acne button-down dresses because they’re easy for breast-feeding, and also you look put-together without having to make a lot of decisions. And it’s quick because most of the time I have about five seconds to get dressed before tending to my children. I don’t wear heels on a normal basis. I’ve been wearing Japanese-y sandals that slide on and off , because when you’re holding a baby you can’t bend down to tie or lace shoes. I think they look like you have an opinion, as opposed to wearing just flip-flops.
9:00AM After dropping off my son, sometimes I’ll hike with a friend. I put the baby in the baby carrier. I don’t have a regular fitness routine right now. I’ve just been hiking and swimming when I can, and doing little exercises. I find that if I have spare time, because I’ve been working already, I want to spend it with my kids, not at the gym. I also like Gyrotonics. I only do it with a trainer because I haven’t figured out how to do it by myself, but I haven’t done that since I had the baby.
12:00PM I’ll go to lunch with a friend sometimes or have a lunch meeting. Mexican food is just the best in L.A. We have great tacos right near our house. Gracias Madre has really good vegan Mexican. After lunch there’s always some work thing I have to do, so I’ll have a meeting or read a script or watch a movie. Usually it’s with the baby in my arms, but if I can’t bring her with me, I have a wonderful baby nurse who’ll watch her. I don’t do much beauty maintenance, and I find it tricky right now having a small baby, but I’ve been using the Priv beauty app every once in a while to schedule mani-pedis at the house, which has been nice. I have an amazing acupuncturist and masseuse for muscle-tension relief. I do both once every two weeks, and it keeps me feeling good. I get my hair done so much for work that if I need a haircut I’ll usually ask the hairdresser who’s working with me to trim it. I’ve coloured my hair in the past, but right now I’m completely natural. It’s nice to give my hair a break.
3:00PM Sometimes I’ll get treats on the way to school pickup, or we’ll go out after. Or we’ll have a playdate. This is, like, my mum life! I alternate between these two existences: One is being at work all day, and one is being [a] total mum all day. But I always have my Dior Diorama bag with me—it’s a big black bag with a silver chain. It makes me feel so put-together. I keep the Dior cuticle cream inside to stop myself from being bad to my cuticles.
6:00PM If I go out for the evening, I like to wear something that’s not mummy gear. I’ll put on a black dress or skinny pants and heels, lipstick, mascara, and always my Miss Dior perfume. Once a week I’ll treat myself to a glass of wine or champagne or a beer in the evening. Most nights we eat all together at home. My ideal dinner includes pasta. We usually have Italian or Japanese food. There’s a lot of Postmates [a food delivery app] going on in our house right now. Both my husband and I cook a lot, but since having the baby, I don’t think either of us has very much. I make a lot of couscous and Middle Eastern food, and my husband does everything. He’s a wonderful cook. I’m very, very lucky.
9:00PM If we go out to dinner, we often come home afterward and watch a film. We’ve been watching a lot of classic movies on FilmStruck. Recently, in a fit of postpartum hunger, I ordered 10 cartons of Van Leeuwen vegan ice cream. It’s my guilty pleasure. I didn’t eat 10 cartons, I just ordered them because I was on Postmates and was like, “All of the fl avours sound good, why don’t I get all of them?” So now I have all of the fl avours. Banana Salted Caramel is delicious, and Mint Chip is excellent. They’re in my freezer, so I can have a scoop before bed. It may be a hurdle to getting back to my pre-baby size, but it’s a nice treat.
11:00PM I always take off my makeup before bed. I use Bioderma makeup remover and Joëlle Ciocco cleansing wash, then I put on rose oil or a moisturising mask that I got from a French pharmacy. There’s a British brand I like called Pai that has a great eye cream. I’m usually in bed by midnight, no matter what. I fall asleep easily, but I don’t stay asleep very long. I think when you have young kids, it’s part of your job to wake up every time you hear something, so I feel like it’s just going to be a few years that it’s like that. ■
“I alternate between these two existences: One is being at work all day, and one is being [a] total mum all day.”
NATALIE’S MUST-HAVES
“Christophe Robin’s rose [hair products] make my shower really wonderful.” Volumizing Conditioner with Rose Extracts, Christophe Robin
“Van Leeuwen vegan ice cream is my guilty pleasure.”
“My Dior Diorama bag makes me feel so put-together.” Bag, Dior
“If I go out for the evening, I always wear my Miss Dior perfume.” Miss Dior EDP, Dior
“I’ve been living in Acne button-down dresses.” Dress, Acne Studios
BY ALEXANDRA PARNASS. PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID BELLEMERE FOR PARFUMS CHRISTIAN DIOR. MAKEUP: PETER PHILIPS. HAIR: BRYCE SCARLETT. MANICURE: NELLY FERREIRA. STYLING: KATE YOUNG; STILL LIFE: KEVIN SWEENEY/STUDIO D, SIDNEY BENSIMON. STYLING: MIAKO KATOH
