We met the Hollywood actress and newly minted Lancome global ambassador in Tokyo to find out her idea of beauty and the secret to her clear, radiant skin.
We met the Hollywood actress and newly minted Lancome global ambassador in Tokyo to find out her idea of beauty and the secret to her clear, radiant skin.
Amanda Seyfried uses a combination of Lancome Clarifique and Genifique for a hydration and radiance boost.
Growing up, what was your experience with makeup?
My mother didn’t wear makeup. Because of that, I never really got into it. The one time she put it on was when she went to a ball with my dad. I thought she looked so weird because I’d never seen her with makeup on.
At my first modelling shoot at 11, all the girls didn’t need makeup. They were all so beautiful. They were all models. I wasn’t a model and I wore braces.
I remember going to the bathroom to put mascara on and when they saw me after, they were like, “Why did you put on mascara?” And I said: “Cos I didn’t feel pretty.”
Now, as a busy actress and mother, what is your approach to skincare?
That less is more when it comes to the number of steps. I just want to use what I know is going to work.
Why is skincare so crucial?
It’s one of the pathways to your soul. When you radiate from your skin, from your face, you are also radiating from inside.
Your skin reflects how healthy you are. What’s more important as I get older is not the shape of my eyes or the amount of eyeshadow I’m wearing, but the health of my skin.
Tell us about your current skincare ritual.
I used Lancome Clarifique daily and the thing about is that it’s pretty natural. It’s made of 97 percent French beech bud extracts and it smells sweet. I also use the brand’s Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Serum twice a day. I’m 34, so I’m for these anti-ageing “accessories” in my life. I’m very well taken care of with this line.
What difference have you noticed in your skin?
I get eczema on my face once in a while. In winter, my skin also gets really dry, so I’ll take as much moisture as I can get.
How enzymes help your skin to glow
Lancome scientists have been studying enzymes for 30 years. These are nature’s accelerators – they create and speed up the chemical reactions in our cells. In skin, enzymes help in cell regeneration and hydration, as well as in regulating the amount of melanin skin produces, and getting rid of melanin-filled dead skin cells.
The French skincare brand’s new Clarifique Refining Enzymatic Dual Essence ($140 for a 50ml bottle) is full of enzymatic benefits. The formula contains only two ingredients: 97 per cent organic French beech bud essence that refines and brightens skin, and 3 per cent lipid-enriched essence. The latter contains grapeseed oil rich in omega-6 fatty acids that help nourish skin, boost its vitality and strengthen barrier function.
Use it morning and night, after toner and before serum, so it can help hydrate skin to prep it to better receive nutrients from your skincare. It also promises to reduce melanin production. Pat it directly onto face or apply with a cotton pad. You should see brighter and more refined skin in four weeks.
You are absolutely enough. You don’t have to change your face in order to feel better. That’s not what beauty is.
What does growing older mean to you?
I used to sit and just wallow in my fear of growing older. Now, I completely embrace my age and I’m excited to get older because I feel I’m worth more than ever. And that’s where I feel what Lancome does is really important.
Age doesn’t even register with Lancome. It’s such an inclusive brand and prides itself on being a happiness activist. There are so many misconceptions about being famous and the beauty industry and I feel like we’re breaking them together. It feels pretty good.
As a public figure, what message do you want to share with women?
That you are absolutely enough. That you don’t have to change your face in order to feel better. That’s not what beauty is. Beauty comes from your humility, kindness, generosity and self awareness. Beauty is an acknowledgment of us being ever-changing – and embracing ourselves at any age. It’s beautiful when we have the capacity to really love who we are.
Grapeseed oil (above) is a skin nourisher while French beech bud (left) is a skin brightener.
Lancome’s sustainable efforts in making Clarifique:
1. The organic French beech buds are sustainably harvested by a cooperative of 70 families living in the Ardeche Mountains Regional Nature Park in France. The farmers select only the buds on the lower branches to avoid altering the tree’s growth and to respect its natural balance.
2. The bottle is made of 25 per cent recycled glass. It is also entirely recyclable.
PHOTO OF AMANDA SEYFRIED 123RF
