Lily Collins Told Me Her Genius (and Easy) Beauty Tips—Note-Taking Recommended

Listen. I’ve spent a lot of time watching Emily in Paris—a not-so-shocking statement I’m sure many of you can relate to. Have I watched each season multiple times? I will neither confirm nor deny. But what I can confirm is how ecstatic I was when the opportunity arose to speak to the show’s star, Lily Collins, about her exciting new partnership with Living Proof.

Collins has always loved haircare, skincare, makeup, and fashion, so a partnership of this nature seems pretty synergistic. Naturally, the actress looked ultra polished for our interview. So much so that I had to ask what the gorgeous lip shade was that she was sporting. “It’s just a Lancôme lip liner!” she said. “We love to use [just] a liner because it stays on really well, and the colors are so rich.” And that was just one of a few genius beauty hacks Collins laid on me throughout the interview. As I’m sure you’re now itching to know how else the star stays looking chic when she has pretty much no time, read on below. She shared everything from her desert-island product picks to her on-set beauty rituals.

First, I’d love to talk about this exciting new partnership with Living Proof. What initially drew you to the brand?

Well, initially, it was Jennifer Aniston’s partnership with Living Proof! I remember seeing [the products] then and have always loved them. But also we [all just] love her hair, and it’s totally iconic. And if she’s backing a haircare company, you take it seriously. But also on top of that, I remember going to a lot of photo shoots and working with my teams, and I trust them to give me products that they think are for me. They kept bringing Living Proof products, and [they] smelled so good. They’re very memorable and incredible. And the packaging is so understandably chic. It was just something that I was always very much aware of and used, and then when they asked me to be a spokesperson, I couldn’t have been more excited. It felt like a very organic partnership, almost as if they knew that I was a fan! [Laughs]. I was like, “Did you guys know?” I was so excited because it’s something that I genuinely use.

I’m a big fan of the brand too. I’ve been loving the Vanishing Oil! If you could only choose three Living Proof products to use for the rest of your life, which ones would they be and why?

The Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo ($30). I literally almost always have it in the car or in my bag. I use it almost every day. It smells amazing, and it doesn’t leave any residue. I love the No Frizz Vanishing Oil ($30) now that I have bangs because it’s a great way to keep my bangs from looking dry and keeps them from looking oily or piecey. It provides the perfect level of hydration just for the tips of my bangs and everything. And then the Full Dry Volume & Texturizing Spray ($32). I don’t have thin hair, but I also don’t have super-thick hair, and I’m an air-dryer. So I really love to add a little bit of oomph if I can. With all three of those things, I feel like I’d have volume and body as well as hydration, which you would need on a desert island.

I definitely feel like you have some great volume going on tonight—it looks great!

I was going for a little body tonight! So I feel like we’ve got a mix of all those things in there [Laughs]. Thank you!

And what would you say your everyday haircare routine looks like?

Very minimal. I don’t wash it every day—I like to keep the natural oils in my hair and let it do its thing. But like I said, I’m an air-dryer. So I like to shower before bed. Then put it up in a towel, let it soak, dry a little bit, and then I shake it out and just brush my bangs correctly. Otherwise, those kink easily now, which I’m learning more and more how to deal with. And I’ve always been a fan of going to bed with it a little wet so that you wake up with a natural wave because my hair isn’t [just naturally wavy].

Is there anything you add to your routine when you’re especially busy and trying to keep it healthy?

Now, being more familiar with the products from Living Proof, they repair just as much as prepare me for the next job ahead because my hair always has [some kind of] heat damage. For me, hydration is key and I am always telling myself to drink more water. I’m also always asking myself, “How can I add more hydration to my skin and my hair in addition to drinking water?” So I add all the products that I mentioned previously as well as do the least amount to it that I can because I know that when I’m working, a lot will be done to it. Now that I have bangs, putting my hair in a messy bun or ponytail makes it look like something because the bangs add a little chic look to it without having to do much. It’s like a style without a style. It’s something that I’m getting used to doing more.

And what would you say are your current favorite skincare and makeup products that you use every day?

I’m a big fan of Burt’s Bees Lip Balm! I also love the Idôle Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara ($27) as well as Lancôme’s Génifique Radiance Boosting Face Serum ($78) and its face masks—I am such a fan! It locks in moisture like no other. It also leaves your skin just feeling super fresh and filled with hydration. It’s not oily [either], and you just feel instantly refreshed, like you’ve been to the spa or something. I’m a really big skincare person and love mascara and just a natural lip because, again, when I’m working, I’m always having stuff done to my makeup and skin. Less is more for me because my time off is so much about repairing, which is, again, why I’m so excited to be working with a brand like Living Proof that’s all about repairing and preparing. I know that when I go to work the next time, I feel my best already.

You’re also known for having the most amazing brows. Do you have any brow-shaping secret weapons you can share with us?

Thank you! You know, I used to overdo it with the plucking and shaping and all of that. That was definitely a phase that I went through because I was uncomfortable with just letting them be what they are. And now, every night, I look in one of those zoom mirrors, which freaks me out, but I just maintain the line and the shape of them. But I don’t over-cut them, because I feel like I used to try to tame them. Then I realized that that’s overdoing it, and I just [started] brushing them out. Now I usually just put a clear gel on them once a day and then a clear mascara as well, which keeps them in place. It’s not super harsh and there’s no residue. It’s just a really quick clear coat to keep them in place. I do have a bit of an arsenal [when it comes to brow products], but I sometimes even just use hair spray on one of those mascara combs.

Switching gears here a little bit, we have to talk about Emily in Paris. How has that role and any French influence translated into your own beauty routine?

When we were finding out who Emily was in season one, we found that she’s someone who’s a bit of a perfectionist. And she has her look that she doesn’t deviate from. Season two, we got to trim her hair a little bit, and for season three, I now have bangs, so I’m like, “Let’s work the bangs in!” She’s someone who really cares about the quality of her skin and her hair—she will never go to bed with her makeup on. She has a routine even though we don’t necessarily see it in the show. She’s very much like me in the sense that she repairs and prepares. I’ve been able to utilize different lip colors with Emily—there are so many different types of maroons or reds that I’ve experimented with. Finding different shades for different events for her is really fun, and I have an amazing glam team, Aurélie [Payen] and Mike [Desir]. I’ve worked with them for the last two seasons now, and we created different looks for her based on mood but also looks influenced by her wardrobe. So it’s taught me a lot about color-coordinating with fashion. We allow her to have her day looks and then play around for night, which is also always fun.

Of course, I have to ask for more details on the fashion! Has Emily’s wardrobe influenced your own in any way?

It has definitely taught me a lot more about mixing patterns, prints, textures, styles, and shapes. I’m slightly more like Camille’s character in terms of my own fashion—more simplistic at times, chic, and less bold in the mixing of colors. Camille is bolder in terms of the style and shape of her clothes and using new designers. She is so French, and I love it. There are so many pieces from her wardrobe that I would die to take home. Emily is a little bit obvious in ways that would normally scare me. And I think I’m bolder in choice now having played Emily because Patricia [Field] and Marilyn [Fitoussi] have such an incredible eye for mixing things that I would never have thought to mix. [They’ll] add an element like a cinched-in waist with a belt or a glove or hat. Normally, I’d think it’s one too many things, and then they put it all together, and I’m like, I can’t imagine it without that one extra item.

Have there been any beauty brands or products you discovered on the set of Emily in Paris that you now can’t live without?

Aurélie gave me an LED mask last year and told me to use it every morning. She said it would help brighten my skin along with other tools you put in the freezer like those roller balls—they’re amazing! Every morning we would put the mask on along with the under-eye masks that you just stick on every single morning because I’m working so many hours a day. I’m always waking up and going to bed late, so when I first started using them, I was like, “Are they really making a difference?” But then you genuinely see and feel a difference. It wakes you up physically as well as emotionally—they’re so good. Honestly, I just keep them on forever!