On Beauty: Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley, one of Britain's most recognisable actresses and the face of Chanel's new Coco Mademoiselle Intense fragrance, is a natural beauty (on the day of interview, suffering from an acute ear infection, she was still as gorgeous and delightful as we hoped she might be). And as such, she likes to keep her beauty regime relatively low-maintenance. But what does it take to keep those famous brows and that radiant skin on point? Here, she talks the best lipstick advice she has ever had, as well as how becoming a mum has changed the way she approaches her skin.
On daytime make-up
In the mornings I use a moisturiser and then just concealer, never a foundation. I like to see skin through make-up, so I think less is always more. I put some light eyeshadow on (just with my finger) to make my eyes look like they are much more open and awake. Then I put just a tiny bit of a tinted balm - something that picks up my natural lip colour - on the middle of my lips.
On evening make-up
"I am 100 per cent more of a smoky eye girl than I am a lip girl. But that said, my mother always said, "lipstick is for when you've had a sh*t day and you need red lipstick to face the world". I think it's really true. The other day, I had to get straight off a flight to get to a premiere. I wasn't feeling great, and I thought: yes, this is a red lipstick moment. But normally it's a smoky eye, black liner in the lash line and lots of mascara. Always. Top and bottom.
On nails
I am so low maintenance and rarely have manicures, so it's a real treat for me when I do get one. If I am not wearing nail varnish, it normally signifies that I am not filming, so I like to do a really crazy colour as soon as I wrap. But I was just on a re-shoot for The Nutcracker and I had such crazy pink sparkly nails, that actually the treat was getting the nail varnish off! But normally it's the other way around.
On fragrance
I always wear the same one, which is genuinely Coco Mademoiselle. I have done for years. It's my thing and it's the smell that I associate with myself. Sometimes, though, when I am playing a character, I've occasionally worn a different perfume for that specific role. It's amazing how it gets you into a different mindset and it really helps to transport you. The interesting thing about Coco Mademoiselle is that it smells different on everybody. I have given it to a couple of my friends and family and we never smell the same. I love that.
On travel beauty
I completely fail to keep myself on an even keel with my skincare when travelling, but I have just discovered rosehip oil, which a friend of mine recommended. Flights are so hard on your skin and they make it so dry, so I gave this a go and it really worked. Now I always travel with it.
On brows
My brow tip has always been to leave them well alone. Really early on in my career a make-up artist said to me: you will always be able to know if someone is a good make-up artist because if they tell you to pluck your brows, run a million miles. I have always stuck to that. Partly because when I was 21, I did one of those LA brow treatments (the type of one that makes everyone's brows look the same) and it looked awful. The proportions of my face didn't work at all with less of a brow, so I am very glad they grew back! Now, I just do minor touch-ups, maybe a little tweezing, but I never touch the top. Just a little bit under the arch. They are naturally a bit short, so if I am on a red carpet or going out, I will ever-so-slightly elongate them with a pencil to bring them a little further out.
On skincare
I try to leave my skin alone as much as possible. When I am at work I put my skin through a lot, so it makes me want to not do anything when left to my own devices. Maybe about three times a year I might get a facial, but otherwise it's literally as little as possible. I had really bad skin until I was 24 and up until then I did everything under the sun to it. Then one day I thought I would try to leave it and that's what suited it better. That's also why I always want to wear as little make-up as possible when I am not working. When I'm filming, I always have a breakout as we have to cake the make-up on. I think it needs a break every now and again to be able to breathe. Since having a baby and being over 30, it's also getting dry for the first time. That's why I have started to use oils and moisturisers over the past few years.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Intense is available from March 1 2018.
