From writing columns, interviewing celebs on the red carpet and starring in movies, there are few pies (she actually bakes too) Lily Collins hasn’t had her fingers in. She was recently pronounced the new face of Lancôme, adding her to a league of Hollywood A-listers which includes Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet and Penélope Cruz. We’ve got the dope on the pretty multitasker, from what’s in her handbag to who’d be at her dream dinner party
If she weren’t an actor, she would probably be interviewing one.
Although her acting career began at the age of two with the BBC series Growing Pains, by the time she was 16, she was writing a column for the British edition of ELLE Girl.
“When I was 16 or 17, I did both: interviews for TV along with doing casting calls. I worked with E! for Access Hollywood and I was the TV host for Nickelodeon. I started interviewing people whom I had worked with or whom I wanted to work with in movies. It was all getting weirdly mixed up. So I had to choose, but I will always love journalism.”
She loves playing dress-up before award ceremonies.
“I love the days right before award ceremonies. In Los Angeles, I have a make-up artist and a hairstylist whom I really love. They come to my house with my stylist and we turn the music up loud. We take the time to have lunch together, to decide on a look and to get me ready. Since I do my make-up really quickly every day, I love taking the time and creating a completely new look for that kind of occasion.”
She’s lax about getting make-up off (gasp!) and loves hoarding fragrances and hand creams.
“I have a lot of fragrances, because I change them frequently. I’m also somewhat of an expert when it comes to hand creams. I have tonnes of them. I drink a lot of water. However, I don’t remove my make-up and I skip my face moisturiser.”
She’s a super-efficient packer.
“With press tours, I’ve learned to be very good with packing. I’m sure that I’ll be a great mum, because I always have everything at hand. In my handbag, you’ll always find my phone, earphones, wallet, lip balm, a tube of hand cream, a hand sanitizer, a bottle of stevia (a natural sweetener) for my tea, mints, a notepad and a pencil (habits from being a journalist), my compact powder and a small concealer stick. When it’s a long trip, I start packing two days ahead. I love doing it.”
She’s driven, and believes in finding your passion.
“When I was 16 and told people about talk show concepts that I had invented, no one really understood what I was trying to get at, but I talked about it so passionately. Passion is a universal language and it’s the only thing that drives me forward.”
In her downtime, you’ll find her…
“Baking! I also spend time with my friends. I go to flea markets and I enjoy taking photos, mainly black and white. I love taking photos of people when they don’t know they’re being observed, slices of life and architecture, small details… Finding beauty in daily life.”
On her nightstand you’ll find…
“The Sweetness of Life by Françoise Héritier. It’s a list of things that make you happy. It’s marvelous!”
Her music is a mix of everything.
“I grew up in music (her father is English singer-songwriter Phil Collins) so I have very eclectic tastes. Katy Perry, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Peter Gabriel, Rihanna – my playlist has everything!”
She loves homely, comforting scents.
“I love the smell of roses, my mother’s cooking and her perfume, chocolate, a candle that has just been blown out, the smell of Christmas and of cakes coming out of the oven.”
Her ideal dinner party would be an absolute blast.
If I hosted an imaginary dinner, I would invite photographers, directors and designers. And a chef! Julia Child, Audrey Hepburn, Mario Testino, Kate Middleton and Prince William. That would be funny, wouldn’t it?”
Photographs: Alexi Lubomirski for Lancôme © 2014
