The ex-Bond girl on red lipstick and the challenges of pale skin. Just don’t confuse her with Morticia Addams.
Make-up can be dangerous when you have pale skin – sometimes I can look like Morticia Addams. You can put your foundation on and think you look fine, then step outside and see your reflection, and you’re like ‘Fuck! It’s too dark!’ I can get away with a bit of blush and that’s about it.
I’m not great at doing my own make-up. I have a make-up artist who gives me beautiful smoky eyes for events, but when I have to do it myself, I focus on red lipstick with no mascara, and straight or tied-back hair. YSL Beauty does a tomato-orange matte lipstick that really stays put. I also love Nars Velvet Matte lip pencils because you don’t need to use a separate liner.
From left to right: 1. L’Oréal Professionnel Pro Fibre Restore Shampoo, £12.99; 2. Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask, £95.50; 3. NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square, £19
Filming Penny Dreadful in Ireland last winter really took its toll on my skin. I rely on good, fragrance-free make-up remover from Cetaphil or Avéne and apply a cold cream to replenish my skin. I always wear SPF, but find factor 50 too pale and thick, so I use SkinCeuticals Brightening UV Defense SPF30. I love Sisley’s treatments, too.
I have been wearing the Melograno scent by Santa Maria Novella for years. I can’t even tell you what I love about it. Friends often say to me, ‘I smelled you before I saw you.’ It’s my signature fragrance, but it’s very subtle.
From left to right: 4. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, £8.99; 5. Eau Thermale Avéne Micellar Lotion Cleanser & Make-up Remover, £13; 6. SkinCeuticals Brightening UV Defense SPF30, £39
The role I’m playing now is quite cool [as Miss Peregrine in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children]. My hair is kind of bonkers. It’s a forties style with a twist. I also loved my look in another movie I starred in, called Cracks. It’s set in the thirties – all high-waisted pants and bobbed hair.
My hair is styled a lot. I hate spending too much time in the hairdressers, so I prefer quick treatments like the L’Oréal Professionnel Pro Fibre service [around £10-£15], which only takes about 15-minutes. My hair always feels thicker and healthier afterwards. I use the shampoo and conditioner at home to maintain it.
In the evenings, I put olive oil all over my hair. It’s very thick, and nourishes deeply, but it can stay on my hair even after shampooing, so I tend to use it when I’m not working.
From left to right: 7. Santa Maria Novella Acqua di Colonia Melograno, £85; 8. YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in Orange Imagine, £26; 9. Cire Trudon Spiritus Sancti Candle, £62
I need to run to soothe my nerves. It’s a good way just to let it all out. I run every day for between 20 and 30 minutes. I find it difficult when I’m away filming to work out on my own; I need someone to kick my arse, so I run instead. I’m not some crazy Hollywood fitness type. When I’m working, the only thing I want to do when I get home is have a drink.
I’ve started steaming my vegetables, but I’m not a great cook. I like my food either steamed or raw to maintain the nutrients – and they need to be organic. I’m like my own chemist; I juice veg like kale, broccoli, watercress and cabbage to boost my immune system, and I add apples and grapes, so it’s more drinkable.
I could live by candlelight. I hate artificial lighting and I’m really into candles. My mother is always like, ‘Oh my god! It’s like you live in a church!’ My favourite candle is Cire Trudon Spiritus Sancti. It smells like incense.
