Perfume, pizza and Pinterest: We chat with Amy Adams about her red carpet beauty secrets and more

Should you click over to Amy Adams’ IMDB profile, it’s pretty clear why she’s been such a staple at awards shows for, oh, the last seven years. From her first Oscar-nominated role in Junebug to this year’s award-winning double header (American Hustle, Her) Adams’ resume is dotted with critically acclaimed films that include a range of compelling characters.

It’s this versatility that landed Adams a contract with Lacoste as the face of its women’s fragrances, including Eau de Lacoste Pour Femme and Eau de Lacoste Sensuelle. It’s a seemingly perfect match: the fragrances are all about femininity, confidence and natural elegance—which could just as easily describe Adams’ own effortless style. But don’t let us convince you! We caught up with Adams last week and after chatting about everything from red carpet style secrets to fragrance facts, it’s clear that she’s as charming and down-to-earth as they come.

I mentioned to a few friends that I was talking with you and almost every single one gushed about your glowing skin. So! What are your skincare secrets? Are there any products that you’re obsessed with?
Thank you! I’ve been a long time user of La Mer, I have to say. I have really tricky skin. And there was a period of time I was having a hard time keeping it balanced and I was getting really dry skin. Someone recommended La Mer and I started using [the cream and the lotion] and it kind of saved me. I was shooting in New Mexico at the time and I’ve kind of been a loyal user of La Mer since.

Are there any skincare rules that you follow? Like never going to sleep without washing your face or always wearing sunscreen?
All of those. I tend to follow the traditional ones: wearing sunscreen, drinking water and washing your face. But, you know, I make mistakes, sometimes it happens—I fall asleep with my makeup on, the night gets away from you.

Do you enjoying wearing and applying makeup?
I do, I have fun with it. But on a day-to-day basis I tend to get really busy so I try to just have my core products that I use.

I’ve heard other actresses say that makeup now seems like more of a job-only thing.
It’s funny, when I put makeup on now, my daughter asks if I’m going to work.

When it comes to red carpet hair, do you let your stylist determine the look or do you have, say, a secret Pinterest board of hairstyles that you want to try?
Pinterest is awesome, isn’t it? I’ve definitely gotten ideas from Pinterest, but I get inspiration from lots of different places. Sometimes I tell my hairstylist it’s a freebie, do whatever you want—which I think I’m probably going to start doing more and more. I feel like I’ve tried everything I’ve felt like trying and they’re such amazing artists. I’m curious to see what their vision is now.

Is strawberry-blonde your natural colour or do you do anything to enhance or brighten it?
I do. My natural colour is strawberry blonde but it’s a lot ashier now because I’m a normal human being (aging!) and so I do, I get an assist with the hair colour. To brighten it, I use a semi-permanent or temporary, I like that. It washes out, it’s more natural.

You’ve been working with Lacoste since 2013. What have you enjoyed the most about being the face of their fragrances?
They’ve really taught me a lot about how you build a fragrance and it’s been really fascinating to learn. [Also] their approach to femininity: how much they really protect the Lacoste woman [and how they see her] as being confident and driven by simplicity. I really respect how much they value that ideal of woman. It’s attainable.

If you had to pick one of the gowns that you wore over the past awards season to best represent the Lacoste fragrance woman, which look would you pick?
I really did approach this year with a sort of simplicity [in mind] but I wanted to have fun with it at the same time. So although [all the dresses] had this simplistic line, there was something about each one that I found unique. But probably the one that I wore to the Oscars, I feel had something unique about it, but it’s very you know, straightforward and well tailored.

Sticking with the Oscars theme, you’ve said that “fragrance is incredible in how it can instantly trigger an emotion or memory.” Is there a smell or a fragrance that will bring you right back to the 2014 Oscars in an instant?
Pizza! Because they were passing pizza around while I was getting ready to present and I missed the pizza and I could smell it, and I was so hungry.

You didn’t get any backstage?
No, the pizza guy didn’t come backstage! Meryl Streep got pizza. But did I get pizza? No.

Bad pizza timing.
That’s right.

I know that you love singing, so if there was a song that you’d want to film a Lacoste fragrance commercial to—and you don’t have to be the one singing it!—what song would you pick?
It’s probably been done, but “Natural Woman,” has that been done for a fragrance commercial? If no one’s done it, then Lacoste should do that. I would not be singing it, however. I have a friend, Jessie Mueller, on Broadway right now—I’m doing a pull for my friend!—in the new [Carole King] musical Beautiful, who sings it amazingly. So, if anyone gets a chance to go, watch that musical!

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