You’ve worked in many places from Paris to LA. What do you find special about living and working in west London?
It’s my home. I was brought up 60 miles outside of London in Sussex. It was the first place I knew; up the A3 and there I am in west London – home.
What make-up item could you not live without?
Mascara. It’s because I’m blonde and the blonder you are the more you want and need to wear mascara. The problem is once you start you can’t stop. However if I feel as if I’ve slept well and feel fresh and wide-eyed then I could just about manage without mascara. It’s the same with wearing lipstick. A lot of people are frightened of wearing it; then when you start you can’t stop. You feel naked without it.
You have worked with a lot of celebrities over the years. Who has been your favourite to work with and why?
I think when all is said and done the person I still seem to be working with and who has become a very good friend is Cate Blanchett. She is the kindest, most intelligent, most sincere person you could possibly meet. She is someone I hope will continue to be in my life.
You didn’t always want to be a make-up artist and have said you ‘fell into it’. If you hadn’t have fallen into it what would you be doing?
Who knows… Drug addict [laughs]? I was so lucky. I have to say that we really have to take advantage of the things that fall our way. I was one of those people who had no idea what I wanted to do. I was terribly confused, desperately shy; not at all confident – and brought up to be that way. I had a very strict English upbringing and I feel like I just had this gift that was given to me which helped me gain so much confidence.
You made the fresh–faced look famous. What inspired you to create such a trend?
It was a time where there were only about five make-up artists buzzing around the world. The ‘80s was a time of real experimentation. Glamour hadn’t arrived; there wasn’t the celebrity thing. It was all a lot more natural and fun and was somehow less full-on. So the lovely, dewy, rosebud cheeks look was very on-trend. We were all feeling very natural and light and Romeo Gigli’s clothes really represented that so that’s where it really started. The only reason it became so famous was because I did the same look for him every single season.
You teach at the Premier Beauty Workshop. How do you find it?
I love teaching. I enjoy it on two levels; the first being that it’s really fun watching someone learn and the second being that I love being bossy when I have good reason. I also enjoy seeing the joy I can bring people just by teaching them how to put on their own make-up properly. It is a real pleasure to witness.
What is your most memorable moment and why?
Driving down this incredibly narrow road in the Himalayas with Patrick Demarchelier. If we hadn’t left that day Patrick and I would have been stuck together for five months at the top of that mountain because the roads were going to be blocked. We had to charge down this skinny road down the Himalayas because there was only one airplane for all of us and we couldn’t all fit. I was with the Vogue fashion crew and we had to pull straws to see who would be lucky enough to get on the plane. I pulled a good straw but Patrick didn’t. Cindy Crawford, the model for the shoot, also didn’t and was to be left with Patrick to drive down the mountain, so I said to Cindy, ‘Don’t worry I will drive down with Patrick and you can have my seat on the plane’. The journey down was absolutely hysterical; he was driving and I was just sitting in the back staring down these mountain crevasses screaming, ‘Oh my god!’. When we finally arrived at the hotel, where the rest of the crew were waiting, there was only a single room available so Patrick and I had to share a single bed. As you can imagine, the night was full of hysterics.
What inspired you to create your new fragrance Plum?
I have always loved fragrances and I finally became brave enough to create something very out-of-the-box and do something a little more unusual than cosmetics. Not to say that I will never do cosmetics in the future, but in a sense you can’t be judged by fragrance so much because it is so subjective; you either like it or you don’t and that’s your prerogative. It was all so much fun as well, creating the packaging and seeing it all grow from start to finish. I do refer to my perfume as my baby. Creating a fragrance takes about nine months, so this really is like my first child.
The packaging for Plum has a very ‘30s feel, what is it about this era that you enjoy?
It does have a ‘30s feel, but I like to think that it’s very eclectic. I think the bottle is ‘30s with the font because it’s classic. But the pink and the green box is something very different. Even the name Plum refers to a fruit that is so quintessentially English; it’s got this hard shiny skin but when you bite into it, it has a completely different colour, texture and flavour – it’s always a surprise. I also love that the packaging is so different to the bottle.
What is your make-up look for spring 2011?
I think lips are going to be big this year; really vivid colours from shocking pink to orange.
You are well known for changing Princess Diana’s style which led to boosting her confidence. What tip do you have for women to give them a confidence boost before a date?
Don’t try anything new; use experimentation for another time and go for something you’re really good at. That way the person you’re dating doesn’t say, ‘You looked different the last time I saw you’.
What are your aspirations for this year?
Creativity is my biggest aspiration. There will hopefully be expansions on everything I’m doing so it’s about moving everything forward. Doing other people’s make-up means (and I mean this with total love) that you are a bit of a high class servant and as much as I love doing it it’s really nice to be able to do things for myself.
What’s your philosophy on life?
I think it’s really important to share; whether it is your time, your finances or your knowledge – just share it all.
