Eva Green: Beauty Secrets of a French Bombshell

by Deven Hopp

She’s been a Bond girl, she’s going to be the star of Tim Burton’s next film, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and she’s currently the heroine of Showtime’s Penny Dreadful (which returns for season two this Sunday). Eva Green is as busy as she is strikingly beautiful. We caught up with the French actress in her home country at an event celebrating her newest venture as international spokesperson for L’Oréal Professionnel. And it turns out the actress who’s known for her femme fatale roles is a self-professed tomboy. But we’ve found it’s the ones who keep it simple—her can’t-live-without products? Contact lenses, sunscreen, and red lipstick—that have the best beauty secrets. If her flawless alabaster complexion and flowing, glossy locks are any indication, our theory is right on the money. So we had to ask all of the pressing beauty questions. Scroll through for Eva Green’s French beauty secrets!

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What are the hallmarks of your beauty routine?

EG: First of all, drinking lots of water and watching what you eat is very important. More than anything else, eat organic green vegetables (I know, very exciting!).

Otherwise, skin-wise, I very gently remove my makeup in the evenings. I likeCetaphil—you can buy it in Boots [a European pharmacy], it’s cheap, and it’s gentle. Lots of moisturizer and sun scream are very important.

Also, hair is very important. I’m an actress, so jobs play with my hair a lot. And it gets very damaged, so I have to look after it. During the week when I’m shooting, it gets quite hard because I need to use a light shampoo or else they can’t really play with my hair. So it’s the weekends when I use deeper treatments. There’s the Pro Fiber Treatment [by L’Oréal Professionnel]. It’s not out yet, but it’s really kind of revolutionary because it lasts. It doesn’t go after the first shampoo and it makes your hair stronger. That’s a very good product.

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What are some of your skincare musts for summer?

EG: My skin and scalp are so fragile that I really have to be careful in the sun—inside too, apparently. (My doctor told me I have to put sun cream on when I’m inside too.) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! I always moisturize and I love SkinCeuticals. It just has to be something that’s efficient!

Related: 5 Surprising Sun Protection Facts You NEED To Know

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What are your favorite products in the French pharmacies?

EG: Simple, natural products are my thing. In the French pharmacies, I like Avéne and La Roche-Posay. I apply the Cold Cream from Avéne in the evening a lot. It restores your skin. I shot on an island for a couple of months and that kind of saved me from the conditions—all the wind and sun.

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What’s your go-to, off-duty look?

EG: I’m simple. Clean, straight hair with a side part. I love Diorshow Mascara and a strong red lipstick—you can’t go wrong. I’m terrible at foundation. I think it’s better to be quite plain and have a red lip, like Mac’s Ruby Woo or Lady Danger.

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On the red carpet, do you prefer a smoky eye or a red lip?

EG: People say you can’t, but I think you can do both! If you have the right makeup artist. But I like simple red—good skin, a red lip, and Yves Saint Laurent style hair that’s quite masculine.

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