From the runways of Paris and Milan to the cover of Playboy, and then on to “Celebrity Apprentice”, stunning 2010 Playmate of the Year, Hope Dworaczyk has been considered by fashion insiders as one of the most beautiful people in the world. An advocate of Best Buddies, an organization that creates one-to-one friendships and employment for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, Hope faced off in the boardroom on the 4th season of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” on NBC, against a cast of 15 other celebrities including: La Toya Jackson, Star Jones, NeNe Leaks, Lisa Rinna, Gary Busey, Lil Jon and Meat Loaf, to raise money for Best Buddies. Hope led the women’s team into victory against the men’s team, in a challenge for Omaha Steaks winning $20,000 for her charity. Hope continues to support Best Buddies, and she talks about the organization with enthusiasm and genuine excitement.

As a model, Hope has been seen on the runways of top fashion designers such as Balenciaga, Robert Rodriguez, Lana Fuchs, Leila Rose, Abaete, Joanna Mastroianni, Rosa Cha, XOXO and Miss Sixty. Hope also joined with Versace on an international world tour to Tokyo, Milan, London and New York. In April 2009, Hope was chosen as Playboy’s Playmate of the Month after test shooting for the 55th Anniversary Playmate search. Due to the overwhelming success of her appearance on the cover of Playboy with actor Seth Rogan, Hugh Hefner awarded Hope with the honor of being named the 2010 Playmate of the Year. This appearance on the June, 2010 cover gave her the historic distinction of being Playboy’s first 3-D centerfold. Of course, I had to ask her a little bit about that.

Hope was a treat to chat with and she had some awesome beauty tips to share with me, among other things. Enjoy!

I was just checking out your Playmate of the Year cover of Playboy and I’m thinking that I might be the only person that’s going to start an interview with you by asking…what bra were you wearing on that cover?? I love it! I want one.

I’ve actually had guys write to my website asking for the maker of that bra because they want to buy it for their wives. It’s funny. I loved that bra, so I was so happy that they ended up using that one for the cover.

Is there any pressure that comes along with being on the cover of Playboy, much less being Playmate of the Year?

When I meet new people or go to dinner with somebody that I don’t necessarily know, I never remember that they might be thinking that they want to know what I look like in person, or anything like that. I always forget about that, to tell you the truth.

I’m guessing that’s probably a good thing.

Yeah, I completely forget about it. It doesn’t even cross my mind. But I totally get where people would be curious. There would be pressure if I thought about it, maybe.

Aside from Playboy, your bio even begins with “From the runways of Paris and Milan”, etc….If not pressure, is that something that’s hard to keep up?

It’s definitely a lot of maintenance because you never want to show up for your next photo shoot and hear them say “she looks nothing like her photos”. So, it’s definitely a bunch of maintenance. I put a lot of time into working out and getting my hair colored and done and…it just sort of comes with your job. Other people sit down and look at numbers all day or go home and make predictions about businesses they’re investing in. For me, my body is my business.

What was the Playboy experience like for you? Was it exciting, was it scary, did you have any reservations?

When I was first going to pose, I had already walked a lot of runways and had done a lot of work like that, so I did think for a second “will I work again” or if it was going to be a stereotype that I would carry with me. So that was a little pressure. But, to tell you the truth, the first time I posed for Playboy the only thing I cared about is if I was going to embarrass my family or if they were going to hate me for doing it. Once I got the go ahead from them, I never really thought about it. I’m sure the night before, you’re grooming yourself really well and you want to look tanned and all that kind of stuff, but my life didn’t revolve around that future shoot that I had coming up in two months or two weeks. I just don’t really think about that stuff.

That’s probably the very thing that makes you successful in what you do. The fact that you don’t get nervous or put a crazy amount of thought into it.

Yeah, I don’t think about it. I just do it, ya know.

So, let’s get into skin care. What are your favorite skin care products?

Sure! I was excited to get this interview because I never talk about skin. Nobody’s ever cared what I thought about skin. And then I remembered, I have my esthetics license, so I do know about skin. I just forgot about it because I’ve been working as a model for eight years.

Oh wow, this is a first! You have your license in esthetics?

Yeah, it’s just something that I wanted to do. I’ve always really liked skin and loved going to the dermatologist and knowing all of that stuff. So I took four months out of my life, when I was walking runways actually, and spent a whole summer in Texas going through this program while I was home. I wasn’t even eighteen yet. But when I took the state board test I was a little bit older, so I’m qualified to do that stuff in Texas. And I got trained on how to do the lasers, laser hair removal and laser vein removal…all that kind of stuff. So I did get trained in it, but I wouldn’t do it now because it’s been so long that I would never go and do laser hair removal without doing refresher courses. But when it comes to that, I’m good in the beauty department.

That’s awesome! Being a model with your background, I’m surprised to hear that you’ve never been asked about skin.

They ask what’s in my bag but I’ve never remembered to tell them that I actually know a little bit about skin. I never remember to mention that part. I’m kind of a beauty junkie. I love trying new products. I believe in good products. So, my choice in products changes all of the time. I have two favorite cleansers right now. One is made by Avalon Organics, the Vitamin C Renewal - Refreshing Cleansing Gel. I always like gels better than I do creams. I just like the texture of a gel better. And when I feel like my skin really needs exfoliating I start using DermaQuest, which is 15% glycolic acid. And I put it on dry so that it’s a little stronger on my fingertips. Dry fingertips and dry face, massage it in, and then rinse it really well.

That is such a great tip. I love that.

When you put it on dry, it does so much more than being diluted with water. DermaQuest completely changed my skin’s texture when I started using it. It completely clears out blackheads. Their glycolic cleanser is so great with blackheads. I had it sent to my grandmother because she’s always complaining about blackheads.

You had it sent to your grandmother? (you’ve gotta love her for that)

Yeah! It totally changes the texture of your skin. It makes it so smooth. My grandmother likes anything hardcore. I also sent her a stronger glycolic mask. I make her promise me that she’s going to follow the directions because it’s kind of strong. I make her promise because she thinks that if it’s painful, it means that it’s working.

I love that your grandmother is so into skin care products.

She always wants to know what she should be using.

It sounds like maybe you get it from her, the model in you?

She’s the one who I asked if I should pose for Playboy. And she was like “if I was your age and I had the opportunity, I’d go for it”. And after that I was like “okay, I’ll do it”.

Well, with Grandma’s blessing, you’ve gotta do it. Any more skin care faves?

What I use as a toner, and I’m addicted to it…I don’t think I’ll ever switch to anything else, is Santa Maria Novella’s Rosewater, Acqua Di Rose. It’s so good. It comes in a glass bottle and it lasts forever. You can change the bottle out to make it a spray, so you can spray your face with it. It smells good and it feels good. And it’s a beautiful bottle. I can’t live without the La Mer Moisturizing Gel Cream. I don’t like anything really heavy. I do have the Creme de la Mer for when my skin is really dry. But the gel is lighter, spreads easier, and goes on quicker.

I keep a little jar of Creme de la Mer in my purse, and I dab a little bit under my eyes throughout the day for a little pick me up.

I should start using that as an eye cream. The only eye cream I have in my cabinet right now is Pevonia Evolutive Eye Gel. I also love, love, love a product line called CellCeuticals. It’s made by a surgeon, Dr. Garth Fisher. His stuff is so good. He has a great serum, it’s called Interactive Moisture Serum. It’s so great. And he has something called a Barrier Repair. It’s unlike anything else. And he makes my absolute favorite exfoliant, as far as a physical exfoliant that has beads in it, it’s the best skin resurfacer that I’ve ever used. It’s called NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment. It’s so good.

Tell me about your makeup faves.

My favorite thing in my makeup bag and what I wear on a daily basis, because I don’t wear a lot of makeup when I’m not working, is Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer.

That’s a very popular one. I think it’s the most mentioned Tinted Moisturizer by actresses on my site.

I know, it’s so popular. It’s just the best. What I set every single look with, before I do any kind of photo shoot or anytime I don’t want to have any kind of shine, is the Make Up For Ever HD Powder. It’s really great. It has the best photo finish. It just makes everything flawless. Oh, this is like a funny product…the bronzer that I love is made by Too Faced and it’s smells like chocolate. I use it for contouring my nose. It’s Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder and it’s got real cocoa in it. It’s just lovely. Because I contour my nose, I always do the shadows on the sides like I’ve learned from makeup artists. And it just smells good when you’re doing that daily.

That’s a great tip, that you’re using your bronzer for your contouring. I always have makeup artists do contouring on my nose when I work, but I’m nervous to do it myself.

It’s so quick to do it on your own. I just started doing it and then I became addicted. The other day I was actually having lunch with two successful makeup artist friends that I’ve worked with, Joyce Simonelli and Joey Maalouf. It was like 11am and they went out the night before and were hungover and I wasn’t hungover, and Joey looked at me (we were sitting outside) and he goes “Did you contour your nose?”. Only a makeup artist would have been able to tell me that. It was funny. I’m like “Yeah, you taught me!”

That’s hilarious. I’m a little nervous to do it myself because I’m afraid that it would be noticeable. Maybe I don’t trust my skills enough, but I’m afraid that you would be able to see the makeup lines, and see the contouring that I did.

Maybe start light.

You’ve inspired me. I’m going to start trying to do contouring on my nose. And I’ll just use a bronzer, like you do. That’s a great suggestion.

Another product that I love in my makeup bag is an eyeliner by Tarte. And I don’t want to just say “eyeliner”, because I do so much with it. It’s called Emphaseyes, and it’s a nude colored eyeliner. People say to look more awake you should put white on the inner rims of your eyes, but it just looks like white to me. So I use a nude color instead and you can’t really tell that it’s there. It’s just really pretty and makes you look more awake. And I also go right underneath my eyebrows, to almost give my eyebrows a lift. I use that nude color underneath the arch, and it just brings your eyes up and makes them pop even more. I love that one. For mascara, I go to Maybelline. I’ve probably been using the Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara for a year. I just love it! I’ve tried switching from it and I always go back to it. I buy it so often.

What about lips? Are you more of a lip balm, lipstick, or lip gloss girl?

I don’t like anything sticky. If someone puts lip gloss on me in a photo shoot, it’s the first thing I wipe off. I won’t even shoot in it. I don’t like it. My hair blows and sticks to it. Actually La Mer makes a lip balm, The Lip Balm, that I really love and it smells and tastes yummy, like spearmint. Their lip balm is really, really great. I just use stains or light lipsticks. If I do a red, then that’s fine. But really, I’m kind of a no maintenance lip person, I don’t really do a lot with them. The lip stain that I’ve used forever, it looks like nail polish, it’s the Benefit Posietint. I just much prefer a stain than something that can smear or get on your teeth or something your hair would stick to.

Any favorite body products?

Anytime that I’m going to be in a dress I order this cream by True Blue Spa. I order like three at a time online. It’s a really thick cream called Lay It On Thick. It’s the thickest moisturizer and it makes your legs so reflective. Not reflective like an oil, but just like the healthiest skin. It makes your skin look beautiful. It would make a great hand cream, because it’s just such a thick cream. I also like Bio-Oil. I think you can just get it from the drug store. It’s really good. I use it on my neck and chest sometimes at night. It’s just a really deep moisturizer. I’m all about good drug store stuff because you can get it anywhere.

What’s the one product that you can’t live without?

I can’t live without the Gel de la Mer. I have to have that. I can tell a difference in my skin when I’m not using it.

Do you have any favorite spas?

If it’s for skin care, for the most part, I don’t believe in getting facials at a spa. I can cleanse my own face and exfoliate my own face. When it comes time to actually going deeper and getting a peel and things like that, I go to a facial place or a dermatologist. The only thing I believe in getting at a spa are massages, body treatments and nails. I don’t really do any of the skin care at spas. Anytime I’m traveling or working, I’ll always try to check out the spa. I was at the spa at The Four Seasons in Bora Bora recently. That one was just gorgeous because you see the ocean and you hear the waves the entire time, during your body treatments. It was the craziest spa and it was so beautiful. And nothing was air conditioned, it was all just the pure air and a breeze and the ocean. Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley has a great spa. I like that spa a lot. I normally don’t do spas, I do massages at home if I’m in LA. I have a girl that comes to my house if I want a massage and I love her. I like really deep pressure, and I’m just addicted to her. If she worked at a spa, I’d probably follow her there.

What makes you feel especially sexy or beautiful?

When I’m working out regularly and sweating, and detoxing. When I’m eating really clean and not putting junk in my body that just slows me down. And when I have clean hair. When you have as much hair as I do, it takes like an hour to blow dry, so I normally skip two days, at least one day, when I’m shampooing. So that’s another thing. I have a ton of hair! I can’t use elastics unless my hair is flat ironed because it won’t wrap around more than than twice. So I would say….having clean hair, exercising, and eating really clean. When you feel good about what you’re doing and what you’re putting in your body, there’s just nothing better.

What do you keep in your purse?

You know, you just made me think of something. I told you that I’m minimal on my lips but my whole bag is full of lip products. I have (counting) sixteen lip products in this little beauty bag in my purse. Sorry, seventeen! (she laughs) This just shows me that I need to clean it out because I never pull lip products out of this bag ever. I always have eye drops because they just kind of wake you up. I have a nail cuticle conditioner. I carry a file, a compact mirror, one eyeliner, bobby pins, and a Jo Malone fragrance.

I love Jo Malone. What do you like from Jo Malone?

Oh my god…I love, love, love mixing Jo Malone. I’m addicted to it. I think I have their entire display in my closet. I’m not kidding. I have all the different sprays because I love mixing them, minus probably five that they have, and they have like sixteen. I have a ton in there.

You’re like the perfect example of what I love with your La Mer and Jo Malone…

Jo Malone is the best! I would say my custom, every day kind of fragrance, would be the Orange Blossom mixed with Vintage Gardenia. It’s a nice blend. And then I also do the Wild Bluebell with their Wild Fig & Cassis.

And they’ve got beautiful moisturizers as well. I love the Jo Malone scents and, to me, it’s just such a beautiful line. Isn’t it just so beautifully packaged?

It is! And I love that I can mix them. I’m always trying new combinations. I’m always mixing and creating. I believe in smelling good and always changing it up.

It’s funny, I have to say, I ask a lot of women that I interview if they have any favorite beauty tips or skin care advice and you gave me two great ones without even being asked. I love your tip to contour with a bronzer and I love your tip to use a cleanser dry (applying without water).

I also pile on tons of mascara. I go through tubes of mascara so often. I just believe in wearing tons of mascara. I’d much rather make my eyes pop than anything else.

- Well, whenever you see a picture of Hope, her eyes definitely pop! Hope is currently studying acting with a private coach and she’s loving it.

Thanks Hope!

Related reviews:

1. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Hyland
2. Celebrity Skin Interview: Penelope Ann Miller
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Shay Mitchell

Regina is one of the warmest actresses that I’ve interviewed for MySkinAffair. She was so open, friendly, easy, and fun to talk to. What was meant to be a small chat with Regina, ended up being an hour of chatting with someone who felt like a friend by the end of the interview. She’s authentic, funny, sincere, and humble. Chatting with Regina was truly a pleasure. Enjoy!

Congratulations on the NAACP Image Award for “Southland”.

Thank you!

What did winning that award this year mean to you?

Well, obviously I was really surprised. I won last year but honestly, our show is on TNT, and let’s just face it…with cable we don’t have the viewership as regular network TV. So, I just figured that I wouldn’t have won again. So that was really surprising and I guess when you’re genuinely surprised, I think it makes for a more exciting moment.

You starred opposite Jamie Foxx and Cuba Gooding Jr. in roles that they both won Oscars for. Do you see a difference, in the moment, when you’re working opposite an actor who goes on to win an Oscar for that performance (that you were a part of), versus working opposite an actor whose work is never acknowledged in that way? Do you see a huge difference in the quality of work, in the moment of actually shooting, that something special is happening?

Oh, definitely. You definitely see in the moment that something special is happening. But then, like you noted, there are performances that we’ve watched or that I’ve been a part of where something special is happening and unfortunately it does not get recognized. That’s one of the things that I think makes the NAACP Awards so special. It’s the only forum that is respected the most outside of people with color. So it gives us an opportunity to have a moment to be applauded and get that pat on that back. You know, you need to hear that. No matter what anyone says about “awards don’t mean anything to me”…they don’t determine whether you’re going to get your next job or not, but they do serve as confirmations and moments of affirmations for actors.

Is there anyone that you would like to see acknowledged for their work, that hasn’t been?

That’s a hard one. Sometimes I think what happens is you’ll see a movie or a TV show and the show or movie, on the whole, is not the greatest movie but that actors performance is like, oh my god, ridiculous! You know what’s been frustrating over the years, that just came to mind? I don’t know how it’s possible that Phylicia Rashad never won an Emmy for Best Actress. And I don’t even think many white actors would argue with that. She’s amazing! Essence does that luncheon every year where they honor women. Hopefully Essence gets it right next year, and honors Phylicia. She’s amazing to me. But I’m speaking specifically of the Emmys in the years that she put in and was not recognized. Being a woman in my forties, when I was a teenager watching her, that’s the type of woman I wanted to be.

I feel the exact same way. I watched “The Cosby Show” as well and I looked at her, in the role of Clair Huxtable, as the perfect example of a strong mother figure. She was a great role model.

Exactly! You saw that you can be a successful professional woman and a good mother. Phylicia Rashad, as Mrs. Huxtable, I think represented something for all women in the 80’s that we still want to emulate. The few young girls that do watch “The Cosby Show” reruns and not reality shows, I think they see something in her.

Yes, absolutely! I couldn’t agree more. It’s amazing the impact that a great actor with a great character can have on an audience. What I think makes you such a powerful actress is that when I think of your body of work, I actually think about specific scenes you were in, specific moments even that I’ve found to be unforgettable. So many of your performances have been so powerful and fierce that I know they are coming from a place of truth. You have that ability to be emotionally unforgettable, and that’s truly a gift. I’m curious, selfishly as an actress, what your process is for creating a character?

Thank you so much. I totally agree with you, performances have to be rooted in truth for the viewer to look at them as real. For me personally, when I’m reading something, I have to feel a truthful moment at some point within reading it. Because sometimes the dialogue may not necessarily be there, but when you’re reading it you can understand what this character’s journey may have been. Because with a lot of projects, it’s not about seeing the entire journey. Like with “Ray”, you got to see where all of those characters started and where they ended up. But a lot of movies don’t do that. So for the movies that don’t, or even the movies that do, I always try to create a back story. You know like, where this person might have gone to school or what is her sexual identity, what does she relate to sexually, who are her mother and father, did she only have a mother, did she only have a father? I just kind of build a back story and I think when I do that, I have a place to come back to when I feel kind of lost as an actor, with dialogue or direction for a scene. And having a great director makes a difference too. Because sometimes you can have an idea of how you’re going to play a character, and sometimes you get too calculated and then a good director will see that and give you direction that makes you go away from being calculated and being more organic.

I read that you’re producing a documentary, “Story of a Village”. Tell me about that.

It’s about a woman named Tiffany Persons who is a friend of mine that I’ve know for years. About five years ago she traced my mother’s side of DNA, and it went back to West Africa. Specifically, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Nigeria. So maybe about two weeks after I had gotten those results, Tiffany called me and told me that she was raising money to go back to Africa to repair a school in a village that she found, that was dear to her heart, in Sierra Leone. I felt that it needed to be documented. So, long story short, I got my shots and got my son his shots and went and talked to his school and took him out of school for a month and we went to Africa and documented it. Since then, it’s just gotten bigger and bigger and all of things that Tiffany’s done since then. She’s built a whole new structure and she’s got running water there, just so many things. Each year she has done more there, so there’s more being added to the documentary. There is something really intriguing about Tiffany and how she has just dedicated her life to this village, Bungoma. It’s pretty amazing to me. And I feel like that blueprint can be applied to any circumstance where you’re investing your time to improve a situation.

When do you expect to finish “Story of a Village”?

I’m hoping to have it done by the end of this year.

I wish you great success with that. It’s almost painful for me to switch our chat from this topic to skin care items (we both laugh). But do you mind if we jump into some girlie questions?

No, not at all. My girlfriends and I always say, you know someone’s really your friend when they share their recipes and things like that.

What are your favorite skin care products?

My absolute favorite skin care products are Arcona. If I am out of town for two weeks and in dire need of a facial, I won’t get one. I only let Arcona touch my face. I swear by them. I use their Toner Tea Bar every single morning and I use the Magic White Ice. It’s a moisturizer but it doesn’t have any oil in it. And once a week I use the Cranberry Gommage, a light scrub, and I use the Tea Tree Mask. I also use this product by a company called Adonia Organics. It’s called Stemulift Serum and basically it’s made out of plant stem cells and no matter if it’s hot or cold outside, I just find that it’s the perfect amount of moisture for my face. And I use makeup remover wipes by Koh Gen Do, that are just amazing. Their makeup remover wipes are called Cleansing Water Cloth. And they don’t have any scent whatsoever and it literally feels like you pulled a wipe out of a pack that’s been soaked with water. One wipe will remove all of your makeup, honestly. They’re absolutely amazing! I swear by them. My makeup artist on “Southland” turned me on to them and I’ve been using them for the past couple of years. They’re on the expensive side, but when I tell you they are worth it, oh my gosh!

Makeup fave’s?

I’m a mascara fanatic! I really like MAC False Lashes mascara. That’s kind of my favorite right now. Lip gloss and mascara, those are my things! I have the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment.

The Fresh Sugar Lip treatment is one of my absolute favorites.

Yes! It is absolutely my favorite too. I have that in my purse. (We move on to chatting about what Regina carries in her purse.) I also have the MAC Zoom Lash mascara. It’s really short, like a mini mascara, so it’s doesn’t take up a lot of room. And I always have the Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral sun block. I use that every day too. I have about five lip glosses in my purse. The two that I use the most, are the Fresh Sugar and Kissable Couture. I always put the Sugar on first and then I put on Kissable Couture. I have about five or six different shades of the Kissable Couture and I switch them out all of the time. It depends on the day. I like more sheer lip glosses that have light shades. I always have one of the Kissable Couture lip glosses in my purse. And they also make these mini one’s that come in a travel pack, with about five different colors in a pack. So they’re small. You know how sometimes we just don’t want to bring our purses? You can literally just slip one of these in a small pocket in your pant, that’s how small they are. And then I use a Loreal lip gloss just for more shine. Those are the ones that I use the most.

Do you have any favorite body products?

I don’t know about you, but don’t you like to change it up all of the time?

Always!

Right when I get out of the shower I put on a little oil while I’m still wet. Women of color, we need more moisture on our skin and in our hair. So especially during the winter or colder months I put oil on my body when it’s damp. Right now I’m using Organic Shea Butter Body Oil by a company called Out of Africa and they’re the only people that I know that actually make a shea butter oil. The majority of the oil is shea butter but it’s mixed with almond and avocado oil. It doesn’t have any scent to it and I like that because you can still put on your perfume. Then, in the summer months, being forty one (she laughs a little), I now use Aveeno Positively Ageless Firming Body Lotion that I got in a gift bag. And I wish I had known I was going to love it so much because I would have just like started jacking people for their lotion out of their gift bags (we both crack up). It’s like $9.99 for the tube and it’s never in the drug store. Whenever I see it, if there’s more than one, I have to buy it because you so rarely see it.

What’s your must have product? The one product that you can’t live without.

Oh, you’re gonna be like “no” because it’s not for your body or skin…because (she starts to laugh a little) I feel like I’ll be able to borrow something from somebody. But if I don’t have Mentadent Toothpaste, there’s a problem. My “must have” is Mentadent Advanced Whitening Toothpaste. I’ve never ever whitened my teeth before and I’ve been using this toothpaste for like seventeen years now. And I think that it really works. If I’m going to be gone out of town for like three or four days, okay I’ll bring a little (travel size) toothpaste. But if I’m going to be out of town longer, I will pack my Mentadent.

You are so funny! That is my favorite answer of everyone I’ve ever asked. Because you’re like “I’ll just borrow the other stuff, I’m not gonna miss out on what I need” (we just start cracking up).

No, I need my Mentadent.

Do you have any favorite spas?

I like a spa here, in Pasadena, called Amadeus. It’s a really great spa and it’s low key. I go to Burke Williams because people always seem to give you gift certificates to Burke Williams. But my preference is Amadeus. I don’t know where there’s another one but I just know that I never run into any other celebrities there. Not that that’s a problem, but I think it’s kind of good because then you don’t have people coming to see celebrities. It’s not the celebrities that are the problem, it’s the people that are expecting to see celebrities.

Do you have a favorite treatment at the Amadeus Spa?

Oh gosh, they have this scrub that I like. And you go into a room afterwards and there’s this shower that goes over your body. And sometimes I get wraps. And I get massages, of course. For facials, I only go to The Arcona Studio. No one else touches my face but Arcona. It’s a really beautiful facility in Santa Monica.

What makes you feel especially sexy or beautiful?

The way my man looks at me. That’s the first thought that came to my head. I’m sure that there are more things, but sometimes he’ll look at me a certain way and you know, you just feel like “Aww, he loves me. Let me go over here and give him a kiss”.

Can I tell you, when I’m alone and I’ve just gotten out of the shower or I’m figuring out what to wear and I’m still naked, I’ll just throw on a pair of heels for no reason and that always seems to make me feel sexy. Or it serves as a reminder that I’m sexy.

I definitely do the heels naked! Whenever I get a brand new pair of shoes, I do try them on naked in the mirror.

And it works, doesn’t it?

Definitely! (we laugh)

It’s truly been a pleasure chatting with you, Regina. Thank you so much!

- Not only do I hope to end up on a set with Regina at some point, but she has a permanent lunch invite from me as well. Thanks Regina!

Follow me on Twitter @myskinaffair to get updates on new celebrity interviews.

Photo credits:
Photographer: Kirstin Knufmann
Hair: Yvette Shelton
Makeup: Ann Masterson
Wardrobe Stylist: Tod Hallman

Related reviews:

1. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Drew
2. Celebrity Skin Interview: Penelope Ann Miller
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Hyland

Special thanks to Dr. Murad and the Murad staff, for letting us play for the day. Also, big thanks to Dan Glaser for shooting this for me.

Related reviews:

1. Congratulations to Sarah Hyland and “Modern Family”
2. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Hyland
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Drew

In early 2011 Meital caught the attention of mega hip-hop producer Che Pope (Lauren Hill, Eminem, Dr. Dre) and they began to record her debut album “I’m In Hate With Love”. Other key players in the music industry have since come on board to support her music. With the release of her first single,Yummy Boyz, in June, 2011, the official music video quickly went viral and reached over 1,000,000 views and the song has circulated in clubs and radio stations nationwide. Meital is launching the second phase of her first single with the new remix YUMMY produced by Rami Afuni (LMFAO). Meanwhile this smokin’ hot actress/singer/performer continues her ascendancy across a range of media with an ongoing stream of videos and select live appearances coming soon.

I caught up with Meital last week in Los Angeles. We had a chat about what she’s working on and all things girlie. Enjoy!

Meital, tell me about your favorite skin care products.

Right at the moment, I’m using Mario Badescu. I use their Orange Cleansing Soap, Dermonectin Eye Cream, and a moisturizer of theirs with SPF 30. For a night cream, I use Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream. I’m also using a very high-end sunscreen, it’s called La Roche-Posay. It’s the Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid. It’s really nice and thin on your skin.

What do you like about the Mario Badescu products that you’re using?

I started using it a little while ago, because it’s not too oily and it makes your skin look fresh.

What are your makeup fave’s?

For mascara and eyeliner, I really like Mac. And for powder and base, I like the Chanel products. Make Up For Ever has really nice eye shadows. For lipstick, I usually get Mac. I don’t really put a lot of makeup up on. I usually just put on eyeliner and mascara and then my makeup artist does my makeup if I have a shoot or if I go to an event. Sometimes I just put lipstick on at home just for fun, even if I’m in my pajamas. Because it makes you feel special.

Do you have any favorite body products?

I like Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Salt Souffle.

What is you “must have” product?

The La Roche-Posay. That’s the most important product for me to use. And lip gloss. I wear lip gloss all the time because you want to keep your lips moisturized.

I’m right with you there. I’m completely addicted to lip gloss. Do you have a favorite spa?

I go to an Aveda Spa and I go to Surya Spa for Ayurvedic treatments. And I do house calls for massages.

What do you keep in your purse?

Usually I have an eyeliner, just in case you meet a good looking guy. And lipstick, in case you want to feel more special. And sunscreen in case you’re going out. Guys don’t like lipstick. See-through lip gloss is more useful. I like Mac lip gloss. I have to admit, if you go out just anywhere and you don’t have lip gloss, it’s a stressful situation, I’d say. I also carry L’Occitane Hand Cream.

What makes you feel especially sexy or beautiful?

I mean, I think it’s really about how you feel about yourself. If you sit at home and feel bad and have bad thoughts in your mind, it’s hard to feel sexy. But if you are in good spirits and you feel like life is shining to you and you love yourself, it makes you feel sexy.

You’re a singer, an actress, and you also write. Do you have one passion that you love above everything else?

I’ve definitely always been in acting, my whole life. So I can say that I really love acting. Music is a brand new passion that just kind of took me by surprise and basically took over my life in the past three years. And it’s been a lot of fun and a really magical process. So, I really love singing too. Basically it’s all different forms of performing and communicating with the audience and writing is really more about expressing myself and helping deliver messages or stuff that I want to talk about.

What are you working on right now?

There is a TV series in development that I’m working on. For music, I have a lot of shows coming up. Almost every weekend, in the next two months. My performances are a bit theatrical, so I prepare for that on many levels, more than just coming in and just standing on stage and singing. We always have a concept and we always have a story and I’m always trying to look for the humor within the performance too.

I saw in your video for Yummy Boyz that you’re a great dancer. Have you been studying dance, is that something you’ve always done?

You are sweet. I’ve always studied dancing and I’ve always been athletic. Before I was an actor, I used to compete professionally in swimming. I think I’ve always just been active. But for the dancing part, it’s really never enough for me. Dancing is one thing that always stays, kind of like a dream, being a dancer. I wish I was in gymnastic too. But the first lesson I went to for gymnastics I almost did a flip back and then I said “Okay, can I do it with high heels and incorporate it in my shows”, and they said no. I mean, what am I gonna tell the audience, hold one second while I take off my shoes? (she laughs) I want to provide my audience with an experience where they can get excited and laugh and feel free. Right now, I’m finishing my album, working on my next single and putting together these shows.

Because you had been focusing on your acting for so long, were you nervous at all when singing came along and you suddenly had the opportunity to record an album?

I have a great healer, a spiritual guide in Israel, who told me that I had to go back to America to start working on my music career. And it just totally came out of the blue. It wasn’t something I was planning at all. I always sang, but it was not something that I put on my calender, that I’m going to be starting singing. So it really came out of the blue. The next thing I know, I’ve been so busy with the singing that I don’t even have time to go back to visit my family. I’ve been home maybe eight days in three years. So, I started working on the music three years ago. It’s been a big surprise in my life. It’s been amazing.

It sounds like it’s a very exciting time for you and I wish you continued success.

Yes, it’s very exciting. It was fun talking to you!

Thanks Meital.

Related reviews:

1. Celebrity Skin Interview: Penelope Ann Miller
2. Celebrity Skin Interview: Regina King
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Hyland

“Modern Family” after their win at the Golden Globes.

Related reviews:

1. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Hyland
2. Spa Video: Pedicures with Timm Sharp and Sarah Burns, stars of HBO’s “Enlightened”
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Drew

I recently had a chat with Sarah about her favorite products and more. Enjoy!

Tell me about your skin care fave’s?

I really like Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes because they moisturize my face and take off the makeup at the same time. And it doesn’t burn or anything. I also use the L’Oreal Clean Deep Facial Cleanser that comes with the sponge.

What are your makeup fave’s?

I really like Cover Girl eyeliner. The one with the smudgy thing on one end and the pencil on the other end. I really like that one. I also really like Cover Girl lip liner. I’m a huge lip liner fan. I’ve also been using some Maybelline products as well. Their blush is really cool. Dream Mousse Blush. It trips me out. It’s like a sponge, but it’s blush. It’s crazy. It’s cool. I really like L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara. It’s amazing. Whatever it does to your lashes when you put it on, it like really extends them and makes them pop. And I love Natura Bisse, The Cure Sheer Eye. You put it under your concealer and it just brightens everything and it’s amazing. It really is magic.

Do you have a favorite lip gloss or foundation of any kind?

I’m not really big on that kind of stuff. I’m very, very simple. I don’t use eye shadow. I don’t like to go too over the top. For my lips, I just do lip liner and then I put Chapstick over it.

Any favorite body products?

Baby Oil.

What’s your “must have” product?

Probably Rosebud Salve.

That’s a good one. Do you have a favorite spa?

No, I don’t go to the spa.

Oh, just wait! You will and you’ll love it! Do you get massages?

I’ve only gotten one massage in my life and that was when we were in Hawaii filming “Modern Family”. I got a massage at the resort. It was amazing.

Do you keep any makeup in your purse?

I just carry all that I told you about in a plastic bag in my purse, because I always do my makeup in the car. I don’t take time to do it at home and stuff.

Do you have a favorite makeup tip or skin care advice?

Always blend from your face to your neck, so you don’t look like a clown.

How’s it going on “Modern Family”?

It’s great, thanks!

Are you having a good time with the other actors?

Yeah!

How do you think you’re most similar and least similar to Haley, your character on the show?

Most similar is that we both can’t really cook. Least similar in the fact that she really takes the time to actually do her hair. I can’t do hair.

What do you think would surprise your fans most to know about you?

I think it would probably be that I really can’t do my hair. I’m not really good at makeup and hair. Other people do that.

Congratulations on being a part of a such an amazing show.

Thank you so much!

Thanks Sarah!

Related reviews:

1. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Drew
2. Congratulations to Sarah Hyland and “Modern Family”
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Shay Mitchell

Eva, Zoe, and Olivia being interviewed at the luncheon by Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson.

Eva Longoria directed the short film “A Proper Send-Off” that was inspired by Glamour reader Jan Livingston Mokhtari. As I previously wrote, in my coverage of The Glamour Reel Moments Premiere, I found “A Proper Send-Off” to be very inspiring on the subject of breast cancer prevention. Jacinda Barrett, Sam Page and Victoria Smurfit are the stars of “A Proper Send-Off.” In this first exclusive video clip, Eva Longoria is talking about not having to “man up” as a female director.

Here, Eva is talking about directing an actual makeup artist (who was playing a makeup artist) in her short film, who had never acted before.

Eva Longoria behind the camera, directing her short.

Eva Longora directing Jacinda Barrett

Coming soon: My exclusive videos of Zoe Saldana’s interview from the Glamour and Clarisonic Em(power)ment luncheon.

Related reviews:

1. Glamour Reel Moments Premiere - Clarisonic Hits Hollywood
2. Celebrity Skin Interview: Regina King
3. Spa Video: Pedicures with Timm Sharp and Sarah Burns, stars of HBO’s “Enlightened”

You asked for her back, and you got her! When I asked my readers to choose a favorite Celebrity Skin Interview, out of all the actresses that I’ve had chats with, Kate Walsh sat at the top of their lists. After interviewing her twice, seeing how much she interacts with her fans online and also knowing her personally, it’s no surprise to me that you chose Kate. For the first time ever on My Skin Affair I’m bringing a celebrity back, by popular demand. Also, another first, I’m giving you a Celebrity Skin Interview “mashup”. I’ve combined pieces for you from both of my interviews with Kate because some of you wrote to me about loving my first chat with her last year and some of you wrote about the second chat that I had with Kate this year about Boyfriend. (Seriously Kate, your fans are an incredibly loyal bunch.) Without further adieu, I give you…The Kate Walsh Interview Mashup!  Enjoy.

I met Kate while we were shooting a pilot together for ABC in 2005. At the time, she had only shot a handful of episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and there was talk of her becoming a bigger part of the show if our pilot didn’t get picked up as a series. Consequently, when our pilot didn’t become a series, Kate was available for “Grey’s Anatomy” and from there…Kate Walsh quickly became a household name. Next came “Private Practive”, and you know the rest.

I knew a bunch about Kate before we had our first chat about skin care. I knew all about her talent, how funny she is, I know she’s a super cool chick that’s easy to talk to and work with and I know that she’s a fellow animal lover. But, I had no idea how knowledgeable Kate was about skin care and how passionate she is about it. So, chatting with Kate about skin care was a blast. Kate is a true skin care enthusiast. Enjoy!

Photo by Roberto D’Este
Prior to our chat, Kate had told me that she is a huge fan of Kate Somerville’s products and services. So, I wanted to start there…

I noticed Clarisonic on the Kate Somerville site. Are you a fan?

Love Clarisonic! I have one for the face and body. It makes a huge difference. It’s not only good for cleansing but it’s great for circulation.

Why Kate Somerville?

Her products and services are great. It’s two for one…you go to her spa and she’s got the best services in terms of facials, muscle rejuvenation, lasers (red light, blue light, white light) all of these great things. Because I’m a big believer, I’ve not done anything, like I’ve never done Botox, I don’t have any fillers…nothing. And (she laughs) I’m not saying that I never will, but I don’t. So, everybody has their line in the sand and mine is I’ll do everything else other than put any needles in my face, you know…unless I cut myself and need stitches. (laughs) So, what I love about Kate Somerville products and her services there…it’s very natural. It’s great, beautiful skin, fresh, glowing, gorgeous…but very natural. But there’s also the lasers that I love. For example there’s the Titan laser that works on a deep dermal level and helps to stimulate collagen growth. But, I don’t do anything where I can’t go to work the next day. I love the lasers that she has there, and I love the facial.

Do you have a favorite facial you get at the Kate Somerville Clinic?

There’s the Quench Facial, which I love. They’ll do a regular cleansing and do extractions, but anybody can do that. And I’m not a huge fan of doing major extractions anyway. Mostly I take good care of my skin to where, unless it’s hormonal, I don’t have a lot of extractions to do. Luckily, I mean part of that’s genetic, my mom had really great skin and so I’m blessed in that way. But, Kate Somerville does this facial called Quench, that’s like an airbrush that they use to put this Quench serum into your face, pressuring it in with the airbrush. And it’s so super moisturizing and you can see your skin plum up and it’s great to do before an event or a big night or a photo shoot.

How long do the results last?

That just depends, a few days. But, the lasers are more long term. Their salon services are just fantastic. All of the different lasers! And then they have the muscle rejuvenation that stimulates the facial muscles to give it a little lift. And if you do that consistently you really see a big difference. You see it right away too. It gives your skin a little lift. And the other one’s (treatments) are long term. You just go in as regularly as you can, once every couple of weeks or once a month to do the laser stuff. You know, Botox is faster I think, but it’s weird. I mean, I just think we’re on the edge of an epidemic of weird facial stuff happening.

And people just look strange!

They look weird. I’ve seen some actresses that I haven’t seen in a while and (laughing) you’re like “Whoa, okay! You look really different”. And I think it’s really difficult to be objective about your own face. Because we are all aging and our faces change and our bodies change so I think it’s kind of impossible to remain objective. So when you start doing things to actually alter how you look, really alter, it’s a slippery slope.

It is, you’re right. And there’s so much that you can do to avoid that or at least prolong having to do something like that, if that’s what you want.

It’s like working out. I mean, I feel like it’s just like going to the gym. You can’t just go on a crash diet and expect to be in great shape. You have to consistently take care of your body and you have to consistently take care of your skin. Inside and out, too! That’s another thing, in terms of skin care for me. I’m 42 now and your body chemistry changes, hormones change. It’s funny, in your twenties and early thirties you’re like “Yeah, I can do whatever I want”. Now, I have to take supplements and vitamins and eat well because it is the inside out. I make sure I’m taking fish oil to keep the skin hydrated and moisturized and vitamin E. I like Reservatrol. I love that stuff. It’s a supplement. It’s a natural substance that helps promote skin growth and cell growth and renewal.

And you notice a difference?

Yeah, I do. But that’s another thing. You can’t just go in and have lasers washed over your face, or the same thing with a filler or Botox or something. You see these people with the frozen face and then their necks look terrible or the rest of their body is going and it’s like, you have to go from the inside out.

Yeah, it’s like seeing people who get liposuction and then don’t change their diets.

Yeah!

What are your favorite Kate Somerville products?

The products are just ridiculous. They’re all natural, they’re very clean smelling. I love all of them. One of my all time favorites is ExfoliKate. It’s an exfoliating scrub for the face and you can also use it on your body. But I use it on my face and neck and decollete. And it’s got a little tingle to it. I’ll use the Clarisonic to cleanse first. Kate Somerville has a great gentle skin cleanser too, her Gentle Daily Wash. I use that. I put that right on the Clarisonic and go to town. And then I put the ExfoliKate on and I wash it off or use the Clarisonic to scrub it off. It’s a great exfoliator and you see a difference right away. And you can use the Kate Somerville Micro Glycolic Polisher in conjunction with the ExfoliKate. I love mixing that with the ExfoliKate. It’s a combination of glycolic and lactic acid and it’s a good exfoliator. It really minimizes fine lines and wrinkles. The other thing she has which is fantastic is her Mineral Mud Mask which doesn’t really need to dry. I do this in the shower in the morning because I don’t have the time to hang out…you know. It’s plumping and it also extracts. And, again, you feel a little tingle. It’s a Mineral Mud Mask and it’s genius. It’s a newer product of hers. It doesn’t get dry and tight like a traditional mud mask. It’s gives you a nice plump. So, you feel a little tingle in your face as it’s extracting and you feel a little plump in your face. I don’t have big, full, “bee stung” lips and you feel a little plump in your lips after the mask. I love it. And any of these products, you can finish with a Clarisonic too. One of the things that I love about Kate Somerville is that there are four basic things to use. It’s not crazy, complex…having to use six or eight different things. You can use as little or as much as you want of her products. And I love that all of her products sink right in. You can put makeup right over it. I love that. She also has a Quench mask that’s very hydrating as well. And I love the Quench Face Serum. It’s very hydrating. Also, I love the Kate Somerville Line Release. And then there’s just the basic stuff, like drink tons of water. Hydrating is a big thing for me. I get really dry skin.

My favorite, favorite thing, that’s not Kate Somerville is Emu oil. And that is sort of the best thing. It’s from the Emu bird. If you’re a vegan, I’d say jojoba oil is great. Emu oil has healing properties. It’s incredible. My makeup artist introduced me to it. It’s helpful if you have a scar or a scab or if you’ve picked at your face or if you have a burn. It heals scars and burns really well. A friend of mine burned herself badly with a curling iron and put Emu oil on it and it really heals. My boyfriend uses it for a moisturizer. I put it on in the morning before I go to work. After I get out of the shower, I put that on all over my face and neck. It doesn’t make you break out. And then as I’m in the hair and makeup trailer (on set), I let that set in. Your face just drinks it up. You can also put it on at night before you go to bed. Incredible!

Good to know! Is there a specific line of Emu oil that you love?

The kind that I get that I love is Laid in Montana by Montana Emu Ranch. I put it all over my face. It’s incredible. Honestly, it’s one of the best kept secrets. It’s awesome. It not only moisturizes, but it’s got healing properties.

So, it would be great for people who have acne scaring?

Totally! And, going back to Kate Somerville, she’s got great lasers for acne scaring as well. And, by the way, Kate’s products are not a fortune. They’re really reasonable and it’s very accessible. I’ve been using her line for about five years. Also, there’s an old one too that I do at night sometimes which is Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. It’s been around forever. It doesn’t make you break out and it seals in the moisture at night to give your skin a break. I’ll put on the Emu oil and then the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream over it before I go to bed and wake up in the morning and have baby skin. It’s incredible.

It sounds like your “must have” product is Emu oil?

Yeah. I’m a big fan. And again, if you’re vegan, you can use jojoba oil instead. I did a movie in New Mexico and it was so dry and windy and the makeup artist there suggested jojoba oil. And you can get it at the grocery store and it’s super cheap. It’s so good for your skin and healing as well.

Do you have any favorite body products?

I’m obsessed with Pure Figi Coconut Sugar Rub. It’s the bomb! I use it in the tub, in the shower…and it’s awesome. The other thing I’ll say for a cheaper option, that’s super hydrating, is Cetaphil Ultra Hydrating Lotion.

Yay, Cetaphil! I’m a big fan of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It’s really affordable and really great.

The Cetaphil Lotion is awesome. I’m obsessed with finding stuff that works and that’s not scented, so I can put my perfume on and not have conflicting scents. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter for feet, elbows, and knees. I love that stuff! By the way, a good tip…while you’re in the shower, put an oil your skin while you’re still wet and then when you go to put your bathrobe on or your towel, you just have that little moisture in there and then you can put your lotion over it. That’s particularly great for people with dry skin. And I love L’annine Hand Cream.

Let’s talk makeup!

I don’t wear it when I don’t have to. If I can get away with it, I wear none. My guy at work (“Private Practice”) uses Armani foundations. I love them. My favorite mascara on the planet, other than Maybelline Great Lash that everyone loves…is Make Up For Ever mascara. I love it. It never clumps and it looks super natural. I don’t like to put a lot of foundation on, but I still use a little bit of Chanel foundation. I use their Lumiere Fluid.

What do you keep in your purse?

I love Jao Hand Refresher. It smells great. Love that! For under eye (dark circles), other than the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat pen that everybody has, I love the Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer. I’m obsessed with Cle de Peau. I use the Cle de Peau Concealer in “Ocher”. I use that in combination with the YSL Touche Eclat. If I’m going out and going to do my own makeup I just do a little bit of that under my eyes, super moisture, and maybe mix a little Chanel foundation with a moisturizer and just rub it on almost like a lotion. And then I have a Stila Sheer Pressed Powder. But I try not to even use a lot of that because I try not to have any creasing. I always carry a lip gloss. Right now, I have the Face Lip Gloss that I love in my bag.

Are there any spas or resorts with great spas that you love, out of town?

I like Montage Laguna Beach. And Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is always good.

Photo by Tim Calver

So, I have to ask…when we worked together I think you had only done a few episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy”. What was it like when all of that blew up and then turned into a spin-off for your character on “Private Practice”?

It didn’t happen over night. I had a really great time shooting “Grey’s”. I shot the pilot with you and when the pilot didn’t go I came back to “Grey’s” and it just became huge. It’s something you can’t ever anticipate. It was a crazy ride. I could have never anticipated that.

Kate is a very proud supporter of Oceana, the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation.

What Kate shared with me about Oceana:

”I’ve been working with Oceana for a couple of years. I’m working to preserve the ocean. It’s a food source for a billion people on this planet. We have to help maintain that. Since I can remember, the ocean has been a part of my life. I’ve always been by the ocean. I even thought I’d be a marine biologist at one point…(she laughs) or play one on tv one day”. - Check out this beautiful picture of Kate swimming with a sea turtle.

Photo by Tim Calver

Less than a year after I had my first skin care chat with Kate, we had another chat about her new creation. Kate created the hippest and sexiest fragrance and body care line…Boyfriend. Boyfriend is romantic decadence. Just the way you want your Boyfriend to be. Sexy, cozy, comforting, warm and chic. One of the things that I love about Boyfriend is that it’s so personal. Kate really put her own story and heart into it. Everything about Boyfriend feels personal. It’s personal to Kate and it will be personal to you. From the Boyfriend ad campaign…”Wear Him”. How sexy is that? Wear him!!!

How was this brilliant idea hatched?

About five or six years ago I had split up with my boyfriend and I was in New York and I was shopping and I missed his scent. I missed his cologne. I missed him but I really missed how he smells on my skin. (she laughs) You know when you hug your guy and you have that smell? So I went and bought a men’s fragrance and it wasn’t quite right because it was just a men’s fragrance and it was too strong and not right. At the time I thought, I’m just going to go to the men’s fragrance counter and you don’t need to have a boyfriend to have a boyfriend, ya know? And then I thought, wait a minute, that would be a great idea for a perfume. And I thought of the story of it. The everybody’s got a boyfriend story and the ad campaign was sort of spinning, ya know? You don’t need to have a boyfriend to have a boyfriend, my mother loves my boyfriend, my girlfriends want my boyfriend, even my husband loves my boyfriend. But I thought, oh I don’t want to do a fragrance, because there are people who are much more famous than me and everyone has their fragrance. I wasn’t interested in doing a “celebrity” fragrance or an endorsement deal. For me it was really about creating it, the concept…the guy’s scent on a girl’s skin and it was really the creative venture of it that was really interesting to me. So, the guy who actually inspired it, my ex-boyfriend, who is a venture capitalist…I called him up and he told me that I should just make it, but make it like I would make a pilot. Create it, shoot it, spend the money on it and then go around and shop it. And if you sell it, then you can get a loan from the bank and do it that way rather than going to get investors. So that’s what I did. So this was totally inspired by my ex-boyfriend. And I didn’t do it right away. The idea sort of wouldn’t leave me alone and the thing that was blocking me was just “who needs another perfume in the world”. But I couldn’t find what I liked out there so I thought, well this is a perfect opportunity to create it. So I did!

This is my new favorite smell. It’s a very, very sexy scent. Was it difficult for you to make a final decision on the scent?

Yes! It was very difficult. I went to a perfumery in New York and I liked everything that was being put together. They first asked me what I was inspired by and I remember I loved this candle at the Gramercy Park Hotel. I loved this smoky, kind of woody, really sexy scent. But that wasn’t right on it’s own. But I brought that in. And I loved the memory of my first boyfriend’s cologne, which was Polo by Ralph Lauren. I wanted to have these masculine notes but it had to be feminine too because for a while I wore just sort of straight up men’s fragrance but it’s too strong. And for an every day thing, it’s just too much. And I wanted more floral. So we found the balance. So this fragrance opens up with a floral and then the woodiness and vanilla and amber come in later. And it’s a fragrance that you can layer.

But yes, it was very difficult to make the final decision. I kept questioning it and we went round and round…and we got it right! It was an important piece to have the feminine in there too because it’s not just a men’s cologne for a women. It’s really the marriage of both.

That’s exactly what it is. You completely achieved that! And, by the way, awesome idea for the body oil. I love it, it’s light, it’s not greasy. I love it for my arms and legs.

For The Boyfriend Kit itself I wanted to do something that was cute and chic, and I liked the idea of making it portable. So you can take your Boyfriend with you wherever you go.

So, why a train case? Where did that come from? It’s such a cute idea!

I think it’s kind of romantic and vintage. And I was inspired by old movies and also wanted to design something a bit kitschy and fun for Sephora.

Did you choose all of the names on the case?

I did!

Well, I love everything about Boyfriend and The Boyfriend Kit. It’s going to stay on my permanent list of favorites.

And it has…and so has Kate!

For more info on some of Kate’s favorite products, check out my review for the Kate Somerville Clinic and Kate Somerville products!

Super huge congrats to Kate for being YOUR favorite Celebrity Skin Interview. Until the next time I catch up with Kate on all things skin care, check out the awesome Kate Walsh Site for all things Kate.

Photo by Brian Bowen Smith

Related reviews:

1. Celebrity Skin Interview: Kate Walsh and her Boyfriend
2. Celebrity Skin: Kate Walsh
3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Sarah Drew

Between being a new mommy and traveling back and forth from Los Angeles to Hawaii while working on “Hawaii Five-O”, Autumn and I found the time to have a chat. I have to add that halfway through our chat, her four month old baby woke up from his nap and as soon as he woke up, I heard a new mommy completely in love with her baby. Once Autumn had him in her arms, every other sentence that she spoke was followed by the sweetest comments and cooing to her little one. When I told her how loving and cute she sounded with him she said “I love it”. And you can hear in her voice that she really, truly does. It was a very precious thing to listen to. Here’s our chat. Enjoy!

What are your favorite skin care products?

I like Aveda. Leslie got me into it (Leslie is our lovely friend who introduced us). I’m not a huge product girl at all because I have a huge aversion to spending money on beauty products of any sort and then not liking them. So instead I tend to be a girl who just kind of uses what anyone gives me, or if it’s something that somebody strongly recommends. And after, literally, years of Leslie recommending Aveda…I started trying it. I use the Aveda Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme and it was the only product that solved an issue of redness that I had around my nose. Makeup artists have been giving me different products for years and nothing ever worked. And finally, Aveda worked great. I love, love, love their products. I also use Aveda Tourmaline Charged Exfoliating Cleanser and I use it when I’m traveling. I also use Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser. Right now I’m using Boots skin care wipes. It’s a product from the UK. I use those or Neutrogena skin care wipes. And I use Neutrogena oil free eye makeup remover. That is my favorite eye makeup remover. I feel like I’ve accidentally tried tons of them and I always come back to Neutrogena. It’s the only one that doesn’t sting and it works really well. I just really like the Neutrogena line. I feel like it’s a trustworthy line, you can get it anywhere, it’s clean, it’s simple, and it’s fragrance-free most of the time. They are my fall back line, I always go back to them because I feel like I can trust them. Other than that, if I’m given something in a gift bag, that’s what I use. Unless it’s just super fragranced or just too over the top for me, then I don’t use it. But most of the time I’m like “Great, it’s free!”. I use everything under the sun for eye cream, literally whatever shows up in a gift bag. I have nothing that I’m super attached to. Honestly, I just turned 31, and I’m thinking that now I should probably take all of this a little more seriously and actually find an eye cream that does what I need it to do. So I’m right at that point of being like “I can use anything I want” and also “maybe I need to have an actual routine”.

I haven’t spoken to anybody on My Skin Affair who has said that they should start doing this or that about anything. For some reason people don’t like to admit that they’re not doing all they can for their skin and I like the fact that you’re saying, “You know what, it might be time”.

I’ve been very lucky with my skin. I had very little problems with blemishes when I was in high school, and I still look young…I’ve got good jeans, My mom still looks really young and so I’ve never really thought much about it. It hasn’t been a big priority in my life. But now that I’m getting older and actually seeing my age in my face a little bit, I’m starting to think that I need to pay attention.

We all do! It’s all about prevention. I probably didn’t start using eye cream until I was around 28. I really wish that I had started using an eye cream much sooner than I did, just for prevention. I feel lucky that I’m not really seeing wrinkles yet. The truth is, in our twenties, we weren’t thinking about wrinkles.

Oh, not at all. And I go to the beach, too. So literally every day, every summer, I was running around getting tan. That was my main concern. So now, I’m thinking that maybe when people said to wear sunscreen, maybe I should have.

Exactly. It sounds so basic, but it’s true. I completely relate.

Do you have any favorite body products?

My friend Carolina gave me this lotion that I am totally in love with and I am one hundred percent sold on it. It’s one of those things that I will actually go online to buy. It’s John Masters Organics Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Milk. And I use their Body Wash as well. I love the way it smells. It’s not too sweet, it’s a little citrusy. I tend to like really clean, citrusy, summery scents. And I wear Jo Malone Lotus Blossom and Water Lily for my fragrance. It’s really light and clean. I like everything in my makeup and clothing to be as minimalist as possible. And clean.

I happen to be a huge fan of Jo Malone products. Their products are so beautiful. Jo Malone is so lovely. And I love their packaging, it’s stunning.

It is! I was never into fragrance. I never had a fragrance until I was getting married, about two and a half years ago, and I wanted a scent to wear. I found Jo Malone. I like that they layer fragrances. I got Lotus Blossom and Water Lily for myself and I also bought bought Jo Malone’s Dark Amber and Ginger Lily Cologne for my husband. So, I like that they matched. When we’re together the scents all compliment each other. So, my husband wears Jo Malone as well. I got these fragrances specifically for the wedding. I wanted a specific scent and totally fell in love with Jo Malone. I never wanted to spend any time looking for a perfume and my wedding prompted me to do that and I’m so glad I did because I like having something special to wear and I like having the scents that I wear every day. I have a small Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne that I use too.

That’s such a fantastic idea! So you wanted to find your guy a scent to wear, specifically for your wedding because you wanted to have a certain scent on that special day?

Yeah, and I used my wedding as an occasion to do a lot of things that I had been wanting to do and having a fragrance was one of them. To me a wedding is about becoming a woman, in a lot of ways, and that was part of my journey…to find a scent for myself and for my man as well. It was one of my wedding gifts for him.

I love that! I completely agree with you that finding your fragrance is a wonderful thing to do for yourself and I love that you did that for your wedding. Beautiful idea!
So, let’s talk makeup!

I love Aveda Lip Pencils. All Aveda lip products! Go Smile Flashlites. I love those! When I was on “The O.C.”, Peter Gallagher’s friend made them and brought them in for everybody to try. I just thought they were brilliant and I’ve continued to purchase them. I use Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer for foundation and I love it. I use Nars Blush in “Orgasm”. It looks great on everybody and it’s totally reliable. I love it! I have yet to find a mascara that I love. I’m obsessed with Cle de Peau Concealer. A makeup artist had given me the bottom of a tube of it once and I didn’t know anything about it. I started loving it. It’s a pricey concealer but I actually will spend the money on it because it works so well. There’s no other concealer that compares. I like Laura Mercier eye shadows and their palettes. I have a Laura Mercier two layer palette called “Signature Toolbox” that I use. You know what I’ve been using a ton is this amazing palette from Sonia Kashuk from Target. It looks like a little tiny, flat straw purse. It has four brown shadows, a peachy/apricot blush and three glosses. The shadows look great on everybody and the blush is perfect to put right on the apples of your cheeks in the summer. I like a lot of Sonia Kashuk products actually but she makes really great travel products, in particular. Her eyelash curler is what I have in my makeup bag and her brushes are not expensive and they are really reliable. I also use a little eyebrow kit that Sonia Kashuk makes, that’s really nice too. So I use that and I use Laura Mercier’s eyebrow pencil. I love Laura Mercier. It’s really reliable. I use eye shadows instead of eye liner, with a very thin brush.

I did the makeup for all of the bridesmaids in my sister’s wedding. I used a Chantecaille glimmer stick on all of them, that I’ve used for years. You put it right on the top of your cheek bones. I hardly used any makeup on my sister for her wedding. I just used the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, a little bit of apricot blush, the Chantecaille glimmer stick and mascara. I swear that’s all I used and she photographed so beautifully.

What’s your “must have” product?

An eyelash curler, period!

Tell me about your favorite Spas.

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, in Ojai, is amazing. I got married there two and a half years ago. I had this great spa treatment there called the Kuyam Experience. In LA, I go to Kinara a lot. They do really good facials. For massage I go to Massage Envy. It’s great. I had a water treatment at Burke Williams once and all I could think about was how much water we were wasting and I really did not enjoy it. Burke Williams is a great day with your girlfriends/special occasion spa. I’ll go there for a massage. I like Burke Williams, I just don’t like anything that feels too wasteful so I won’t get the wet treatments. I got go Wax for my waxing and it’s really chic and fun and the girls there are great and the decor is really great. There’s a nail salon that I go to that’s for moms, Plush Beauty Bar. What’s so great about it is that it’s a nail salon for moms. So it has a corner that they’ve blocked off for babies with a bunch of play equipment for the babies and all of the products that they use are non-toxic.

What’s your favorite spa treatment?

Deep tissue massage.

What are you favorite products for your little one?

MD Moms makes amazing infant safe sunscreen and I also use the MD Moms Sunscreen Towelettes. A lot of my products are MD Moms. I trust their products. Seventh Generation makes nice wipes too. Palmer’s makes a Cocoa Butter for babies and that’s what I’ve been using for his moisturizer. It smells really good. For body wash, I use Earth Mama Angel Baby. My new favorite line is called Beginning. They have beautiful packaging and they make some lovely baby massage oil. I have their body wash too, that you can use on yourself and on your baby. They also make a room spray that’s really nice. I was just sent a bunch of products from this company called Noodle & Boo. I haven’t tried them yet, but the packaging is so beautiful.

When I was pregnant, I really loved Burt’s Bees Body Butter. And I also used coconut oil on my belly, my legs, and my bottom…anywhere you would get stretch marks. I don’t know if that’s why, but I didn’t get any stretch marks. Of course, I think a big part of it is genetics and how well you take care of yourself.

What’s your best piece of advice for makeup or skin care?

Do your eyebrows! Having nice eyebrows is really important because it frames your face.

Autumn has a blog that’s called M.O.V.E. - Modern, Organic, Vintage, Eclectic. It’s “a blog for girls on the go”. I really like it! Tell me about your blog.

I wanted to start a blog because I love the blogging world and I love other girl’s blogs. It’s still a journey for me, but it’s a way for me to share things in the design world that I love, things I discover on my travels, and it’s a way for me to connect with fans. It’s heavy on photography because I’m an extremely visual person and I love photography. The blog reflects my taste. I love doing it. It’s a big part of my life right now. And I’d love to develop it into a line of products as well. I’d like to do a line of housewares and stationary…things of that nature. I love paper goods. I’m kind of obsessed!

Tell me about the movie you have coming out, “So Undercover”. What was your experience like working on that?

I flew to New Orleans (to work on the movie) for just two days and I play a fashionista. My character is an expert in sorority girl lingo and sorority girls. I train Miley Cirus to go undercover as a sorority girl. My scenes were with Miley and Jeremy Piven, which was really fun because I love working with Jeremy. We had a great time! And I was five months pregnant, so trying to look like a skinny fashionista while five months pregnant was no easy feat.

I’m sure! How’s it going on “Hawaii Five-O”?

It’s great! Going back and forth to Hawaii is pretty awesome. It doesn’t suck! (she laughs)

Is there any bikini pressure on that show?

God, I hope not! (we both laugh) So far, I haven’t had any beach scenes.

Keep your eyes out for Autumn on “Hawaii Five-O” and in “So Undercover”. If you’d like to check out Autumn’s blog M.O.V.E., click here.

Thanks Autumn!

All of the pictures of Autumn on My Skin Affair were taken by photographer, Adam Hendershott.

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3. Celebrity Skin Interview: Penelope Ann Miller

First of all, when I say “a little goes a long way”, a little goes way more than the usual “long way” with this product. In fact, without fail, I always put more Special Cleansing Gel in my hands (or on my Clarisonic brush head) than need be. Good for all skin types, this particular Cleansing Gel produces a nice, smooth lather. This soap-free, foaming Gel, is gentle and effective. I really love it. Special Cleansing Gel is non-drying and rinses off easily. I’ve now used it many times and feel very confident recommending it to anyone. In my opinion, along with using this product for yourself, Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel would be the perfect facial cleanser to have available in your guest bathroom for anyone who might need to wash their face while visiting you. It’s a really great all-around cleanser.

From Dermalogica: Special Cleansing Gel was, “designed to thoroughly remove impurities without disturbing the skin’s natural moisture balance.”

8.4 oz $33.00

Related reviews:

1. Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream and Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash
2. Tammy Fender Cleansing Milk
3. Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil