Lily Collins Is Loving—And Keeping—Her Emily in Paris Trauma Bangs
The actor and Lancôme ambassador shares her best beauty advice—plus The White Lotus character on her crossover wishlist.
When I hop on camera with Lily Collins, the Emily in Paris star sits in front of her laptop in a casual sweatshirt with no makeup—the very opposite of what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing at Savoir or Agence Grateau. But similar to her character Emily Cooper, Collins is a woman who’s comfortable in her skin, excited about the future, and ready to get to work. She is, however, a bit distracted.
“I’m sorry, my dog Redford literally just put half of his body under the couch to get a toy, but he squished himself,” she says in amusement. “I’ve never seen him do that. I was watching going, ‘How is he going to do that?’”
Redford is the rescue pup Collins shares with her husband, filmmaker Charlie McDowell, and when you ask the Emily in Paris star about the daily things that bring her happiness, Redford and McDowell are at the top of that list. But then there’s also Collins’s little pleasures, like the cappuccino her husband makes her every morning. “And just the way he looks at me and makes me laugh,” she says. “As well as our home that we’ve created together, our travels that we embark on together. I find new things every day that I didn’t realize made me happy, but when you’re in a more clear, open-minded place, I think you’re more open to receiving that.”
In addition to starring in and being a producer on the Emmy-nominated Emily in Paris, she recently launched a production company, Case Study Films, with McDowell. “It’s making us really happy right now, to be able to be tell stories and give other peo
Then there are her partnerships with brands like Cartier, Living Proof, and Lancôme, the latter of which began a decade ago. The luxury skin care and makeup powerhouse is the specific reason we’re talking today, as Collins is appearing in Lancôme’s new La Vie est Belle campaign alongside brand ambassadors Julia Roberts and Zendaya.
“It is such a wonderful celebration of love, mentorship, camaraderie, friendship, womanhood, sisterhood and more,” Collins says of the campaign, which is centered on happiness and inclusivity. Plus, it was a chance to team up again with Roberts, whom she worked with on Mirror Mirror in 2012. “Julia and I have continued to stay close throughout the years. I’ve worked with her husband, Danny Moder, and I know her kids. It just felt so organic and so true and so grounded.”
Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts and Lily Collins in 2012
Jan Thijs/Relativity Media/Courtesy Everett CollectionBetween her involvement with Lancôme and her production company, it feels greedy to then ask Collins when she’s going to start back up on her other job (you know, the one in Paris), but also terribly wrong not to. “We’re just trying to figure out when,” she says of a season four start date. “I mean, the last episode left on such a cliffhanger, and I’m dying to know. I’m talking to Darren Starr, being like, ‘So what happens?’ And he’s like, ‘We’ll find out when we write it.’ So we’re waiting to find out just as much as everyone else.”
While some fans thought the show filmed seasons three and four back-to-back, Collins says that wasn’t the case. “The schedule is just so grueling that we probably couldn’t have, and the show relies on current events and pop culture to impact the episodes. And so it would’ve been hard to foresee what would happen.” The good news, though, is that Collins says season four will begin filming this year, and perhaps that leaves room for a dream costar.
“Bruno Gouery who plays Luc guest-starred on The White Lotus, so I would be so interested in a crossover,” she says. “We already had Bruno over there; it’s like, We’ll take Jennifer Coolidge over here. I was so happy for him when he got that role.”
But before Collins gets to work on that crossover (one can hope), we put her to the test for Glamour’s latest edition of Big Beauty Questions. Here, she shares the current beauty trend she won’t be following, why her bangs aren’t going anywhere, and what she appreciates about aging.
Glamour: What is one beauty trend you’re obsessed with right now?
Lily Collins: Bangs. Honestly, they make a ponytail or a bun extra chic. Even if it’s messy, it’s just like, Oh, there’s something that’s different. And it shapes your face differently. There’s a sass to them. They also do really well in humidity. I know that seems weird, but they honestly do. My hair used to be not great in humidity, but now with bangs at least there’s something on my forehead to look like something. There’s a little Frenchness to it that I like, so I think I will keep them for a while. And you can wear them so many different ways. They can grow out and be curly. They can be shorter. I love them.
What is one beauty trend you think is BS?
I’m really not into thin brows, which are back in. I’m like, “No. I don’t really like that at all.” I’m not into that. Never did work for me, so I can’t ever do that. When I was younger and trying to follow the trend of thin eyebrows, I did it myself and I looked ridiculous. It just never shaped my face correctly and I didn’t feel like myself. But it was just because I wanted to follow the trend.
What is the best beauty advice your mom ever gave you?
The quirky things that make you different are what make you beautiful. There’s only one of you in the world. I think it’s easier to believe and trust that as an adult than it is when you’re younger, but that really helped.
Fill in the blank. I love my hair best when…?
It air-dries.
Do you use any products that help with that air-dry look?
Honestly, I don’t. It’s more about air-drying it naturally with nothing in it. But then when I want to keep my hair looking messy [but clean], I’ve always loved dry shampoo. Living Proof’s dry shampoo is the be-all and end-all of dry shampoos because it doesn’t leave a residue, it smells great and it actually works. I always have the travel-size in my bag anywhere I go. And even with bangs now, I don’t want to always have to wash my hair, so just putting a little in the roots and letting it go is the best way of dealing with it.
Speaking of travel, what city or country gives you the biggest beauty inspiration?
Honestly, there are two places. Paris helps inspire clean skin, minimal makeup, and just a red lip that really is so chic and so doable. You can throw a red lip on at night or throw a red lip on during the day, but you don’t have to cake yourself with makeup. It’s about embracing freckles and a fresh face, which I love. I know so many French women in Paris, but also that live in LA, who maintain that approach. No nail polish, or just a chic nude.
And then I will go also with Denmark, specifically in Scandinavia, because it is, again, that incredibly fresh-faced, sun-kissed—even in the winter—glow. It’s so natural. You’re not contouring. You’re not caking on makeup; you’re embracing freckles. You’re wearing lip balm and maybe a red lip. It also has to do with, especially in Denmark, an inner happiness, because when you are content and happy and calm and balanced, that will physically manifest in how your skin and your hair look. It’s a true testament to the mind, body, soul connection.
Let’s say you can only use three products for the rest of your life. What are they and why?
Burt’s Bees original lip balm, because it is the most wonderful tingly sensation that doesn’t leave a shine on my lips. It’s a nice matte finish that keeps them hydrated. Living Proof’s dry shampoo in travel size. Honestly, I can not wash my hair for a few days and it smells great, it looks great. It’s a miracle worker. And then the Lancôme Génifique masks. I literally carry them everywhere I go. They leave me feeling glowy. I’m on so many flights that I end up being quite dry, so there’s nothing like it. Really, it’s not about makeup. It’s just about the integrity of your hair and your skin.
Oh, that’s really hard. I love having my face massaged, but I’ll go with a massage because I carry a lot of stress in my muscles and in my body. And because I’m on so many planes and juggling a lot of stuff all the time, my body is often out of alignment. If your body feels off, it then just goes into your mind and you start to feel off. So I’ll go with a massage.
What is your go-to perfume and why?
I’m going to have to go with Miracle because it just smells so uplifting. It makes me happy. It wakes me up a little bit. It mixes differently with every person that wears it, but it’s got that lingering smell that you just know right away what it is. It’s a classic, but it feels fresh. And I love that. I remember shooting the campaign for it and I couldn’t believe that I was shooting a campaign for a perfume that I’ve loved for so long. It just felt so genuine to me.
What is the last Instagram rabbit hole you went down?
Interior design. Looking at lamps and chairs because we’re redesigning a space right now. And then you start clicking on these amazing homes, and then you’re looking at tile colors and wall colors and rugs. It’s so funny because as a kid, I remember my mom always talking about interior design, and I was more interested in clothing and pop bands and stuff. And then she’s like, “One day you’re going to care more about interiors and antiques and designs.” I was like, “No, I’m not.” And now it’s literally what I want to spend my money on.
If you could change anything about beauty perceptions on social media or in Hollywood, what would that be?
There are scary apps and filters that change the complete aesthetic of your face. I don’t even know what they’re called, but when you see the before-and-afters, it’s terrifying. The idea that young girls that are under the age of 16 are using those and posting them…I can’t imagine having that at that age. I can’t imagine that that would help instill accepting yourself as enough, if you’re already feeling the need to change yourself in order to have to feel confident to post a photo. So that makes me really sad that filters like that exist as normal now.
I was raised to embrace who you are and the different things about you as being what’s beautiful, so those filters and apps really go exactly against that. It makes me question how the younger generation will then grow to accept themselves if they’ve been instilled so young that the only way to put yourself out there is through filters and apps like that. And also, when you smile and laugh, and see wrinkles…it just means that you’ve had a fulfilled life of lots of stories and memories.
