Christina Hendricks's Best Beauty Tips
She dishes on the routine that keeps her looking polished, even when she's pulling up to the Mad Men set at 5 a.m. Plus, the fragrance that helps Christina get her Joan on. By Kate Sullivan, REDBOOK.
You once said you'd never wear sweatpants in front of your husband [actor Geoffrey Arend]. Do you ever let him see you completely makeup-free?
By now, Geoffrey's seen most of the tricks of the trade. [Laughs] But I always have on blush, even when I'm not wearing anything else--it makes me look alive. It's the first thing I put on when I wake up, and he just thinks I have naturally flushed cheeks! I like Make Up For Ever cream blush; it blends into my skin really nicely.
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Tell us your other makeup essentials, please.
I have a drawer full of lipsticks. I try everything, though reds and corals are my favorite colors. Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Pop Life, which is an orangey red, is a nice mix of both.
Do you pump it up a little more for date night?
I've had a go-to look for years that's pretty similar to Joan Harris's [her character on Mad Men]. I do black liquid eyeliner along my top lashes, rosy cheeks, and pink, red, or coral lips. That feels the most me.
Are you skilled with liquid liner?
I'm pretty good, I have to say! My makeup artist on the show may not agree, but it suffices for date night, for sure.
What about fragrance--do you have any favorites?
Fresh Cannabis Rose helps me get into [character as] Joan, so I spray it on before I go to work. Years ago, Janie Bryant--our show's costume designer--and I began putting Joan in a lot of dresses with roses on them and we realized, Joan is a rose girl.
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What do you keep stocked in your shower?
I only take baths--I'm one of those rare people. There's something about having water poured over my head first thing in the morning that seems aggressive. If I have to be at work at 5 a.m., I'll wake up at 4:30 a.m. because I know it takes six minutes to fill the tub and I'll be in it for five. No bath salts, no bubbles, no mucking about. Just get in, get clean, and get out.
We hear that in high school, you worked as a shampoo girl at a hair salon. Tell us about it.
Yes, I worked at [in a campy French accent] Alexandre de Paris in Fairfax, WV. I scrubbed heads, made perm solutions, put in rollers, and swept up a lot of hair.
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Speaking of hair, you're a natural blonde. When did you start coloring it red?
When I was 10 years old. Redheads always intrigued me, especially Anne of Green Gables, and my mom said, "Let's just throw a rinse on that!" Little did she know she opened up a can of worms. I still love my hair as red as I can get it!
What's inside Christina's beauty kit: Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Pop Life, $25, "brightens my face"; Lancôme Génifique Youth Activating Cream Serum, $84 ("I change up products; I'm using this right now"); Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, $19.50 (50 readers will win one; see page 155 for details); Fresh Cannabis Rose Eau de Parfum, $88 for 3.4 oz; Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, $20; Make Up For Ever HD Blush in #210, $26.
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