Suki Waterhouse on her ‘wing it’ beauty routine

Suki Waterhouse isn’t afraid to wear a little — or a lot — of makeup. She’s worn golden glitter tears on a red carpet, and never shies away from retro-inspired liner or fluttery lashes. And now, we can attach a brand name to all her future beauty looks. That’s because the British actress has just signed on to be the face of Laura Mercier. As the inaugural “Mercier Muse,” a program aimed at celebrating the individuality, Waterhouse will front the brand’s fall 2017 and spring 2018 advertisements (see the first campaign shot, above).

“Our brand has been embraced by a younger audience and we want to tell young women that we are speaking to them,” says Laura Mercier, the makeup artist behind her eponymous brand. “There is so much happening in artistry today – from technique to using quality products – and we felt that it was essential to be represented by a young, talented, confident woman.” Debuting alongside the “Mercier Muse” partnership are three new products: Caviar Stick Eye Colour Matte, launching in July, Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Foundation, launching in September, and Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick, which will bow in January.

Harper’s Bazaar interviewed Waterhouse on all things beauty — even that time she accidentally shaved her eyebrows.

Harper’s Bazaar: You’re constantly changing your hair and hair color — do you find it difficult to adapt your makeup? Or do you tend to wear the same products no matter what your hair color is?
Suki Waterhouse: The times that my hair has been peroxide blonde I find myself needing more makeup, but generally I like to keep makeup quite natural; my go-to products are Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen for a natural, dewy look. They help skin to sing and look healthy. Those are my safety hero products which I know I can apply even in a moving car and they’ll do the job. At the moment, I’m playing an 18-year-old girl with pink hair, my character’s inspiration for makeup is Anime characters, so it’s been fun to experiment with brighter colors around my eyes, and pops of color on my lips.

HB: What are the beauty products you always carry with you?
SW: I like to carry a really small bag, so my favorite thing to have (in there are a handful of) Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour. They are a dream, with electric colors with silky smoothness on the skin. I just throw them on and smudge a bit. They can create any look, subtle or bold. The best part is once they are on they don’t budge!

HB: How do you think your British upbringing has influenced your beauty routine?
SW: I think being British gave me a very low-key approach to putting makeup on. Culturally the first thing that inspired me growing up in London was the Camden market heavy smokey eye look, which I wanted to emulate, so I started taking long romantic trips down the makeup aisle and experimenting with black eyeliner. When I first working in fashion and began to have my makeup done professionally on shoots, I fell in love with the ’60s cat eye look which definitely draws on British heritage too. When in doubt, just wing it. Life, eyeliner, everything.

HB: What are your go-to spots for facials?
SW: I go Shani Darden in Los Angeles for facials. Whenever I’m in London I run into the Waterhouse Young clinic for a hyaluronic facial, I promise I’m not being biased because it’s my dad’s place!

HB: What have been your favorite and least favorite red carpet beauty looks? Why?
SW: My favorite red carpet look was the first time I went to the Met Gala in 2014. To be honest any red carpet where I don’t get nervous and pull a bizarre face is a win for me!

HB: Let’s talk about your eyebrows. Did you ever feel pressure to have skinny brows back in the day? What is your maintenance philosophy like now?
SW: Heavy eyebrows run in the Waterhouse family, so before I acquired a tweezer when I was about 13 I would take a razor to my eyebrows and shave in-between them. There would be the occasional slip up which I think in the long run was a positive and resulted in potentially thicker brows.

When in doubt, just wing it. Life, eyeliner, everything.

HB: What is the one thing we’d be surprised to find in your medicine cabinet or makeup bag?
SW: I’ve been using organic apricot oil which is rich in omega six and vitamins A and E. I slather it on at night when my skin needs a moisture boost.

HB: How does it feel to now be working with Laura Mercier? Do you have any great memories or anecdotes of the brand to share?
SW: I have so many memories of the brand from a very young age. I used to watch my mum use Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, it was her favorite product! It was the first makeup brand I knew as a little girl. I remember sneaking into her room and rifling through her makeup drawer to use it, so the brand naturally feels close to home.

(Images courtesy of Laura Mercier. Story courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar, Rustan’s The Beauty Source, and Laura Mercier Philippines)