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Watch our cover star walk us through her all time favourite beauty products
Gemma Chan; actor, producer and activist (as well as longstanding L’Oréal Paris ambassador and fashion industry darling), is Bazaar's newest cover star.
During the photoshoot for her interview – which you can read here – Chan delved inside her beauty bag (the Louis Vuitton 'Nice' vanity, no less) and shared the contents with us in this video.
Among her trusty, treasured cosmetics she shows the Charlotte Tilbury Cryo-recovery face mask which she says "soothes and tightens" skin a treat. A pre-event essential, she divulges: "I actually used it today as I knew I had a shoot, and it’s also post-Glastonbury, so I needed a little bit of help!".
Another SOS product Chan reveals is Dots for Spots, discreet but potent patches designed to be worn on breakouts. Wearing one "helps the spot heal, draws out impurities and stops it from getting too bad," she explains.
For over a year she's been using the L’Oréal Paris Pure Retinol Revitalift Laser Night Serum. As her "go-to retinol serum every night," it leaves her skin "feeling amazing in the morning" she says.
Chan explains that her relationship with beauty has very much evolved over the years. "When I was younger make-up was something you wore to try and look older and to get into the pub, the bar – so you would slater it on," she recalls. Now, in the year she turns 40, "beauty to me is much more about taking care of my skin and taking time for myself and also using it in a creative way to express myself".
She prefers a more minimal base now, and has learnt from the pros that "blending is key". Her favourite cheekbone-enhancing product is Kevyn Aucoin’s The Art of Sculpting and Defining Volume III. "I don’t like an overly-contoured look," she explains, "but when I feel like I need a little bit" this is it.
A post shared by Gemma Chan (@gemmachan)
She also feels that "there’s nothing like a classic red lip to give you a lift," and shows her favourite, the L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Intense Volume Matte in shade 346 which she likes to do "buffed out" – a technique she picked up from following make-up artist Val Garland on Instagram.
Chan might have over-plucked her brows in the Nineties, the actress reveals, but they're now full and "quite unruly", so she uses the "highly recommended" Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze to tame them. A bit of this styling wax applied with a spoolie and "they're not going anywhere," she confirms.
See more of Chan's favourite products and the lessons she's learnt in beauty via the video above.