Red alert
Blanca Padilla talks all things Givenchy, what makes us beautiful and also reveals how she achieves that glowing complexion.
How did you feel when you were asked to be the face of Givenchy make-up?
To be very honest, I couldn’t believe it. This is my first beauty campaign. To me, Givenchy has always embodied women’s elegance, chic and strength. I couldn’t have hoped for a more exciting partnership… Givenchy has always been a brand that caught my attention, first with the beautiful masterpieces Givenchy fashion house created every season, and soon after that with the relationship I developed with the people inside it. The team have always welcomed me with such warmth and love. I feel very comfortable with the beauty team and Nicolas Degennes is a very special human being.
Do you remember when you first discovered the Givenchy brand?
If I remember correctly, the first time I laid eyes on a Givenchy collection was when I entered my agency and my agents were working on models for the new fashion show – it was amazing. I instantly wanted to walk for the brand… and I eventually did!
What does wearing make-up mean to you?
Make-up offers infinite possibilities. Most of the time, I just want to be myself. I don’t like my everyday make-up to be too showy. There are excellent tools available to achieve a natural, yet enhanced, look. It’s important for me to be able to recognise myself in the mirror.
What makes women beautiful?
Their self-assurance, definitely. In my professional experience, what makes women stand out is their approach to life, what they believe in, what they think of their everyday existence. There is no universal beauty criteria. Women’s beauty comes in different forms, and working with Nicolas has made me want to discover more of this beauty. His portraits of Asian women from his shoots in Asia are absolutely stunning.
Can you describe your beauty routine?
I’d say my routine is quite minimal. For the daytime I like to keep it clean: a bit of Teint Couture Everwear Concealer wherever is needed (usually jet-lag asks for some under the eyes!), highlighter on the top of the cheeks, eyelids and a touch on the nose, and some brown golden loose powder on the cheekbones for that sun kissed look. Lashes curled and a touch of mascara Volume Disturbia. That’s all for a healthy and natural glow. For a night look I usually stick to terrain and nude tones that go well with my olive skin, creating a light smoky eye, then maybe a strong red on the lip, or I play with a more unexpected colourful lip. I think the more you play around with the different products, the more you discover how they can be used in creative ways.
And for your lips, what is your favourite Le Rouge colour?
It’s so hard to choose. I love the classic Le Rouge but I think Le Rouge Deep Velvet has some of my favourite shades from all the products that have been released lately. I love the classic, timeless, strong red Le Rouge L’Interdit No.333 and some more bold and innovative ones such as Le Rouge Deep Velvet No.37 Rouge Grainé and Le Rouge Night Noir No.1 Night in Light. The texture that I love most is definitely Le Rouge Deep Velvet, I think it is revolutionary in a way because I haven’t seen a product that is able to hold this texture for so long. You can get this texture in the market but it will dry out your lips and won’t be long lasting, making you re-apply many times throughout the day. I love that it lasts, moisturises and has a very unique finish to it while doing all that.
What make-up tips can you share with us?
Of course I have learned a lot from watching Nicolas and his team! Especially about preparing the skin, because we always follow the same routine before every shoot. For instance, before doing my make-up, his team applies a moisturising mask to my face, which gives me an incredibly luminous complexion once the make-up is on. After the base has been applied, the skin grain is literally transformed. It’s things like that, like learning how to thoroughly moisturise your skin before application, using the right methods to apply the products, and sometimes even knowing how to apply them differently for a more surprising make-up result.
Images: Supplied
