Emilia Clarke has an interview with UK outlet Stylist talking about her approach to makeup, hair and fragrance. It’s a fun look into her beauty philosophy and some of the products she uses. Since reading her incredible essay detailing the two brain aneurysms and surgeries she had, I’ve been a fan. She talks a little about that ordeal, and about feeling unattractive when she was in recovery. It’s more about how much pain she was in though. This is a great read. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she does next after Game of Thrones.

Her mom told her not to pluck her eyebrows
My mum bribed me when it came to beauty. She told me, “Don’t touch your eyebrows because when you’re 17 (as a kid, you always want to be 17) I’ll get your eyebrows professionally shaped.” I was like, “Oh, I’ll hold out for that, that’s so cool!” And honestly, it never happened. I got to 17 and big eyebrows were coming back, so it was like, what’s the point? And when I wanted my ears pierced at 12 she said, “If you wait, we’ll go to Selfridges and we can put pretend diamonds in,” so that I didn’t do it. I did have magnetic earrings though.

Her mom also taught her how to do a light touch with makeup
My mum also taught me how to do ‘no make-up’ make-up. She showed me how to put on my make-up so it looks like I’m not wearing any. If all my friends were doing big eyeliner, which I so wanted to do, she was like, “Why don’t you just put it on the lash line, so it is there but it doesn’t look like it’s there?” She would gently nudge me in a classy direction, so I didn’t go too bonkers with the teenage make-up. I’m still following her today. But a red lip, which I obviously love, is always a red lip.

On feeling awful after her second surgery
“I was so full of drugs from being in the hospital that I had a lot of water retention, and one half of my face was quite swollen,” the 32-year-old recalls. “I felt so deeply unattractive. What I can see now is that I could see the pain behind my eyes. And no amount of anything can cover that.”

On how lovely she felt as Daenerys
I had the best professionals in the world doing my hair and make-up and costumes, and there is really not much I can do about it. I can’t ever get my hair to look like Daenerys’. It’s a heartbreak, but I’ve had to come to terms with that.

On her hair getting fried when she went bottle blonde
We would put the bald cap and the wig on. Everyone told me, “You look so much better as a blonde, you should think about being blonde the whole time.” So for the last season I was like, f-k it, let’s do it. I loved it, but it broke my hair. When you’re peroxide blonde, you don’t want to not be peroxide blonde. You keep thinking, ‘I can do this! My hair will get better!’ But it didn’t. So then I had to cut it all off and dye it back to brown. I feel good. Brunettes have more fun because it’s a lot less hassle.

Her definition of beauty
Beauty is laughter. It’s being inspired. If you look emaciated and tired and full of self-loathing you do not look beautiful, no matter how perfect your hair and make-up is. We should be celebrating having a giggle a bit more. Laughter is free as well, which is good.

[From Stylist.co.uk]

You can tell she’s close with her mom and got so much advice from her. My mom was not as into makeup as I grew to be/am so I had to teach myself. I’ve actually been trying to teach my mom about makeup now and I think she’s picked up a few things. I can relate to not feeling attractive when I’m sick. I went through some difficult health issues around her age and it changed my life, it humbled me and made me re-evaluate some priorities. Maybe that’s why I find her so likable. I’m still superficial about my looks though. I’ve felt like this recently, when I’ve been in pain off and on and am also mad that my face looks puffy. I know it’s no big deal but I can’t help it!

Also in the latest Gossip with Celebitchy podcast, #17 out today, we talk about Daenerys’ story arc. (That’s around 23:30. There are spoilers but only up to episode 4, not the one that aired last night.) Kaiser/Chandra has some great insight about what producers are doing with Daenerys and how it parallels another character on the show. (Around 30:30.)

Oh so she was doing this to promote her partnership with Dolce & Gabbana fragrance and that’s why she was talking about perfume. You can tell she genuinely loves fragrance though. (I cut those excerpts you can read them at Stylist.)

photos credit: Avalon.red