"I went to a music school far north in Sweden where I released my first song on Soundcloud—I had like 50 Facebook friends and 40 followers on Instagram then, I felt very anonymous. But I wanted to try and canonize my style in videos and everything so that were anything to happen, people would know what I was about. Now, I really enjoy taking it further—not more extreme, but amplified. I’m working on it still, but I do know what I’m about.
Makeup is very much a part of me—I love it. When people on sets are like, ‘Today, we're going with a natural look,’ I’m like, ‘No!’ [Laughs] I hate when I don’t get to wear eyeliner. I don’t wear foundation, so I like to go harder on the eyes, and I’ve loved liner since I was 12 when I saw Amy Winehouse doing it. The Balm’s liquid one is great because it gives you a good shape and it really sticks—I’ve tried every liner to get it right. I was very inspired by people like Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe, and I would watch tutorials like, ‘Know the Secret Makeup Tricks!’
I’m constantly curling my lashes, and I think my favorite mascara is Lancôme Définicils Pro. The wand is curved so you get a more feathered look. I always have mascara on the bottom lashes because I feel like my eyes get a little bigger when I do that. Like Twiggy—I probably wouldn’t go that extreme, but I’ve definitely taken inspiration from her. For eyeshadow, I like to go with basic colors—natural browns, beiges. Sometimes I’ll use a purple because I hear if you have green eyes that makes the color pop.
On my skin I use a powder concealer from Clinique on spots, and I do love a bronzer. Eyeliner, bronzer, mascara are the three most important things! I also like Maybelline’s Define-A-Brow. I hate other people touching my brows because I’m very particular in the way I want them. I love lip colors, something either peachy or beige. The Balm’s Meet Matt(e) Hughes Liquid Lipstick is good because it stays, it really stays.
As much as I love makeup, I never go to bed with it on—that’s a big no-no. No matter how drunk I am! I don’t scrub my face, because I’m afraid to do it. [Laughs] So I just wash my face with Neutrogena’s Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Cleanser. All the women in my family, including me, use Eucerin Face Lotion with SPF. I love the way it firms my face and doesn’t make me look too oily. As for hair, I try not to wash it too often, but when I’m traveling it gets harder not to. Usually I just put an oily serum on the ends to keep it from getting too dry since my hair is bleached. If I want to go for more volume, I use a white volumizing powder—I put it through the middle and then put it up in a strong bun, or leave it down…big and wavy and beachy!"
—as told to ITG
Léon photographed by Tom Newton.
