"The best part of acting is characterization—being able to explore people and explore behavior. Hair and makeup are such great tools for understanding characters. When you’re trying to find a character before filming a movie, you do the hair and put on the makeup and you step into the character’s shoes—literally—and that usually tends to be the clicking point. It's very powerful. I just finished a movie called Suspiria, and I had to cut my hair and dye it for the first time. Before that, I had really long virgin hair—I got it at done at Mêche with Tyle Mahoney because I'd heard they were good. But I've realized that once you color your hair, it's a full-time commitment. For shampoo and conditioner, I use Alterna Caviar Infinite Color Hold—it lathers really nicely and keeps the integrity of the color. There’s also the Alterna Bamboo Smooth Moisture Mask, which is a really nice hydrating mask I use once a week, but other than that, I try not to put too much product in. And I like it like this. I think it's important to change your hair up once in a while—not to always remain the same.
Before I started acting, I'd never wear makeup. When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Amy Winehouse, so I'd do the eyeliner flicks, but that only lasted for six months. I've recently been wearing a bit of mascara regularly—I like the Benefit They're Real because they make your lashes look really long and not clumpy. And they look real! The Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat is a really nice way to brighten up your eyes. Even when you're a bit tired, it comes in handy. I use Sisley's Tinted Moisturizer with blush from MAC. Blush is really fresh and young, really invigorating. I like it more than bronzer. I think it's just a bit more lively.
For the most part, I don't do anything to my brows. They aren't bleached, just naturally light. Maybe when I was a little kid I thought they were strange, but I realized as I got older, the things that make you different are the things that are special about you. So I'm embracing them. It's new to have defined eyebrows like this. Pat McGrath did my makeup for the Prada La Femme ads, and if I could have any eyebrows, I'd choose the ones she gave me. [Laughs] I've been wearing the La Femme Prada Intense fragrance from the campaign. There's something romantic about it. The longer it sits on your skin, the more exotic it smells. That's really nice.
I found Sisley's Floral Tonic through another makeup artist, and I just think it's lovely. I use that after the Kiehl's Energizing Face Wash, which wakes me up, and then sun cream. Always. Whether it's sunny or rainy, just to help protect my skin. I heard someone say once that skin is like leather, and once it’s stretched, you can’t really do anything about it, so I really want to keep it safe. I use La Roche-Posay Anthelios—I found it in a French pharmacy and thought it smelled nice. It works. I never get burnt.
Sometimes I use moisturizer, depending on how my skin is doing. Sometimes the sunscreen is enough to make me feel moisturized. If I do, it's Sisley All Day All Year. My night cream is also Sisley—it keeps my skin really hydrated, otherwise I wake up in the morning and my skin's really dry. Especially living in L.A., which is just dry heat, you have to really try to work at keeping the moisture in. Drinking water is important. Sometimes I'll have one of those New Age L.A.-type smoothies, but to be honest, I think a lot of it is hype. Why would I want to buy a $20 smoothie? It's all marketing."
—as told to ITG
Mia Goth photographed by Tom Newton at the Prada flagship store in Soho on June 13, 2017.
