"I Feel Very Empowered at This Moment in My Life": Pamela Anderson on Vulnerability, Vivienne Westwood, and Wearing Makeup Again

Since arriving at Isabel Marant's S/S 24 show in Paris without a stitch of makeup, Pamela Anderson has become a figurehead for natural, fresh-faced beauty. She's attended Oscars events, the Met Gala, and her own son's wedding with a minimalist beat, so when she appeared at Vogue World: Milano wearing striking, inky eyeliner, she, of course, got people talking. "I never want to pigeonhole myself," the star tells Who What Wear about the decision to go full glam. At present, the bold liner has given way to a pair of thick, square-framed glasses that lend a scholarly air, heightened by the backdrop of Anderson's sprawling at-home library. Elbows perched on a copy of Vivienne Westwood's Get a Life!, she leans closer to the computer screen. "At that point in my life, I really wanted to strip things back and get to know who I am again," she continues, "but I also love makeup. I love glamorous looks. When I'm doing a film or if I'm in a play, I wear lots of makeup, but having good skin is the most important thing."

It's a lesson she learned from her mom, who frequently wears a strong eye, brow, or lip but always keeps her skin free of foundation. "I remember her saying that foundation and powder just sink into your wrinkles," Anderson shares. Keeping the complexion "raw," as she calls it, maintains the best of both worlds, allowing her to play with color yet remain authentic under a high-resolution camera lens. "When you go with a bare face, it's a more vulnerable, approachable, interesting look, but that's just my two cents. I've been having fun with it," she adds.

In other words, the switch-up isn't that serious. "I really just felt like it went with the outfit," Anderson says. She also had the opportunity to work with Dame Pat McGrath for the event, and when Mother invites you into the makeup chair, you might as well opt for a bold beat. "I thought, 'Let's just do it, but in a Michèle Lamy or Carine Roitfeld way'—like a Cleopatra eye that's a bit severe without anything else on my skin," she recalls. Indeed, she kept the rest of the look simple with nothing but a sheer wash of shimmer over her lips, courtesy of a brand-new Sonsie product she's had to keep firmly under wraps.

Like Anderson's return to bold makeup, the Wild Groundcherry Basic Balm has a breezy, lighthearted spirit. It boasts the same smoothing, plumping players as the original formula (25% sugarcane-derived squalane and a 1% hydrating peptide complex) and a flavor inspired by the unexpectedly earthy, semisweet ground-cherries from Anderson's own garden. Another surprising delight is the soft, golden shimmer, which is mica- and microplastic-free. "It just enhances the natural color of your lips," Anderson explains. If you were a fan of the brand's limited-edition Sugar-Dipped Rhubarb version, then you're likely familiar with that subtle, cool-toned sparkle. Wild Groundcherry has a similar effect with a warmer finish, and like its rhubarb-flavored predecessor, once it sells out, it's gone for good.

You can either wear it on its own, like Anderson, or layer it over your favorite lip product—say, a bold, colorful liner à la Westwood. "She was such a mentor to me," Anderson says of the late designer, stroking the spine of her current reread. "She wore red eyeliner on her eyelids and green on her lips. She didn't think about what other people thought of her." We could all use a little of that courage, Anderson adds, which is why she's embraced a new beauty MO: Expect the unexpected. "I feel very empowered at this moment in my life, and that, to me, means not following trends," she says. "You know, I have a very playful side. … When I find something new, I like to share it with people."

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