The Glowdown: Priyanka Chopra Shares the Beauty Secrets We All Want to Know

Welcome to The Glowdown, our brand-new series where we'll be diving into the beauty secrets of our favourite celebrities as they get real about their routines and nonnegotiables exclusively with us. Join them as they sit in our beauty hot seat and we fire off a round of quick-fire questions, giving you never-before-shared insight into the products they cannot live without, their secrets to red carpet–ready skin, pet peeves, and the genius tips they have picked up from experts along the way. This is no-holds-barred beauty at its finest.

This month, ahead of the launch of her new makeup collection with Max Factor, we sit down with actor Priyanka Chopra, who's all too willing to reveal her most-trusted beauty buys, how she styles out a bad-hair day, and what she considers to be the ultimate beauty faux pas.

Which makeup product gives you the biggest mood boost?

A bright lipstick!

If you could steal someone else’s makeup bag, whose would it be?

Rihanna.

You’ve got a spot. Are you team pop it or team leave it alone?

Leave it alone!

You only have one product to use for the rest of your life—what is it? 

This is tough… I would have to say lipstick or lip balm.

What’s the best piece of beauty advice that you have ever received?

No matter what, wash your face before bed.

It’s a bad-hair day—what do you do?

Throw my hair in a topknot.

What is your signature fragrance?

I don’t have a signature fragrance. I use fragrance to evoke a mood. All of the characters I play, for example, have their own fragrance too. It’s actually a ritual for me to pick a fragrance for a character that I feel embodies her. Right now, I am wearing Cartier La Panthère.

Strong lips or a strong eye?

Depends on the mood and the look, but I’m really into a moody winged eyeliner right now.

You’re having your nails done—what’s your go-to colour?

Anything other than nude. When I’m on a job, my nails are almost always nude, so when I’m not on a job, I like to do something colourful and fun.

What is your beauty philosophy in a sentence?

Less is more.

What is your favourite lipstick colour? 

Golden Dust from my new collection with Max Factor. It's a pumpkin shade, which I love.

What’s your biggest beauty no-no? 

Not removing your makeup before you go to bed!

Candles, reed diffusers or nothing at all? 

Candles.

If you could share one piece of beauty advice, what would it be? 

I think it would be the importance of skincare before you apply makeup. I always took care of my skin, but when I started working with Pati Dubroff, she always prioritised my skincare before a makeup application, and the makeup just looked better.

What beauty product do you recommend to everyone? 

My new Max Factor collection, of course. Each shade is designed to flatter all skin tones.

Name one beauty product that is always in your handbag. 

My Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara.

Are you team dewy or matte?

Matte for lips and dewy for glowy healthy skin—I love Max Factor Miracle Pure Foundation for this finish.

The greatest drugstore product for under £10? 

One of my nail shades, especially Starry Night. The bold blue just pops!

Your brows, in one word.

 Twins, not sisters.

Your worst hairstyle (or hair moment) ever…

I [had my hair] cut in a "lop" once, and looking back, it was a questionable look.

You have to wear your hair crimped or blue eye shadow for the rest of your life. Which do you choose?

Crimped hair.

Makeup primer—love it or hate it? 

I’m a big believer in priming the skin, especially for the red carpet. It keeps everything in place and even.

Confession time: How often do you clean your makeup brushes? 

Probably not often enough.

What beauty rule do you always break?

Are there beauty rules? I think beauty is a tool that allows you to express yourself and your creativity. We are all different, and what is right for me may not be right for someone else. So I don’t really believe in breaking beauty rules, because there aren’t any.

Would you rather have ultra-skinny brows or bleached brows? 

Bleached brows.

Which celebrity’s hair would you love to steal?

No one—honestly, I think my hair is pretty great.

Which era of beauty inspires you most? 

I think the '60s. The early part of this decade was all about elegant eyes, delicate shades, and the mid-part of the decade was dramatic with bold mod eyes. I feel like this really embodies me. I’m moody with my makeup and love to play and experiment with different techniques. So this feels like my era.

Eyelash curlers: Love them or hate them? 

Love.

Best beauty hack? 

Bowl of ice water if you don’t have any face tools! It shrinks the pores and chisels the face.

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