Anya Taylor-Joy shares beauty tricks and meditates on the roller coaster

The New York Times

Anya Taylor-Joy, who this month shares the cover of the British edition of Vogue magazine with Queen Elizabeth II, took her talent to Hollywood (see: “The Queen’s Gambit”); fashion personality (she is a world brand ambassador for Dior); and unique perspective (see: his tip on meditation).

After a childhood spent in Miami, Argentina and London, Taylor-Joy, 25, is now used to moving every three months or so for new jobs. A few weeks ago, she was in Ireland to film “The Northman”, an epic story set to be released on April 22nd.

“My idea of ​​home is very different,” she said of her travel schedule. But if her lifestyle is an itinerant one, she has adopted some beauty and wellness rituals that focus on comfort and work to calm down. Below, see what she likes.

silent mornings

My priority is to have an hour to myself each morning. I usually live with a lot of people, so I need at least an hour to recharge for the day. If there is an opportunity to do a sauna, wherever I am, it is in the sauna room that you will find me.

Hair and skin for the day

I learned about beauty from my mother. I’ve always had very long blonde hair and that’s why conditioner is part of my life. I would come out of the sea as a child and spend hours crying while my mother untangled my hair. Now, I absolutely love Olaplex. I use the shampoo, conditioner, treatment and then I apply the “leave-in”. People say not to use conditioner on the roots, but I don’t believe it. If you’re a blonde like me – Tracey Cunningham takes care of my hair color – you need to use conditioner at the roots. But you have to rinse everything carefully.

It took me a long time to start worrying about my skin. I was 22 or 23 when I started paying attention. Now, taking care of the skin is my moment. I love “gua sha”. I bought mine from Amazon and keep it in the freezer. Wearing it is one of those comforting, “I want to feel good about the situation in the world so it’s time for a facial” moment. It’s not just to define the contours of the face. It also helps if you have sinusitis. There are pressure points on the face that can relieve sinus pain. Then you need to give the skin a minute to settle down.

I consult Shani Darden for skin care. She is a true skin mage. She was the one who showed me retinol, a product she supplies. My skin is very sensitive and this is the only thing I can use without irritating it.

My daily skin care is simple. I love the Dior Prestige line because it smells like roses. They sell a great mask that I use on planes. Then a Dior compact with SPF 50, and I can go.

the love for the lips

In my everyday life, I don’t wear makeup. When I was a teenager, I certainly went through a phase, a short phase, of trying to do that smoky eye effect. But he looked like a raccoon. Now I leave that to the professionals. But I love taking care of my lips. Taking care of the lips I can do alone.

I remember seeing my mother applying lipstick. Once, jokingly, I drew a cat nose and whiskers on my face with her lipstick. I continue to do this on my birthday. I haven’t matured yet! If it’s a regular night, I use dark red, or dark nude, or mauve. Dior Addict in 8 and Chèrie are beautiful. It’s a level of brightness I’m comfortable with.

But I tend to use mattes more — especially with face masks. I have a trick: I apply lipstick, clean and reapply when I arrive. That way, you don’t stain the inside of the mask.

beauty in the bath

A bath is an important thing for me. In fact, my whole family loves baths. My mother loves a bath. When I was little, I remember being in the bathtub together. My baths are very luxurious, very Valentine’s Day, but just for me. I love to coat my body in coconut or almond oil before getting in the tub. Sometimes I add a few drops of lavender, rose, or patchouli essential oils.

I light some candles – I love the Valkiria, by Overose, and the Byredo candles, in the Tree House and Bibliothèque fragrances. The end of the day involves taking care of that part of you that doesn’t get much attention in a day of normal interactions, and asking what it is that you need right now. For me, it’s 1950s jazz, a nice shower and an uninterrupted hour of reading.

The fragrance of a character

I live experimenting with essential oils. It’s something I’ve been doing since I was 17. I like to create fragrances that are unique to me, but linked to my experience, so that if I smell that scent again, I can associate it with, for example, the girl I was at 17.

I usually choose a fragrance to wear with each character. In “The Queen’s Gambit”, Beth actually wore my perfume. She was the character I gave the most of myself to. For Beth, I used roses, some patchouli, sandalwood, mastic and a few drops of vodka. Our girl was going through it all, after all. I really believe in the work I’m doing – to bring that person to life, it’s important that their voice is different, the way they move is different and that they smell different. Then you will have created a real person.

We filmed “The Northman” in Ireland. The green there is different from the green you see anywhere else in the world. The character I played is very connected to nature. One of my favorite things about filming was the time we spent outdoors. I swam in the Irish Sea. I burned a lot of Irish moss around the house. It was my scent – ​​Irish moss and sea salt.

From dancing to boxing

I studied dance until I was 15. When I gave up dancing, I was in a very rebellious period. I didn’t want to know about discipline anymore. For a long time, I ate only comfort foods — for me, cheese and butter. But the pace of my work is so fast – the adrenaline is so strong – that my body can burn those calories.

Now, I really love boxing, I do. It’s such an interesting way to meditate for me. If you don’t fully focus on what you’re doing, you’re going to get hit. You start a class and suddenly an hour has passed and you haven’t even noticed. Time just flies.

Breathwork and the ups and downs of meditation

I started using Wim Hof’s breathing method when I made a film that required me to expose myself to very cold temperatures. I love that man. I only know him from his YouTube videos. I call him Uncle Wim.

I’m trying to learn to meditate. Here’s a random challenge for people to try. Go on a roller coaster and try not to scream. I just did this and, you know that picture they take? All my friends were screaming like crazy and I was standing there impassive, like Yoda. That roller coaster ride turned the game around. Everything moves so fast, and your only job is to stay calm – to stand still in the center of the storm. Your breathing deepens in a way you’ve never experienced before. I have never felt more calm.

It’s a completely random tip, but give it a try.