WHO Actress Eva Mendes, the face of Estée Lauder skincare line New Dimension.

WHERE An airy white space at Milk Studios, Hollywood, Calif.

ON HER BEAUTY INSPIRATION:

“My beauty inspiration is my beautiful sister Becky. I’m 10 years younger than her, and I have vivid memories of being in awe watching her getting ready. She taught me how to blow out my hair, and she loves hot curlers. When I got older, I looked to women like Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. I had a major beauty-fashion moment with Diana Ross when I saw Mahogany.”

ON PERSONAL STYLE:

“My own personal style is connected to the ’50s because of my mother. She was a young woman at that time; we were a lower-middle-class family, but she made such an effort. She popped that collar! She drew in her eyebrows! I also love wearing turbans or head wraps. That stems from me being lazy — and wanting to hide a bad-hair day!”

ON STAYING IN SHAPE:

“How do I stay in shape? I admit, a lot of it is about diet for me. I allow myself to splurge, but I watch what I eat. When I have a day that’s really busy, the first thing to go out the window is exercise. I’m like ‘I can’t fit that in today? Aww, geez!’ [Laughs] That’s where having a balanced, healthy diet really comes into play. When I do exercise, I up the cardio and up the weight training, which is a must for me because my body really responds to it.”

ON JOINING THE ESTÉE LAUDER FAMILY:

“When I was growing up, Estée Lauder was always an iconic brand to me. When I was about 12 years old, a lady at one of their counters sprayed me with the perfume Knowing. I got very excited and thought: ‘This is my scent! This is what a woman should smell like!’ My mom got a kick out of that. She has been buying it for me as a Christmas gift every year since then. That’s how the relationship started. As I got older, I learned more about who Estée Lauder was: a woman from Queens [N.Y.] who started a business in the ’40s. Working with a company that empowers women is the ideal fit for me.”

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“I’ve always loved having skincare rituals,” says Mendes. “I need to have something I believe in and can do on a daily basis. Even if I’m travelling, [rituals] keep me connected.” Estée Lauder New Dimension Expert Liquid Tape ($78); Estée Lauder New Dimension Shape Fill Expert Serum ($98), at esteelauder.com. (Photo: Geoffrey Ross)

ALL ABOUT EVA (THE RAPID-FIRE VERSION):

Lipstick or gloss?
“Lipstick.”

Dry shampoo or frizz serum?
“Dry shampoo.”

Mascara or blush?
“Blush, hands down.”

Smoothies or coffie?
“Coffee.”

Champagne or caviar?
“Neither. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.”

Money, power or respect?
“Respect—easy.”

What is luxury for you?
“Sleep and a pair of warm socks — that’s luxury.”

Dream film director
“Pedro Almodóvar. His films are always about women and the complicated relationships that we have.”

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