Prepping for my interview with Heidi Klum on Tuesday (the supermodel mom spent a whirlwind 24-hours in Toronto to launch her first fragrance,
Shine) I was,  not unexpectedly, bombarded with a million and a half questions to ask her. ELLE colleagues wanted to know her
skincare secrets; our
Facebook fans are curious about her commitment to fitness and my sister, well she was just dying to know if Heidi is as much of an amazon as we all imagine her to be (Tina, if you’re there: She is.) So it’s safe to say I came to the Hazelton Hotel at the ready for my 10 minute one-on-one. But, upon arrival, there was obstacles: Makeup touch-ups, a somewhat sussed Jeanne Beker  ("When they say 3 o’clock
sharp for an interview, they should really mean it") and a burgeoning MTV News crew that somehow lost their microphone post-interview. My tête-à-tête with Mrs. Seal ended up being whittled down to a 6-minute round table. Classic. The good news in all of this is that Heidi is wonderful. She really is. She radiates warmth and an unapologetic goofiness – despite the fact she looked positively extraterrestrial in a red-hot 3-piece
Michael Kors suit and sky-high leopard
Louboutins (The word "amazon" doesn’t even do this woman justice.) I managed to blabber out your questions whilst keeping Heidi’s sprightly press manager at bay… no easy feat. Herewith, her answers!
What are you super-diligent about in your skincare routine? "It’s a pretty simple philosophy: Always (always) take your makeup off and give your skin a break. I think the most important thing for me is to go to sleep with a
very clean face — and make sure it really is clean! Nothing worse than waking up the next morning with remnants of the night before. "
What is your fitness routine? "I don’t work out as much as people may think I do.  I am very active because of my children, but I’m more dedicated to my diet; I
eat very healthy. In the summertime I ran 4 miles a day ( with my
Summer Run program) and encouraged people to go out and run everyday. I ran over 120 miles this summer. You should all join me next time!"
What are some of your favourite scents? "Lily of the Valley carries the most memories for me. This may sound cheesy, but growing up in Germany my parents would always ask me to go out in the forest and pick bunches and bunches of them. I’ve incorporated the fragrance into my perfume Shine along with pink peppercorns, mandarin and pear; it’s a great mix of spicy and sweet."
Speaking of which, why launch a fragrance? Why now? "I wanted to recreate that moment when a woman walks into the room and you stop and think, "Hmm, what is she wearing?" It could be an amazing dress or, in my case, a lasting scent. The biggest challenge was coming up with a fragrance that no one has really smelled before; something that was unique and a real head-turner. My husband loves it; my children can’t really tell the difference!"
Is there a special meaning behind the name, Shine? "I had a whole bunch of names, but most were taken. The word "shine" resonates with me mostly because of my husband. He’s said to me many times before: "You shine, babe.""

Check out the behind-the-scenes images of the Shine campaign (shot in Mexico) here: