Amanda Seyfried has gone from 'Mean Girl' to fully fledged Hollywood star. HELLO! beauty editor Nadine Baggott sat down with her to talk about style and why she's the right woman to sniff out a fine fragrance.
Amanda Seyfried turns 30 in December, a fact that is surprising not only when you meet her and are confronted by her flawless skin and tiny, lithe dancer's frame, but also when you consider her body of work. From childhood model she went on to acting, stealing scenes as cliquey airhead Karen in Mean Girls, playing the lead in Mamma Mia!, and singing her heart out as orphaned Cosette in Les Misérables. She also starred in the more risqué Chloe and Lovelace, in which she plays an escort and a porn star respectively and earlier this year she trod the boards in her first stage play. Oh, and she also has an unusually strong and sensitive sense of smell…
Amanda Seyfried talked all things fragrance with HELLO! beauty editor Nadine Baggott
You are the face of the new Live Irrésistible fragrance from Givenchy. How does it feel to return to modelling?
It feels amazing. It's a huge compliment. I associate Givenchy with Audrey Hepburn and her unbelievable and profound elegance and with the beautiful gowns Hubert de Givenchy created for her. There's always an aura of elegance surrounding Givenchy and specifically this perfume, as it's beautiful, elegant, very feminine and modern. It's a lot of things in one little jar.
You regularly wear dresses by Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of Givenchy. Are you old acquaintances?
Not old acquaintances, but I [knew him] before we started collaborating on this perfume and I couldn't be happier fitting into this family. I admire Riccardo Tisci greatly – he's unbelievably talented. I really feel lucky to be on this journey with him. I am learning a lot from him.
What is it like to be modelling for a luxury fashion house?
I'm a little intimidated by this world because I haven't been part of it for very long. But I have been really welcomed and I understand there is as much of an artistic expression in fashion as in fragrance. Givenchy represents more than fashion – it's a lifestyle, it's an art form. I don't think of it as separate to what I do in my career. It's an honest collaboration, otherwise I wouldn't do it.
Are you a fragrance addict?
I don't like to think I have an addictive personality, but I am very sensitive to smell and those flowers are incredible [she points to a vase of blooms in front of us].
Tell us more about your unusually strong sense of smell…
I'm most sensitive to floral scents. They are very delicate but they can be very strong, too. Flowers bring me back to a place in childhood that is so intense. It is always a positive memory. I really love roses, hibiscus, gardenia and jasmine. I can't get enough of these flowers.
The star revealed she has an unusually strong sense of smell
What is your first memory of loving a fragrance?
I grew up with a beautiful garden. My mother loves flowers and wears floral scents. Every time I see her it brings back memories. I feel like I'm a child again. The strong smells I remember are all floral. There's nothing like a farm rose to take you back to the mountains and the meadows. I'm a mountain girl, a meadow girl, so I feel very close to that.
Do you ever wear a scent to life or alter your mood?
I am attracted to floral scents because they make me feel feminine and elegant. Perfume adds so much to your aura. Working with Givenchy has made me realise how complex it is to make a perfume. I had never thought about what goes into creating a perfume. It takes such a long time and the effect it has on human beings is so profound.
Are you faithful to one fragrance?
Yes. Although I do wear a different scent day to night.
Do you have a beauty icon?
Julianne Moore [Amanda's co-star in Chloe]. She is stunning and a really beautiful person. She has amazing values and her family is the most important thing to her. When you value your family over anything else, you're going in the right direction. She's a humanitarian, a writer and the most talented actress. And she's brave. She'll do anything that she feels is right and that she's drawn to.
Amanda is the new face of Givenchy's Live Irrésistible fragrance
What's your best bit of beauty advice?
I stay out of the sun and if I'm in the sun I wear sunscreen.
Are you high or low maintenance?
Getting my legs waxed is the only maintenance I do.
How do you stay in shape?
I exercise every day to get the endorphins going. It's important for my physical self, my mental self and my emotional self. I lift weights for an hour or hike or run.
Do you eat healthily?
I eat well most of the time and I drink a lot of water. But I also enjoy myself. It's about finding the right balance.
I hear you have a secret green smoothie mix…
The recipe is from nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, who is friends with my boyfriend Justin Long. I put lots of spinach or kale into a blender with half a lemon – minus the rind – celery, hemp seeds, chia seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, an apple, pear and mango, or banana or berries.