10 Minutes with Drew Barrymore

We had the pleasure of catching up with one of the most humble, intelligent and coolest woman around, Drew Barrymore. Celebrating her new fragrances over cocktails, when talking with her, you would never know you’re talking to an A-list celebrity who the world, has well known since she was seven. Following an awkward exchange of her asking if we met before, and me replying, “I don’t think so,” (of course we haven’t! I think I’d have remembered if I had met Drew Barrymore), we chatted about her perfect New York day, nostalgic scent and her must-have product.

Is there any scent that reveals a certain memory or emotion?

Yes, Night Blooming Jasmine. Over the course of hour after hour, you smell things and it is the most emotional amazing thing. You can smell something and your just like ‘oh I hate it,’ or you smell something and you burst into tears and it brings back a childhood memory. It seems like something that’s so lost and gone but then it’s as if it’s right there in front of you. And there was a Night Blooming Jasmine outside of our dingy duplex out in West Hollywood. But [when I smelled it] it was this moment of such beauty and nature it let me know there was good things in the world.

Do you remember your very first scent?

I have been patchouli girl my whole life. Like I am dirty hippie oil patchouli type. It was interesting to me to learn that so much patchouli is in so many of the most successful scents in the world. It’s a very common accord in the highest selling perfumes. I only like things that aren’t going to sell like old lady rose or hippie patchouli. I was told that patchouli was a great seller.  Then I tested all these patchoulis and I fell in love with one and he was like it’s the most expensive. And I was like well we can get it? He walk like, ok, we’ll get it. So that’s in sultry.

How does a woman go about finding her signature scent?

I would say it’s important to be honest with yourself. Don’t wear something because you think you’re supposed to be wearing it. But wear something that smells really truly good to you. And then don’t spray too much on.

I would also start with figuring out what your favorite flower is, and finding a fragrance that’s representative of that flower.

What’s one beauty product you’re never without?

Without missing a beat: “Aquaphor I get nervous when I don’t have my Aquaphor on me. I feel like my lips are just going to shrivel and go away forever. In a burning fire if I don’t have my Aqua 4.

 How would you spend your perfect NY day?

I would definitely go to a museum and there’s just so many, but definitely a museum a great museum. I would eat like a pastrami sandwich. I would go shopping somewhere in the like East Village at a boutique where I would never be able to get that stuff anywhere else. I would eat Chinese food. Although I did just get food poisoning from ordering Chinese. If you can get shrimp that fast, you just shouldn’t eat it. I really paid the price and learned the lesson. But I would still eat a lot of Chinese food. And then I would take a walk after dinner because you can here.

The three scents: Cherish, Radiant, and Sultry are available for $19.98 for 15 ml to $24.98 for 30ml at Walmart or on the FLOWER site.

Drew Barrymore Talks Her '90's Bad Girl Look & the Secret Behind Why Her $3.99 Cosmetics Are So Good

Talking with Drew Barrymore last week over white wine at Willow Road in NYC was like talking to Josie in "Never Been Kissed," the 90's rom-com she starred in that I adore.  She's like the girl you'd want to have at your middle school sleep over, exuding a down-to-earth, positive energy that makes her your instant BFF.  Wearing a hoodie under a flannel, a long floral maxi skirt, and dark lip pencil over her entire lip, she was Drew as the world knew her. "I'm channeling my inner '90's, bad girl red carpet look," Barrymore stated when asked about her lipstick.  "I'm doing [Flower] Toffee Lip Liner all over the lip with a baby bit of Chocolate Lily Lipstick on the inside," she explained.  

The key to her bad girl look: lip liner all over the lips.  It's one of her go-to looks.  "It reminds me of a time in life where I used to do that.  I loved wearing MAC Spice Lip Liner, those deep, rich chocolates that were on the verging of a purple eggplant and I missed it."

You'll be happy to know the former CoverGirl didn't just slap her name on a label when it came to creating her new makeup line, Flower.  After years of being in the industry she knew what she was doing.  Truth is, even though the 181 piece line is sold exclusively in Walmart with prices ranging from $3.99 to $15, the quality of the cosmetics compare to prestige brands. How?  They're created at Intercos, the same lab that formulates cosmetics from companies like Chanel.  Yes, a dirty little secret.  

Celebs Prove Ombre Hair is More than A Trend

If you jumped on the ombre bandwagon last year and are ready for the next best thing, you may want to consider hanging tight.  Last week I met with David Stanko, Redken's Haircolor Consultant, to freshen up my color for fall and according to him, ombre is here to stay. In case you're not familiar, ombre means shading and with hair color its typically darker roots that fade into lighter ends (light the celebs hair color in the photo above).  "The truth is, no matter how over ombre I am, none of my clients are," Stanko commented. Remember back when Drew Barrymore stepped out on the red carpet rocking intense ombre?  That was a nightmare, but ombre was born.  Since then, the look has definitely softened and become more gradual. We now have celebs like Jessica Biel, Mila Kunis and Alexa Chung to thank for keeping the trend alive over a year later.

Ombre style has also found its way into makeup trends and nail art. Chanel uses the concept of ombre to sell their latest cream based shadows and the Sephora nail art bar offers ombre effects as a new twist on a French manicure.

A Celeb Nutritionist Spills Her Secrets

I've always been into health and fitness, but recently a blogger friend, Sarah Conley, turned me onto green juice in the morning.  In her words, "it makes you vibrate."  I didn't quite understand what she meant until I tried it.  I've been drinking Naked Juice Green Machine, but was introduced to Kimberly Snyder who creates a green juice from scratch called the Glowing Green Smoothie and is the nutritionist to some of our favorite stars such as Drew Barrymore, Olivia Wilde and Channing Tatum and the author of The Beauty Detox.  Check out what she has to say: What inspired you to become a celebrity nutritionist?

I bring a unique perspective to my work in that I first traveled around the world for three years, to over 50 countries, and learned beauty and health secrets from cultures worldwide which look much younger and more vibrant than we do. I came back and became a clinical nutritionist, to get the scientific backup for my discoveries.

Because my program is so different than what’s out there, it attracted the attention of some actors looking to get in shape for a movie role. It worked out great, and I continued to meet other actors as word spread.

What type of nutritional advice did you give them?

No matter whom I’m talking to, I always start with explaining the basic principals of my program, which are outlined in Part 1 of the The Beauty Detox Solution. My philosophy shows the powerful link between beauty, health and energy. We all have this amazing potential within us, what I call Beauty Energy, and learning how to unlock it is the key to growing younger, slimming down easily and having abundant energy throughout the day.

Digestion can take up over half of our energy, so if we want to feel and look our best, we need to free up that energy from digestion and have it work for us and our health and beauty goals. I always emphasize that it’s not just the foods that we’re eating, but also the way we are eating our foods, which include the order and combination in which we eat.

What are your clients’ goals? Were they met?

My actors have the same goals that we all have. They want to have a slim, firm body, radiant, youthful skin and feel energetic all day.

The great news is that we can all achieve these goals by starting with our diet and building from the inside out! Since around 98% of our total bodies’ cells renew every year, if we start making positive changes today we will start to improve now and reverse much of the past damage, even if we haven’t eaten perfectly in the past.

What nutritional advice do you have for women in general about having a balanced diet?

My program is also about debunking myths, since so many people and women in particular focus on eating foods to lose weight…but those same foods are aging them at an accelerated rate. It shows up right on their face in the form of deepening lines and wrinkles, under-eye circles and dull skin. What good is it to be a size 6 or a size 2 if we look 10 years older than we really are?

We need to pay attention not just to micromanaging numbers- calories, grams of carbs, etc. but foster a more holistic approach to what’s really healthy, and how foods are digesting in the body. Every food we eat is either making us more acidic or more alkaline. When we are more alkaline we have an abundance of oxygen in our tissues and we become more beautiful. We know all the counting isn’t working- or otherwise why would dieting be a billion dollar industry? We also spend increasingly more money on makeup and beauty products in the hopes of replicating natural beauty. These products should enhance the inner beauty we all have within, not be a substitute for it.

Summer is right around the corner, what types of foods should women steer clear of and what types of foods should they embrace in order to look fab in their bikini?

My Glowing Green Smoothie is what I make for all my celebrity clients, and it is the fuel that will start to rejuvenate your skin, cleanse out aging and bloating toxins, and help you slim down for summer while still feeling great. It’s basically a blend of raw greens and ripe fruit, so what you taste is the sweetness of the fruit. It’s super easy, and one of the easiest things we can all every day to accelerate cleansing on a daily basis! You drink it in the morning, when our bodies are in “cleanse mode.”

Stay away from processed foods that are high in sodium and preservatives, as well as dairy. Try to reduce your consumption of highly allergetic foods that have digestive issues, which include soy and gluten. Lastly, cut out all artificial sugars and sweeteners, which are definitely not beautifying.