The Real Kate

Who doesn’t simply adore Kate Winslet? This English actress shares what it is like to act at high altitude, being the face of Lancôme for over a decade and spills her beauty secrets

What is your beauty secret at age 42?

Do not drink wine before a photo shoot! Drink lots of water. Get outdoors as much as you can. English air, especially sea air, is the best thing for your skin. I also exercise a lot and that makes an enormous difference to your skin’s health.

You made two movies recently, including playing the lead role in Woody Allen’s new movie Wonderwheel. What was that like?

It was incredibly intense. My character was very complex and, combined with lots of dialogue, there was the stress of learning so many lines and having to constantly stay ahead.

What beauty products did you use?

My go-tos every evening are Lancôme’s eye makeup remover Bi-Facil; the pump action foaming cleanser Miel-en-Mousse which I am never without; and Génifique, of course.

When the shoot was done, I went straight from the set to the plane with all my crazy makeup on. As soon as I was strapped in, I got my little pots of cleanser and toner out, and then slathered on Génifique. I cannot claim I looked gorgeous when I disembarked, but for sure, I looked better than when I boarded!

You have just wrapped up filming for The Mountain Between Us. Were there particular beauty challenges working at high altitude?

There were all kinds of challenges! It was minus 35 degrees below zero. Hany Abu-Assad is a brilliant Oscar-nominated Palestinian director and he wanted us to do as much as possible for real. Which meant being helicoptered to the top of a mountain to film every day.

Physically, it is the toughest shoot I have done since Titanic. I worked hard before and during to maintain peak fitness.