She’s the actress best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen, the fiery Mother of Dragons in Game Of Thrones. Now she’s the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s The Only One. So what are her hottest beauty hacks? Stay positive and smile…
I think femininity is a state of mind – if you feel it, you are it. But using the right fragrance also helps. The Only One (£70 for 50ml) feels authentic and feminine. It has some really beautiful notes like violet, coffee and vanilla that just linger in a room. It’s a very seductive smell, and it definitely has power. It also has a richness to it that I love. I think there is something wonderful about someone walking away and leaving a little hint of their fragrance behind.
A good boogie brings me such joy – I love it. I like putting on reggae, something with a really good beat. Or anything on Drake’s latest album. I just like getting down to it. Dancing with my mates, dancing in the shower, dancing on my own and letting my body move. And I love singing. When the producers of Dolce & Gabbana’s The Only One commercial asked me to sing in the advert, I was like, ‘Sure! I love it. I sing everywhere!’ We were in a trattoria in Rome, so it was about food, conviviality, it was about family and femininity. It felt very, very Italian. Dolce & Gabbana also represents strong, empowered, happy women, and I feel really proud to be part of it.
There are certain things I do after I wake up to make sure that I start the day on the right foot. I went through a phase of checking my phone every morning, but now I don’t bother. There’s a special kind of joy in seeing all of the emails in your inbox and then being like, ‘I’m going to ignore all of this.’ I like having rituals. I turn on the radio, get some good music playing, do some yoga, have a freezing cold shower, moisturise with Shiseido Essential Energy Day Cream (£59) and then drink a strong black coffee with lots of honey in it. All of that makes me feel calm.
I was born energetic. This can sometimes be a problem because when I’m tired and I can’t give people my normal energy, I feel bad. Only my best mates see me like that. I always make sure I have a lot of energy during public appearances and interviews – no one wants to sit with me and hear me say, ‘Oh, I’m so tired.’ You just need to bring it out. I like chatting to people. I always have, always will. The thing that sucks the most about becoming someone people recognise, is human interaction is lost. Gone are the days when I could walk into a shop and be like, ‘Hi, babe. What’s going on?’ I just love having chats with random strangers. When you get a stranger who doesn’t know who you are, it’s like, ‘Yes, I can have a random chat!’
I go through food phases. I try and eat as much of the good stuff as possible. If it is bright, colourful, seasonal and yummy, then I go for it. That being said, I don’t go by the Hollywood rules. My comfort meals change biannually. For a while, it was just bread with peanut butter and jam – very American, but so good. Then, it was pasta. It doesn’t matter what’s on it, a big bowl of pasta is always comforting. I also went through a fish and chips phase. But the thing that brings me the most comfort is honey. I have it in my coffee, my tea, my yoghurt… I’m not fussy about it either, it can be any variety. And I say eat the damn chocolate – if it feels good, eat it because your smile will be much more beautiful. My personal mantra is ‘Don’t be mean to yourself’. After all, you look beautiful because you feel good.
When I’m filming, I try to keep positive as much as possible by playing lots of games. We always have to choose quiet ones, so as not to ruin any scenes. We play a drawing game, where everyone puts animal names inside a hat, you pull one out and then everyone else has one minute to draw the animal. The results are then judged. It’s hilarious because people are terrible at drawing. It keeps us smiling on long days filming.
Dolce & Gabbana The Only One, £70 for 50ml, Boots
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I love a red lip – it’s the most fun colour to wear. As a kid, I was teased for having big lips. I was so embarrassed, I’d cover them up with nude lipstick. Then I went to drama school and was like, ‘Bugger it! I’m gonna wear red lipstick.’ I found a lip pencil recently – Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl (£21). I was praying with a name like that it would suit me, and it did. Can you believe it?! I pair it with a strong eye – a feline flick using Dolce & Gabbana Emotion Eyes Liquid Eyeliner (£27), and Dolce & Gabbana Passion Eyes Mascara (£28).
Body confidence is important to me. Your body is amazing and valuable - you walk in it every single day. It’s a hard journey to be content with it, though. I’m not one of those people who says I love myself, because some days I hate my body, but most days I’m like, ‘It’s all good.’ I’ve realised that it’s all I’ve got, so I need to be happy with it. Your body carries you through life, so you should work with it and look after it. As an actress, my body is scrutinised, so if everyone else is scrutinising it, why am I scrutinising it, too?
Every time someone says wellness, I think of brain wellness. It’s important to keep it in check. Once in a while, assess your dialogue. Have you said a lot of crap about yourself recently? When you start to do that you begin to catch yourself out, and realise that you should try to be a bit nicer. I find so often that there have been moments where I’m like ‘Oh, they don’t like me,’ or ‘I’m not good enough for that, they’re much better than me.’ If you just try to shake that off and be open, you realise that you’re projecting your insecurities on to them. When you spend your life putting your angst out there, you’re only going to get that back. If we all took care of ourselves, I think we’d be kinder to each other.
Going to the pub with your mates is as good for the soul as staying in and watching TV. You could have eaten your greens and gone to bed early with a cup of tea, but a trip to the pub with the girls will make you feel better every time. You wake up and feel good because you’ve giggled so much.