Priyanka Chopra on What Beauty Means to Her: “Beauty Is Catered to Everyone and For Everyone”

Image Source: Max Factor

Priyanka Chopra has been has been in the entertainment industry for 20 years. In addition to winning Miss Universe in 2000, Chopra has starred in nearly 50 Bollywood movies and countless Hollywood blockbusters. Given her success and long hours spent in hair and makeup chairs, it’s fair to say that beauty has been a pretty major part of Chopra’s life for the past few decades.

Her role as Max Factor’s global ambassador and creative collaborator – not to mention the launch of her own haircare brand Anomaly – has solidified the importance of beauty in her life. We chatted with Chopra to learn about the significance of language to her in beauty campaigns, her favourite everyday beauty products, and her pre-red carpet rituals.

POPSUGAR: Congratulations on your continuing partnership with Max Factor. What have you enjoyed so far being Max Factor’s global ambassador and creative collaborator?

Priyanka Chopra: Well, I’ve grown up knowing the brand and I just love that Max Factor is such a legacy brand that has been associated with the most iconic Hollywood talent. I really love the brand values of Max Factor, too, which is individuality. It’s something that I really stand for: using makeup to express yourself, to feel the best version of yourself, and to discover yourself. So, I love the language of what it stands for. I’ve also always loved makeup. I’ve used it in various ways to express myself and to change or transform myself for my characters. It just was a no brainer with the alignment.

PS: Was having an input into some of the Max Factor campaign language something that was really important to you?

PC: I think so. “Reveal your extraordinary” to me is just so specific to every person, right? It’s not us saying “here is makeup that’ll make you beautiful”. No, it’s us saying reveal your version of whatever your extraordinary is. And I think catering to every person that consumes makeup was very crucial to me, versus a generalised definition of beauty.

PS: Do you think that being a beauty brand owner yourself gives you a new perspective on the industry and how people consume product?

PC: Definitely, and I’m learning about it every day. I’ve been raised in the beauty industry being an actor for almost 20 years. I’ve seen different beauty trends and I’ve changed according to those trends over the years, and had makeup artists use different beauty products that have come into the market. I do think that my perspective of how people consume product has changed. Especially now when you see with the internet, you see direct to consumer becoming such a big part of beauty and how people buy makeup; how their consumption of makeup has changed so much. The conversation around makeup has changed so much with inclusivity and with individuality being such a part of the core; seeing all kinds of faces, colours, skin tones, genders, sizes – all of it being beautiful.

I think that it’s such a great time to be in the beauty business because beauty is not catered to one woman or one man. Beauty is catered to everyone and for everyone. My Max Factor [foundation] shade is warm caramel and I don’t have to mix it with anything else anymore. There was a time I could never ever find a shade that was just specific for me because I’m a medium skin tone and the beauty industry didn’t cater to me. It’s a great time to be a part of the industry where the conversation is so inclusive.

PS: Have your beauty habits changed at all during the pandemic and spending more time at home?

PC: Yes. I took the time to do a lot more skin care than makeup for sure. But there are a few makeup products that exist in my every day existence (even at home) and one of them is mascara. I feel like I look sick or tired without mascara. So, even when I’m at home, a quick flick of my wand is just really important when I get out of my bedroom. The Max Factor Divine Lashes mascara is so good because you can build up the volume. It’s also smudge proof, which is really important for an all-day mascara.

PS: If you had three products and three minutes to get ready in the morning, what do you choose?

PC: I take three minutes to get ready in the morning most days. When I’m doing my own makeup, which I did today, I need like four minutes and I use around four products. The Max Factor FaceFinity Foundation is really quick for me – I use it as a concealer to put like a few dots everywhere, smudge it, and blend it out just to hide whatever I think I need to hide for the day. Then, I follow that with a quick bit of powder.

When it comes to my eyes, lips, and cheeks, that takes about two minutes for me. I do a quick lash curl and apply my Divine Lashes Mascara. Next, I always wear lipstick. I’m a matte girl and the colour depends on whether it’s day or night. I like the Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in Chilli and also Sunbronze. Then I use a blush, Max Factor has amazing colours for warmer skin tones. Finally, I fill in my eyebrows, which takes me two seconds; I don’t do too much just fill a little bit here and there and I’m good to go.

PS: What are some of your favourite beauty treatments to get before a major event or a red carpet?

PC: A facial. I like getting a facial done because I think the skin is the foundation of great makeup. If you have rested fresh skin, your makeup is going to sit really well. I like to do a steam or a sauna on the day if you can. Usually for red carpets, I get dressed at a hotel so I try and quickly go to the gym and either get a quick workout or just a sauna to get my skin feeling alive. Those are the two things that I would do. If it was a luxurious day, maybe get a massage. But that would be for me, not for the carpet.