Glamouria

Gwyneth Paltrow: “Life Opens Up Like A Rose When You Do That.”

January 06, 2013

Gwuneth Paltrow in Dubai

Lauching Boss Nuit

24 Hours in Dubai to meet Gwyneth Paltrow at one of the biggest mall in the world… or probably, THE biggest mall in the world! Her team asks me if I were nervous, but, not really.. I don’t usually get nervous before interviews, I get excited! Plus, Gwyneth Paltrow always seemed to me like “a friend next door”… This is at least how I imagine her… And this is how she was; modest, very nice, and so honest! Not to mention how pretty she is, very simple with her make up (sparkly gold on her eyes), and very elegant (Boss grey dress)…. At the end of my interview, I couldn’t but wonder, how could someone like Gwyneth Paltrow go through insecurities about themselves in Life?? Accomplished, gorgeous, successful, educated, why hasn’t she always been proud? Because we are all human!!! It’s inside of us… and as she says, “it is a process we have to go through in life..”

How did your collaboration start with Boss? How did they choose you?

I don’t know how they chose me, they just called me and asked me if I wanted to represent the 2 perfumes, and of course, I was very flattered. It’s a great job, and I really enjoyed doing it.

What did you feel when you put it on?

It’s a very beautiful scent. It’s very feminine and floral, but it has a lot more to it. It’s complicated, like a woman but it’s very easy at the same time.. This is how we are.

How are you complicated?

Because I am smart, and I know what I want. I don’t think that makes me complicated, but it makes me have a lot of layers to myself. And I do have complications in life.

What smells do you usually like?

I like cooking smells, especially sauteed onions, to me it smells like home. And I love the nature smells, like the ocean, or when you pass by an orange tree in California, it smells nice. That’s what stays with me.

You’re all about nature..

Yes, I love nature. But I don’t like camping- there is an important distinction here.

Do you like being the Boss?

There are certain areas in my life where I am the Boss, the boss of my website for example.. But I am also very much a collaborator. Having respect for people you work with, and how they can make you better. That what makes you a good Boss.

You said lately, you don’t want to be so tough on yourself anymore…

For me, a lot of being so tough on myself came from thinking that I was not enough for myself. I had to work extra extra hard to be special or at least to feel that way. But I guess I had to accept myself, I am enough just the way I am, so I started to loosen up a little bit on myself and get rid of that critical voice which doesn’t get us anywhere.

This is a problem I notice a lot with young girls, who are not satisfied with who they are, and they are always trying to impress… What advice would you give them?

I think it’s a process, it’s a part of life, the suffering.. That’s how you figure out who you are in a way, by going through that suffering. But the best piece of advice that I could give anyone, and it took me years to figure it out, is to be true to who you are. Don’t try to be anything for anyone else or say something to please somebody or make yourself smaller. Life opens up like a rose when you do that.

What similarities do you have with the perfume?

I am a working woman, and I have a lot of ambition and strength. I am a very feminine woman, and I really embrace my femininity in my role as a mother and as a wife. And this is what the perfume embodies. We have many facets to us.

Boss Nuit- How do you get ready to go out at night?

It depends. If I am in London, and I want to go out to dinner, it’s really simple. I just get the kids to bed and run out the door. For an event, I would have someone come and help me.

How long does it take you to get ready?

About an hour. I can’t sit for more than an hour. An hour is my limit to get ready.

Are you a morning person or a night person?

I used to be more a night person, but now I get up so early in the morning with my children, so by the evening, I am exhausted.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Dubai

Very elegant in Boss. Love the shoes!

What is your beauty ritual for every day?

I get up, clean my skin, moisturize and I exercise; that I think is a very important part of my beauty routine. I do an hour of dance cardio, so I really sweat and detoxify and it’s really important for skin and skin tone.

What are your favourite products?

I use a lot of products. People send me a lot of things, so I am always trying new products.

Do you like it?

Yes, I do! I am always trying whatever funny things that show up at my door.

I interviewed Michael Kors before, and he said you’re the epitome of American style and fashion. He even has your picture framed in his office. When did you realize that you became such a beauty and fashion icon?

That’s so nice, so sweet! I am coming to accept it now that I am 40, that I have worked really hard and lived a big life. I am coming to accept that if somebody wants to hold me that way then that’s great. It’s also part of me accepting being myself and that I am good enough…

What’s your personal style? Is it as simple as you are?

I am simple. I am a kind of t-shirt, blazer, jeans and boots. if I have a meeting I put a bunch of accessories with it.

Do you choose your outfits for events?

I choose them with my stylist- Elizabeth Saltzman, who has been working with me for few years. At this point, she knows me so good, so the process is very easy. For last year’s oscar, we had no fittings… and she was… don’t worry… I have your outfit ready.

Your hair, also.. You don’t like to change it a lot.. You don’t like to be more daring?

When I experiment with side part or curls, I always look back and think “what the hell was I doing, that’s not really me. So I stick to my hairstyle.

But with Fashion, sometimes you shock us. Because we’re used to see you very simple, and all of a sudden, you’re on the cover of a magazine wearing something very sexy..

Even when it’s sexy, it’s still simple… not a lot of feathers, for example… I changed my body a lot in the last few years. So people tend to dress me in a sexy way wanting to show off my body more..

Do they have to convince you?

No.. I will just take my clothes off in a drop of a hat.

The bottle of the perfume was inspired from the Little Black Dress… How do you choose your Little Black Dress?

I have probably 5 or 6 in my closet. It could be a jumpsuit, not really a black dress. It’s the idea of it, something that’s easy to wear, you just put it on and go.

What are the things that you usually splurge on?

Jewelry.

What kind of jewelry do you like?

I like statement jewelry; chunky pieces.

Are there any fashion trend are you going to follow this season?

I don’t even know what the fashion trends are!

You don’t even go to fashion shows?

I don’t.. not really.

Do you go shopping, or do they bring things to you?

I like shopping, but I don’t really have time to go shop. I like to shop online, that’s where I kind of shop these days.

What’s a day in your life?

My day starts about 7 in the morning. I get up, make breakfast, feed my kids, dress them and take them to school. Then I go home, and I have from 9 to 10 free to do work, answer my emails. Then I work out from 10 to 12, plus or minus; after that I have meetings, then pick my children at 3:30, come back home, and do homework with them…

Although you are married to a star, you keep yourself away from gossip..

We try to. It’s good for us. we are just not a red carpet couple. We do not want our relationship to be part of our story. His work is important, my work is important. It’s not necessary to make a big public thing out of our relationship. I did that when I was a young girl and I didn’t understand the difference. Then I thought why am I doing that…

Today is actually my ninth anniversary.. and I am here, with you…. but we will make it up when I go home tomorrow.

What are the good things to do to keep the relationship healthy?

It’s hard, it’s really hard. We have times when our relationship is good and easy, and periods when it’s terrible, and I think I can’t go on with this anymore.. then it gets great again!

How do you deal with it?

You have to accept that this is part of life. We have been lucky that my father and mother were married for 33 years, until he died. And he used to say “we never wanted to get divorced at the same time”.. It’s actually true.. If you ever want it at the same time, then forget it.. but usually it’s one person who’s done, and the other one is “no, I love you…”, and you work it out.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in life. I don’t take it for granted that I am going to be married forever, and it’s probably why I stayed married. I really work hard on it. I take care of him, I really believe in certain traditional values, I make dinner, and I look after him, and make the house really nice. I think men really like that, to be looked after. We also give each other space, and it’s not always easy, at all..

You’re acting, and singing, and designing, and writing.. Do you find yourself in one area more than in another?

Naturally, I am more engaged with my business , especially my website.

Do you update it personally?

I do, every week. And now we have a team, they help me… It’s a lot of work, and it takes me a lot of time to do it. I enjoy these collaborations.. It’s really fun to be expanding, and be fun, and have more products.. I see it being eventually in time a site where women could go online and find the best of everything, in value. I want people who have the same aesthetics, who trust me, to use it as their guide.. So if I am going to Dubai, for example, I would write where to go.. They could trust it.. I am really excited to develop that.

How did you choose Goop?

I don’t know, it’s weird.. I was in a meeting about it, and I didn’t want it to have my name. It’s my initials. I wanted it to be a word that didn’t mean anything, but could mean a little of everything..

Are you still dreaming of another Oscar, or have your dreams shifted?

You know, I don’t dream of another Oscar.. I have one, he’s really nice, and he looks really good on my bookshelf… Of course I would be happy to have another one, but I don’t think about it too much.