Emily Ratajkowski Would Never Try This Buzzy Makeup Trend

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Before I met Emily Ratajkowski, I just had a feeling she'd be a perfume person. Maybe it's her impeccable fashion sense (I fully have copied this black coat look at least four times so far this winter). Or her affinity for trying and starting hair trends (see: her red hair color I showed my colorist last year). My suspicions were confirmed when she partnered with Viktor&Rolf last year as the face of Flowerbomb, the iconic warm and spicy floral perfume that's been a best-seller since its debut nearly 20 years ago.

Fast-forward to now, and Emily's the face of a new version of Flowerbomb: Flowerbomb Tiger Lily, a bright, fresh floral that's perfect for spring and summer (or pretending it's not dreary and winter in NYC right now, which is exactly why I'm currently covered in it). I got to chat with Emily one-on-one at the stunning New York Edition Hotel to get the inside scoop on the new scent and her perfume habits, upcoming hair plans, and how she makes herself feel confident on an off day. Keep reading for our exclusive interview:

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How would you describe Flowerbomb Tiger Lily to a friend?

It's tropical. It's like you just were on vacation with your girlfriends, you've been in the sun all day. You shower, you got that tan, and you put this on with a sick dress and think you're Rihanna.

That's exactly my vibe. Now, are you a signature scent person, or do you have a fragrance wardrobe?

I'm not one of those people that has 20 perfumes—I don't own any other fragrances except Flowerbomb actually. I don't wear perfume every day; it's a special occasion thing for me. I'm probably more likely to wear Tiger Lily during the summer, or like in the depths of winter when I need to feel a bit brighter.

Why do you save perfume for special occasions?

Perfume is part of a ritual that feels special occasion-y to me. When I was really young, I would wear perfume a lot. I'd make the mistake of like dousing myself in it. But I think just as I've gotten older, it's something I use if I have the extra time to spritz it on.

Where do you keep your perfumes? Is it with your clothes, or your makeup, or right by the door when you're leaving the house?

That would be so romantic. But no, it's in my medicine cabinet, which consists of mostly skincare and my deodorant.

What do you like other people to smell like around you? Like, do you like when other people are wearing perfume around you?

I do like that people have specific smells. I don't really like when men wear cologne. I like a musky, smelly, man. I need to know what your pheromones are. And I can't have that concealed by something that I can recognize immediately. Whenever I date someone, I want to know what you actually smell. But I also think it's so chic to have a signature scent. My friends have perfumes for their different personalities and having a smell attached to that is cool.

Sometimes I don't like how my perfume meshes with someone else's—like if I'm on a date or something. Does that ever bother you?

Luckily, Flowerbomb has a subtle kind of airiness to it that works well with anyone's natural scent. But I think this is why I like not always wearing perfume. I definitely do like smelling perfume on myself, but not wearing it every day makes it feel really special when I do decide to spray it on.

How do you choose if you'll wear perfume for an occasion? Would you wear perfume on a first date?

It depends on what mood I'm in. I've gone on dates and literally worn sneakers and like a big coat and been like, 'whatever.' And then there are times where I get dressed, and I want to be chic and fancy. Sometimes I dress so like such a mom; other times I'm in high heels. So that really applies to how I decide to wear perfume on dates too. It would be very funny to have a time-lapse video of like how different it is every time.

That's one of the ways that I've learned to get dressed and do beauty—first taking a second to think about what's going to make me feel good. Because I feel as a teenager, I would just try a million things trying to emulate something else, and it would never slap. Now, I've kind of gotten to know myself better, and I know when it's going to be a jeans day versus a high-slit day. I ask myself what kind of woman I want to be each day when I'm getting dressed.

What's your spritz philosophy? Do you have any tips for making your perfume last longer?

I'm so boring. My mom always did the pulse points—so wrists and neck. But when I was like 15, I would literally spray my clothes instead of washing them. We've all had that moment where you're getting ready for something and be like, 'Dammit, that shirt I want to wear isn't clean," and I'll just put it on and walk through a little perfume cloud.

I feel like you're always down to try a new trend.

I do love a hair moment. I had never colored my hair until I went fully blonde before the pandemic. Then, I got pregnant and I immediately had to go back to brunette, so I didn't feel like I got to live my hair fantasies. The past year, it was very nice, as a newly single person, to feel like I was literally trying on different hats. I went red, I did wigs. I love to cut my own hair; I'm such a freak about it. My son even has witnessed me cut my bangs and stares at me, 'like is she allowed..."? But with makeup, I kind of have my staple looks with some variations. In general, I know what works and what makes me feel good.

Is there any beauty trend you'd never do? Or hair colors you'd never try?

I just know what works on my coloring. There's certain things that I see on TikTok that I'm like, 'that's so cool.' Like a thin brow on me? It's just never happening; this is the thinnest my brows will ever get. I just know that about my face. As for my hair, I really want to go black, and one of my friends was like, 'you absolutely can't do that.' Like okay, you know when one of the girlies says that... But I would love to cut my hair really short. Like a short pixie. It feels so cool, but not yet. We'll see what happens. Eventually, I love the idea of having that moment.

Hair is fun to play with. It grows back!

The reason that I started messing around and trying different things is because I really love wigs. I've worn them on carpets and stuff. I'm way more willing to experiment with hair than my face. With my face, I just try to stick to what I know, what makes me feel pretty, and play within a certain framework.

What else do you do for yourself when you need to quickly feel confident and ready for the day?

I put on so many freckles. I can wear way less makeup, but I'm just like, 'well, it's cool because now I'm just a girl with a lot freckles.' My makeup artist today was like, 'was that a filter?' Nope, I just covered my face in fake freckles. They were on my forehead. They were under my eye. I was just like, 'that's who I am today, and that's gonna help me.'

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