It’s the things left unspoken that reveal the most.
We’re not being deliberately “clever” here – although, like the opaque flacon of the lovely new Lacoste fragrance Amy Adams is fronting, the woman is frustratingly inscrutable and faultlessly private in a pandemic age of self-aggrandising selfies and social media proliferation ...
But first, let’s double back and set the scene. Right on the stilettoed heels of awards season in late February this year, we were invited by the good folks at Lacoste to speak to Amy via conference call.
Naturally, we very nearly wet ourselves at the opportunity. The 39-year-old redhead and mother-of-one ranks right up there next to Lupita and JLaw when it comes to our list of Hollywood girl crushes.
We’re big fans of Amy’s gratifyingly gutsy role choices (see Junebug and American Hustle), powerfully put-together public appearances – and being dyed-in-the-wool beauty observers, we’re of course completely besotted with her incandescent complexion and flaming red head of hair.
As it turns out, scheduling conflicts at the eleventh hour meant we had to send our burning questions to Amy’s management team … and let’s just say her engaging personality was effectively lost in digital translation.
What to do, what to do? Forming a narrative out of well, not much at all (and trust us, we exhausted our writerly acumen scouting for anyone who’s been in direct contact with Ms Adams) isn’t easy, but we’re game for a challenge. Presenting five key takeaways from our emailer with Amy:
1. Armchair shrinks, analyse this.
Remember how we observed in our cold opening that what is left unsaid is often most powerful? Here’s what we meant. Of the dozen or so questions we filed to her publicist, there were two that were returned with this intriguingly terse rejoinder: “AMY DECLINED TO ANSWER.” (All capitalised to boot.)
The first is innocuous enough: “What scent could conceivably make you weep upon smelling it?”; the second less so: “Who is the sexiest-smelling male co-star you’ve worked with?”
Did we strike some hidden raw nerve with these unexpected doozies, or is Amy “merely” an admirably discreet, refreshingly careful celeb?
It’s your call, readers – although we will say that in keeping with the deliciously ambiguous drama film she so memorably starred in alongside Meryl Streep, we have our Doubts.
2. You can credit Lacoste fragrances for Amy’s Golden Globe win (well, sort of, maybe).
Amy’s bravura turn as a con artist in American Hustle scored her this year’s Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, as well as her fourth BAFTA and fifth Academy Award nominations.
When we ask if she uses scents as part of her acting process, she replies in the affirmative: “I do use scents to help me find the character, but due to sensitivities from cast members, I don’t typically use scents on set.”
All due applause accorded to Amy’s very considerate behaviour, but Man of Steel hunk Henry Cavill as a teary-eyed sniffler tormented by fragrance-induced rhinitis? No way.
Now, if you’ve even so much as picked up a pamphlet at a perfume counter, you’ll know that all scents sell stories, some more risible than others. We can’t all be couture-clad glamazons gliding down a chandelier-lit runway, but surely all of us have had days when we’ve felt as profoundly calm and carefree as the vision of sun-dappled loveliness that is Amy Adams in the campaign visual for Eau de Lacoste.
Prompted to proffer a personal scent memory of her own, the story Amy sells is equally evocative, poignant even: “When I was growing up, there was a honeysuckle tree that would come into bloom, and that always makes me think of childhood.” We may not have honeysuckle here in Singapore, but we feel you, girlfriend.
3. Guys, shower please.
Amy’s sexily scruffy spouse Darren Le Gallo must smell like quite the stud, if her preference for men’s colognes is anything to go by: “I like the fresh, out-of-the-shower kind of smell. Sometimes I like a woody scent. Something masculine.” Very nice. A woman after our own (fragrance) heart!
4. Amy’s an adherent of the “legs or cleavage, but never both” rule (at least when it comes to makeup).
Given her penchant for privacy, we aren’t all that surprised that Amy’s a cosmetics conservative – which isn’t always a bad thing. Take it from the woman herself: “I like shaking things up [on the red carpet], but I do believe [you should] either do a big eye or a strong lip, usually not both at the same time.” Beauty advice to live by, if you ask us!
Miscellaneous makeup morsels you may find useful: Amy’s an ardent mascara addict, and her go-to lippie is surprisingly cult – she says she swears by Jouer Cosmetics’ Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Divine.
For what it's worth, the largely no-makeup makeup ethos of the L.A.-based beauty brand is entirely in keeping with Amy’s effortless elegance; better yet, it ships to Singapore.
5. The secret to being a ravishing redhead – revealed!
We’ve saved what’s possibly the most shocking revelation for last: Amy’s not a “genuine” ginger. That glorious chestnut coiffure of hers? As simulated as the pixels that make up fellow redhead Jessica Rabbit. (Don’t believe us? Rent the earlier films from her oeuvre for proof.)
To-die-for dye job aside, the Lacoste lady says she keeps her locks looking lustrous by sealing in the cuticles with a rinse of cold water. Useful tip there, Amy, and as easy as well, drinking water. Now you know!
Postscript: This clip of the lady in red talking about her fondest fragrance memory may go some way towards explaining Amy's reticence in asking our question on scents that make her weep. Either way, it's a rare and rather touching glimpse of the Hollywood A-lister with her guard down. Enjoy.
Eau de Lacoste, $72 for 30 ml, $103 for 50 ml and $139 for 90 ml, is available as an EDP at all Lacoste stores and counters. For more information, visit www.fragrances.lacoste.com and follow the brand on Facebook.