We throw around the idea of a power perfume a lot, but if anyone knows the value of one, it’s Sara Sampaio. In addition to countless beauty campaigns, the 29-year-old model has appeared on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk and the pages of Sports Illustrated, so confidence is practically her middle name. Her latest gig is as the face of Michael Kors’s newest fragrance Gorgeous!, which is inspired by optimism, confidence, and strong women.
“I think the fragrance is perfect if you have an important presentation or a meeting, or if you have a date night,” Sampaio tells Glamour. “It’s really for when you need that extra confidence. I just love the mix of the florals with the wood that it has in it. So it really gives femininity and the strength in a woman.”
Turns out, fragrance isn’t the only product she’s obsessed with—she’s a true beauty girl through and through. We caught up with Sampaio for a round of our Big Beauty Questions and got the tea on all her beauty secrets. Read on for the hair routine she swears by, her latest Instagram obsession, and the products she can’t live without.
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Glamour: Are you usually drawn to a certain note in a fragrance, or are you pretty experimental?
Sara Sampaio: You know, I’m very experimental with it. I think my taste in fragrance has definitely changed a lot throughout the years. I used to always love more sweet and fruity scents, and now I’m definitely coming more toward floral and woodsy scents. Something to make me feel a little more mature. I still have some fresh and sweet scents that are perfect for summer, but in the winter I’m liking my rustic floral and wood tones.
What is one beauty trend you’re obsessed with right now?
Well, there was something I did like all quarantine. I call it princess hair. Because my hair is so long, I can actually do some stuff with it right now. I did a tutorial on Instagram; it’s this very pretty braid around on the sides that connect at the back. It’s a really cute, easy, and fast hairstyle to do.
How long is your hair these days? Is it almost to your waist?
Oh, it’s past my waist. I haven’t cut it in, like, a year and a half. And I’m like, I’m just going to keep growing it until someone makes me cut it. I love my hair long. I think this is the longest I’ve ever had it.
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Do you think that’s just because of quarantine, or are you just trying to grow it out?
I think it’s mostly because I hate cutting my hair. I really hate it. And it’s just growing out so beautifully that now I’m like, I’m just going to let it grow and get away with it.
What’s one beauty rule you swear by?
Less is more, but really it is to keep my skin care relatively simple and not use too many products with fragrance. I've really pared down my routine. I only use a serum from 111Skin, and my favorite moisturizer is the Avène Restorative Skin Cream, which is the best thing I’ve ever used.
What’s one beauty rule you think is B.S.?
I hate when they say your concealer is supposed to be half a shade or a shade lighter than your foundation. I don’t think it looks good. I like my undereyes to match the rest of my face. I use the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Concealer; it’s the best line.
Fill in the blank: “I love my hair …”
Super, extra long! With my hair, I also like to keep it really simple. I’ll use a shampoo and conditioner, like the Pantene ones because they’re pretty heavy. I’m the opposite of everyone, because everyone wants volume and I want to flatten my hair out. And then I’ll do a mask maybe once a week. But if I’ve been in the ocean or in the sun or in the pool, I’ll mask more often. I put some argan oil in sometimes; other times I’ll put in leave-in conditioner. It really depends on how my hair is looking. But I like to keep it pretty basic and simple. I always let it air-dry. I don’t like to use a lot of heat on it. I’m very low-maintenance, and probably one of the reasons why I haven’t gotten bangs yet is because they're too much work.
What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
My beauty and even my style changes wherever I am. My favorite look is always the beach look, so every time I’m on an island, like Hawaii, that’s one of my favorites. My hair gets wavy because of the humidity, and I get some color. But then you have Paris, where you get to be a little bit sophisticated, like, with wearing a red lip, or in London where you can be a little more edgy. They all give me something different, which is what I love.
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You’re stranded on a desert island. What are the three products you bring with you?
Definitely sunscreen—Neutrogena has a good one for your skin that doesn’t make it oily and it doesn’t burn your eyes—a lip balm, and a hair serum.
What colors are you loving on your nails right now?
I used to hate getting my nails done because I’m very impatient with it, and also because if I would do it, I would get a job and they would have to remove it, so it was always pointless. But now because of quarantine, work is not as chaotic as it used to be. So I’ve been playing with my nails. I love the deep reds. The other day I had some matte black, which was really fun and felt very edgy. But right now they’re just natural.
What's your go-to getting ready music?
I usually don’t put music on. I don’t know why. My playlists are very low and sad. I love ballads and singer-songwriter types of music. There’s this playlist on Apple Music that I love called Acoustic Chill. That’s on all the time.
How long do you usually take to get ready?
It depends what I’m getting ready for. If I have to do my hair, which I don’t do most of the time, then it becomes a little bit longer. But I try to get ready in 15 minutes.
What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?
My favorite way to take a moment for myself is to sit down on the couch and watch my favorite shows. I’ve watched The Undoing. I watched The Crown, everything you can imagine, I watch it. I just really love TV and movies.
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What smell reminds you of home?
I grew up in Portugal—born and raised—and we lived by the ocean. So the smell of sea breeze always reminds me of home. It always has that ocean smell.
Screw, Marry, Kill: mascara, lipstick, highlighter.
I would kill mascara, screw lipstick, and marry highlighter. I really like the Armani Beauty A-Line one. It’s very natural and not too much.
What’s the last rabbit hole you went down on social media?
I was looking for this coat, and I just went into a full-on hole looking for coats on Instagram.
If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, what would it be?
I think we should be embracing every skin tone as beautiful, every eye shape as beautiful, all kind of lips as beautiful. We should embrace the differences in all of us instead of trying for everyone to look the same. And also to age gracefully, so no one feels the need of always having to look like they’re 20 years old. That’s physically impossible.
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour, follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_. Additional reporting by Talia Gutierrez. This interview has been edited and condensed.
