Emilia Clarke (opens in new tab) is sunshine personified – known for her happy disposition, radiant glow and endless optimism.
The award-winning actress (four Emmys and counting) is not only determined to be optimistic in herself, but strives to send a positive and reassuring message to those coming up behind her.
It’s no surprise therefore that Emilia was made Clinique’s first ever Global Brand Ambassador in 2020 for these very values.
This month, Clinique launches two new beauty essentials, Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator (opens in new tab) and Moisture Surge SPF 25 Sheer Hydrator (opens in new tab), calling on consumers to protect their glow. And who better than Emilia Clarke and her infectious positivity to front it?
To celebrate, Features Editor Jenny Proudfoot (opens in new tab) sat down with Emilia to talk optimism, the power of uncontrollable laughter and the Clinique beauty essentials that give her confidence.
(Image credit: Clinique)
What does that optimism mean to you?
It’s been a funny old journey of it and sometimes it is really difficult, but I just realised that I really like being happy. I know it sounds dumb as anything, but I really enjoy being happy. It’s definitely a feeling that I have relied upon for most of my life – I am the biggest softie on planet Earth. I really like to see the best in people. I always take everyone at face value – who they are and who I meet is how I’m going to take them. And it sometimes takes me quite a while to see the negatives. I will be like, “Oh no, so they keep being nasty, right? Good to know. Oh well, they probably had a bad day”. I suppose it’s hoping that that’s what someone would do for me. Because everyone really is doing the best they can, right? And there’s plenty of people out there who are pessimistic and angry and frustrated and normally quite sad. And that is something that I don’t wish on anyone. So if I can try and see a more optimistic side of things, it helps, and it really helps me – it’s entirely selfish. If I’m working on set and I know I’m going to try and make the crew laugh or make sure people are comfortable, I’m creating an environment of happiness that’s going to make me feel better. And sometimes it’s impossible – sometimes I’m in a terrible mood or I’m as sad as they come. But I’ll always tend to want to be optimistic and especially in approaching being someone who is seen. I feel like I know who I was when I was a teenager and I feel a certain amount of responsibility. I care very much about young girls and young boys, the environment that that they’re living in, and the scariness of online. And so if I can try and at least be a voice of like, “You’ve got this. Everything’s okay. It’s not too scary,” then I feel good about that.
It can be really difficult to stay positive with the world being what it is – particularly in a job as pressured as yours. Do you have any practical tips for staying optimistic?
Oh my goodness yeah, from the sublime to the ridiculous. There are definitely some things that have and still do help me. One is physically moving – and I’m not talking about exercise. I’m not saying that you need to go for a run. If you don’t want to go to the gym, I feel you – I hate the gym. The physical movement that I’m talking about is like putting on a song that is a bit stupid, and just shaking it out or doing a silly dance. There is no quicker cure to a bad mood, sadness or anger especially – I find this is like the kryptonite for it. Doing something stupid, making yourself look a bit dumb – in the privacy of your own home or in front of people. You whack on the silly song, and you shake it out – you do the funky chicken, you do the robot, whatever it is. Or you can put on a beautiful song and have a little sway – it just needs to be some kind of movement. And it really helps, because energy sits and it gets stuck – and that’s what anger is. That’s what sadness it, what self loathing is and all of these horrible things. And like, physically shaking it out is my life hacky way in.
I love hearing new life hacks like this!
Do you know what else is great? Watching something that makes you feel good. My brother is amazing at this. He’ll send me YouTube clips of people laughing. I don’t know why but people uncontrollably laughing will make you laugh – like proper make you laugh, and he’ll just send these videos to me from time to time. I don’t know what these people are laughing at, but I’m laughing too. It’s almost like the premise of Gogglebox or something. YouTube ‘uncontrollable laughter’ – I promise you it’s impossible not to laugh, even if that lasts seconds. Those are my very ‘outside in’ methods. And then another slightly counterintuitive, but really powerful way that I find optimism when I’m feeling nervous or insecure is just to remind myself that it doesn’t matter. Nothing is that important. Nothing. Obviously profound grief, extreme pain – really meaty stuff – matters. But when you’re feeling just that thing you can’t put your finger on, allow yourself to imagine that it doesn’t matter. For me it’s almost like it releases steam – just taking the lid off the pot and letting the steam out.
Your relationship with Clinique goes way back, but what was it that initially drew you to working with them?
Oh my god, everything. Clinique is such a historic brand – it’s a brand that has stood the test of time, whilst also being at the forefront of modernity. They’re leading in science, technology etc. and their stuff really works, so there’s a lot of trust there. It was a brand that my mum used and always told me to use. It was a brand that all my mates were using from when I was little. And then when Clinique approached me, they sent someone around and showed me some products that would be good for my skin. I started using them and they worked. I felt so over the moon to be able to be a part of this brand. But then the fact that this stuff actually works on my skin, which is sensitive and dry was revolutionary. And I know that it’s going to sound like I’m just saying it but I genuinely mean this – everyone who works at Clinique is wonderful. Like, seriously, everyone. I think they’re really lovely people and working with them is just an absolute joy. It’s a true collaboration – they actually want me to be who I am, which is not something you always get in a sponsorship campaign, let me tell you!
What is your Spring beauty essential?
I’m a Moisture Surge kind of gal. I have sensitive and dry skin, so finding a moisturising cream that is just like ‘the shit’ is very helpful. And this one is brilliant. The ‘Moisture Surge 100 Hour’ is literally 100 hours worth of glow and moisturising, and I live in London so that’s essential. My skin gets really dry here – if it’s not pollution, it’s aircon or my bad diet, and so this can really help. And now they’ve got Moisture Surge with SPF in it! So even if you forget to put your SPF on, you’re still a little bit covered which is really helpful whether you’re in a rush or you just feel like putting some extra good stuff on. Every time I remember to put my SPF on, I feel like giving myself a little gold star so when you’ve got Moisture Surge that’s already got it in it, you’re like “brilliant – at least I’ve already done something”. So that’s my Spring beauty essential. A lot of make up does not go with the British weather – especially in Spring when it’s so changeable. If you’re not sweating, it’s raining or it’s really dry, and so your make up is either going to get rained off or sweated off. But having a moisturising cream that you love means it doesn’t matter, because even if it does get rained or sweated off, your skin will be fabulous.
What is your go-to look for the Spring/ Summer months?
I’m not normally a blusher girl, but I always change it up in Spring/ Summer. Having a little bit more of a rosy cheek rather than a sculpted bronzed face leans into that Springy kind of feel, and I really like it. The blushers that Clinique do are amazing and they look dead cute – they’re little flowers. And it actually doesn’t matter how much you use them, the palette will stay flower-shaped – it’s mad. Clinique blushers last a really long time as well – at least they do with me, so they’re my summer pick. And then I also like a kind of sugary lip gloss. When Spring starts, I like to feel a bit girly and my palette tends to get a little bit more sugary. It gets a little brighter and I wear more pinks and roses. It makes me feel like a little blossom budding from a tree.
Join the conversation! Stitch Emilia’s ‘Protect Your Glow’ TikTok found on @Clinique and include your positive affirmation that protects your inner glow and spread positivity across the digital world.