going to lose them because it was so difficult. But they
really rose to the challenge.
At one point, they came to my house [in northern
California] and smelled my perfumes—Creed Fleur de
Thé Rose Bulgare, [Yves Saint Laurent] Opium. But they
were rotten. They’d been sitting there for 10 years! I just
couldn’t throw them out because I loved them so much.
That visit is around the time I learned there’s this whole
language perfumers speak. They would tell me to
describe scents from a feeling, a memory. Like, my dad
used to smell like Brylcreem and Old Spice. And maybe
that’s why I love spicy scents and men’s colognes. I also
remember when I was really young, sneaking across the
street to my neighbor’s house and standing under the
night-blooming jasmine, and it was just so intoxicating.
We didn’t have any flowers in our yard; my father couldn’t
be bothered with the gardening, but I’d bring roses home
and crush them and try to make perfume. It would smell
amazing...until it really started to stink.
I’ve just loved this whole process. It’s made my head
want to explode a lot of the time, but it’s been really excit-
ing. Honestly, we would’ve launched already, but we
couldn’t find a name. You’re trying to think, OK, what is
representative of the brand? What is genderless? What is
inclusive? What doesn’t feel gimmicky? So I kept going
back to the genesis of this. And it started with my kids. I’ve
always loved, loved, loved their middle names, and so I
thought, well: Henry Rose. A number of people had sug-
gested it along the way, and I just dismissed it out of hand.
But it kept coming back, and it kept coming back. So it felt
like that’s what the name was meant to be. This started
with wanting to protect my kids, and ultimately I started to
protect myself through them. —AS TOLD TO JENNY BAILLY
MICHELLE’S
BEAUTY SPEED
ROUND
Favorite roles:
I really enjoyed Catwoman and Susie
Diamond. I hate being restricted
in life, so I enjoy playing characters
that aren’t too buttoned up and
give me a wide parameter to play in.
What the movies today
could do without:
High-def. I don’t want to see all that
on anybody, let alone on myself.
Aging philosophy:
There’s a certain surrender that has
to go on, otherwise you do start
not looking like yourself. And there’s a
threshold that one can cross that
I think we all have to be wary of. But at
the same time, I feel like, look,
if it makes you happy, who cares
what other people think?
Why she keeps skin care simple:
Honestly, because I get rashes. I just
can’t use all of those crazy creams.
Most-loved scent:
Maybe vanilla. I haven’t been wearing
it for a while because I got tired
of people asking if someone had
chocolate chip cookies when I
walked into the room. But I do love it.
First beauty-product obsession:
Maybelline’s blue mascara.
Greatest beauty
extravagance today:
Lash extensions.
Bath or shower?
Morning shower to wake up; nighttime
bath to tell my brain to shut off.
Massage or facial?
Massage.
Yoga or Spinning?
Spinning.
Jet-lag cure:
Tough it out!
Most-used makeup-bag item:
Undereye concealer.Pfeiffer’s personal effects, clockwise
from left: Attitude Volume & Shine Shampoo,
W3ll People Mascara, Sodashi Face
Mist, Beautycounter Concealer Pen, and
Sodashi Face and Neck Moisturiser.