q&a

A Model on Scent and the Joys of Never Sweating

Dree Hemingway.
Dree Hemingway. Photo: Coty

It’s never easy to define a brand in a few words, but if you were to take a stab at Chloé and the “Chloé girl,” you wouldn’t be far off by saying she falls somewhere in the pastel-pink realm of unabashedly feminine, creative, and helplessly alluring. She sounds practically like a work of fiction, so it’s fitting, perhaps, that the brand’s fragrance campaign is led by Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter, Dree Hemingway, who is an actress and model in her own right. Dree recently sat down with the Cut to discuss her new role with the brand, her skin-care staples, and how she never, ever sweats.

What was your first scent memory?
I think it was my mother’s perfumes. I can’t remember what it was, but she always used to wear jasmine. She had a jasmine and a fig one, which was really nice. My mom also used to burn candles around the apartment. It’s funny how you don’t register until later on in your life that these smells bring back so many memories. Also there were bad smells. My mother used to make salmon and it would just stink up the house.

How would you say others describe your natural scent?
I don’t smell, really. I’ve never used deodorant ever in my life. I guess I have a naturally pleasant scent. I don’t sweat ever. I used to do ballet for 15 hours a day and I used to get like one drop of sweat.

How would you describe Chloé as a movie?
Chloé is very To Catch a Thief, where you have that kind of sexy energy. It’s also very much in Marie Antoinette — the one that Sofia Coppola did – especially the scene where she [Marie Antoinette] is in the field in the south of France riding in that white dress.

How do you take care of your skin?
I can’t live without Crealine. It’s how I wash my face — I don’t use water or soap. I also love Egyptian Magic. And then Skin Food by Weleda is also one of my favorites. I live for this coconut lotion called Skin Trip — it’s made in Hawaii. I had this nanny my mother hired — she used to use it all the time. I remember being in love with that smell and recently found it again at Whole Foods. I live for that product and I also think it’s the one thing that can take care of a sunburn.

I go to Ling Skincare in the city. Carol’s my facialist and I use a lot of her products. I worship this one mask that she has that’s oxygenated. You can sleep with it on, and it completely hydrates you. I wear that on planes a lot of the time. It’s not white, it goes on clear, but it’s there. I also love vitamin E oil. I put it on where I think lines might form at night. It’s preventative. I love rose water, and argan oil, too, anything that’s natural.

What are your go-to products for makeup?
I’m really in love with Tom Ford’s brown eye shadows right now. There’s a YSL brown mascara that I’m obsessed with — I normally wear brown mascara unless a makeup artist is doing it because they can do black better. I’m obsessed with Wendy Rowe’s Burberry products. They do this tinted glow that is so heavenly that I actually emailed her right before Fashion Week started saying I need more! They also have these crayons that are eye shadows that go around your eye and are really nice as well. I don’t wear foundation. I’ll cover a pimple and sometimes go under the eye with Laura Mercier’s concealer. I genuinely don’t want to cover up my face with any color, though. I think your skin should shine through.

 This interview has been edited and condensed.

A Model on Scent and the Joys of Never Sweating