Eiza González isn’t one to back down from a challenge, whether she’s training for a role—her latest film, Godzilla vs. Kong, is out now—or she’s being asked to have her entire form saturated in body paint, a dare that she couldn’t turn down for her new campaign with Louis Vuitton for On the Beach, its new bright, West Coast–inspired scent filled with notes of Japanese yuzu, Tunisian neroli, and aromatic herbs.
“It looks like I rolled on magical rainbow sand!” laughs González of the process where she had her body painted in a sunset-inspired gradient of sky blue, marigold, and tangerine by multimedia artist Alex Israel for the shoot in Malibu, California. “It took eight full hours, almost nine actually, which is insane. And then it took almost four hours to get rid of it,” she continues. “You can imagine taking it off was like the ultimate scrub. My skin was, no joke, the softest it’s been in my entire life.”
Becoming a face for Louis Vuitton holds significant weight for González amid the call for greater representation. “I grew up watching all these beauty campaigns in the ’90s and I wouldn’t see a lot of Mexican women in them, especially in these large-scale brands,” she explains of what it means to work with the iconic French fashion house. “It was always kind of sold to me that I had to be a specific style of woman to be it, and the fact that girls in Mexico who are brown and Latina like me will see a campaign like this and recognize themselves in it with the scale of the brand makes me so honored and happy. It’s normalizing an image for people and making people feel included and seen.”
Here, González talks about her love of fragrance, how her relationship to beauty has evolved over time, and how she’s navigating her off-screen beauty routine these days.
Vogue: As the face of Louis Vuitton’s On the Beach, what attracts you to this scent and how is it an extension of your personal style?
Eiza González: Fragrance really identifies you as an individual. I have always liked unique smell and something that doesn’t feel like everybody could have it. And as a dynamic woman, I felt very connected with that on the On the Beach. It feels like sunshine and the beach. It has this this natural scent that’s elevated, but also just feels effortless. I love to mix scents sometimes so I love the line because it’s easy to mix and play with. It’s soft and subtle like second skin and that’s what I think fragrance should be.
From Bloodshot to I Care a Lot, you’ve really recalibrated your look to get into character. How have these roles impacted things off-screen?
It’s just so cool when you allow yourself to be guided by an incredibly talented creative team. I love when an actor can be comfortable in their own skin and take risks. A perfect example is my look in I Care a Lot with this retro shag, no makeup, and rock ’n’ roll–inspired outfits. It just allows you to get into someone else’s skin and live and breathe in a different way than you usually would. I have like my signature Eiza González look that I know that’s when I feel my best. Side-parted, messy hair, a little bit of concealer—almost no makeup!—mascara and a liner. But then I get to be like Fran and wear absolutely no makeup and have this curly shag or like in Bloodshot with this intense makeup, dark hair, and a super-striking haircut. When you change your look, it just informs you in a way you probably didn’t think you could ever look or act like.
Speaking of change, you just went blonde. How do you keep your hair so healthy with all of these dramatic changes?
It’s spring and summer’s coming up, so why not go a little platinum blonde? [Laughs] I love my hair to grow and be healthy and really get to a place where I can really play with it without being worried about it. So finding the right collaborator is so important. Since I moved to the U.S., I’ve been working with my colorist Matt Rez and he has helped me embody all these characters. When you’re an actor, you’re going through so many changes with your hair and your look, it’s challenging. I just finished an indie movie in Wales called Love Spreads and I played a rock star with platinum bleach blonde hair. I’m a dark brunette, and it’s never broken or been damaged. He always wants your hair to be healthy and look your best and cares enough to put in the work. So, because my hair is bleached with so much care, it never gets damaged and broken, and my aftercare isn’t that intense. I love working with different hair products, like Oribe’s Beautiful Color line, and doing at-home stuff like olive oil masks and sleeping overnight with Olaplex when I’m on set. On my last shoot, I was so lucky because for the first time ever, I spent zero time in the hair trailer. It was just my natural hair the whole time playing a paramedic. It’s nice when you give your hair a break from heat and styling for a few months. I don’t like overstyling, especially on a daily basis, I just like to wake up and roll out of bed.
In your Vogue Beauty Secrets video, you preached the importance of dedicated skin care. How have you been taking care of your skin lately?
I try to keep it very simple because I feel like when I overdo it with my skin, my skin does not like it at all. Every six or seven months, I love doing microneedling because I get hyperpigmentation and that really helps. My skin has been a little ruined by hyperpigmentation, which is what I generally struggled with and I love the Skin Medica 2.0 Lytera Serum. It’s so good. It’s one of the best products. The SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel is also great. It’s kind of wild, but it really helps the resurfacing with the retexturing activator. I also love the Tata Harper Clarifying Cleanser and use the VH Skincare peels, which were created by my esthetician Vanessa Hernandez. I bible by her! I use them once or twice a week and they help my skin just improve in general, like the texture and the coloring. One thing people forget about, that’s one of the most crucial parts of aging, is your neck. You have to be diligent from a really young age. It’s important to keep it hydrated and I love the SkinCeuticals Neck Repair.
While skin care is definitely self-care, what are the other ways you’ve been keeping yourself happy and healthy during this time?
I do regular Epsom salt baths and I think it really helps detox my body and really re-centers me, especially from my training heavily or working a lot on set and I’m not really getting rest. And then obviously I do meditate a lot and I think that helps with my sleeping, and then sleeping becomes really important for your day-to-day, your beauty, your energy. Also, I wouldn’t say I’m an incredible surfer, but I enjoy doing it. I love surfing and being in the water, just being able to connect with nature. Nature is something that I absolutely rely on. I either have to go on hikes or spend time outdoor or by the beach.
That’s why living in California was such a crucial thing for me because I just need nature consistently. I love my dog. I mean, there’s nothing like coming back and sleeping and cuddling with them. I love painting, drawing, sketching. That’s something I’ve always felt very passionate about and gives me a lot of energy, especially on set I like to sketch in between takes or while I’m in my trailer because it keeps me in a creative, mental state. It keeps me very happy and positive. And then for me, friendship is the most important thing. Staying connected to the people I love and showing them that I am present and a friend before anything else. I really rely on the basics, nature and friends, on a daily basis to keep me going.