All-American Girl

Best known as the face of Estée Lauder, celebrated model Carolyn Murphy has featured in innumerable magazine editorials and a multitude of campaigns for fashion houses, including Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara and Calvin Klein; last season she was also the face of Cavalli, Iceberg and Tom Ford Eyewear. Here California-based Murphy, who transfixes as the lead in Ryan McGinley’s new short film Entrance Romance (it felt like a kiss), talks red lips, novel ways to use sugar, and canine co-stars.
 
What was it like to work with Ryan?

It was good chaos. We tried a bunch of different shots: smashing milk bottles, watermelons—you name it—and just had fun with seeing what worked. What I love about Ryan is that he’s such a good sport. Before each scene, we’d practice breaking stuff on him. He always took the first hit.

Was it actual glass?

We used candy glass, which is made out of sugar so it’s less dangerous. We also had two stuntmen there who were such gentlemen and showed me exactly what to do—but that made me even more nervous! The fear was all in the anticipation. I definitely had some lumps and bruises by the end.

Tell us about the dog…

Makeout City, USA… I was pretty open to it—I have a lot of animals. We needed some kind of kissing bait so we dabbed cream cheese and Thousand Island dressing on my lips. As you can see, it worked.

What’s your off-duty makeup routine?

I like really natural, dewy skin without too much makeup. I do the old pinch-your-cheeks routine and rub my lips with a towel to exfoliate them and give them some color. I always dab some concealer under my eyes and curl my lashes. If I’m going out, I add a really bold red lip (Estée Lauder Long Lasting Lipstick in Classic Red).

How is filming a video different from a photo shoot?

Photographers branching out into short films is part of the medium's evolution, and it's so exciting for fashion. Video is unforgiving: it captures every little thing you do—every movement, the slightest change in your expression—which is both exciting and daunting. You have to give more of yourself. It creates a new level of intimacy.