© Provided by People Nicolas Kantor for Living Proof
Lily Collins has never been afraid to take beauty risks.
The Emily in Paris star, 33, has spent much of her life in the limelight – and a lot of time experimenting with cuts and dye jobs (both for work and play!).
Maintaining the health of her hair in spite of all the change is an important part of the actress’s self-care routine. That’s why Collins is now partnering with haircare company Living Proof as its new brand ambassador. To celebrate the news, Collins spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about the collaboration and how she uses hair and makeup to transform.
“What I found with Living Proof is what they say they do, they do,” the actress says, “and I’m like, God this stuff smells good.”
Collins’ daily hair routine is fuss-free — a spritz of the brand’s Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo, a few drops of the No Frizz Vanishing Oil smoothed through her hair and massaged into the tips of her bangs. She prefers to air-dry when she’s not working.
“Hair for me can be a representation of your personality in so many different ways,” she says. “But it’s also a really cool, noncommittal way to change your personality because it will grow back.”
© Provided by People Nicolas Kantor for Living Proof
When she began acting, the Mank actress resisted any big changes to her natural hair. “I think it was my second movie, and I had to dye my hair red. I remember freaking out.” Collins tells PEOPLE, referring to the 2011 horror film Priest. But she soon found that she loved switching up her look. “All of a sudden I thought, Oh, the floodgates are open. Now what am I going to do next?”
Collins has since sported a variety of hairdos, from an edgy, asymmetric pixie cut to the très chic blunt bangs she rocks today. She says the switch-ups are more than just skin deep.
“I definitely see characters as a way to make myself a chameleon of sorts, but also I use photoshoots, Met Balls or big fashion and makeup and hair opportunities as moments to become something different, or at least have a different side of my personality come out,” Collins says.
Video: Lily Collins On ‘Emily In Paris’ Season 3 (ET Canada)
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“And I have no problem being unrecognizable. That’s what I want.”
© Provided by People Nicolas Kantor for Living Proof
As the lead in Emily in Paris — one of the most-watched shows in Netflix history — Collins has become globally recognizable. But the actress doesn’t want to be known for just one type of role.
“I just love keeping myself and other people guessing. So now that I’m Emily, I like to do things that are very not Emily,” Collins says.
© Provided by People Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix
Though her character’s style differs from her own in real life, the actress collaborates with the show’s stylists to construct the perfect hairstyles and outfits for Emily.
“Her makeup, her hair, her style, they’re all extensions of her personality,” Collins says of Emily. “And the more acclimated she becomes to Paris, the more she starts to draw from different people that she’s seeing, whether it’s in her workplace or French icons.”
© Provided by People Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix
Emily’s polished, bold style and perfectly coiffed 70’s-inspired updos are a stark contrast to roles that Collins took on in the past, such as the tragic Fantine in BBC’s Les Misérables. Collins finds comfort in the less done-up roles.
“The characters that require the least maintenance or potentially are the rawest … like the dirtiest and the grimiest, that frees me up so much more to feel at peace, even though that’s not how I look every day. It’s a bit more of that careless, freeing feeling,” she says.
© Provided by People Nicolas Kantor for Living Proof
Collins relishes the opportunity to wear unique looks and play varying roles. In the future, she shares with PEOPLE, “I would jump at the chance to work with certain directors. Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson would definitely be people that I’d love to work with.”
As for what’s coming next for Emily and her Parisian friends, Collins says she has no clue. “I literally know nothing,” the actress laughs. “I’m like, can I see an outline? Can I get a script? What’s going on? But I know that whatever it is, there’s going to be more laughs, more dramas, more adventures, more romance, all of it. More, more, more.”
