Pamela Anderson has done many things, but until now she has never been the face of a cosmetics campaign. I wish they would have hired me when I couldn't pay my rent, but I wasn't cool enough back then.
The Baywatch star is an icon in the truest sense, and has deftly maintained that status over the past three decades through the art of reinvention. I think I'm not so flashy anymore, but it was fun to wink to the past.
Smashbox.
Anderson has brought back her signature beauty look: thin brows, smokey eyes, and glowing skin. Anderson is known for her make-up-free appearance these days, and she went bare-faced at Paris Fashion Week last autumn. Pamela Anderson was asked to open the beauty time capsule for Smashbox and she went for it. She says that a lot of brands have asked her to do flashback campaigns. She said she would take it because it was one of the things on her list. Since the ’90s are popular, I will take that.
Anderson and Davis Factor met in L.A., and Anderson has said that she was the first photographer to shoot her outside of Playboy. I always have a personal story with the reason I do things, and it is not always about the product.
Anderson opens up to Bazaar about her influence on beauty, working with Smashbox, and more. I like the idea of a primer because it separates you from the make-up, so I am thinking about how to protect your skin and still use make-up as an extension and expression. I have been peeling back the layers to remember who I am, as well as having a good time. We grew up together and I am doing things that make sense to me. I would have liked to have done a campaign for David and his brother.
SmashBox Photo Finish Foundation Primer is at Amazon.
I read that Smashbox was different from a lot of other beauty campaigns. I have different reasons why I haven't done things in the past, but a lot of it had to do with sustainable practices. Smashbox has been doing make-up for the entire time, and it is fun. I am not opposed to make-up, but I don't know what I want to look like anymore. It is a funny moment because it will be fleeting.
I don't know what you gravitate toward if you don't wear make-up. I don't know why I'm living in the mystery of it, because make-up has changed. It's a different kind of make-up with this new kind of digital photography.
Stephane Cardinale is pictured.
I feel like the safest bet is make-up-free, because once you start putting it on, you get so much information from these cameras. I love this product, but I don't know what's next.
I think my Baywatch days are the most similar to me. I'm going to take that as a compliment, maybe that's why I'm so many Halloween costumes. It is more than just the make-up, it is also how you feel inside, who you surround yourself with, and the music you listen to. It should be fun when you walk out the door.
Pamela Anderson in 1996.
I thought, "I am not trying to say that I'm this natural-beauty guru." I didn't wear make-up at Fashion Week because it seemed too much for me. I don't have a lot of time in Paris but I want to look at the architecture. Is that going to help me? Why am I doing it? Even though I was not very confident as a young girl.
I was not following any trends then, so I have a little bit of a laugh over it. I was dressing for my husband more than anyone else at that time and I didn't feel beautiful. I didn't want to see the pictures of me that popped up when I put together the mood board for the project. I was on the board and saw this, and I thought, "Oh my God, I'm having an invasion of myself." I was having a good time and trying to juggle the beach and babies and rock stars. I think it's true that if you don't rely on others' approval, you can have a more fairy-tale magical life.
I want to know if there are any other beauty tricks you have never heard of. I think I am an open book, but I don't have anything else.
The interview has been edited and shortened for clarity.