The next three BeautyViews I am going to publish are of my three favorite women – my three sisters. While this is requiring me to slightly bend the rule about BeautyViews (two of them are no longer directly involved in the beauty industry), after all, I made that rule up so I can bend it, right? I decided to go about it in chronological order, so as to avoid any questions about preferences, so below are the answers crafted by my sister Cyrille, who is 2.5 years younger than me. She is the PR Director of Forever Laser Institut, and a significant part of her work involves writing (including writing my father’s blog). And when I read her answers, I am reminded that she really was born to write… song lyrics or otherwise. She is artsy, funny, genuine, and a rebel. And while I have known Cyrille since the day she was born, I still learned so much about her through this interview. Maybe it’s because I am more emotionally tied to her than to other interviewees, or maybe it’s because she actually answered a question with a swear word (which I did not edit…), or maybe it’s because her answers are so filled with dreams… reading them gave me goosebumps. I hope you will get goosebumps too.
AP: What city were you born in? CP: I was born in a perfect place inhabited by my amazing crazy intelligent parents and my crazy caring loving big sister.
AP: What city to do you live in? CP: I live on an imaginary boat with my Sailor and our son.
AP: What is your middle name? CP: Zoe.
AP: What is your astrological sign? CP: Milky way.
AP: What is something about you most people don’t know? CP: I write song lyrics and dream of being a star and going on tour with the two men of my life.
AP: What is your most prized possession? CP: Everything I inherited from my two Grandmothers.
AP: If you could have dinner with the person of your choice, who would it be? CP: My mom, but only if we share a bottle of wine and some of our secrets.
AP: Describe your fashion style in three words maximum. CP: Free. Unique. Unpredictable.
AP: Do you wear a watch? If yes, what model? CP: Once a month I wear a vintage Tissot.
AP: Diamonds or pearls? CP: One diamond on my finger, a few pearls in my treasure chest.
AP: What is your #1 beauty secret? CP: A great set of genes (works even better that a cute pair of jeans).
AP: What fragrance do you wear? CP: I never wear perfume. The only fragrances I’m permeable to are those of coffee, petit-LU (My baby boy’s butter-cookies) and love.
AP: Botox or not? CP: Absolutely, but only because I happen to be the daughter of the best injector in the world.
AP: Hair color: natural or not? CP: I always wanted to be a curly red-head. I once tried black and pink. Never again.
AP: What are your special diet tips, if any? CP: I’m the worst person to ask that question to.
AP: What do you do for exercise? CP: I carry my son around.
AP: What are three things that you always have in your fridge? CP: Pickles, organic plain yogurt, sparkling water.
AP: What is your cocktail of choice? CP: Champagne or Martini Bianco on the rocks.
AP: What is your secret to work/life balance? CP: I always put life first.
AP: How many miles do you fly per year on average? CP: I fly mostly in my dreams.
AP: What are your three top tips for travel? CP: 1. Travel seldom but travel well. 2. Have a couple of crease-resistant dresses that you can just throw in the suitcase under your 3 pairs of shoes. 3. Leave space in your bag for the shopping you’ll bring back home.
AP: 3 songs on your ipod right now. CP: I have no ipod. At the moment I am listening to Khatia Buniatishvili playing Liszt piano pieces. My Man and I went to her concert last Sunday.
AP: What book are you reading right now? CP: I read “Il était un petit navire” to my son.
AP: Quote to live by. CP: Love, Love, Love.
AP: What is your worst pet peeve? CP: Administrative paper work shit.
AP: What time do you usually wake up in the morning, and how many hours of sleep do you usually get? CP: This is a sore subject at the moment. I wake up at 6am and get an average 6 hours sleep. I would like to order 3 extras, please!
AP: What is your favorite thing about the beauty industry? CP: It’s my family business.
AP: Least favorite thing. CP: You always have to look pampered. Sometimes I prefer the “flea market-careless-scruffy-wild” look!
AP: Who is your mentor? CP: No one.
AP: Words of advice for young women starting their careers today. CP: Choose your co-workers with care. The people around you make or break your day.
