Dolly Parton Spills (Some) Beauty Secrets
"I put on makeup because I never know who’s going to show up at the door."
Photo: Courtesy
Country legend Dolly Parton is a beauty icon. But she can now add beauty entrepreneur to her long list of career accolades. This month, Parton reveals her first-ever fragrance called Scent From Above (the eau de parfum, US$59, launches July 28 on HSN; deluxe samples available now). We caught up with Parton before the launch to chat all about her beauty rituals and signature look.
ON LAUNCHING A PERFUME:
"I always wanted to do perfume. I love beautiful scents. People follow me down the hall to ask me what scent I’m wearing. Also, Cher has her own fragrance, and so did Elizabeth Taylor!"
Dolly Eau de Parfum Discovery Size (Photo: Dolly)
HER FAVORITE CHILDHOOD SCENT MEMORY:
"One of my childhood memories is going to visit my aunt Estelle, who lived in Knoxville. She had all the nice clothes and perfumes. She was intriguing to a poor little girl—I grew up in the hills of Tennessee. She had sachets in her dresser drawers; I would open them and inhale."
ON HER LOVE OF BUTTERFLIES:
Butterflies are a part of who I am. I used to get lost chasing them when I was a child. I wrote a song called “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and a butterfly is on my new perfume, Dolly Scent From Above.
ON HER FAVOURITE WIG:
My favourite wig is the one I’m wearing on the cover of my book Songteller. It’s probably the most famous. My aunt Colleen Owens, who was my hairdresser at the time, came up with that look. Eventually I’d like to have my own line of wigs, hairpieces, and hair products.
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics (Photo: Amazon)
HER DRUGSTORE BEAUTY STAPLES:
I send people out to the drugstore to get beauty products for me. I love Maybelline New York’s eyelash curler, and I’ve always used Pond’s Cold Cream. I still find to this day, even though I have all kinds of expensive products, that the simpler ones are just as good. A lot of the time they work even better.
WHY SHE DOESN'T LOVE LIPSTICK:
Lipstick gets on my teeth. Instead I line and fill in my lips with a Lise Watier pencil, and put M.A.C Lipglass on top.
WHAT HER HOME SMELLS LIKE:
My home smells so good. I burn candles and incense, and I use sprays. When it comes to candles, I use the most expensive or any that smell good, like those from Yankee Candle. My little nieces and nephews come over and say, “It smells like Gigi!” That’s what they call me.
ON HER DAILY BEAUTY RITUALS:
Of course, I don't always go out in rhinestones and earrings. But I like putting on a little makeup every day. At home I don’t want to look like a slouch for my husband, Carl Dean, who doesn’t get to see me that much. I wear the wigs, but I also like pulling my hair up in a scrunchie. And I put on makeup because I never know who’s going to show up at the door.
This article first appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US