Kate Moss, surprisingly chill human, dishes on her beauty routine

Photography by George Pimentel

Kate Moss is famous for a lot of things. Sparking the waif model trend. Being the poster girl for heroin chic. Partying, partying and more partying with, or without, boyfriends like Pete Doherty and current squeeze, Count Nikolai von Bismark. Speaking isn’t one of them.

So it was great to hear anything come from the woman often called The Sphinx at a party held by Saks Fifth Avenue last night. Her Moss-ness descended the staircase of the free-form Integral House (a private home for sale for $28 million), smiling down at 100 guests cherry-picked from the cream of Toronto social and fashion circles.

“Hello. Thank you for having me here. I love the brand and am proud to be part of it,” she cooed, referring to Decorte, a Japanese beauty line she represents. “Enjoy this lovely evening. Now it’s time for a drink.”

Champagne was soon delivered while Moss, in a black Saint Laurent dress, fishnets and Repetto Mary Janes (she still can’t wear heels following a ski accident), stood behind a velvet rope and gazed out into the ravine that surrounds the home.

New York hairstylist Carlos Merlo, who was flown in to do Moss’ hair for a personal appearance at Saks Queen St., ran over and Moss threw her arms around him and squeezed. “This is Carlos,” she told me sounding very excited and unSphinx-like. “He’s a very old friend of mine. We haven’t seen each other in ages. We used to do Versace together,” she said referring to the designer’s shows and campaigns.

One by one a few more media were brought to Moss for a brief exchange until she seemed to give a sort of “screw this” signal and broke free from the VIP enclosure. She made a beeline for the other side of the room where Decorte products were on display, including the renowned Moisture Liposome, the best-selling serum in Asia. Some of the products have been reformulated for North America, streamlining the Japanese beauty routine. In Japan it isn’t unusual for a woman to use up to 20 products at a time, including three cleaners and three or four brighteners.

How many products does Moss use every morning? “Not 20,” she laughed.

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