If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what everyday stuff famous people add to their carts — like hair spray or an electric toothbrush. We asked the actress Isabelle Huppert — who stars in the new Hong Sang-soo movie, A Traveler’s Needs, out in theaters now — about the lip liner, mints, and warm socks she can’t live without.
I have cold feet, so I need very warm socks, especially to sleep. I love going to Uniqlo wherever I am. I was in Korea for my play Mary Said What She Said, then the next day I flew to Tokyo for a movie release, Sidonie in Japan. And of course, I ran to Uniqlo and I bought these very warm socks. You can get them either at the airport or the store. They’re almost like slippers, actually. They’re not fully socks to wear with shoes, but you can walk in houses with them, and they keep your feet really warm during winter, wherever you find yourself.
I like all sorts of sneakers, but these are nice because they’re very, very light, like nothing on your feet. You can walk forever and you don’t feel anything. It’s miraculously light, like you have no shoes on, in a good way.
I wear sunscreen every day, of course. Even in winter, even more so in summer, but even in winter, all the dermatologists tell you that now you have to put sunscreen on your face. I like this very basic one from La Roche-Posay, which I’ve been using for years. It’s very good.
This is a wonderful little cross-body bag that Agnès offered me, and it’s really great because you can carry it everywhere. Usually when you travel, you just carry the bandoulière and you can put the passport and a little bit of money in it, and you don’t have to fumble into the bigger bag. I also carry it wherever I walk, wherever I find myself, because it’s very light, it’s very small, but you can put a lot of things in it. I like to have it with me all the time.
At this moment, I’m touring four plays, believe it or not. I’m touring Mary Said What She Said, a monologue by Mary Stuart, directed by the great Robert Wilson, which I will be taking to New York next spring at the Skirball Center. And I’m touring another play, Bérénice, staged by Romeo Castellucci. I’m just coming back from Korea with Mary Said What He Said, then I was in Belgium with Castellucci, and now I’m going to Spain. I’m going all over Europe with the Castellucci. And at the beginning of December, I’m going to China with another play, The Glass Menagerie, staged by Ivo van Hove in Beijing. And next April, I will go with The Cherry Orchard to China again, and that will be staged by Portuguese director Tiago Rodrigues, who is running the Avignon Theater Festival. That is why I carry all these books with me. Now I’m all immersed in The Glass Menagerie, which I haven’t done since last year. I had done it in Tokyo at the National Theatre, but I have to brush up on it.
I always carry it with me. I need the big one because it’s all very clear and you can stuff it with many addresses and telephone numbers, and, of course, meetings. Last year, I had it in yellow. I never leave home without it. I mean, not in a handbag, of course, because it’s the really big one, but I always carry it in my suitcase.
This lip balm is really soft and you can put it on during the day or in the evening. It’s nice for dry lips. It’s really wonderful.
I love the color. It’s beautiful. And it’s nice and soft. It’s also very discreet and it stays. I use it during the day. This is the one I’m carrying with me at the moment.
This lip liner in particular is the best color and I use it all the time — on films and in life. I can use it alone and I can also mix it. I use it a lot on films with different lipsticks, not necessarily the Louboutin. For films, it’s better to use lighter shades, not so visible.
My Vichy mints, oh my God, that’s my real addiction. I cannot go without my Vichy mints. Especially when I go to the movies or when I go to dinner. It’s better than drinking. It’s a little bit sweet. It’s better than eating compulsory chocolate or sweets. It’s very light and very fresh and I love it.
I always like to carry a perfume, and that would be Fracas by Robert Piguet. Robert Piguet is what you call a niche perfume; it’s a very old brand. For a short period of time some time ago, I was a representative of the brand. I really like it because you don’t find it so easily, and it’s the best fragrance in the world. It’s tuberose, very intense, but it’s not heavy. It’s a great perfume. I just love it.
I love tea with bergamot. Bergamot is a really nice fragrance. It makes the tea very tasty, with lots of flavor, which is really nice. I drink black tea every morning, even later in the day. I have some green tea too, but I start with black tea with bergamot.
I have all sorts of different baseball caps from Balenciaga, which are really nice. I like to wear them, especially in the summer, spring, and fall. A little less during winter because they don’t cover my head enough, as I’m always cold everywhere. And of course, Balenciaga sunglasses. I like these especially because they cover your face a lot. Balenciaga has good glasses.
[Editor’s note: Isabelle Huppert is a brand ambassador for Balenciaga.]
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