The cult-favourite moisturiser Paloma Elsesser always has in her bag

“Pat McGrath put me on to this”

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / April 11 2023

Paloma Elsesser’s makeup looks permanently hold space on our mood boards, but the model is no one-trick pony. 

Elsesser recently stopped by British Vogue to share the contents of her vintage Hermes Kelly bag — “It’s very dear to me. It was my second major, big-girl purchase” — and it turns out she has a few smart-girl beauty hacks up her sleeve too.

As she unpacked her handbag, the 30-year-old shared that she’s been taking notes from industry icons namely Pat McGrath and Rihanna. 

The first beauty essential in Elsesser’s beat-up Hermes bag (“Hermes always looks good beat up”) is a well-used tube of Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre Cream ($26 at Adore Beauty).

“[It’s] on its way out,” joked Elsesser. 

Considering “it can be a hand cream, a face cream, [and used for] an elbow hit”, we’re not surprised she’s sped through the bottle. 

“Pat McGrath put me on to this the year I started [modeling],” she shared. “[And] I’ve never let go.”

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre Cream

The next beauty essential in Elsesser’s handbag is also well used — Serge Lutens Nuit de Cellophane ($217 at David Jones). The scent features notes of osmanthus, jasmine and mandarin — “it’s so good, so good.” 

“I’m very inspired by this little known artist Rihanna, who always enters the room before she enters the room with her scent, which I think is very fab,” she admitted. 

Serge Lutens Nuit de Cellophane

The model’s final beauty essential is a pack of Band-Aids for blisters — an occupational hazard. 

“I have foot problems,” she giggled. “You never know when [Band-Aids are] gonna come in handy [though, I] don’t just need them for work,” she went on to say. “Sometimes you’re in just too small of a shoe.”

Try: Band-Aid Blister Cushion ($12.50 at Woolworths).

Band-Aid Blister Cushion

Watch the full clip below:

Elsesser isn’t the only celeb who’s always carting around a bottle of perfume. It’s one of the six items Madelyn Cline always keeps in her handbag.

Main image credit: @palomija

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).