Olga Sumskaya: “I know my face better than anyone else”

The article was first published in the magazine “Makeup&YOU Professional”.

– Constant filming, events, stage... Surely, it happens that you apply and then wash off makeup three or four times a day. How do you take care of your skin so that it can take a break from all this? – Three or four is too much, of course, but sometimes I apply makeup twice a day. If I’m shooting from morning to evening, during the break I take off my morning makeup, apply a mask or just a thick layer of moisturizer for fifteen minutes, and after that I apply makeup again for the second half of the day. I usually come home late - after a 12-15 hour shift; if I have the strength, I take a bath with herbs, oils or salt. It restores. – What minimum makeup do you use in everyday life? What is always in your makeup bag? And in general, is the public Olga Sumskaya very different from the Olga Sumskaya among friends and relatives at someone’s house? – In everyday life I don’t put on any makeup at all, I just take care of my skin in the morning, apply moisturizer, put on a cap and glasses and calmly go to the store with my daughter. If I'm on tour, I take a lot of things with me. I may have two or three cosmetic bags. They contain everything for makeup: foundation, mascara, eyelashes, glue, powder, foundation, pencils, corrector. And also a curling iron, hair dryer, hair iron, hairspray, styling product, tresses, hairpieces. Sometimes you can’t even lift the bag... In general, the complete set of a professional makeup artist. You may ask, why am I carrying this around with me? And then, sometimes there are no make-up artists on set or they send completely inexperienced ones. Such a girl comes, she is afraid of excitement, and I say to her: “You, honey, relax, drink tea, I will do everything myself.” And half an hour later I go out in full dress! Make-up artists love me, especially in films. After all, I often do my own makeup, and when there are a lot of characters, it saves them so much time! For mini-makeup, I make do with foundation, eye shadow and lip pencil. I add a little bold blush and that’s it! And it’s important not to forget to powder your nose! – Were you often dissatisfied with the final result of the work of inexperienced make-up artists, and what was usually done in this case? – Sometimes I didn’t like something in my makeup, and then, of course, I changed it. Over the years, I have already gained so much experience that I know my face better than anyone and do everything quickly and efficiently. I really can’t imagine what it’s like to not be able to do your own makeup? There are such “armless” ladies. I know such people personally. But sometimes there are make-up artists who won’t even allow you to touch your face. In the Polish TV series "Blonde" I play the red-haired Ukrainian Oksana. Make-up artist Kasia did amazing thin transparent makeup for me, glued the wig herself - so much so that up close you would never guess that this is not my red hair! There are good masters, and it’s so nice to sometimes relax and sleep in their professional hands. Now I don’t do anything myself, because in the series “The Serf,” the filming of which began in September, just master craftsmen with golden hands are working on my image. And what kind of wigs are there! Ordered from Hollywood itself! Under the makeup, a special luminous base is applied, thanks to which the skin glows in the frame. No painted eyelashes or lipstick! Everything is natural - the eighteenth century.

Photo: Olga Veligora

– Which makeup artist do you admire, who would you call a real pro? – There are people I love working with. Among the hairdressers, these are Lera Ermine and Lena Tvelina. Favorite makeup artists: Angela Possokhova, Natalya Chumak, Marina Borshchevskaya. I love working with the wonderful Olya Mishura, she is simply a magician! There are also a lot of young talents. – You have beautiful hair, can you share your secrets of caring for it? Do you work with one hairdresser or with different ones? - Oh, my hair! How many executions they have seen! How many of them were unsuccessfully painted, burned... This is a whole epic! I remember I was the face of one famous hair dye. They painted me three times in a day - they wanted to achieve the desired golden shade. And how did I agree to this? Horror! I then lost half of my head. But there was a lesson for life: before experimenting with hair, you need to try it on one strand to see the result. That's what I do now. I restore my hair at home with oil masks (argan, burdock, special palm oil of expensive brands). Of course, I love salon restorative procedures. And I don’t forget about the herbs that I sometimes collect myself. This year, a scene from the TV series “Blonde” was filmed near Warsaw; nearby there was a whole field of nettles and burdock. I packed a full suitcase. True, at Polish customs they asked me to explain what it was and why I was bringing it. So she answered them: “Psheprasham, sir, I eat for hair. I eat the actor from “Blonde,” ore Ukrainian Oksana!” They found out and let us through, but laughed for a long time - no one had ever carried so much grass in a suitcase... - Do you follow fashion? What trends of the new season are close to you? – You can’t keep up with fashion! I try to maintain my style, which many people like. But I also want transformations. Therefore, I gladly agreed to experiment with body painting during a shoot for your magazine. I hope to surprise my fans! – How would you characterize a modern woman? – Modern women are unrealistic workers. Despite the fact that we make our own way in life and pursue a career, we also manage to combine this with family. These are caring mothers and businesswomen rolled into one. The modern woman is universal: she develops and achieves her goals, while remaining a woman. Today's men have long understood this and skillfully use it; I would even say that they are greatly spoiled by the beauty and skill of our women. French or American women are not like that, but ours are multi-machine operators! – In cinema and theater you often play strong women, but how would you characterize yourself? Are you a modern woman or do you adhere more to traditional stereotypes in life? - I can be different. Sometimes I come home after shooting, and my daughter says to me: “Mom, you haven’t gotten out of character yet!” Yes, we actors put a lot of energy into our roles, but at home you have to be yourself. In the profession, an actress must be a strong person with character. But at home I am, first of all, a mother. With my family, I am caring and kind, although I can be strict. However, I am sure that it is women’s patience, wisdom and care that help save the family. – Do you have favorite places in Ukraine and abroad? – I love Kyiv. This is my hometown, where I live with my family and am in demand. I love Lviv, where I was born and where I filmed a lot. When I come to Zaporozhye, where I spent my childhood, it seems that my wings are growing! I also love Paris - with its diversity and vivid impressions, it is somewhat similar to our capital. But I stayed there, had a rest - and again I’m drawn to Kyiv. – Olga, please tell us how your typical day begins? – I usually wake up at 7.30, prepare breakfast for my youngest daughter before going to school. Sometimes I need to get up at 5 am if the shoot is early. Ideally, I can pamper myself before 9 am, but not later. In order to cheer up and wake up as quickly as possible, I go to the park for a run. I run for at least half an hour every day until severe frosts, in any weather. After this - a contrast shower and a large cup of warm water with lemon. And a light breakfast! – What do you have for breakfast? What is your attitude towards food - do you prefer healthy food or indulge in tasty but unhealthy food? – My breakfast is porridge, a sandwich with goat cheese or cottage cheese. Sausages, toast, greasy scrambled eggs and other heavy foods are something that will never be my breakfast. I came up with my rule: “It is better to eat everything that moves and grows, but not to eat anything that is packaged.” Previously, if I saw delicious chocolate, my body would shiver with anticipation: I would eat half a bar, wash it down with a cappuccino - and here it is, happiness! Today it’s hard for me to remember the last time I ate chocolate bars and candies. – You are constantly touring and filming – how do you manage to monitor your diet? Many artists cannot... - On tour, I take prepared food with me or order “healthy” delivery - after all, usually on the set we are offered tea bags, cookies and crackers, which I invariably refuse. I even take my tea with me in a thermos, and between meals I drink clean water with lemon - at least 2 liters a day. For lunch, if I’m not on tour, I have lean borscht, baked meat or fish. At work, we usually eat in a cafe, where instead of business lunches I ask them to boil a few eggs or jacket potatoes for me, I eat vegetables, and in the evening I drink kefir. I am a fan of separate nutrition principles that really work. From time to time I do therapeutic fasting - I alternate 8 hours of food and 16 hours of fasting, and also do fasting days (2-3 days) on steamed buckwheat or pumpkin (baked pumpkin, pumpkin smoothie, porridge with pumpkin). Sometimes I can drink a glass of good wine, but if I want a second one, my internal control immediately prohibits me from doing so. – What about sports? Do you find time for it? – If you love your body, you need to respect what is given by nature and value your health. For example, if I don't go to the gym, I regularly work out at home with dumbbells. I really love swimming and hydromassage. I can also say with confidence that dancing is a panacea for everything. – You are a successful actress, an excellent cook and even thought about opening your own restaurant. What else is Olga Sumskaya interested in? – Sewing clothes. Since my youth I had two sewing machines, and recently my friends gave me a third one – a touch-sensitive one. I walk around it, meditate. I'm a little afraid for now, so I'm sewing on the old one. I have a whole collection of rare fabrics, my husband makes fun of me that I am Plyushkin, I have accumulated so much goodness. But now you can sew a wonderful collection from these fabrics. I constantly dream and visualize it. All that remains is to bring everything to life. Model: Olga Sumskaya; style, hairstyle: Vika Pisarenko; makeup: Natalia Chumak; body painting: Alexandra Bublienko; photo: Vadim Sery