beauty

Barbara Palvin reveals her makeup superpower - and the secret to perfect poached eggs.

Image: Barbara shows The Glow’s Kahla how to take a selfie .

As an international model, much of Barbara Palvin’s life is consumed by fashion and beauty. So when I caught up with the L’Oreal ambassador this week, I was hoping to pick up a few pro makeup or hair tips; what I didn’t bargain on was a cooking lesson.

The 21-year-old Hungarian model — who got her start in the industry at age 13 — happens to be a bit of a whiz in the kitchen. When she shows me a photo of a cafe-perfect Eggs Benedict she whipped up back home in Budapest, I mention poaching eggs is something I can’t seem to nail.

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“It’s very easy, actually — sorry,” Barbara says cheekily. “I got it the first time; I actually showed my grandma how to do it.”

Here’s the trick: “You have to make the water very hot, then just put a little vinegar in there and stir it. Even when you think it’s done just pull it over and leave it in hot water so the inside gets a little harder. If you’re scared it’s not going to go together, just use a bigger spoon and put the egg in it, put it in the pot, then take it out so the egg doesn’t stick.” Neat!

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Barbara has been in the country this week for the launch of L’Oreal Paris’ new Makeup Genius app — a free, world-first virtual makeup simulator that lets you try out various products and looks on your face, and see how they look in different lights and angles.

Yep, the days of trying to apply testers to your face in those tiny pharmacy mirrors might be numbered; with this app, you don’t even have to leave the house. According to Barbara, the coolest thing about Makeup Genius is its ability to apply virtual makeup to a moving image. “It’s live – it’s not just a picture, it literally follows your face and you can check what looks good,” she says.

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You do a lot of travelling; how do you survive all the long haul flights?

“I sleep. I think they put some sleeping gas in my coffee, because by the time we take off, I’m out. I don’t know why. On the way here, I slept through the whole [18 hour] flight. Also, to keep my skin moisturised I use Hydrafresh – before we take off I put a thick layer on my face.”

Can L’Oreal’s Makeup Genius app do any makeup looks you’re yet to master?

“The winged eyeliner – I’m still not good with that. I need to practise!”

Say you have only seven minutes to get ready in the morning – what do you do?

“I literally get ready in 15 minutes, usually. If I go somewhere I need half an hour to take a shower, to wash my hair, to dry it and to fix it. So seven minutes would be perfectly enough for me to get ready – I just wash my face, with BB cream you can just put it on like this [rubs hands over face], and a little mascara and blush. Then I brush my hair and it’s done. Lipstick, you can put it on on the go.”

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But you might get it on your teeth…

“No, I never – I’ve perfected that. Even when everyone’s pushing me, I can easily do it. Even a red lipstick. It’s a superpower.”

What’s your favourite cheap beauty product?

“Lip balm. Even if I find one in, you know at the airport how they give you those packs, I always keep the lip balms.”

What’s the best advice your mum ever gave you?

“She always said [to] just smile and be confident, inner beauty is more important than how you fix your hair or what you’re wearing. And don’t go to sleep with makeup on.”

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What are you favourite L’Oreal products?

“Miss Manga mascara, the black one. It’s sold out everywhere, I don’t know why, maybe it’s something to do with… me? I don’t want to point it out, but… [points at self].” (Barbara is the face of Miss Manga, FYI.)

What’s the funnest part of being a L’Oreal ambassador?

“All the commercials we shoot – they’re very creative. It’s nice to watch how to build up a set; when we shoot the campaigns we shoot six ads a day, there are six different sets, it’s funny how quickly they change the makeup and everything.”

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Barbara Palvin talked to The Glow's Kahla about her makeup "superpowers".

What foods do you eat on the go?

"I'm a junk food person but I always have moments where I'm like, okay, I have to try eating healthier... I'm not a dessert person, but I love pizza and pasta."

What do you wish you had more time for?

"Cooking. Or fishing. We were just walking down by the harbour [in Sydney] and I saw some fish jumping up and I was like, 'Can we go fishing?' But [my agents] don't want to. I just want to go fishing, that's all I ask!"

What's in your handbag?

"Chanel Chance — it's been my favourite perfume for four years now — a book, a little hairspray, a little mascara, my wallet, iPhone, hand sanitiser. That's it. Not much."

RELATED: Megan Gale on juggling her fitness and beauty with a brand new baby.

What are you reading right now?

"Now it's Agatha Christie, but today I just  finished the second part of The Maze Runner. I just bought it before I came here but it's finished already. It's a good one - you can't put it down."

What's next for you?

"I'll go on for a little more with modelling, a few more years, and then get into acting. I was in Hercules last year - they shot it in Hungary, that's why I wanted to be in it. But I'm not ready to become an actress yet. I'm on it."

Which actor would you love to work with?

"I want to work with Johnny Depp... All of his movies are amazing; The Tourist, that's a good one, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Rum Diary, I loved that. I don't know what I would do. I've never been a huge fan of anyone, but I really love him."

What's your favourite show to binge watch?

"How I Met Your Mother. I've seen it so many times, but I love it. My favourite character is Robyn - she's like me, and I'm like her."

You can download Makeup Genius here.