The One Thing Camila Mendes Keeps In Her Bag At All Times

Camila Mendes isn't prone to drastic changes in her beauty routine. This spring, she trimmed a couple of inches off her signature lob after wrapping season 3 of Riverdale. She also lifted her glossy, black Veronica Lodge waves to a softer chocolate tone, but it's super subtle. And nail polish, well, she's been wearing Linkin Park After Dark on her fingers and toes for months. But when it comes to the perfume she's wearing on any given day, Mendes tends to make more extreme fluctuations. In fact, she's got an extensive fragrance wardrobe at her disposal.

"I have about six scents that I really like, and I'll choose the one I want to wear depending on the day, where I'm going, or how I'm feeling," Mendes gushes, her love of fragrance almost wafting through the phone during our interview regarding her new partnership with Secret. "On most days, it's either Marc Jacobs Daisy or Nectar by Commodity, which is sweet but very organic, it almost smells like an essential oil."

Mendes' love of earthy florals makes her the ideal spokesperson for Secret's new essential oils collection. It's the same 48-hour invisible solid antiperspirant, but it's made without dyes and parabens and infused with a dual-blend of essential oils. Plus, the classic powder-blue packaging has been redone in midnight with chic floral embroidery. There are four different scents in the line, including the Lavender + Eucalyptus one that Mendes prefers.

Actually, the 25-year-old has been using the brand's clinical-strength antiperspirant since her first memorable experience with stress sweat. "Whenever I get nervous, I start sweating like crazy," Mendes admits, recalling her first audition for Riverdale. "I actually stuffed paper towels in my armpits because I was wearing a turtleneck and didn't want the sweat stains to show on camera."

Fast-forward three years, and Mendes is the lead of a hit show that shoots eight months out of the year. In that time, she's learned that she needs more than just a good antiperspirant to deal with stress. "On my days off, I hang out at home and do absolutely nothing — it keeps me sane," she explains. "I try to meditate or do something that's meditative, like going to the gym, taking a bath, or reading a book. If I'm stressed, I take my mind off whatever's stressing me out, so that I can go back to it later with a calm mind." 

From a scent perspective, it's the smell of lavender that instantly gives Mendes that feeling of zen. "I've always loved lavender — lotions, oils, anything," she explains. "If I forget to put on my perfume, I'll use a lavender roll-on that I keep in my bag at all times. Actually, now that my deodorant smells like organic lavender, it's almost enough. If I put on the deodorant and nothing else — no perfume — I'm good."