Eva Longoria Says to Switch Up Your Fragrance: "It Should Be Another Accessory"

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and Eva Longoria is no exception. That’s why when the Telenovela star hits the red carpet, she often pairs her real diamonds with White Diamonds—the fragrance created by Elizabeth Taylor in 1991. “I remember saving my allowance to buy it because I loved the bottle,” Longoria told InStyle last night while celebrating the perfume's 25th anniversary and launch of the new White Diamonds Night fragrance at The Glasshouses in New York City.

“For me, it was such an aspirational thing to do: One, to buy a fragrance, and two, to buy White Diamonds. It was like the quintessential fragrance that anybody could have.” It was also the first fragrance that Longoria—who wore a sparkling Ermanno Scervino dress that resembled the scent's namesake gemstone for last night's occasion—ever bought, thanks to Taylor’s unforgettable marketing strategy. “I remember the commercial, and I remember her taking off the earrings and saying, ‘These have always brought me luck,’” she said. “I will never forget that commercial. She was stunning.”

Of course, Taylor—who is “absolutely” one of Longoria’s beauty icons—was more than just a glamorous celebrity. “She was the epitome of doing it all,” said Longoria. “She was obviously a successful actress, she was a successful business woman entrepreneur, and she was a humanitarian. And those are the three things I try to be today.”

Longoria’s work certainly keeps her busy, but—much like Taylor—she still finds the time to keep her beauty routine fresh. “I do think you should switch up your fragrance,” she said. “It should be another accessory. So if it’s daytime and you’re going to the office, it should be a light, super clean fragrance. If I go out at night, it’s a little more of a musk.” Longoria also adjusts her makeup based on the time of day, especially when she’s not busy filming. “I do a day look for sure,” she said. “But I still wear makeup. I love makeup. And you’ll rarely catch me without lashes!”

Ultimately, though, perfumes offer something that a set of false lashes will never be able to provide. “Fragrances bring you immediately back to a memory,” said Longoria. “You can smell something and go, ‘Oh my god. 1997. College. Freshman year.’”

No matter what scent she’s wearing, Longoria doesn’t like to overdo it. Her spritzing habits? “I spray it in the air, and then I walk through it,” she said, adding, “I spray it in my hair, more than on my body.”