Over the past few years, Chloe Fineman has had something of a meteoric rise. Before she became a comedic heavyweight, she was doing comedy on her Instagram page with her iPhone and one of her many beloved wigs. You may know her for her impressions, which are always spot-on. After landing a spot as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 2019, she’s regularly seen on TV imitating everyone from Megan Fox to Britney Spears to even Elmo.
As you might guess from her penchant for turning herself into other people, the SNL star knows her way around plenty of beauty tricks, like using a Pat McGrath palette for everything under the sun and which eyelash curler gives her the most coiffed lashes. On a recent Zoom, I caught up with her on everything from the fragrance her dad used that she still wears now to her new role as a face of Pantene.
Tell me about your new partnership with Pantene and what inspired you to work with the brand.
I loved the Pantene ads and the shiny hair growing up. Those were ingrained in my memory. I was so flattered that they wanted to work together, and then when I found out it was with Meg Stalter, I was like, oh, cool. And Peloton’s Jess King of And Just Like That fame.
The one who killed Big.
Killed Big and now doing conditioner.
Very impressive résumé. Can you tell me a little bit about your own haircare routine?
It’s definitely gone through a beating at work. It’s sort of interesting because you’re under a wig cap with glued-on wigs, but then you’re also not having to do a lot of heat to it because you’re under a wig. So definitely a lot of conditioning and moisturizing, which is why Pantene is so perfect.
What about skincare? Is there anything you can’t live without in that realm?
Oh, a lot. It’s constantly building and increasing. I got into doing laser stuff. I did a laser this summer, which changed my life. But that’s not so much skincare.
I really love Tracie Martyn. I like their moisturizer a lot. [It’s] tightening. I like the smell, but I’m definitely smell-oriented. Living Libations has this seabuckthorn oil you can get on Amazon, and I use that either as a moisturizer or get a hot towel and take it off, and that’s my favorite smell in the whole world. DamDam Tokyo has these great face masks, and [they’re] really natural and smell amazing. Barbara Sturm—big fan of that very expensive anti-aging thing, which I hope works and makes a difference, but I don’t know. This summer, I discovered Augustinus Bader when I was in Atlanta, and that changed my skin.
The Rich Cream? Is that the one you use?
Yeah, I go rich. This makeup artist every day was like, You’re not drinking enough water. You’re not drinking enough water. And I was like, Okay, I hate water. I get it. And then I started using that and she was like, Wow, you’re really drinking water! And I was like, hahaha!
Hacking it with Augustinus Bader. At SNL, I feel like you’re probably always getting quick makeovers. Are there any cool tricks that you’ve learned from the makeup artists on set?
It’s really quick. My makeup artist, Daniela—we’re big fans of Pat McGrath at Chloe’s makeup table—she’ll take a Pat McGrath palette but also quickly use it as a blush. Then it’s sort of suddenly a blush-highlight situation. A lot of times, like if the costume is a lot flashier than we were anticipating, she’ll take the Pat McGrath and put it on your lip. The hack is have a Pat McGrath palette, and use it for nine million things.
On that note, do you have any favorite looks from SNL makeup-wise or hair-wise?
This year, doing Megan Fox was so exciting because they literally re-created her outfit, and I was like, What? That’s insane! And usually, it’s that kind of thing where I’m like, You made this? Oh my gosh, how? Elmo was really fun because the Elmo fur was made by the woman who does Elmo on Sesame Street. I think the costume department is so passionate about getting it just right. I just adore it.
Do you have a signature perfume? Are you a perfume person?
I am a perfume person. I wish I wore it more. I have three. One is messed up. My dad always wore Hermès Terre growing up, and I love the smell. And then I found out my best friend wore it. He got it for me this summer, and now my boyfriend wears it. All the men in my life. But I really love that smell. Yeah, and then I really like Escentric Molecules 01. And then I think more people are wearing this now but Baccarat Rouge. I thought I was a genius for finding this secret smell, and now it’s becoming like that Santal 33 that everyone wore forever. I wore that so hard until fuckboys started wearing it.
I know. I think everybody did. And then I went on a Hinge date like two years ago, and this guy was wearing it, and I was like, okay. Time to move on.
The other ones are getting there. I need to find a new scent.
I feel like with Baccarat Rouge, the thing about it is it kind of smells different on everybody. So I feel like you can kind of get away with it.
My sister wears it religiously because I introduced her to it, and it smells very floral on her.
Yeah, it’s interesting.
There’s another one the costume guy at SNL wears that I bought too. I have a thing. If I see it on a man I like, I’ll wear it. Yeah, I don’t like female stuff. He wears Kilian. Yeah, Kilian Straight to Heaven, and that’s another one that smells really good on different people.
I feel like I always kind of gravitate to more masculine scents too. I’m not a big floral person. My last question is if you could raid Sephora, what would you take?
I would get the latest Pat McGrath palette that’s sold out. There’s always the one that I want, and they’re like, Oh, sorry! There’s one that has pink that’s really pretty. Hourglass, I really like their palettes. Makeup by Mario, I would take some lipsticks. And then I would probably be a jerk and just get La Mer because I’ve never bought it.
Yeah. I would probably get that too. Are there any other kinds of beauty treatments or products that you’ve heard of and you haven’t tried but you want to try just based on word of mouth, like La Mer?
La Mer definitely. I did a Fraxel Laser this summer, but now I want to try Morpheus or Halo. I’m at that age where all of my friends are secretly getting Botox and under-eye filler. I definitely want under-eye [filler] at some point, but I’m very careful about that stuff. My mom is really hippie-doodle natural. I didn’t grow up with a mom who does like anything. And I really want to laser my armpit hair. What else? Emsculpt. Drew Barrymore is in an Emsculpt commercial. Like Fraxel, I did because my mom was like, Drew Barrymore does it.
Are there five makeup products that you can’t live without or you always have with you?
Pat McGrath. Kevyn Aucoin eyelash curler. The Hourglass Lighting Bronzer. It’s a little thing. I take that with me everywhere. And then Westman Atelier Lip Suede. I have like nine million of them, and I put them in my purse all the time, and I love those. I also really do like Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess.
