Molly Sims Dishes Out Major Shopping And Makeup Tips - Exclusive Interview

There's one thing that always seems to make all our troubles go away: retail therapy. This weekend, shopaholics have a very special holiday in store. The first-ever National Outlet Shopping Day will be in full effect at Simon Premium Outlets and Mills across the country. Throughout the two-day event featuring endless deals, shoppers will also have the chance to be in the running for the ultimate prize: A $20,000 shopping spree and the keys to a VinFast VF 8, a brand-new premium electric vehicle.

While we can barely contain our excitement, there's someone else who can't wait for the shop-til-you-drop marathon to begin. Model, actress, and podcast host Molly Sims is prepared to purchase all of the season's newest styles this weekend. The List had the chance to sit down with the supermodel herself to put the ultimate shopping plan in place.

In an exclusive interview with The List, Sims shared her excitement for National Outlet Shopping Day, the trends she's looking forward to wearing this summer, and the best makeup tips and tricks she's learned from working in the beauty business.

Tell us why you're excited for the first-ever National Outlet Shopping Day this weekend.

There is a National Margarita Day. There is a National Coffee Day. Now there is a National Outlet Shopping Day. It's not just one day, it's two days, and Simon Premium Outlets is doing a massive giveaway. 

Why do I love outlet shopping? I might have said a quote, "I've never met an outlet I didn't like." It all started about 27 years ago. I went to this place called We Care in Desert Hot Springs, near Palm Springs, with my mom. I was getting ready for Sports Illustrated. It was a little hole in the wall, a wellness center, and everyone was like, "You've got to go to these outlet malls," [including] The one in Desert Hills Premium Outlets. And my best friend Emese [Gormley], who I do "Lipstick on the Rim" with, where we talk all things beauty and drinks, she is obsessed. So when we lived [in the area], we would all go to Woodbury Common.

I don't even like a sale. I know it sounds weird, but I love an outlet. I love an outlet mall shopping experience. ... I find great deals and savings. I've actually been going to Simon for a long time, because they own like 100 of them all over the States, but they're always good. The one in Cabazon has Gucci, YSL, Celine, Valentino.

[And now Simon] is doing a big giveaway. They're actually giving away a car. It's a premium electric vehicle called VinFast. And you also get a $20,000 exclusive shopping spree. But they're going to be doing savings, exclusive deals, all throughout the weekend [on] the 11th and 12th. ... A $20,000 shopping spree and an electric car, that's very cool, because [with the car], you can't get it now. It's not out until fall. So [the winner is] going to be one of the first to receive the car, which is really cool.

What trends are you excited to be shopping for this summer?

I love fluorescent, there is that pop of color. What you're wearing on your lips, like that bold fuchsia, can be in a bag, can be in a shoe. Jimmy Choo has the neon flat, [in] chartreuse and hot pink. The Bottega now is not just the beige and the white, it's yellows and bright greens, it's pink. If don't want to do [that bright pop of color] through a bag or a shoe, do it through a blazer. Zara has great blazers at the moment that have a pop of color. That's really a big trend.

Cutouts are going to be big. Chunky sweaters are good. I still think every girl should own a pair of ivory or white jeans. You can never replace a striped [outfit] during the summer. Those are the main trends.

And doing a Hailey Bieber hair slick back is a really good trend right now. And though I'm not into it, even though I did just try to buy one, are the thin small '80s, '90s glasses .

Also people do want that deal, those savings. Inflation is at an all-time high, so any time we can save money and still get what we want is kind of good.

What are some of the best makeup and styling tricks that you've learned from your time as a model?

I just got the opportunity to work with Sir John at the Met. He's Beyoncé's makeup artist. I've learned a lot of tricks and a lot of tips along the way, but he's definitely [given me] one: This area right here [across the forehead] and this area down [from the forehead to the nose], keep it powdered. Nothing else, just really concentrate on that T-zone, and not bringing your blush too far in, which I have a tendency to do. 

Working with contour too — underneath your cheek, from your temple underneath your apples, and really using your hands and fingers to warm that up. And don't forget your jaw.

As you get older, creams are sometimes better than powders, but [you want to] try to leave as much dewiness as possible. I know it sounds weird, but I do believe in setting spray. There are a lot of [brands] that do it really well [and] it does hold your makeup. Milk has a great new primer they just came out with that I really like.

Rodial has a banana low-lighter that I've been using, and it's probably the single best [one] in the market. It gives you that little bit of pop without making yourself look too white.

A little white eyeliner, beige eyeliner, inside the eye is probably one of the best tips and tricks, because it makes you look awake. So instead of doing a dark, do a cream or a white, and it really opens up the eyes and makes them bigger. Watch your shimmer too, because you don't want to look like a shimmer ball ... What looks great in person looks really oily and greasy in a photo.

I think the best idea for fashion is that laying out your looks, figuring out what you're going to wear. I just recently went to Saint-Tropez [in France] for a wedding and my birthday, and knowing what I was going to wear made it so much less stressful and keeps you from over-packing, which I tend to do. Like what are you going to wear for lunch? If you had three bathing suits, are you really going to wear all three, or are you just going to wear two? 

And tailoring is really important. Be best friends with your tailor. Ida, who's probably in her '80s, she works with Monique Lhuillier, and she did my custom gown for the Met. I've never met a woman who could tailor like that. ... A lot of your local dry cleaners will have a great tailor who's been there [forever], but tailoring is really, really important.

I'm a mom, so I feel like laying my clothes out and getting bright eyes are two really great tips.

Also, eye [masks]. Rodial makes great ones. Wander makes great eye patches that really de-puff. There are a lot of tools now, too. Solaris has a great tool. Skinny Confidential, you can find one on Amazon, it's like an ice roller. Put that baby in the freezer, and ice your face. Georgia Louise has it. Those really do work.

And radio frequency [tools] like NuFACE, which is all about lifting and tightening. There was a whole thing about stroke victims [a while ago], when they had a stroke or Bell's Palsy and they started using it on one side of the face that was hurt, and that side ended up looking better than the other side. So there's real scientific backing to radio frequency, whether you get it through a facial or a tool.

An eye mask also makes a difference when you're like me and getting up early with your kids. And think about how you lay out your kids' outfits. Going back to that. I'm a big believer. Maybe that's why I like outlet malls, too, because I do think you should spend money on certain things. And you might not have it the first month, but the outlets get it quicker than you think they do. You can actually get what I call "core-drobe pieces," real investment pieces at a lesser price that you'll have forever. I love a Stella blazer. I love a great, good-looking blazer — some of my blazers I've had for 15 years. I have a Michael Kors in there that he gave me for when we did the perfume ads. I still wear it probably five times a year, because stuff like that doesn't go out [of style], so really invest in your core pieces. That also means a good white t-shirt.

What other projects are coming up next for you?

Oh, my God. What don't we have coming up? We have "Lipstick on the Rim." It's a beauty podcast with my girlfriend Emese [Gormley]. We have a couple of exciting things coming out that I can't talk about, towards the end of the year, that we've been working on for a couple of years. I'm producing five movies, two TV shows. I don't know what I don't do right now.

I just finished building a house in New York after three years. And I'm pretty invested in my kids and being a mom.

But I'm so proud of "Lipstick on the Rim." We're number-one or number-two in beauty with Apple and Spotify for the past almost six months. We're a year-old. I love beauty. MollySims.com has blown up in the past two years, and it's been amazing.

It's been nice in the past to really hone in on the brands that I work with and love. ... I love my partners. I didn't really want to do a podcast, because I didn't want to put another thing on my plate, but being in that beauty and wellness world, I have learned so much. I have gotten to talk to doctors and surgeons and incredible artists. I had Sir John on, and then I ended up asking if he would do my makeup, so I learn things all the time. Like, don't overdo dry shampoo, because it actually makes your hair brittle and break — little things like that.

On June 11 and 12, visit any Simon Premium Outlets or Mills location across the country for deals and major discounts from nearly 300 brands. Thousands of products are available in apparel, home, jewelry, bags, shoes, and more. Head to premiumoutlets.com for more details.

This interview has been edited for clarity.