Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen have a somewhat charming new interview in this month’s ELLE. I guess they’re promoting their perfumes, which is kind of cool. I’ve heard that if a celebrity has a fragrance that “hits,” it can be one of the most lucrative branding choices ever. Britney Spears is a good example of that – Britney’s fragrances are extremely popular. Jennifer Lopez too – I still wear Glow and I LOVE how light and feminine it is. Anyway, the interview is a lot about their fragrances (Nirvana White & Nirvana Black) and how to wear perfume in general, and then there’s some funny beauty stuff at the end. Like, Mark Kate only recently learned how to brush her hair?! Some highlights:

Mary-Kate on their perfumes: “We really started the initial thought process focusing on Nirvana Black, actually. It was about the scents that we loved: sandalwood, musks, something sensual, and something that felt nostalgic in a way. And the more we started thinking about our brand, we recognized there’s such a duality to Elizabeth and James, and we felt it was really only appropriate if we did two scents and gave a choice. So then we started down a floral path, but we still wanted that same sensuality, so we focused on peony. Nirvana White had to feel like it came from the same place, from the same intention. They’re just two different types. We wanted them to feel like oils. My sister and I are very big on oils. That’s something we’re working on next actually, which is great for us. But Nirvana is really about how they fit on your skin and how they settle.”

MK on how to wear perfume: “For me, it depends on the application. With a spray bottle I usually spray it out and walk through it, or I’ll spray it on me from afar. And with oils I usually tend to rub it on my wrists and then use my wrists to dab behind my ear and on my neck. That way it’s more of just a hint of fragrance.”

Ashley on how to wear perfume: “I also like if you spritz it in your hair, then to me it becomes not something that’s really applied, but it becomes something that feels a part of you.”

Ashley on bad beauty habits: “I don’t do this myself, but I feel like the worst beauty habit that people have is when they pick their own skin. That’s just really bad. Everyone’s tempted to do it sometimes, but it’s just the worst thing you can do. I prefer to get ready with the lights off so I’m never even tempted to look at my skin!”

Ashley’s hidden talents: “I think I’m pretty good at doing other people’s makeup. I think after getting my makeup done for so many years I’m pretty good at that. My friend actually also made me cut her hair the other day and that didn’t look too bad either. She had long hair, too. It was down to here [salutes to her belly button] and I cut it up to here [points to just below her shoulder]. She made me do it, but it looks great. I made it a blunt, A-line haircut. And then we had a professional come in after and clean it up a bit! But it was pretty good on its own.”

MK on beauty habits: “You know, the truth is I feel like I just learned how to brush my hair like last week! [She laughs.]

[From ELLE]

Is MK joking about brushing her hair? Is it possible for a woman to not know how to brush her hair? Or does she mean styling her hair? Or maybe she means brushing her hair the right way? I think I’ve made this confession before, but here goes (again): I don’t own a hairbrush and I haven’t owned one in more than a decade. If I want to untangle my hair, I use a wide-tooth comb and I pretty much only use it once or twice a day. That being said, I know HOW to use a hairbrush and I’ve known since I was like 4 years old. I just don’t like the way my hair looks when really brush it.

As for how to apply perfume… it does depend on the perfume and where you’re going. If it’s just dinner, I like a nice spritz in the neck area, and “walking into” the perfume does work too. But if I’m putting on perfume for the whole day, I like to make sure the pulse points get a concentrated spritz. Sometimes I put a little perfume in my hair too, but I know I’m not supposed to (it messes with your hair, apparently).

Photos courtesy of WENN.