Extra, Extra: Inside the Clarins Party That Nobody Wanted to Leave

Candice Swanepoel, Quinline BlackwellStephanie Keenan/Getty Images

On Friday night, Clarins returned to its now-favorite Los Angeles habitat: the Dolby Family Terrace at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. This time, the French beauty brand is celebrating the launch of its Ultra Firm Energy Moisturizer. With a bash taking place atop the building’s shimmering glass dome, the roof illuminated in Clarins’ signature red, and the Hollywood Hills sparkling in the distance, the night exuded top-shelf glamor.

Awards season may be officially over, but no one told the guest list. The beauty crowd dressed accordingly — walking the bright orange carpet in sequined gowns and floor-length trains (a nod to the new Ginseng Cream).

Waiters made their way through the crowd carrying trays of the night’s “super delicious” themed menu: a fried chicken sandwich piled high with pimento cheese, pickled red onions and green ketchup, as well as sweet potato fries and curried carrot falafel with saffron tahini. Cocktails flowed freely and DJ Tay James kept the energy high – at one point a live violinist joined in to add to the evening atmosphere extra.

Those in attendance and present included Nara Smith and Lucky Blue Smith, Samara Weaving, Malin Akerman, Brooks Nader, Rainey Qualley, Paris Brosnan, Jackie Aina, Quenlin Blackwell), Sophia Culpo, tell me lies Co-starring real-life couple Spencer House and Sonia Mena, and love story Noah Fearnley. In between posing in front of a wall-to-wall backdrop of popular products like Double Serum, guests headed to the station where Clarins’ new firming formula was displayed to get a sneak peek.

Braid is proof that the right beauty routine can take you all the way to the finish line. “As a pregnant woman, water retention is a real thing,” the radiant actress laughed. “So I do a lot of lymphatic massage. I also moisturize like it’s my job because I want to avoid stretch marks and use vitamin C to help prevent melasma.” She raises her eyebrows as she looks around the crowded, pulsating rooftop. “My due date is in about a week – so this party will probably be the last hurray.”