The Allure Deskside: Vampire Diaries' Claire Holt

One of the best parts about my job as Allure's entertainment director is that I get to meet lots of talented people just before they get so famous that the paparazzi will be stalking them the next time they visit us at 4 Times Square. Last week, Aussie beauty Claire Holt, who stars as Rebekah Mikaelson, one of the original vampires on The Vampire Diaries, stopped by my office. She was in town for the official announcement that next fall, she'll get her own spin-off, called The Originals. After chatting about this exciting new chapter for Holt—while marveling at her flawless skin—I had to pry. Here's what I learned about her beauty secrets:

Beauty motto: "Less is more."
Beauty icon: "I really love Karlie Kloss. I think her face is so beautiful and stunning and fresh. I love her hair short."
Skin-care must haves: "I use Cetaphil to wash my face. It's really classic and clean. Then I like to use oils, like coconut oil, on my face. And I use a moisturizer with sunscreen in the morning."
Favorite products: "Right now I'm using Almay Grow N Glow and a M.A.C. brow pencil in Fling."
Go-to hairstyle tip: "I'm wearing this little piece in my bun now—it's called a donut. It really fills out your hair and is easy to use."
Worst beauty disaster: "The worst one is when you have powder on and it picks up in the flash of the camera. So there have been times I've had photos taken of me and my undereyes are bright white. And I think some of my style choices in my early years weren't that great. But you live and you learn."
Guilty pleasure: "Chocolate is really a problem. I'm trying to be healthy right now, so I'll eat carob chips, which are kind of like chocolate. But sometimes I'll have a midnight snack, and I'll wake up and I'll find chocolate in my bed."