A healthy, glowing version of The Corpse Bride, the 28-year-old American actress only made her silver-screen debut last year, but has made a lasting impact on beauty brands, fashion houses, and adoring fans from all over. Doe eyes, plump pout, and diamond-cutting cheekbones set on the body of a seasoned runway model make Laura the ideal woman of the late 2010's, along with an endearing personality pushing for diversity and the fight against colorism in Hollywood.
Citing Angela Davis as her dream dinner guest, Sade and 90's Kate Moss as her top style icons, and SZA her most played artist of late, she isn't that far off from being someone you'd see as a killer best friend. After deferring acceptance to NYU for art and signing up for William Esper's Studio for acting only a decade ago, Laura's got the heart of a college-grad and the soul of a 70's activist.
In her latest film project, a huge leap in genre from her role as a high school sweetheart in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Harrier portrays the president of the Colorado College Black Student Union in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. After receiving a lovecall from the director himself, she speedily got to studying up on the classics: Coffy, Cleopatra Jones, and The Black Power Mixtape documentary, along with hours of Soul Train to completely immerse herself in the 1970's. Laura had a series of emotional moments on set, given the context of the script and its allusions to the current administration, to which she points out without reservation in her interview with Flaunt Magazine.
As a biracial woman, Laura is fully aware of both how her blackness is an integral part of her identity and how her whiteness plays a factor in her being privileged in a number of situations her dark-skinned counterparts are not so lucky. She told The Daily Beast all about how she feels about how black women, especially those with darker skin are depicted in films and TV, and how drastically it needs to be changed:
"The depictions that we’re now seeing of black women in media and film, it’s a very narrow swath of the black experience. My experience as a black woman is very different than a lot of others’. Everyone’s path is unique. I think it’s really important that we’re representative of all women of color. And, you know, it is disappointing when you look at the actresses of my generation right now. Most of us are light-skinned and biracial and there’s a lot more people who need to be seen and represented. So yeah, it’s definitely something that I’m aware of. I think most of us are aware of that and can hopefully speak out about it and start to change things as well."
When she's not gallivanting around sets for movies or her many Bvlgari and Louis Vuitton campaigns, Harrier likes to get deep into self-care, with an extensive list of natural skincare products like manuka honey for a blemish-free face, rosewater, and oils like almond, prickly pear, and orange blossom. She also gets into high-end buys as well such as retinol, Tata Harper moisturizer, exfoliating wipes, oil-free sunscreens, and clinical serums. Laura cites Tom Ford, Glossier, and Nars as her most often used makeup brands although she mostly sticks to skin maintenance when her MUAs aren't around. For her ever-changing, luscious chameleon hair, she dedicates time to deep conditioning with Olaplex and Shu Uemura products to keep her curls from drying up into the sun. She also partakes in morning meditation after her coffee and toast, followed by a cermaics classes when she's got a true day off.
You can keep up with Laura on her Instagram while awaiting news on her next gig or if you haven't already, go watch her as Patrice in BlacKkKlansman!
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