She has been the kind-hearted nurse of the decade's cleverest whodunit, a CIA agent who became unforgettable in three minutes of a James Bond film, Marilyn Monroe for Netflix and a ballerina-assassin in the John Wick universe. Ana de Armas, born in Havana and shaped by Madrid before Hollywood, carries from film to film a rare blend of softness and intensity. Since 2021 she has also been the global brand ambassador of Estée Lauder and the face of Beautiful Magnolia — a luminous floral composed by Anne Flipo and Laurent Le Guernec. Portrait of a chameleon actress, between metamorphosis and glamour, and a deep dive into the Beautiful bouquet at Olara perfumery.
1"Knives Out": Marta, the heart of the whodunit
In 2019, Rian Johnson brought the old-school whodunit back to life with "Knives Out" — a manor, a family of vipers and a detective with a Southern drawl (Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc). At the centre of the mechanism, Ana de Armas plays Marta Cabrera, nurse to patriarch Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a young woman whose kindness literally becomes the engine of the plot. The film was a worldwide triumph, launched a franchise, and earned the actress a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a comedy. A gentleness that disarms an entire manor: we know a few women's fragrances that do exactly that.
2"No Time to Die": Paloma, the Havana lightning bolt
In 2021, Cary Joji Fukunaga wrote the role of Paloma in "No Time to Die", the twenty-fifth James Bond, especially for her — and reunited her with Daniel Craig after the Thrombey manor. A freshly trained CIA agent, slit evening gown and hilariously jittery nerves, she cuts through the film's Cuban sequence like an electric charge: barely a few minutes on screen, and yet the most vivid memory many keep of Craig's final Bond. The art of the brief, indelible appearance — in perfumery, you would call it a perfect top note.
3"Blonde": becoming Marilyn
In 2022, Andrew Dominik adapted Joyce Carol Oates's novel and entrusted Ana de Armas with the most vertiginous role there is: Norma Jeane, alias Marilyn Monroe, in "Blonde", presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Voice, gestures, fault lines: the metamorphosis was so unsettling it earned the actress an Academy Award nomination for best actress — a first for a Cuban performer in that category. The woman who was learning her English lines phonetically eight years earlier climbed to the top of Hollywood by playing an absolute icon of glamour.
4"Ballerina": the dancer of the John Wick universe
In 2025 she took the lead in Len Wiseman's "Ballerina", the film that expands the John Wick universe: she plays Eve Macarro, a dancer raised by the Ruska Roma and launched into a personal vendetta, with Keanu Reeves himself crossing her path. Choreographed training drilled to the millimetre, action carried on her shoulders: the lightning-flash Bond girl became a fully fledged action heroine. Marta's softness, Paloma's sparkle, Marilyn's tragedy, Eve's precision: four facets of one presence — exactly what a great perfume calls an accord.
5Face of Beautiful Magnolia: gardenia, magnolia, sandalwood
In 2021, the New York house Estée Lauder named Ana de Armas its global brand ambassador — and immediately entrusted her with the launch of Beautiful Magnolia, the new chapter of the Beautiful line. The "Dare to Love" campaign, filmed by Gordon von Steiner and photographed by Cass Bird in Los Angeles, tells the story of a love unfolding — like the magnolia flower, a symbol of strength and loyalty. The composition is signed by Anne Flipo and Laurent Le Guernec, perfumers at IFF. Anne Flipo, born in Lille, notably co-created Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle — alongside master perfumer Dominique Ropion — and Yves Saint Laurent's Libre. Their score is a fresh, luminous floral: gardenia and Turkish rose in the opening, a heart of velvety magnolia with solar notes, and an enveloping base of sandalwood, cedar and musks. Discover it in our Estée Lauder collection.
Did you know?
When Ana de Armas settled in Los Angeles in 2014, after starting out in Havana and then Madrid, she spoke almost no English: she learned her first lines phonetically. Eight years later, she was nominated for the Academy Award for best actress for "Blonde". Metamorphosis really is her register.
6Beautiful, Belle or Magnolia: which bouquet to choose?
Three generations of one line, three temperaments. Beautiful, the 1985 original, is the house's grand "thousand flowers" bouquet — rose, lily, orange blossom — and a cult bridal perfume, to the point that it holds a place of honour in our wedding perfume guide. Beautiful Belle is its younger, more oriental reading, between rose, lychee and ambery sweetness. Beautiful Magnolia, finally, tightens the bouquet around a single flower, luminous and creamy — available at Olara in the Favorites set, a trio that lets you adopt it in several formats. The curious will continue with Pleasures, the floral of after-the-rain freshness, or Modern Muse, the urban chypre. And because the house was born from skincare, Estée Lauder's other face deserves the detour: the Advanced Night Repair serum, pioneer of night serums, and the exceptional Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond rituals, whose arrival in sets at Olara we recently covered — to be found among our anti-ageing skincare.
Your questions, answered
Which perfume does Ana de Armas embody?
Ana de Armas has been Estée Lauder's global brand ambassador since 2021 and the face of Beautiful Magnolia. Her first campaign, "Dare to Love", filmed by Gordon von Steiner and photographed by Cass Bird, tells the story of a love unfolding like the magnolia flower.
Which films does Ana de Armas star in?
She plays Marta Cabrera in Rian Johnson's "Knives Out", agent Paloma in "No Time to Die", Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik's "Blonde" — which earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress — and Eve Macarro in "Ballerina", set in the John Wick universe.
What does Beautiful Magnolia smell like?
A fresh, luminous floral built around magnolia: gardenia and Turkish rose on top, a heart of velvety magnolia with solar notes, and a base of sandalwood, cedar and musks. A tender, enveloping trail that is easy to wear from morning to night.
What is the difference between Beautiful, Beautiful Belle and Beautiful Magnolia?
Beautiful (1985) is the grand classic "thousand flowers" bouquet, a cult favourite among brides. Beautiful Belle (2018) offers a younger, more oriental reading, between rose, lychee and an ambery base. Beautiful Magnolia (2021) tightens the bouquet around a single creamy, solar flower, in a more contemporary spirit.
Who created Beautiful Magnolia?
Perfumers Anne Flipo and Laurent Le Guernec of IFF. Anne Flipo notably co-created Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle and Yves Saint Laurent's Libre — benchmarks of the contemporary floral.
