Beauty VIP Aerin Lauder on how old is too old for miniskirts, the best advice her beloved grandmother Estée gave her and being reincarnated as Barack Obama.

ETCETERIST: What is in your makeup bag?

AERIN LAUDER: A little bit of everything, Lauder, Crème de la Mer, Clinique, lots of samples.

ETC: Name your desert island essentials.

AERIN: My husband, my kids, People magazine, Clinique sunblock, a bottle of rosé wine.

ETC: Do you have a beauty secret?

AERIN:  Re-Nutriv self-tan.

ETC: What do you wear on a fat day?

AERIN: Balenciaga black pants.

ETC: How would your female friends describe your style?

AERIN: Classic American.

ETC: What is the most treasured item in your wardrobe?

AERIN: My wedding band.

ETC: Is there anything in your wardrobe you should get rid of but can’t?

AERIN: My husband’s old, worn-out Oxford shirts.

ETC: Without what do you never leave home?

AERIN: Fragrance. I rotate between the two private collection fragrances I worked on.

ETC: It is a hot date with your husband. What do you wear?

AERIN: Jeans — either J Brand or tailored Levis — and Christian Louboutin high heels.

ETC: When home alone, what do you wear?

AERIN: I wear yoga clothes from Christy Turlington’s line, Nuala.

ETC: And to bed?

AERIN: My husband’s pajama bottoms and a tank top.

ETC: You’re the fashion police for the day. What do you ban?

AERIN: High-waisted jeans, really short skirts.

ETC: How old is too old for a miniskirt?

AERIN: Mid-30s.

ETC: Have you ever worn anything you regret or were embarrassed by?

AERIN: Yes. Just the other day I wore a black, Stella McCartney turtleneck sweater dress with gray tights to work and didn’t realize it was see-through.

ETC: How high is too high a high heel?

AERIN: It can never be too high.

ETC: How old is too old for denim jeans?

AERIN: I think women can look great wearing jeans at any age.

ETC: If you could live in any period of time for its fashion, what would you choose?

AERIN: Early 20th century.

ETC: What is your most recent purchase?

AERIN: Proenza Schouler shoes: beige, strappy, and wonderfully weird with a triangle heel.

ETC: What quality do you most admire in a person?

AERIN: Honesty.

ETC: Can you judge a book by its cover?

AERIN: Yes.

ETC: What is your greatest extravagance?

AERIN: Caviar.

ETC: What are your guilty pleasures?

AERIN: Diet Coke, candy, street pretzels.

ETC: What are you bad habits?

AERIN: Diet Coke, candy, street pretzels.

ETC: A cheap thrill?

AERIN: Target online.

ETC: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

AERIN: Whatever you do, do it well, Estée always told me.

ETC: Your favorite smell?

AERIN: My children after getting out of the bath.

ETC: Describe your best holiday.

AERIN: I love Thanksgiving at my parents’ house on Long Island, cozy with family and friends.

ETC: What are you most proud of?

AERIN: My children.

ETC: Least proud of?

AERIN: I worry too much. I get nervous. My little one is surfing and instead of being excited for him, I’m nervous.

ETC: What is your idea of pure bliss?

AERIN: No plans on the weekend.

ETC: As who or what would you like to be reincarnated in your next life?

AERIN: Barack Obama.

ETC: What would you eat for your last supper?

AERIN: Steak and French fries.

ETC: If you could meet someone from history, who would it be?

AERIN: Picasso, George Washington and Amelia Earhart.

ETC: Yes or no to a nip and a tuck?

AERIN: Yes.

ETC: What part of your body would you like to change?

AERIN: My arms.

ETC: What would you like to achieve before you die?

AERIN: Just to keep doing what I am doing for work and see my children as happy as they can be.

ETC: How would you like to be remembered?

AERIN: As someone with a strong will, and kind, and honest.

ETC: How good looking are you on a scale of one-to-ten?

AERIN: Oh, God! Five?