What’s your earliest beauty memory? 

I am really close to my mother and growing up I would watch her and pick up the tricks that she had. She was always into naturals, like enhancing her freckles. So, I think I’ve always carried that with me and it stuck with me forever, through modeling and so on, to just embrace the features that I have.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake and the last one before you go to bed? 

For beauty, I think it’s very important to drink water: 1 liter of water when you wake up sets your all body, your skin and your vibe. And then before going to bed is when I really use the products. Sometimes I use an oil with an active serum, I wash, and I take off all my makeup from the day.

“…just embrace the features that I have.”

What’s your current skincare routine? 

It changes depending on the weather and season, but I’m in love with iS Clinical year-around. Their stuff is amazing, you can play around with it, but their active serum is my number one; I wash my face, I use the Active Serum, then a moisturizer and I finish with an eye cream. And if I’m really dry, I’ll use an oil.

Do you look for a particular ingredient when you buy skincare products? 

Recently I’m trying to lean more towards natural beauty but I’m learning. I think skincare can be natural very easily whereas, with makeup, it’s not so easy, it’s like a journey. Recently though I found Róen beauty, Kosås, Beautycounter: those are amazing natural products. And at the end makeup is the same as skincare, what you put on your skin is going to go into your body.

“I’m in love with iS Clinical year-around”

Being a model and being always on set with makeup artists and hairstylists, is there any beauty secret you learned that you can spill out to us? 

Do you do facials? If yes, what’s your favorite one? 

I personally love to do them myself; I go for a facial maybe once every three months. But my favorite at-home facial is from Iceland, it’s Blue Lagoon. I went to Iceland, and their skin is flawless. So, you have to invest in that mask.

I have their eyepatches, and they are great because they are really cold.

There is something about them, they just tighten everything. I love eyepatches.

“…the best thing I’ve learned? Invest in a lipliner.”

“Facials? I personally love to do them myself.”

What does it mean for you feeling comfortable in your own skin? 

What’s the book on your nightstand? 

“The Power of Now.” It’s amazing, I’m very into self-help, spiritual success stories; it just gets me motivated. I’ve read this book like 5 times now, it’s always on my nightstand.

“…in the modeling industry is very tough… trying to be the same as someone else is not really the way to go. It’s just knowing what you are, appreciate it, and feed your skin with good nutrients.”

What makes you laugh the most? 

My family. Just being around them. Last year, my dad passed away from cancer and that’s been life-changing, going through that, seeing someone sick, it really alters everything so finding the moments to enjoy and laugh, it just means so much to me, and they get me through my job and everything.

Laughter is the best medicine.

Being in the line, modeling and constantly having to look like you are laughing and posing, it’s a lot because sometimes it’s not genuine. So, finding the moments that are genuinely laughter is super important to me.

“LAUGHTER

IS

THE

BEST

MEDICINE.”

And what’s your go-to makeup look? 

My go-to makeup look is always the same: bronzy, natural, and you can dress that up and down like for my everyday makeup it’s very bronzy but simple, then when I go out, it’s pretty much the same, I just hype up the eye. I don’t wear any face makeup, I just dust some bronzer around. Everything for me starts with skincare and then makeup just enhances stuff. I love a good eye, I love a good lip.

But they say that people with freckles have the best skin.

I’ll take it. [laugh]

Bath or shower? 

Bath, that’s my zone. Add sea salts, relax, pour a glass of wine maybe.

“Everything for me starts with skincare and then makeup just enhances stuff.”

“Bath, that’s my zone.”

Your favorite body lotion? 

Right now, I’m loving Necessaire. They are amazing, natural and just wonderful on the skin. It really is deeply hydrating. They have a couple of different body-washes too and I’ve truly noticed the difference.

Your favorite fragrance? 

Hands down, Le Labo Santal. I love it! I love a little bit more of a musky, manly but still feminine smell. I feel like that’s my style too: it’s feminine but I can also dress like a boy.

Your favorite hairstyling product or tool? 

Recently I chopped my hair in to a cute bob, it’s such a different vibe and does not require as much maintenance. After my cut, I switched to Playa shampoo and conditioner and it has been life-changing. My hair has never been so healthy. Again, a lot of natural products. And then I love the Oribe Texturizing Spray, it’s the best.

“I chopped my hair in to a cute bob, it’s such a different vibe.”

What was your first beauty product obsession? 

Probably, mascara. I have very long lashes which is a blessing and a curse because they poke me in the eye, but I remember being young and when my mom finally let me wear mascara, I was like “bless the day!”

I have very short and straight eyelashes so…I saw your Glossier mascara, I have to try it.

This one is very lengthening, it separates the lashes and makes them long, rather than plumpy and full. And it’s buildable, you can start small.

The item currently at the top of your beauty wish list? 

I would probably say the Chanel Illusion D’ombre for a wet sparkly eye.

“This one is very lengthening, it separates the lashes.”

What do you have too many of? 

Shoes! I’m a shoe girl, my man and I get in trouble because both of us are shoe addicted: sneakers, heels, every 5 seconds there is a different mood that needs the shoe.

As a model you travel a lot, what’s your favorite travel destination?

And your jet lag beauty cure? 

A bath, wine and a face mask. And good food, that’s necessary, I’m a foodie.

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What’s the bravest thing you have ever done? 

Probably, taking care of my dad through the deepest part of being sick with cancer. I just felt brave, you get a lot of courage from being broken down and seeing someone go through that. So just caring for someone when they are at their worst is harder than you think, it takes a little bit of bravery.

In the moment you don’t think about it, then you realize how brave you’ve been.

And then you are going from that to having to go on set, it’s really a switch.

And what would you love to see more and more in the modeling and in the beauty worlds? 

I definitely think we need more diversity. I love this new wave of shaved heads, and freckles and curvy bodies because at the end of the day, we are all different people, we all look different, we all have different aspirations and the industry is finally starting to pick up on inclusivity and diversity. But we really need to push for that. We are all just people. There isn’t one beautiful, we are all beautiful.

What’s your motto? 

No one is you and that’s your power.

What advice would you give to your younger self entering the modeling world?

I would probably say to always know “when one door closes another opens”. I think that’s so important to remember that the bad moments will pass and it ends up working perfectly as it was meant to. Hindsight often makes you realize, “wow, I think that happened for a reason”.

Have you ever had an epic beauty fail?

I’m sure I’ve had plenty. I see them mostly as learning moments, like when you see a picture of yourself and you are like, “hmm, I don’t know about that shade.”

In high school, I think my eyebrows were way too thin… 

My mom was always saying “stop touching your eyebrows” and I was like, “mom, you don’t get it, it’s so chic, pencil-thin eyebrows”, ­­­­­­­ and then I look back at my ID picture, and I’m like “Ouch, where are the brows?”

“…remember that the bad moments will pass and it ends up working perfectly as it was meant to.”

Do you have a favorite movie or TV series beauty look? 

Maybe Audrey Hepburn or anything like sexy catwoman. For Halloween everyone in LA was going crazy with their costumes, I had like 5 minutes to buy a wig and I did some makeup: I was Angelina Jolie in “Salt,” I love her makeup in this movie, it was so fun, just a cat-eye.

If you have to play with makeup, like going a bit crazy, what would you love to play with? 

I love to play with the eye. For instance, Marc Jacobs has these amazing gel liners and there is the mint colored one that I lined the all around my eyes and I was like, “wow, this is different for me.” But also, Nikki DeRoest, I love her eye palettes, she kind of introduced me to the make up in purple hues which is so outside of my comfort zone. I have an affinity for browns and neutrals, but I have learned that sometimes playing with lip liners and eyeshadows in different colors can be so fun!

The Film Wall

Fuji Instax & 35mm

Photos and Video by Johnny Carrano.

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