Welcome to the house of our Beauty Cover of the month, Martina Pinto: a woman who embodies strength and authenticity, and whom we have been following and admiring for a long time.

During our conversation, Martina talked about some moments from her past as an actress, from her teenage years; those moments that have shaped her into the beautiful version of herself that she is proud of being today. Among first beauty obsessions, self-awareness, tips, and secrets of her skincare and wellness routine, we delved into topics like blush and the family, sharing funny anecdotes and deep reflections on the pressure and weight of expectations that bombard us in our daily lives, especially in the realm of social media.

Beauty this year couldn’t have started better.

What’s your first beauty obsession that made you fall in love with this world?

Lipsticks.

In the past years, I think I’ve tried every red lipstick in circulation. For me, finding the perfect red lipstick was a life mission! [laughs] However, I believe this passion is somewhat in my DNA because my mom always told me that my paternal grandmother – whom I don’t remember as I never met her when I was older – a tall, blonde Friulian woman, was always impeccably dressed with red lipstick, red nails, very attentive to aesthetics. On the other hand, my mom couldn’t do anything; in fact, I learned to do my hair by myself because my mom was a disaster! That’s why she always told me, “You got it from your grandmother.”

Then, I grew up on film sets; I started acting early on, when I was 3 years old, and even when you’re little, they put makeup on you. I remember being fascinated, especially because at home, my mom didn’t allow me to wear makeup when I was little. However, I remember having absurd mustaches, and on set, they would lighten them with hydrogen peroxide because they couldn’t remove them since I was too young! [laughs] Can you believe that I had my first waxing when I was 16, against my mother’s wishes? Anyway, I started much later than girls today who already have colored nails at 12, etc. At home, I was always the one good at doing makeup, who did makeup for birthdays or Christmases; I cut my friends’ hair, did ombre hairstyles – I was the family esthetician/hairdresser/makeup artist.

In the world of beauty, but not only, there is talk of self-awareness. Given your personal journey, growing up, were there things that were difficult to accept about yourself, which you later learned to accept over time?

Yes. I remember that as a teenager, between 17 and 18, there was a producer who insisted that I absolutely had to get a nose job because, according to him, my nose was not right. I was amazed, wondering what was wrong with my nose. I’ve always had a love relationship with my body in general; I never had any crazy insecurities. So, having someone else create paranoia about things that you never cared about was not helpful, especially when you’re in the midst of adolescent “fragility”. However, I realize that I was strong. I know girls in that environment who had to deal with that producer, who were induced to redo their teeth, breasts, nose, to fit a prototype until someone more beautiful and suitable came along, and they would be “discarded”. Because that’s how it works. I always went straight down my path… You don’t like my nose? Well, too bad, don’t call me; someone else will like it.

Perhaps the only thing about myself that I had difficulty accepting is my skin: I’ve always had acne problems, although never too severe. But during auditions, they always pointed it out, and over time, I made peace with it, learned to accept my skin, taking care of it, even consulting specialists. Now I see improvements, and even though I don’t have the perfect skin that everyone advertises, and that no one really has, I made peace with it even before the improvement.

“However, I realize that I was strong.”

What’s the first product that touches your skin in the morning, and what is your skincare routine in general?

The first product that touches my skin in the morning is micellar water, and the last one before going to bed is lip balm.

What beauty products do you keep on your nightstand?

Right now, I’m using Homeoplasmine, a cream similar to Vaseline that I apply on a small tattoo I have. Then, I have Chanel hand creams that I don’t use often, but they look nice. I also have a CBD sleep spray from Adesso Beauty, it really knocks you out.

When it comes to skincare, everyone has their philosophy. What’s yours?

I think the beautiful thing about skincare is taking those 5/10/20 minutes for yourself, where it’s just you. Skincare is a pampering session. Occasionally, I like to introduce new devices; for example, I’m currently using the Foreo Bear morning and evening… I think it works! I have many friends who don’t do skincare because they see it as a waste of time. But, in reality, it’s like exercise: if you don’t enjoy it, you don’t do it. Still, if you look at it from a different perspective and consider it something you can do for yourself, something that makes you feel good, then maybe you can enjoy it. Everyone needs to find the right recipe, their own dimension.

I believe your job also involves many moments of self-reflection because you are constantly in contact with others and yourself. In these moments, do you also experience loneliness as something you seek?

Certainly, from this perspective, living in Rome helps because Milan is an engulfing city. My moment for myself is before going to bed: before falling asleep is when my brain stops, and I can rationalize what I’ve done during the day, what I have to do, what people have told me. During the day, you’re always at a thousand, juggling many things, and then we’re constantly bombarded with messages, both positive and negative, of which you remember only the negatives, which question you, whether you want it or not. Because as strong as you may be, saying that you don’t care, everything they say works on your subconscious.

I’ve read negative comments about myself and have been completely conditioned by those comments on my behavior on Instagram.

My job requires constantly questioning yourself, working on yourself, understanding that you can’t please everyone, and that’s okay because in everyday life, in an ordinary job, no one asks themselves, “Will everyone like me?” or at least it’s not an obsession. In our job, it becomes one, but it’s okay if someone likes you and another doesn’t, not because one is bad or you are less than another person, but often it comes down to energies.

“My job requires constantly questioning yourself, working on yourself, understanding that you can’t please everyone, and that’s okay”

What do you have too many of?

I have too many glasses, of which I will never part; then, I certainly have too many products in general… Mascaras and blushes are among my excesses because they are among my favorites, my fetishes. And too many shoes. Relatively too many, actually, because if I had a house like a wardrobe, it would be perfect. They are too many for this space [laughs].

How do you experience the moment of applying makeup? Is it creativity, or is it relaxation for you?

Relaxation. I love it too much, taking my time with each step. I noticed that before, I tried many more things; I was more creative. Now, I don’t feel like experimenting or changing as much. I like to stick to my comfort makeup and change little, perhaps the color of blush or eyeliner, but always sticking to things I know suit me. If I experiment, it’s because I have to do it for work, like the reel with the overlip lip pencil as it’s trending now…

Any beauty epic fail?

Perhaps that overlip, which doesn’t suit me at all [laughs], because my lips already have a very defined outline. Then, once, to achieve the “wet eye” look that I really like, I used lip gloss, but after an hour, I had it all in my eyes, something I wouldn’t wish upon anyone! I was at dinner, and at a certain point, my eyes started watering and couldn’t see anymore.

What’s your favorite texture in skincare and makeup?

In skincare, I absolutely love foaming cleanser. In general, I love the gesture of washing my face; I could never just use a wipe or micellar water. The foam is a soft and fragrant indulgence. As for makeup, I like velvety textures; there’s a red lip tint from Too Faced, beautiful, that I lost but was one of my favorites, it’s impalpable on the lips, velvety, stunning.

What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

Giving birth [laughs]. Besides, even just deciding to have a child is a quite courageous act… Anyway, in addition to that, I was brave when a wasp stung me on the highway twice, and I didn’t have an accident. I was also anxious about being allergic because my mother was allergic to anaphylactic shock. In a panic, I called the mother of a friend who is a doctor, went to her house, and as soon as I arrived, she stuck a cortisone pill in my mouth, and I didn’t die. Still, it wasn’t pleasant to be stung while driving alone, on the leg.

What is your happy place?

Certainly home, both my current one and my old pink house. If I think of a place other than home, I would say Lampedusa, a place we visited only once, but I would like to go there to grow old. It captivated my heart: it emanates beautiful energies, it’s wild, there’s nothing, so you have to feel good about yourself to be there.

Your job often puts you to the test with yourself, and maybe sometimes you come into contact with parts of yourself that you didn’t know. What is the last thing you have learned about yourself through your work?

Talking about my past as an actress, I certainly discovered that I am very determined, even though it’s a somewhat inflated word… I learned to let go because it’s a job I no longer do, which played a significant role in my past, as I only did that. However, when I understood that there were things that didn’t make me feel good, I told myself that it was useless to reiterate. Your priority is to feel good, and if something no longer makes you feel good, because things change in life, the best thing is to let it go. In some contexts, maybe I’m very good, when it comes to important things, in other cases, I get lost in nonsense, like in arguments.

“…if something no longer makes you feel good, because things change in life, the best thing is to let it go.”

What was the most beautiful “fuck you” moment in your life?

You know, maybe I should learn to say it more often? I’m not one of those who likes it: in some contexts, I’m too diplomatic and empathetic, so I always try to justify others, and the “fuck you” rarely comes out. The only one that comes to mind is to that producer we were talking about because, in that case, I turned down an important exclusive just not to be tied to anyone; at 18, I wanted to be free, I didn’t want anything or anyone to prevent me from working with other people, in the prime of my career.

How do you experience the relationship with your body? What does your body mean to you?

It remains a mystery to me how we manage to stand and breathe without realizing it. Even after “creating” a child, I realized that I could do anything. I’ve always had a good relationship with my body; I’ve never had insecurities. I like taking care of it, especially through exercise, and lately, since becoming a mother, I have the anxiety of keeping it in the best possible condition for as long as possible, eating well, trying to be there as long as possible for my daughter, but also for myself.

I would like to be immortal because living is too beautiful; there are too many things to do. Who knows how they will apply blush in 700 years, maybe people will be born already blushed? [laughs] Also, for the experience I had at home, I believe a lot in energies and everything we say and don’t say, and I think that everything we repress, the body brings it out in some way. I am very convinced of that. So, there is a big job to do because it’s not always guaranteed that you can do it, even if you have awareness; you don’t become a saint, you remain human: you get angry, repress, tell someone to go to hell, keep everything inside, and then you get gastritis [laughs].

The last book you read?

Britney Spears’ biography! Although I haven’t finished it, I found it boring [laughs]. Since I had my daughter, there are few moments when I can read; I practically only do it when I go to bed, and my autonomy is a maximum of three pages. So, even Britney was becoming an odyssey…

A book I like to read and reread from time to time is “The Alchemist”, a somewhat esoteric book, a metaphor for life that puts existential priorities in order. I reread it when going through challenging moments. I also really like Ammaniti; he is my favorite writer overall. “I’ll Steal You Away” is one of his best, in my opinion.

Photos by Johnny Carrano.