
Dayna Frazer
On her ideal Sunday morning:
“Sunday mornings are usually spent taking my dog, Magnus, for a walk to the park, grabbing an almond milk latte from Variety, and, hopefully, working on my vintage website. This means vintage shopping for unique pieces, taking photos of them, and listing them. The shop is called KASHMIR. This is also the day I like to treat myself to a mask or something special, because I have the extra time. Sometimes I make a body scrub out of sea salt and avocado oil and use it in the shower. For a mask, I like to do the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment. I’m currently out, but it’s the only thing that I can feel really clearing out every pore.”
“I’d say the biggest contributor to a nice complexion is what you eat. I swear by a plant-based diet. I used to break out and have irritated skin, but now I have neither. It also helps you age very gracefully. Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman, and Kate and Rooney Mara are all long time vegans, and are ageing like wine. I also rarely go in the sun, because it causes 90% of premature skin ageing. If I do, even for a few minutes, I wear a hat or SPF 50+.”
On her beauty secret:
“Don’t eat dairy. It does terrible things to your skin and body. Also, beware of the fact that what you see in magazines and on Instagram is highly altered. That’s a secret. Don’t expect to look like an advertisement, because even those girls themselves don’t look that way in real life — it’s great lighting, makeup, and knowing your angles, oftentimes. They have insecurities just like everyone else does — sometimes more than average. The big secret is that it’s lovely to not be perfect. Isn’t that a crazy idea?! But, unfortunately, no one makes money from that. People make money from insecurities and trends.”
On her daily routine:
“A typical day in my life usually means heading out to castings or a modelling job. I prep my skin the same either way. Lately I’ve been using a really amazing gel face wash that foams really luxuriously — the Nutritive Cleanser by Perricone MD. It calms any irritation, and it takes off absolutely everything. Then I’ll tone with Thayer’s Witch Hazel. It’s super calming and all-natural, and sometimes pulls griminess off your face that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. I never really understood the true importance of toner until a facialist once explained to me that tap water is slightly acidic. You don’t want that left unbalanced. Toner is basic, and brings up the pH so you have a neutral canvas to work with. After that, I’ll massage in the CellSurge Intensif serum by CelleClé. It’s really dewy and brightening, and I feel like I’m putting something healthy and light under my sunscreen. Next, I’ll use the Multi Restore Eye Contour Treatment by CelleClé, which has a tiny bit of shimmer in it, and really quenches my skin.”
“The crème de la crème of my routine is sunscreen. I’m hyper-sensitive to the sun. I think I read too many magazines when I was young — all the articles about sun exposure and premature ageing instilled a phobia in me. I use Clarins’ UV Plus Anti-Pollution sunscreen with SPF 50 religiously. The liquid consistency helps it glide on super easily, and it doesn’t pill under makeup. Then, I’ll throw on a little Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion foundation in the lightest shade. It’s so airy and light, and just evens out my skin tone a bit. I’ll then set it with Marc Jacobs’ Perfection Powder in Bisque, which is the best powder I’ve found. It just sets everything in place for good. Then, I curl my lashes and throw on some Chanel lipstick in Mélancholie. If Downton Abbey had a signature lip color, this would be it. Perfume is usually Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford.”
On how her perception of beauty has changed:
“Oh, boy. My teens and very early twenties were spent wearing far too much makeup. I had never worn it before, so I put a whole lot on and tried to bring out everything with colors. I also have to wear a ton of makeup for jobs, so in my own time I take a much more minimal approach and just slightly enhance things. A hint of lip color and maybe a mascara will do. It’s really all about maintaining my skin, and makeup comes last. I’ve now realised the women I’ve found to be the most beautiful don’t wear a lot of makeup, and they smile a lot.”
“At night, I use the same Perricone MD gel face wash. Every other night, instead of toning, I use the Alpha Beta Daily Peel by Dr Dennis Gross — these changed the skincare game for me. They’re incomparably brightening and smoothing. When you remove dead skin from your face, your skin cell turnover is much more efficient, and you’ll absorb your products way more efficiently. On these nights, I’ll follow with something really simple and hydrating, like the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm. That’s it, I’m done. On nights when I don’t do a peel, I tone with Thayer’s as usual, then massage in Chantecaille’s Retinol Intense. I’m all about retinol for age prevention, and this is the most intense non-prescription one I’ve come across. Don’t use it after an Alpha Beta Peel, though — they cancel each other out, and can be irritating together. Finally, I’ll follow with Sunday Riley’s Luna oil. This has retinol as well, and all of the botanicals in it are active and quenching.”
On her earliest beauty memory:
“I remember an image of my sister using an Olay face cream when I was very young. She now makes and sells vegan, organic soaps, and would probably never touch the stuff these days. It’s funny how we change and have such high standards of ingredients within our own lifetime. It’s a luxury of the twenty-first century to learn new information so rapidly about what’s unhealthy.”
On career advice:
“Don’t ever think it’s too late to start doing what you really love. I studied history and political science, worked in two restaurants, and then two law firms before modelling and starting a vintage shop. Just make sure to follow what makes you happy, even if you think you’re off track, and all you can do is dream about it. It will come to fruition in mysterious and magical ways if you do. Before you know it, all that dreaming will force you to take steps in reality towards it. Don’t stop daydreaming! A good and simple read on the subject is Catching The Big Fish by David Lynch. He shows that you can make your true desires a reality via transcendental meditation and following joy.”
On haircare:
“I typically use Aesop’s Classic Shampoo and Conditioner for my hair, and wash every other day. I love the earthy smell, and it feels really invigorating. I also have short hair, so I don’t think too far beyond how it smells, to be honest. I towel-dry it, and rub a pea-sized amount of the Aesop conditioner through the ends to smooth it down a bit. Sometimes, for a healthy scalp that’s clear for hair growth, I’ll make a scrub of sea salt and coconut oil and gently scrub my scalp, then rinse and wash as usual.”
On exercise:
“I exercise for sanity, not vanity. Pilates, yoga, and meditation have all helped me through the general anxiety problem I’ve suffered through since high school. These are slow, steady things that clear my head and help me breathe. I’ve never really said to myself, ‘I want to be perfectly toned and tiny.’ I like the idea of embracing a womanly shape. I exercise just to calm my mind, clear toxins out of my body, and stay strong enough to do daily tasks with ease. I also want to live for a very long time, and maintaining muscle is important for ageing properly. In terms of how exactly I do my workouts… Yoga With Adriene on YouTube is amazing. For pilates, I use resistance bands and basically look up “pilates resistance band workouts” on YouTube. I don’t think working out needs to be expensive, and I don’t think you need more than your body, a few weights, and dedication. I work out 4-5 times a week for about an hour and a half each time.”
On diet:
“I think about it all day, each day. I absolutely love to cook and eat only plant-based ingredients. I definitely like to splurge, and still have fried things and vegan sweets here and there. If I had to impart one quick thing I’ve learned, it’s that eating 5-6 servings of fruit in the morning and early afternoon will hydrate your skin like nothing else. Also, watch What The Health on Netflix.”
“After a restless night, I have a hot mug of green tea, do a quick dry brush session to start circulation, and have a warm, two-minute shower followed by an ice-cold, five-minute one. Warming up and then cooling way down will drain your lymphatic system. Lymph nodes, which expand when exposed to heat and contract when exposed to cold, hold dead debris and waste (which causes puffiness) collected from your tissues. When they contract, they “pump” out the collection of toxins via the bloodstream. Cold showers induce that contraction and act like a mini detox. They’re very enlivening.”
On the women she looks up to:
“Generally, I look up to women with a balance of empathy, grace, style, confidence, and generosity. Jane Goodall and Jackie Onassis would be famous examples. I also look up to my mum for raising me on minimum wage with such determination and humor, and for getting her bachelor’s degree at 56. And my older sister, for her open-mindedness and resilience.”
“What would Dayna Frazer do?” is a mantra we’ve recently adopted at THE FILE HQ. It’s working out well for us so far, thanks for asking. Thanks to the entrepreneurial vegan, we’ve saved on yoga and Pilates memberships by tuning into Yoga With Adriene from the safe confines of our bedrooms, cut down our dairy intake upon finishing the dietary documentary that is What The Health, and conversely increased our fruit intake, all per her recommendation. She’s also single-handedly making sun safety cool, which is exactly what we need in time for spring time here in the Southern Hemisphere.
Everything Dayna does in life is underpinned by mindfulness. She’d rather chill at home and feast on a plant-based meal than ~go out~, exercises and meditates for “sanity, not vanity,” and has a super minimalist approach to makeup and skincare. Her cosmic online presence is emblematic of our generation’s keenness for authentic and genuine role models, this evidenced further the time I watched her Q&A session on YouTube and scrolled through the comments section. Among the standard (and warranted) “You’re so beautiful!” assessments, it was remarkably clear how much the people of the internet look up to her for her down-to-earthness and kind demeanour. It’s hard not to.
Throw on some sunscreen, fix yourself a bowl of greens, and get to know the wonderful Dayna (and her wonderful home) better. If you find yourself staring at her impossibly beautiful skin for an inappropriate amount of time, don’t worry — us too! Thanks for inviting us in, Dayna!
Words, Madeleine Woon. Photography, Rafael Martinez.