I started modeling when I was 15, this was pre Instagram and pre the outpour of beauty bloggers who told you how to “beat your face”. The three women I looked to were Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and most importantly my mom. Growing up in LA with a mother who started wearing foundation at the same time I did (I was 17 she was 48), my beauty routine is based around simplicity. Like any  young girl, I watched my Mom do her make-up in the mirror.  Her routine was a swipe of mascara and a coat of Nars Dolce Vita lipstick; maybeeee NARS Orgasm blush (which was a name I giggled at through my youth) and she was never without a spritz of Calandre by Paco Rabanne.  Since I could comprehend the notion of beauty, my Mom has never wavered as the pinnacle of it.  Even at her “worst” she always looks like she walked out of a 90’s Calvin Klein campaign. Growing up, this style of doing make-up was all I knew, so it was all I did. This simplistic approach to make up allowed me to accept and understand my features.  Instead of covering up my face, I worked to accentuate it.  As long as you looked “glowing and awake” you were good to go.  Still, to this day, my mom’s outlook on make-up has been my security blanket in a generation of over lining and injecting everything.

1

California Baby Shampoo

A few months ago I was in the bath when I realized I had forgotten my shampoo.  In my lazy state I didn’t feel like getting up to get mine, so instead I grabbed the only shampoo around which happened to be my boyfriend’s daughter’s. I lathered my hair with California Baby Calming Aromatherapy Shampoo and went on with my day.  Next thing I knew, my dirty blonde locks were channelling Julia Roberts waves in Pretty Woman and I was thrilled.  I have been using it ever since.  That being said, I’m a Scandinavian and Russian mutt so my hair dries pretty easily. I usually towel dry it, throw in some Playa Hair Oil, shake my hair out and call it a day.  I can probably count the number of blow outs I’ve had on one hand.  When I’m at a shoot, hairstylists are constantly straightening or curling my hair so when I’m not working I just let it do its own thing.

2

Skin Trip Plus Essential Oils and (Mario Badescu Summer Shine Lotion)

If it were up to me I would smell like Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen all the time.  In my opinion, there is nothing sexier than that coconutty scent.  If I could bottle what I imagine Honey Rider to smell like when she stepped out of the Caribbean ocean in James Bond’s Dr. No with notes of Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush and Sarah Paxton in Aquamarine I would.  Sadly I can’t replace sunscreen with lotion, I’m mental about being moisturized and it doesn’t do the trick (I’ve tried).  Skin Trip Coconut Lotion is one of my favorite products, although on its own it can be a bit watery.  I use the lotion as a base and I mix it with Monoi Tiara Tahiti Coconut Scented Body Oil and essential oils of rose and vanilla.  This concoction also doubles as my perfume and the best part about it is I never smell like anyone else.

3

Jade Roller From China

Last month I was in Guangzhou, China, buying fabrics and designing clothes for Brandy Melville.  On my day off I went into  town to buy souvenirs for my friends back home.  I bought into all the cliché gift ideas; custom engraved chopsticks, tea sets, Baoding health balls, and water color paintings of my friends names in Cantonese.  I also wanted to get my friends something they would actually use.  Most of my friends already own jade, quartz or ice rollers considering they are really trending right now but when the store clerk showed me his jade roller collection it blew away anything I could buy at Sephora.  This jade was so heavy and pure I bought 8 of them on the spot.  My friends were thrilled with the gift and so was I.  I use it at least once a day, although I try to use it twice.  I use it to depuff my face in the morning when it’s icy and I use it to rub the Vitners Daughter Oil into my face at night.  I’ve completely bought into the idea of draining lymphatic acid from the face, I don’t know if it actually makes a difference but it feels so damn good.

4

Mario Badescu Acne Face Wash

For the most part my skin and I are on the same team.  We seem to understand each other.  I try not to use products that have harsh chemicals or anything that sounds like it could be the name of a monster in a horror film (Butylphenol and Linoleamidopropyl).  My main skincare advice is that what you are eating comes out in your skin.  I keep a pretty clean diet and avoid things that make me feel lousy.  I haven’t eaten meat since I was 7, I don’t drink much alcohol, and try to avoid processed foods as much as I can.  When I eat a pint of ice cream and hot Cheetos (usually not together), I can almost always see a difference in the quality of my skin.  I do my best to control my skin as much as possible, but some aspects are out of my control. My period usually comes with a side of hormonal acne which I do my best to combat with the help of Mario Badescu.  His skin care line is a godsend.  I’ve tried high and low priced skin care through the years and I always come back to Mario. The Mario Badescu Acne Face Wash is incredible.  I follow it with the Glycolic Acid Toner and the Drying Lotion Spot Treatment. The price point of this line is also incredible.  All of his productions from lotions to masks are the best.

5

Chanel Soleil De Tan Bronzer

I’m obsessed with being tan, the bronzer the better.  If I didn’t know how bad it was for me I would lay out covered in baby oil with a sun reflector until I looked like I had been left in the toaster too long.  The look of a little sunburn on one’s nose is the cutest thing in the world but I fear sun damage.  If I added up all the minutes I’ve spent watching YouTube videos trying to learn how to properly contour I could probably earn a degree in it.  That being said, I’m still terrible at it.  The whole “make a 3 shape on your face” is still unclear to me.  Soleil Tan De Chanel is the perfect product for people, like me, who will never truly be able to contour but still want to feel elevated.  Being able to use my finger to lay in wherever I want to be shaded and look a little bit more angular makes make-up a lot easier without looking like a contestant on Ru-Paul’s Drag Race (no shade).