What are some of the best makeup and styling tricks that you’ve learned from your time as a model?
I just got the opportunity to work with Sir John at the Met. He’s Beyoncé’s makeup artist. I’ve learned a lot of tricks and a lot of tips along the way, but he’s definitely [given me] one: This area right here [across the forehead] and this area down [from the forehead to the nose], keep it powdered. Nothing else, just really concentrate on that T-zone, and not bringing your blush too far in, which I have a tendency to do.
Working with contour too — underneath your cheek, from your temple underneath your apples, and really using your hands and fingers to warm that up. And don’t forget your jaw.
As you get older, creams are sometimes better than powders, but [you want to] try to leave as much dewiness as possible. I know it sounds weird, but I do believe in setting spray. There are a lot of [brands] that do it really well [and] it does hold your makeup. Milk has a great new primer they just came out with that I really like.
Rodial has a banana low-lighter that I’ve been using, and it’s probably the single best [one] in the market. It gives you that little bit of pop without making yourself look too white.
A little white eyeliner, beige eyeliner, inside the eye is probably one of the best tips and tricks, because it makes you look awake. So instead of doing a dark, do a cream or a white, and it really opens up the eyes and makes them bigger. Watch your shimmer too, because you don’t want to look like a shimmer ball … What looks great in person looks really oily and greasy in a photo.
I think the best idea for fashion is that laying out your looks, figuring out what you’re going to wear. I just recently went to Saint-Tropez [in France] for a wedding and my birthday, and knowing what I was going to wear made it so much less stressful and keeps you from over-packing, which I tend to do. Like what are you going to wear for lunch? If you had three bathing suits, are you really going to wear all three, or are you just going to wear two?
And tailoring is really important. Be best friends with your tailor. Ida, who’s probably in her ’80s, she works with Monique Lhuillier, and she did my custom gown for the Met. I’ve never met a woman who could tailor like that. … A lot of your local dry cleaners will have a great tailor who’s been there [forever], but tailoring is really, really important.
