Beauty
saving face
models tell us how to stay fresh in summer.
Last Friday, I was lucky enough to gain access to the models-only Modellounge x Microsoft event on the rooftop of the Gansevoort Hotel. If it sounds exclusive, that's because it is. Modellounge x Microsoft is a year-round program that provides models from the top New York agencies a place to chill between appointments. Six days a week it's located behind a secret door in a coffee shop in Union Square (just like Narnia), but during summer Fridays the event takes over the hotel's rooftop complete with a pool.
I arrived on the scene to find tall girls in bikinis ad infinitum. No wonder they don't let "regulars" in. I almost freaked out, first because of the the sheer overload of stumbling upon some sort of genetic paradise, and then due to the fact that the models all had cuter outfits, cooler hair styles, and clearer skin than I knew was possible.
Models in New York spend most of their time literally running from casting to casting, and yet somehow they always manage to look perfect upon arrival. This could be magic, but more realistically it's probably because they have learned the best tips to stay fresh during the summer from working in deserts, on beaches, and under hot studio lighting. I pulled aside the four brightest faces to find out how they keep it together during bouts of humidity, sun exposure, and long swims in chlorine pools. You'll be glad to hear that their routines are pretty easy to copy.
MyChelle Tropical Skin Smoother
"The best thing you can do for your skin is just kind of scrub it off. When you're living in New York, you get so dirty. You just have to scrub your body off every night and every morning. The grime that builds up on you from all these taxis, exhaust, and waste is just unbelievable. It's the dirtiest city I've ever been in. It's a beautiful city and it has tons to offer, but it also has negatives and that's one of them. I love using MyChelle Tropical Skin Smoother to wash my face. It's amazing and really natural. You can get it at Whole Foods. You leave it on your skin for about five minutes, take it off, and leaves your skin like baby soft. It really gets your skin clean, really gets it healthy." -- Clara Settje @ Trump Models
Rose Water Toner
My beauty trick is that I use a rose water toner on my face. And I try not to wear make-up when I don't have to. There's not a lot else to it really. My friend recommended the rose water toner to me, and it works really well. It makes you have a glow." -- Hannah Johnson @ Elite
Lip Balm
"Honestly, lip balm is the thing I always have with me. ... There's one brand that tastes like a candy on your lips and it works really well. Burt's Bees is great, too. I use Burt's Bees a lot. I kind of have had an obsession with lip balm since I was a kid. I would 'lose' one, just so I could buy another. I always play around with different brands." -- Sarah Bledsoe @ Supreme
Sunscreen
"It's about sunscreen every day. And you have to reapply. I take my sunscreen tube everywhere with me. I apply a full layer in the morning, and then I always reapply on my face. For every day use, I use Neutrogena 110 SPF Age Face Shield. It comes in a white tube. The Neutrogena brand is good because it's not as pricey as everything else. The other brand I love is La Roche Posay Anthelios 60. You can get it at Sephora. They have different creams for your face, your skin, and for your legs, but I just have the face and the arms one because I can use Banana Boat on my legs if I want." -- Tory Whiteside @ NEXT
Lemon
"I have pictures of myself when I was a kid wearing my favorite green-blue swimsuit, and my hair literally looked the same shade of green as the swimsuit in those pictures [from swimming in a chlorine pool]. It was so funny. My mom swears that lemon helps get rid of the green, but I lived in the pool when I was a kid so there was really nothing she could do about it. I was just a green fish all summer." -- Clara Settje @ Trump Models
Sun Hats
"I wear a hat all of time. It's a wide rim hat. It's black and it's kind of droopy-floppy. It is annoying to carry around, keep in my bag. But it's worth it because it covers not just your face but the back of your neck. And you don't want freckles or skin damage." -- Tory Whiteside @ NEXT
It's a Ten Miracle Leave-In Product
"At nighttime, after I wash my hair I never ever use heat on it right after it's been wet. Straightening or curling it every now and then is OK, but you want to stay away from doing that too often because then you'll get crispy ends, and no one wants crispy ends. I use It's a Ten Miracle Leave-In Product during the night and it makes my hair so soft. You just brush it through your hair, and it smells really good. It has keratin in it, so it's like giving your hair a drink." -- Tory Whiteside @ NEXT
Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream
"At night, I usually use Clarins cream. I can't put it on all over my face, but I put around my eyes and other areas, and it really helps. It really makes my skin feel nice." -- Clara Settje @ Trump Models
Kiehl's Rosewater Facial Toner – $16
Neutrogina Age Shield Face Lotion Sunscreen SPF 110 – $12.49
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm – $3.30
It's a Ten Miracle Leave In Product – $15.99
Clarins Multi Active Night Youth Recovery Cream – $60
MyChelle Tropical Skin Soother – $31.79
