Irene – So 111Skin came to my attention because I saw so many Victoria’s Secret girls raving about it. I was curious to hear more about what was your experiences and how important it is to maintain great skin.

Martha Hunt – Yes. Skincare is key!

Essential. What are your secret tips for keeping flawless skin? What is your routine beauty strategy?

M – My routine beauty strategy? Well, don’t underestimate the importance of serums because I think that they help penetrate whatever you put on top of that. For me, my skin tends to be on the dryer side, I travel all the time, I’m always on planes so extra hydration is really important. That’s why I love masks, serums, and oils. What I loved about 111Skin is when I went to lunch with the founders (Dr. Yannis Alexandrides and Eva Alexandridis) they sounded genuinely so passionate about their products.

(Dr. Alexandrides) found one of the ingredients that helped heal burn victims skin. Those reparative ingredients are important for restoring skin that has been beat up and had makeup on it all the time, and dealing with pollutants is really important. Since I’ve started using it, I feel like it has cleared up my skin a lot. Probably one of my favorite products is this needle one where you put these needle patches over wrinkled spots which is great for me. I was just in Hong Kong and I felt so puffy. I put these on my skin overnight and I woke up and it almost felt like I had put Botox in that area. I haven’t used botox yet. Never say never but it felt tighter and firmer in those spots.

Deanna Hagan – I mean it’s interesting the patches, for example, are one of those things when they talk about some of the technology and the research, and the science that goes behind it. They were looking at those vitamin topical patches on the skin when you feel depleted? Those little tiny needles are basically distributing deeper into the skin something that’s necessary right away.

M – Similar to micro-needling in a facial.

So, a concentrated dose of what you need in the right places.

M – In your problem zones.

I totally get it, especially as a model people have this misconception that you guys just wake up flawless. But all of that makeup takes a toll on your pores.

M – Different makeup on, every day. Potentially dirty brushes. Especially during fashion week. I used to get so many styes from backstage! You have so many brushes being put on you and different types of makeup on you that your skin might not agree with. I cannot emphasize the importance of repairing your skin after all of the damage that’s done to it.

A little bit of a light question but face mask or clay mask? Which one is your poison?

M – Face mask for me. I think more rarely I would use the clay mask. One, because I don’t really have breakouts and two, my age. I feel like that I need to focus more on moisture, replenishment and stimulating collagen. So, I guess my drug of choice would be to go to the moisture and the glow and the shine. But I do think that there are a lot of benefits to doing mud masks that can be really great at pulling out whatever is in your pores.

D – For a deep cleanse, I agree. I notice sometimes that if I’m on a beach trip for a week and I’ve been wearing sunblock every day I’ll get those little bumps around the chin. I think a mud mask is really good for that.

M – Face masks are great for overnight or on the plane. And then mud masks are good for a summer day in the bath.

I love the shamelessness of face masks. It’s a little bit of the joke like, you’re going to put this on in the plane.

M – I tell drivers, “excuse me just to let you know. I’m putting on a mask!” Just so they don’t look in the rearview mirror and completely freak out. *laughs*

This is just a little eye mask patch right here don’t worry…

M – I know those look like little footballs!

I love those! They kind of poke out your cheekbones a little bit if you apply them in the right way.

M – Those are a little bit more flattering to put on. The rose gold one from 111Skin makes the skin look rosy and golden afterward. There is something that’s futuristic-looking when you put on a beautiful mask.

D – When I went to 111Skin to visit them in June one of the things they were saying is that the rose gold actually works nicer if you’re in a reclined position. The size of the mask is a little bit bigger and it has more weight to it, but some of us like the look and result of it. I tend to fall a little bit more to the Bio-Cellulose Mask which really lays as a second skin. So, you could wear it all night long.

M – It feels lighter.

D – Also, I think there’s a little bit more long-term care for the skin that you find in the bio-cellulose mask whereas the rose gold gives you more of an instant glow.

It sounds like the main byproduct of skin prep is the ultimate relaxation factor.

D – It’s the pre-party! Getting ready party!

M – Hydrate before you dehydrate!

D – Champagne, water, and then a rose gold mask.

My type of function! Now, Deanna do you always have the routine of prepping models’ skin before you start any makeup process? Is it important that they have that proper balance of hydration to make the makeup products adhere better?

D – Always. For a really long time.

M – She’s always been that way and I’ve known her forever.

D – I think the reason for that is that my makeup philosophy if you will, has always been that we need to showcase the features that one has naturally. I think when a girl sits down with me and we’re talking about doing her makeup we’re not doing something that’s too particularly fantasy, because a lot of work that models do is more about being a mannequin. You know what I mean, it’s not really about you?

More about being a canvas.

D – I think if we can look at makeup as a way to showcase or even bring out something about your personality, you know? I remember one time I had to go to a party and I had nothing to wear. It came up last minute and I was out of town. And I wore red lipstick and put my hair in a top knot and I remember all of the people that I was going to see, never saw me wear red lipstick. So it didn’t matter what I was wearing because I had red lipstick on. So I think that makeup kind of has that. Skin for me is about showing it off and not about covering it up. And that’s always been my philosophy so, for the most part, I don’t even go into foundations. I use tinted moisturizers. I might even use a little bit of concealer here and there. There have been tons of editorials that I’ve done that has no foundation at all.

It seems like a trademark for you Deanna to create that balance of makeup looks with natural skin showing through. It’s an interesting way of combining those two, often thought of as separate, worlds. Sometimes when people hear makeup, they think you have to it pile on but sometimes it’s great to see the skin shine through.

D – It’s quite beautiful. We do a lot about showing off the skin on the body. That’s very much a part of what contemporary fashion and beauty is emphasizing now.

M – Long limbs…

D – Yes, long limbs or a collarbone or a toned stomach or legs. Why not do that with skin? I think that if we take that approach to makeup, there’s an empowerment element as a woman because now you’re saying this is who I am and this is a thing that I have to show off.

Instead of this homogenous woman that we get when we feel like there are these beauty rules. We have to blank canvas the skin. We have to contour. We have to do a liquid liner. The brow has to be this shape and this tone. If the lips are not the same dimensions top and bottom we have to compensate for that. There are no rules. Makeup is really just a way to express yourself and to show off the beauty that’s on the inside.

M – I agree. There are no rules. It doesn’t have to be a cookie cutter beauty. We have the influence to switch that perspective. As a model, it’s a bad sign whenever I’m taking makeup off and I’m starting to like the way I look more than when the makeup was on.

D – You’re like, oh there I am! *laughs*

M – *Laughs* That has happened multiple times throughout my career! Even sometimes when it’s been a natural beauty look! But the common perception has been let’s throw on tons of foundation and she’ll look flawless. I agree that there are certain raw elements to beauty that shouldn’t be covered up and sometimes a wonky eyebrow can be beautiful and it doesn’t have to be that perfectly arched shape. Even lips that are asymmetrical. Certain things like that, they don’t have to be perfect because sometimes the asymmetries in a face are what balances it out. I think that we should embrace more of our own features by taking better care of our skin, showing it off and using makeup to compliment our personality.

Versus to conceal or cover?

D – It’s less of a “have to” and an obligation to do something. We don’t have to do it, we do it because we want to. In the red carpet events that I’ve seen you do Martha, sometimes you go all out and sometimes you’re like, no I’m going to go like me tonight. I’m going to go super mellow on this. Sometimes it is about wearing a red lip. Sometimes it is about a smokey eye. And sometimes it’s what do you need to have matte skin? How do we get there? That’s why I think that doing the skin prep with models is always a great place to start because we can say, “Look what we have. Now, what do we want to do?”

Going to go back to that story about the red lip – what are some of the craziest things you guys have done in the name of beauty?

M – There was a time where I spent summers in Paris just walking around with bleached eyebrows and people would look at me like, something is cute about you but something is just not quite right? She looks a bit ill? I got so used to having bleached brows for so long.

Are bleached brows something that makeup artists prefer?

M – It makes their makeup pop more. I think personally. What do you think?

D – Yeah. It also is a thing where it makes the canvas a little more blank. I think people don’t realize how important eyebrows are as a personal feature. They very much define your face.

M – It takes away who you are almost. You’re more of an alien.

D – So the moment that I take them away, now it’s like… you’re mine!

M – And it adds a stranger element. A more avant-garde element…

Any beauty icons? Anybody you turn to for inspiration when it comes to crafting your look? Or people who are always inspiring to you?

M – I love the French icons. Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin. I love looking at old beauty references of Sharon Tate. That was such a fun way to do a lash-y eye.

D – I think more of eras. I am always into the 70’s and inspired by that mix of something and nothing, you know? It might be no makeup and stringy hair but super bell bottoms. It’s not done head to toe. There are a few moments that I really remember. Lauren Hutton really stands out to me because I feel like she’s always embraced the way she is as a woman. I think that’s really beautiful and it set an amazing example for women in the fashion industry and outside of it. I can remember one time passing Elle Macpherson in Miami maybe twenty years ago and she had a stitch of nothing. Just that summer glow and I remember thinking wow, how beautiful. Just the nothingness was really amazing. And the confidence.

She’s gorgeous and she has really been able to maintain that. What is the best advice that you’ve been given when it comes to maintaining your fresh summer glow? Have you guys ever received advice as far as maybe diet or products used? Or just being stress-free?

M – I remember talking to Dr.A and he recommended to do regular facials every month. Especially in my business, it’s important to refresh your skin.

D – Yeah, I mean you undergo a lot more than your average person probably. With travel, the amount of makeup, light. Studio lights are not without damage.

M – That’s true we do cook under studio lights and they actually do a lot of damage. Which reminds me of another beauty icon for me would be Carolyn Murphy. You can’t help but want to emulate someone who has been earthy and out in the sun yet still maintained really healthy beautiful skin. It is really inspiring to me that she hasn’t let it inhibit her life in any way. She’s been able to have an amazing career and work with beauty brands for however many years and still look that incredible.

She’s just beautiful from inside out – the nicest person.

D – 111Skin has been great about being fairly transparent about the research in the products and really what is in there. It’s important that we do a little bit of research of our own about the things that we put on our face. We want the stuff that isn’t good for us taken out. I think it’s important to understand that there are some gimmicks out there and it’s good to use quality products.

M – I would like the trend to crossover into makeup as well. The more you look into ingredients of makeup there are a lot of preservatives and toxic ingredients. If the quality of skincare products could crossover to the makeup that we regularly put on our face I think that would be beneficial for everybody. That would be the perfect world.

Fingers crossed! When did you first get introduced to the line?

M – Deanna tried a lip serum on me that I knew worked right away because I deal with dry lips quite a bit. It was dead of winter, we were on a 5-day shoot and it was the first day. I had lines in my lips and I put on the serum and immediately the lines were just filled in. My lips were plumped. I’m obsessed with this product. Every time I see her I’m like, where is the lip serum? There is proof in the pudding.

D – Makeup artists get stuff sent to the agency by marketing companies. It can be overwhelming and I test all of the time on girls because sometimes you just need to see what works. I pulled out the products that I liked the packaging the best. Then I started bringing them into jobs. I remember the Meso Lip Mask and Plumping Duo that I brought in and tried on Martha and she went wild! The masks I had been using for the last couple of years at least, along with the eye cream and moisturizer.

Over time it was more about educating myself about the products and looking for things that I needed to have in my kit for prep. The more that I learned about 111Skin, the easier for me to say, oh you should try this. Or this would be good for that. They’re not the only skincare line that’s out there. There are things that they don’t do that other people do but I trust them. It’s a skincare line with integrity so I’m really thankful that they sort of fell into my lap and the girls are a testament to how great the products are. The girls immediately would be Instagramming.

I saw Priyanka Chopra had it on and a lot of the VS Angels. It was an interesting tactic to see women touted as gorgeous get silly with beauty and a testament to how much they champion the product. I think it’s interesting to see how a beauty company can come up on the rise without having an established product at first.

M – Especially in this day and age. Word of mouth… the fact that that can spread your name says a lot about you.

D – Dr. Yannis has all his clients that come in and say I want to alter something. Then he’ll develop his research based on, I’ve been hearing women talk about something that they need a solution to. His approach as a plastic surgeon has always been the more moderate approach. How can we treat this another way? What else can we do before we go under the knife? Before the skincare line ever came about that had always been his approach to his profession. So he’ll take ideas to the 111Skin office, something for the neck let’s say, and they get down to business about the research. They’re looking at the best formulas to deliver results that work. Targeting areas.

The fat and skin levels are completely different on your neck and your décolletage than your face.

M – Yeah, it’s definitely thinner on my neck because it burns quickly.

D – And wrinkles. I feel like that’s the first place where people show their age.

Let’s talk more about the magic that you guys made with Guy. What were some fun moments?

M – For me, working with Guy is a journey. We start somewhere and we could easily end somewhere completely different. I appreciate that about him, but also working with him is that he likes to tell a story. That’s evident in every shoot we do. It could be for Victoria’s Secret, for Free People, for an editorial, for a magazine… for skin care. For him, it’s so important about telling an authentic story. Usually shooting with him I feel like I’m acting. I’m part of this character that we’re portraying.

D – Yes, I think one of the things that Guy and I had talked about before we got on with the shoot was that I wanted to be able to show how there is a photographic appeal even in skincare application that doesn’t necessarily have to be sterile or clinical. It is quite a luxurious process when you shower, use a nice face cleanser, then you go for a serum and all of the different elements. You take your time to do that. All of the steps.

M – That’s another point I want to bring up though. My boyfriend, when he gives me a hard time about taking a long time in the bathroom… more of my time is actually spent on moisturizing and self-care, than actually glamming myself up! It’s moisturizing the body and putting my serum on… maybe I’m exfoliating that day or serum and moisturizer. The full shit! It’s a whole thing. But most of it is spent on self-care and not necessarily turning myself into somebody else. Or into this glammed up character. It’s emphasizing the importance of taking full care of the body.