Helena Christensen, 57, Told Us All Her Supermodel Makeup Secrets
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Helena Christensen has graced dozens of magazine covers and walked legendary runways, from Mugler to Versace to Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel, but the Danish supermodel told me her latest gig is her "dream."
"It makes me feel really giddy and grateful because it's a girl's dream to be able to work closely with a brand that you love," Christensen tells me of her new role as the face of Saie 's campaign for its new SuperSuede Baked Eyeshadows. The model was already a fan of the brand before landing the role, so fronting the eyeshadow campaign was serendipitous. "Now I get to really play and act in this in all these little scenes with products that I love already," she says.
It's not enough to find out every product in a '90s supermodel's makeup bag. Ahead, we spoke to Christensen to learn every one of her makeup secrets, from how to recreate a lived-in eyeliner look à la her Peter Lindbergh shoots to the eyeshadows that she uses to make her green eyes pop.
What was the first makeup product you remember buying or using?
I actually barely had any makeup products when I moved to Paris to work as a model. Over the years, I have obviously accumulated a lot, but I didn't really use that much in my personal life, which is also why I like Saie; it just enhances your own glow and natural skin to make it better, but it's still so natural, and it's so you. I think my first two products that I ever used were hideous, like a frosty-pink lipstick and a blue mascara. The blue mascara I can still stand up for because I actually do love colored mascaras. But in all the photos from my teenage years and early 20s, I'm wearing frosty-pink lips, and it's the worst look ever.
Courtesy of Saie Beauty
Do you still wear colored mascara today? What are some of your go-to mascaras, and would you typically consider yourself a volume- or length-seeker?
I have dark eyelashes and eyebrows, so I don't actually wear mascara. I don't need to enhance my color, but that's where colors come into the picture. They are fun, and they actually cover dark lashes. I love a cobalt blue or bright green for eyelashes.
Also, I avoid mascara because taking mascara off at the end of the day requires a bit of effort. You really have to sort of get in there and scrub it off. Because I always had so much makeup on for work, especially during show weeks when there wasn't time to take makeup off, I would end up with seven layers of mascara and sometimes two or three pairs of fake eyelashes. So the whole mascara thing is something I really try to avoid.
What's your number-one holy grail makeup product?
I love lip gloss, eyeliner, and blush. Those are probably the three products that I have with me everywhere.
How many lip balms or oils are currently in your bag right now?
I have a ton. I have like six of them in my pockets, in my handbags, in my bathroom, probably in every room in my apartment. There's always one standing on the corner of a table. I'll always have some kind of shiny balm that you can use on your eyelids, cheeks, and lips that catches the light. Then I have a tinted lip balm. I may also have one that has a little more red in it that I can also use on my cheeks. I even dab them on top of my eyelids if they're not too greasy. Lip balms and lip tints are things that I can use all over. They're the best, most versatile product you can have in your handbag.
What are your thoughts on blush, and which ones do you love right now?
I really love the Saie SuperSuede Blush. I melt it onto my cheeks. I might use a dab on my eyelids. I love warm, blushy tones on your eyelids because they bring out your color. Because I have green eyes, those warm, blushy tones really make the green pop. I pair those with my absolute favorite Saie Dew Blush, which I use for lips, cheeks, eyes—all with my fingertips. I love to apply blush to the cheeks and the sides of your nose; that way it really looks like you got a little bit of sun.
Saie Dew Blush
Saie SuperSuede™ Baked Powder Blush
After a career of being backstage and on set, what are some of the best makeup tips and tricks that you've learned over the years?
The one that has stuck with me is to use your fingertips. For example, using your fingertips to lightly dab cheek color onto the skin. It gives a really beautiful, natural, almost flushed look. I feel like I can really control the color with my fingers, more than with brushes. But then in the end, I use a brush to sort of just go over it so the edges are smooth and to blend it perfectly. I also feel that when you use your fingers, you get the blood flow going and your own natural color comes through. For brushes, I do love the ones for foundations that can get a little wet.
Who or what is your biggest makeup inspiration?
I love eyeliners, and actresses from the '70s had beautiful eyeliner. One that comes to mind is obviously Brigitte Bardot, who had that beautiful eyeliner. I also always loved the way Marilyn Monroe did her face. It looked so dewy, and she had those beautiful lips, the huge eyes, and that big smile on her face. Her look is absolutely one of my favorites. I also love Jean Seberg. I loved her pixie hair and her very clean face, but then she would add a little beauty spot and some thin eyeliner.
I remember when we started working in the '90s, and the eye makeup was dark, glossy, and lived-in—almost like you had slept in it. It was Moroccan kohl inside the eye, and then we'd use our finger to sort of give it that sort of greasy look. I would wear that look for a ton of Peter Lindbergh stories, for example. Those were some of my favorite makeup looks of all time. At the end of the day, it was all over your face, and it looked so great in the pictures the longer you wore it.
What's your philosophy with eyeshadow?
I love bringing out the green color of my eyes. All of the earthy tones that have a hint of terracotta, bronze, or red all work very well on my eyelids—both on the top and bottom. I even like using brown, earthy, warm, coppery tones as eyeliner.
Do you have a favorite shade of the new SuperSuede Baked Eyeshadows?
Well, I love all the names for them—they're all dessert names. My favorite one is the charcoal shade called Tiramisu, which is also my favorite dessert. I like using my fingers to apply those too.
Courtesy of Saie
What has been your brow philosophy over the years, and what are some of your favorite products for brows?
For many years, I did nothing to my brows. I can tell you I was so close to doing it a few times. I'm grateful that I actually did not shave them off when everyone else did, which I thought was a really cool look. But something inside of me, even in my early 20s, told me not to do it, and I'm very happy about that now because they did not grow back for a lot of people. Some of the girls are like, "Helena, you are so lucky you didn't pluck them because they never came back!" Now, they have to draw them on every day. I like a natural look for your eyebrows and then adding a little bit of shape—but not plucking them into that style.
Is there a makeup product that you feel has aged well?
Bronzer, in general. There's a beautiful Chanel one that existed back then, and I believe it still does. I haven't used that particular one in many, many years, but I think that product aged really well because it is so beautiful when applied to your skin. It gives a suntan, sun-kissed look, but in such a natural way that it looks like nothing was applied. It just makes you look so fresh and glowy. You can use that product completely on its own with nothing else on your face, and it really lifts you up.
Are you team primer or team no primer, and why?
One thing I took away with me from the campaign was the City Set. It's funny because I have never incorporated a setting spray into my makeup routine, and now I have; I see how beneficial it is. City Set keeps your skin feeling cool. It was really how the day we shot the campaign, too, and it really made me not feel hot once it was sprayed on. It mentally makes me feel like you're good to go, and you have peace of mind that it won't be down your face when you get home at night.
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