2 minute read
Natural approach
Beyond beauty
After reaching the heights of one of the most beautyobsessed industries in the world, Rachel Hunter has now scaled back her approach to make-up and skincare
Rachel Hunter, the 50-something supermodel, presenter, author, yoga instructor and mother of two, has always lived a colourful life — now she seeks to enrich it.
A free spirit and keen traveller, the Kiwi-born multi-hyphenate was in the middle of a yoga retreat in India when the pandemic struck.
“I was fortunate because it is a place I typically spend a significant part of the year in, so staying there didn’t faze me,” Rachel says. “The real challenge was the same as many others faced — dealing with back-to-back isolations, border restrictions and quarantines in order to see family.”
Much like their mum, Rachel’s two adult children, Liam and Renee (who she shares with music legend
Sir Rod Stewart), juggle their time between the US and UK. Speaking from her Los Angeles home, Rachel is oceans away from New Zealand, but an affinity remains. “I flew back not long ago, and it was so good to be home,” she says, praising NZ’s pandemic response.
A one-time judge on New Zealand’s Got Talent, Rachel has further strengthened homeland ties with a recently announced ambassadorship for cult local beauty brand essano. “It’s great to partner with a brand proudly made in New Zealand, and I love what essano stands for, particularly its use of high-grade, sustainably sourced, vegan friendly, cruelty free ingredients,” she says. “My skin type has changed in recent years and now is quite dry, which is what led me to try essano’s rosehip oil years ago and it remains a firm favourite.
“I use it on my face, neck and dryness-prone areas. I also like the hydrating rosehip mist toner, which is soothing and refreshing on the skin.” A self-described tomboy growing up, it wasn’t until Rachel’s modelling career took off in the ’80s that she truly embraced make-up and skincare.
“I learnt so much in those years; not just about hair and make-up, but also the importance of lighting and angles and how much of an impact that can have on your look,” she says.
“The industry has seen many changes since that time and I observed a lot of these while hosting (British TV show) Make Me a Supermodel, but I still think there’s room to grow, especially in terms of diversity.”
These days Rachel has a much more relaxed attitude towards beauty — a concept explored in her Tour of Beauty TV series and book.
“We went to many different countries,” she says. “Having been exposed to so many different cultural practices and ways in which beauty is celebrated over the years, it’s made me fundamentally drawn to natural beauty and also the importance of going beyond beauty.”
