Christy Turlington on Her ‘90s Makeup Secrets, Must-Have Products, and Why She Loves Getting Older

For an adolescent Christy Turlington growing up in Northern California in the 1980s, the cosmetics section in a department store was a place of wonder. And the Lancôme counter was her North Star. “It was always the most elegant, the most ethereal counter in the space,” Turlington tells InStyle. She was drawn to the aspirational air it exuded. “I always thought of it as grown up in the best possible sense. Like, I’m a grown-up. I can buy Lancôme, and I can wear Lancôme.”

Today, Turlington is much more than a loyal Lancôme customer. She’s its newest ambassador. “I’m having a little bit of a pinch-me moment to be working with the brand,” she admits. In her new role, the 57-year-old supermodel brings a passion for minimalist beauty, years of tips and tricks from top makeup artists, and a graceful approach to aging.

Late last year, we met Turlington in a Brooklyn studio while she was shooting her campaign. Read our full conversation ahead.

As a beauty icon, we’d love to know: What is your relationship with makeup and skin care like?

I would say that I like consistency and quality. I love skin care that feels amazing and is super moisturizing. And then I love makeup that makes you look more like yourself, but, like, enhanced. Maybe a little bit more rested. I like when it complements you—or me, us—naturally.

What are your favorite holy-grail Lancôme products?

I love Rénergie—the whole line is amazing. And probably one of the products I’ve used the longest is the makeup remover. It’s like the go-to. The blue bottle is iconic. And then the smells of everything, even the lip products, you open it up, sniff, and you’re like, that’s Lancôme.

As someone who came up in the ’90s, what are your favorite beauty trends from that era?

I don’t know if you can say this is strictly ’90s, but I do love a good eyebrow. A good, strong eyebrow. It’s probably harder for me to know what a ’90s beauty trend is, because I lived during that time. Also that time was kind of a confused time. Like, it could be really, really pared down and nothing. And then there could be club kids and really, really exaggerated looks. So for me, it’s such a broad spectrum. But again, I like the big brow.

Walk me through your getting-ready routine.

I like to wear Teint Idole Foundation. I like something that feels as natural as possible. But then, you know, I could do an eyebrow, a mascara, a nice little bit of lip—I like to do a deeper version of my own color—and then call it a day most of the time. Every now and again, I’ll maybe do a darker lip or a little eyeshadow. Or where I put more mascara, or more of a blush, or just something that kind of elevates it from my day to day. Gone are the days of clubbing and things like that. So it’s not like getting ready with your girlfriends in the bathroom. Every now and again, my daughter and I might share a bathroom mirror, and that’s fun.

With your routine, do you go for quick and efficient or drawn-out and spa-like?

My routine in the morning is more like maintenance. It’s part of my routine and my ritual. It’s a little self-careish to do a moisturizing face massage or whatever. I do like a good gua sha, I like tactile things. It just feels good. I get to work with makeup artists, and these days, everyone does more of a massage situation when you’re getting ready, and that feels so good. It’s harder to have that effect on yourself, but the gua sha definitely helps. It’s hard to make time for yourself, so taking that time isn’t just “I have to get ready,” but “I get to get ready.”

How has your approach to makeup evolved as you’ve aged?

When I was working every day in front of the camera, I was sort of a canvas for makeup artists and people to play around with. That was not my own expression, but I got to see myself in so many different ways. As I’ve grown up, and as I’ve stepped further away from the day-to-day of the industry, now it’s all about doing makeup for myself—which I think is a healthier way to be. I mean, it’s certainly fun to be painted, but it’s also nice to have that sense of self. I feel like as you mature as a woman, it’s just nice to appreciate yourself, appreciate taking care of yourself, having choices, having options, all of those kinds of things. My approach has evolved in a very natural way. And I love getting older.

It must be nice to have so much more agency over your look now!

Yeah. If I look at images when I’m super painted up, I don’t look comfortable. Like I can tell, I know myself. I feel like it’s not me. The more classic images are the ones where I’m like, okay, that was a good experience because I just felt more myself. So many of my peers could really elevate and step into other characters. And I like to be me.

In your time working with so many different makeup artists, what would you say are some of the best tips that you learned?

There are some tricks around eyelash curling. I love an eyelash curler. It’s funny, that’s like one thing that I also will do almost every day. It opens your eyes to curl your lashes before you put on your mascara. Again, some people were very tactile and used their hands much more than others. Some are all about the brush, and others are all about the hand. And I kind of like that hands-on, touch approach. Some people would be, like, literally pinching your cheeks, you know, for color—it’s a unique thing to do, but it was done.

What advice would you give your younger self about aging?

It’s hard to tell people to be themselves, because I think it takes time and experience to become yourself. So just be patient with yourself, be kind to yourself, and try to accept yourself. We all have things that we sort of focus on, maybe in too positive a way or maybe a negative way. Just take in the whole self and appreciate it.