Rosie Huntington-Whitely, ModelCo ambassador, supermodel and lingerie designer has reached the career highs many models can only dream of. It’s not often you meet a supermodel who’s immediate charm, humility and intelligence outweighs her other-worldy looks, but my time with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proved she’s more than just a devastatingly-pretty face. Like visiting an old girlfriend, Rosie and I chatted about everything from skincare, makeup, red carpet fashion and even her favourite film.
RESCU: How do you care for your skin every day?
Rosie huntington-Whitely: I’m all about simplicity. Even on the go all the time and when I’m travelling all the time, and I don’t want tot take a lot of products with me, so the first most important thing is I’ve got minimal products and that they’re easy to use. That’s why I love ModelCo’s new natural skincare range, there’s some really beautiful products. I particularly love the Gel and the Cream Cleanser for taking off my makeup.
RESCU: You must be offered every skin treatment and product under the sun, how do you navigate the world of skincare?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: It’s hard; you have to find what works for you and what works for your skin. For me I’m really about these products because they’re natural. The most important thing for me is that a product works, and if it’s natural on top of that then that’s a bonus.
You have to figure out what works for your skin; some people of dry skin and they need to hydrate it more, some people have oily skin and they need to strip it back a little more. It also depends on where I am, location wise, and as a woman we have things to consider like our cycles. It comes down to trial and error, I guess.
RESCU: Do you have treatments as well as home such as facials?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Facials are a big part of my routine and that’s something I do, yeah.
RESCU: Is there a type of facial you enjoy having?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: You know what, I see the same aesthetician Sharni Darden and I’ve been going to see her for a long time now, and she knows my skin inside out.
RESCU: You’re really an advocate for a healthy, wellbeing lifestyle, when did you cotton on to the connection between inner health and how you look?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: My mum was a fitness instructor, so I’ve always grown up around exercise and for me I guess I started to work-out when I got to my late teens and I didn’t enjoy it! I haven’t really enjoyed it until the last 5 years, because now I see the beenfits and I feel the benefits. When I leave the gym I feel uplifted, I feel clear-minded, so for me that’s where the connection came from. Also, what you put in your body in terms of food – I know it’s tougher – but I always feel better when I’m eating cleaner. There’s no guilt, you feel lighter, you feel happier, you feel good about yourself for putting something good into your body and so that’s the connection and you see the results!
RESCU: Do you have any indulgences?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Of course! I’m a big, big foodie! It’s all about balance, I mean I’m travelling all the time and eating out of hotels, room service, and going out for dinner so it is hard to maintain that balance. So at home I try to cook very, very clean – I’ll have a piece of fish or cook grilled chicken for lunch and dinner with lots of vegies and a great salad.
For breakfast I’ll have some scrambled eegs and some spinach or some boiled eggs. But I eat! I’ts really important as I’m on the go all the time and I have to stay strong and fit – and I do love my food!
RESCU: I think that’s one of things that people love about you – you absolutely resonate good health, vitality and energy.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Thank you!
RESCU: If you had an essential daily wellbeing routine, what are the types of things that you do to keep up with your busy lifestyle? Alternative remedies or vitamins?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: I’m not one for carrying around a big box of vitamins with me, it’s not really my thing. I think if you can have a green juice, or a couple of green juices throughout the day, that for me is really where I can get a lot of my nutrients and I think if you’re eating a balance and diet you can get most of your vitamins and minerals form the food. But that’s also the problem, so often now we’re not eating as balanced because we do have these busy lifestyles. With vitamins I think again it’s also about finding out what works for you – and it personally doesn’t work for me.
Exercise is important- if I could do yoga everyday I would, it’s the best thing.
RESCU: It’s a transportable exercise – you can do it in your hotel room and on-the-go.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Yeah, I can just take five minutes and do it in the morning, just to take a minute and be peaceful.
RESCU: One of the things that people can’t get enough of is your sense of style and you’ve been on best dressed lists, most envied, you name it! Do you work with a stylist?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: I love clothes and I have always loved clothes. I have a good friend of mine, Cher Coulter, who I work with for red carpet events because there has to be somebody there to help you call clothes in as you know, you’re not buying off the shelf. She’s my friend so it’s kind of like your girlfriends you get dressed with before you go out!
But my day-to-day outfits – of course I dress myself; I can’t have somebody dress me everyday, that’s ridiculous!
RESCU: Do you have a go-to look for read carpet events? For example, when you see an outfit you go, “that’s Rosie!”?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: The thing about the red carpet that I’ve learnt is that it’s so uncontrolled. When you’re a model and you’re shooting in a studio there will be one image chosen from 100 that are taken, and there’s someone there to push your hair slightly this way or that, the lighting is up specifically for you and your answering to one photographer.
When you go on the red carpet there’s hundreds of photographers, you’re nervous, the lighting is sometimes very bad, people are screaming, it’s distracting! So I’ve always found the most important thing is to find an outfit that I feel good in. I also think its important to find an outfit that you look good in from 360 degrees. So for me, something that’s more body conscious; less frills, maybe less experimental – there’s just too many things that could go wrong.
RESCU: Do you ever do your own makeup?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: I do, yeah, I love doing my own makeup. I actually get really cross when someone does it badly, and I might just end up doing it myself…
RESCU: When you’re doing your own makeup do you have a favourite area to play up or play down?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: I love to do my eyes. I’m all about a feline eye, actually ModelCo has a really great mascara I love to use – the Fat Lash Mascara. I like to keep things pretty natural on the makeup front, going back to the red carpet, I always say to the makeup artist, “Please keep it natural, keep it young, keep it fresh, keep it effortless.” That’s how I always try and approach things.
RESCU: You’ve got beautiful brows; do you do anything to them?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Thank you – no I don’t touch them, I think I take about two hairs out of each one and that’s it.
RESCU: Did you have a style icon growing up?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Yes! I had a lot of style icons growing up. I guess when I started to get really into fashion Sienna Miller was in her hey-day. She was huge when I was about 14, 15 years old and I love her style and Kate Moss’ style. They’re still style icons of mine now.
RESCU: Do you ever have pinch-yourself moments in what you’re doing?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Yeah, I think there’s a moment everyday where I think, “I can’t believe I’m here”. So many of my dreams have come true and I think its important to take that a moment like that and remember each day, where you’ve come from and where you are now, and all the things you should be grateful for. Focusing on what you have rather than what you don’t have.
RESCU: If you were going to give advice to your younger self, is there anything that you would like to tell her?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Don’t worry! Don’t stress! What will be will be, it will all work out. I will probably be telling myself the same thing in 10 years time. Everything happens for a reason.
RESCU: Your life is so hectic; do work with any people to help navigate the stream of what’s really in your best interest and where you want to be?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: For sure, I have a great team of people that I work with; my agent and managers. Those are the people who help guide you in terms of your career and then I have a beautiful family. My mum and I are very close, my partner I’m very close to, friends, girlfriends. We talk, and its cathartic and you get things out! I always want to surround myself especially by women that make me feel empowered and that I can learn something from and who are smart individuals as well.
With Shelly [Shelley Barrett ModelCo founder, pictured above], I love that she’s built this brand from the ground up and that she’s so smart, savvy businesswoman and that was one of the most exciting things about aligning with ModelCo, I got to see a woman who’s built her brand and that’s something I’m really inspired by.
Do you have a favourite book or move that really inspires you?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Oh, Grey Gardens, have you ever seen it? I love that film! It’s just so… the joie de vivre of it I guess, I’m not sure if it inspires me in any way I just thought it was fabulous. The costumes, and the fun – it made me feel so many different things throughout the whole movie and I think that’s the sign of a fantastic film when you go on that journey. You’re laughing and you’re crying and you really feel for the characters. It’s one of my favourite films for sure.
Rescu. Loves: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley hit Australian shores to celebrate the launch of ModelCo’s Natural Skincare Collection, fitting perfectly her need for simple, effortless and natural beauty essentials to use anywhere, anytime.