“I grew up in Indiana. Well, kind of. I was born in St. Louis and I moved to Wisconsin and then Indiana—very Midwest. I started modeling when I was 14 after I went to an open call, but I was always obsessed with becoming an actress. I was in all of these musical groups and drama clubs, and I was going to auditions in Chicago, but then I started modeling and that worked. But when I’m modeling, I get to play different characters. The Ferragamo campaign I just worked on is called My Life is a Play, and I loved it, because it’s about all of these different personalities, so there was a little bit of acting in that.
I like becoming these different characters, I like to mix [my style] up between Japanese anime, punk and grunge, or Victorian… or something. When I go out at night, I’ll wear fishnets and a miniskirt, or instead maybe something vintage that’s cool. And I get ready at home. I’ll wash my face with a konjac sponge and water, because I try to use the least amount of products that I can, and then I’ll put on Embryolisse and do my makeup. I use a little bit of mascara—the YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Waterproof is thin and buildable. I’ll use a nude liner inside of my eye to open it up, and then I’ll do Twiggy lashes with a felt-tip eyeliner. I like a ‘60s-inspired eye. Or something with glitter.
The whole matte lip thing doesn’t interest me. It has to be shiny and dark, and it has to contrast with my skin because I like when I look really pale. I [call it] a vampire lip—dark, bloodstained, something like that. I use the YSL Lip Stain, but it can’t be too poppy. It has to be creepy and velvety. And before I leave, I apply fragrance to my wrist and behind my neck. If I’m running late, I just spray it everywhere. I like the Ferragamo Signorina Misteriosa because it’s kind of woodsy and spicy.
My hair is inspired by this anime I was reading, and the girl in it had the coolest bangs. I was like, ‘I think I’d look really cool with bangs!’ So I went to CVS, got a razor, and I just went into the bathroom–I was in there for like two hours, perfecting these bangs. Afterwards I felt really bad and I kind of hid them from my agency, but when I went to my first Saint Laurent casting in Paris, I wore my bangs down. I was like, ‘I really want to be this character.’ and I walked in and they loved it! Now when I cut my own bangs I try not to go straight across, and I go little by little. I’m not picky about what products I use. My hair has been purple, pink, blue–every single color over the course of five weeks. Now it’s faded to this weird auburn color. I’ve been thinking lately that I should chop it all off.
Tonight I’m wearing a set of fangs from this place called Fang on Chrystie Street. The guy who does them does them for movies, and they look like real teeth! They make them out of [enamel] and they’re perfect triangles. Later tonight I’ll probably start wearing them, but it has to be really late at night. People will stare at you, but that’s okay. I don’t like people that just follow the crowd. I like people that do their own thing and know who they are and are confident in themselves. I try to surround myself with people like that.”
—as told to ITG
Grace Hartzel photographed by Tom Newton in New York on February 12, 2016.
More like Grace: Alexandra Agoston perfects the pre-night out moisturizing routine, Soo Joo Park inspires you to dye your hair immediately, and Sarah Brannon channels a Joan Jett-meets-Winona Ryder makeup look in the Top Shelf After Dark.
