Caroline Brasch Nielsen

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"I got scouted on the street, at a pizza shop. I was in Copenhagen on a school trip with my friends, and my [now] agent had asked me if I was interested and gave me a business card. Three days after, my mom and I went to the agency, and three weeks after that I was in Paris. It was really fast. The first show I ever walked was Dries Van Noten, but I think I walked every one of the shows in Paris my first season. Somebody would have to hold my head up when I was getting my makeup done, or else I would fall asleep. [Laughs] But still, it was really fun. And I've been doing it ever since.

One of my favorite shoots I've ever done was with Emmanuelle Alt for French Vogue—it was at the Ritz, and the issue was about Victoria Beckham. In one of shoots she had to pick somebody to play herself, and she picked me. They had like the security guard in the picture walking next to me in my sunglasses, and all these Birkin bags... Emmanuelle styled it. I'm very inspired by good styling—that's something I'd like to try. It's not like I'm tired of modeling, but I've done it for eight years and I'm 23 now—I'm so young and I want to explore a bit. I'd love to try something on the other side, just to see how it is. I want to see how it all works.

SKINCARE
Of course, when you've been a model for eight years, you want to look good and take care of yourself. So in the morning I only use a face oil—Aesop's Damascan Rose Facial Treatment. I have a lot of allergies to a lot of creams, and this one is very light on my skin and it makes it soft and glowy. Once a week I use the Aesop Primrose Facial Cleansing Mask, which is a bit drying. And I use the perfumes too, Marrakech and Tacit. They're kind of unisex and I love that.

My skin gets dry from traveling, but even when I'm working, it doesn't really break out. For the first three years that I was working, makeup artists could put anything on my face, and then after that I started to have reactions to stuff. Never makeup really, just removers and creams. My eyes would swell up. So now I use Bioderma Créaline and Chanel's Gentle Bi-Phase Eye Makeup Remover, which is so light. It’s weird because Chanel often has a lot of perfume in their stuff, but this one is gentle enough. And if you have a heavy eye on, it removes everything. But I’m so bad about cleansing my skin at night—I usually just wash my face with water and put the Aesop oil on again. If I've been working and I need to recover, like from Fashion Week or something, I just put nothing on my face for two months. I’m not patient enough to do a mask.

MAKEUP
I curl my lashes with a Shu Uemura curler–the gold one they did with Maison Kitsuné—but I don’t wear mascara a lot because I forget I have it on, and then I rub my eyes and get it all over my face. I’m obsessed with big brows, so I wear Glossier Boy Brow. I have huge ones so I brush them a lot. If I'm tired, I put a little concealer under my eyes—the Glossier one too, actually. Sometimes I put the Benefit Hoola for a little color on my face, or I'll use Tromborg Blush Deluxe which is good...that’s not very often, though. I want to try this Bobbi Brown translucent powder. I was eating with someone yesterday who had it, and when you put it on, it makes your skin look like silk. I really like it. When I go out and drink I get flushed and red, so I think it’s nice to have a powder with me.

But I love when my face looks shiny. I use RMS' Eye Polishes, and they’re really good because I use them every way–a little on my lips, cheeks, and eyes. I don't wear eyeliner, and I'd never attempt a smoky eye or anything like that. I'm just not good at it. I'll very rarely wear a red lip, either. I’m just very practical. Like, I’m gonna go out, I’m gonna forget I have red lipstick on, I’m gonna have a drink and then it’s like...OK, fuck it, I’m not gonna wear anything. The last time was maybe four months ago. It just feels like a lot of work, so I use RMS Lip Shine instead.

HAIR
Now my hair is so annoying with my bangs, so I always have to wear pins. It’s been such a long time since I cut them—it was backstage at a show—and now they don't want to grow out. Like, I’m never gonna have normal hair again. [Laughs] Cim Mahony always cuts my hair, he’s the best. First of all, he’s a very nice man. And he has such a good taste. I really want to be able to put my hair into a ponytail without my hair falling out. Or tuck it all behind my ears. I just really want it long and normal.

I wash my hair with Aesop Volumising Shampoo. I use Aesop everything–Reverence Aromatique for my body, and then the shampoo. Sometimes when I don’t want to wash my hair with shampoo I just put water in and then a little bit of Moroccanoil and my hair gets very soft. I don’t do anything else to style it because I feel like it gets so greasy. But then you want to go out, and it's nice to put something in, so I use This Is More Salt Spray. And I really want to learn how to curl my hair a little bit, but I have no idea how. Cim gave me this crazy hair curler and I don't know how to use it.

HEALTH
I’m not healthy at all. I drink black coffee, I smoke cigarettes in the morning, I drink Diet Coke. I do eat very healthy. I’m a vegetarian, and I make sure to drink a lot of water. I never eat crap food. I don't really work out, either...I hate working out so much. But I do walk everywhere, and I walk long. I probably walk 15 kilometers a day because I love walking. So that’s almost like working out—my way of doing it, at least."

—as told to ITG

Caroline Brasch Nielsen photographed by Tom Newton at her home in Copenhagen on August 14, 2016.