"Growing up in Paris, I knew I always wanted to work in fashion but I didn't really admit it to myself for a while. I don't know why. I always loved fashion but I was focused on my studies, and in school, people don’t tell you to go into fashion. I was studying economics and went to business school for a little bit, but this is the first year that I'm modeling full time. I’ve also started styling as well. My approach to style is to see a piece, want it, and buy it, instead of thinking about how it fits you perfectly or anything like that. You cannot always be perfect, so sometimes you buy something and never wear it—or you figure out how to make it work in a creative way. My approach is to go for it and see what happens.

HAIR
My skin wasn’t always perfect, so when I was a teenager, I thought bangs were a good idea to hide things on my forehead...but they also made more pimples sometimes. I had them until I was 13 and then grew them out. I recut them myself three or four years ago. First, I wanted just to have a fringe-y bang and then it just started to get straighter and straighter. I really like Alexa Chung—she was kind of my inspiration for the cut. What I've learned is that it doesn't have to be perfect. If it's too straight, it doesn't work. Actually, I still cut them myself because I prefer the style to be kind of messy. The only time I got to the salon is to even the color between winter and summer.

I wash my hair every other day but it depends if I have something where my hair has to be really clean or not. I haven't found my perfect shampoo yet. I'm always in the supermarket looking for a new one because I don't have any favorites. But bad shampoos do make my hair look terrible, so you can’t just use anything. If I don’t wash my hair, I use Prêt-à-Powder from Bumble and bumble, particularly on my bangs. I think it's great because it's a dry shampoo but it also makes the hair looks cool and gives an amazing texture. And you can’t have oily bangs or else you look really awful.

Alternatively, I spray Bb. Prep on wet hair and twist it into a low bun for an hour or two for a great natural wave. Sometimes I use their Hairdresser's Invisible Oil on the ends of my hair to detangle. It's amazing, so you put in just a little and it makes it very silky. And I just discovered the Leonor Greyl Sérum De Soie Sublimateur that makes amazing texture. It’s like your hair turns to silk.

SKIN
I use Bioderma Créaline. Everyone uses it and it's really the best. There isn't even a debate to have about it. I use it to cleanse in the morning and at night and it gets rid of the oil on your skin. If I have mascara that doesn't want to come off with it, I use coconut oil and that works easily. Afterwards, I put on some cream—right now, I'm using Nuxe Crème Fraîche de Beauté. The YSL Instant Moisture Glow I never really understood—it's supposed to be a quick thing to make your skin look great, so sometimes when I feel like I need that, I put it on. It gives your skin a matte finish and makes it so soft.

Sometimes for my birthday I go to the spa, but I take a lot of baths—at least three times a week. I also like to do the Detox Vitamin Mask by Nuxe. It looks like honey and feels cooling. My skin feels so fresh afterwards. Other than that, I use Homeoplasmine on the lips. It's classic and it works.

MAKEUP
I don't wear that much makeup every day except a little foundation and mascara—sometimes a little lipstick and eyeliner. My BB Glow Compact from Kiko Milano [ed note: not available in the US] doesn’t look so nice because I use it all the time. It’s super cheap and it’s honestly the best tone for my skin. The cream is kind of matte and it just blends right in, so I use it like concealer for red patches or spots. It's one swipe and it's perfect.

These are my natural lashes, I get lucky on the lashes. [Laughs] I wear mascara all the time though, and I love it! My favorite is Guerlain Maxi-Lash because the brush is perfect for making you look like you have longer lashes with a little volume. On my bottom lashes, I wiggle the brush to make a little line that’s sublte. Then either I use the Kiko Milano Ultimate Pen or a YSL pencil. I don’t really advise an eyeliner to anybody, because you have to have your own preference. I like pens, but crayon works for other people. My look is to do a line that begins in the middle of the lashes and very close to the lash line. Then it gets a little bit bigger and a bit pointy at the end, but not too much. It makes the eye look a bit more open.

For lipstick, I like something really dark, wet, and red. The Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red is insane—it dries matte and the red is perfect. Rouge Dior in Poison Matte is a bit darker, and so I add the Sephora Stain on top to make it a little lighter. The Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Color in Gabrielle is really sheer and then it dries matte, and the shade is more in the middle.

For the rest of my face, I have the Avéne Couvrance Mosaic Powder which is perfect for bronzer because it has all the tones. If you're tan, you can wear it, and if it's winter you can wear it too. The Bronzing Stones from YSL are also lovely. But in summer, my skin is cool, so I actually prefer a pink blush. The Sonia Rykiel Lancôme collaboration blush in Splash Coral is really nice for this time of year.

FRAGRANCE
I like perfume to be for me—it’s very personal, and if someone knows my scent, that means he knows me. I don’t want people on the street to know exactly what I’m wearing. During the day, I like soft perfumes like Remarkable People by Etat Libre D'Orange or Daisy by Marc Jacobs. Daisy is my all-time favorite, I’ve been wearing it since I was 14 or something. Or I’ll go sexier with Nina Ricci L’Extase for night. But mostly, I like light and flowery. Like Chanel Chance I love! It’s my mom’s but I borrow it sometimes."

—as told to ITG

Louise Follain photographed by Tom Newton at her home in Paris on November 29, 2016.