"I got into modeling after university. Otherwise I wouldn't have had a job, and my mom would have been like, 'What are you doing?' And as crazy as fashion is, if you don't take it too seriously, it gets easier and gets easy to say yes to jobs. Then you can delegate and do the things you want to do. I do like modeling—friends always ask me if I would've rather done something else. All of them traveled and experienced all this great stuff, and that's what fashion helped me to do, too. It helped me become myself.

Without modeling, I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't have this great apartment, and I'm very grateful for all of that. But when you're a model, it's hard to have a voice. Now I'm trying to do other things for myself. Alexandra [Nataf] from Unconditional magazine reached out to me through Instagram and I ended up shooting for them. That was when, as an artist, I realized I have a voice and it matters. It's a good feeling, to be a creator.

BODY & HEALTH
I stopped smoking in November, which has helped my skin. If you're in Paris, with a glass of wine, it's a very beautiful thing to smoke. But in October I was smoking a pack a day—my dad smoked, and he was like, 'You can't stop,' and I was like, 'Yes I can.' My sister came to visit after that, and she doesn't smoke, so I took off for the whole week. Then I just continued to not do it. I did have one cigarette, on New Year's, but I don't buy packs anymore. I can't start again. I've started taking two freeze-dried aloe vera pills a day, too. That's good if you're feeling stressed—apparently they're hormone-balancing. If I'm bloated, it calms everything down. Sometimes I skip them, because they don't taste good.

There's a spa I go to in Portugal called Vilalara, which is where I met my dermatologist Bianca. I do a detox there, which involves a liquid diet for the first three days. They give you soup, it's nothing too crazy. But it's a beautiful retreat, right by the beach. They have yoga, meditation, all that. I do love massages, too. The best massage I ever had was in LA for a hundred bucks. I hugged her afterwards, I loved it. Usually, I do very deep tissue to work out all the knots. In Germany we have something called Dorn massage, where they put you on a machine, and the man or woman goes along your spine, pressing the little bones. If I have half a day off, I always book a massage.

I always have this... Do you know Tiger Balm? I use it if I have a cold—you put it on your chest or breathe it in and it's nice. Or on your muscles if they're tight, because it's warming. Propolis Nasenbalsam is everything. It’s saving my life all the time if I have a cold, but also if my nose is generally red and dry. Or if my mouth is dry. Even if I have a pimple, I’ll put it on and it’ll help. Or if I put under the eyes because I don’t put too much cream there. It's amazing—and it's only, like, two euro.

This Scar Repair Magic is the best thing ever. That's why I didn't do Fashion Week two years ago—I fell off a cliff while hiking and my bone was coming out of my skin. It left a scar, so I would use Scar Repair every day. It really works.

HAIR
My hair was dyed blond for a shoot with 032c. Andreas Kurkowitz did it, who works with Eugene [Souleiman]. It’s so much fun right now, but I won’t keep it forever, because it is damaging. They did it in one day—we finished at 11 or 12 at night. The first time it burned, and I was like, ‘Fuck, I’m never going to do this again.’ The Art Director on set brought me silver shampoo, but I'm not washing it all the time, though...

L’Oréal Shine Blonde is good—I also have the Clariol Shimmer Lights Conditioner. I put that in for twenty minutes like a mask before I wash my hair and then I wash it off. Then sometimes I’ll use it again as a conditioner. My shower curtain turned purple at one point. It looks good with the skin right now because I’m a bit tan, but when it’s very white it looks nice. My natural hair is a dark brown. Back then I just to keep it moisturized, and now I only use product if it's really dry. The Philip Kingsley Elasticizer really helps too, actually. It gives a bit of shine and it feels like nutrition for the hair.

SKINCARE
The brand I use the most, becauase I know it's not going to give me oily skin or pimples, is Dr. Hauschka. My grandmother used to say, 'If there are too many ingredients, you shouldn't use it.' I tend mostly toward natural skincare. So I wash in the morning with water, and then I use the Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream in the morning. I don't trust many products, but I love Isabel from Advanced Skincare—she gave me the Osmosis Pur Activating Mist. Occasionally I'll use this Elevase Moisture Booster, which is also from Isabel. Sometimes I use oil to thin my makeup. I used a homemade one from Germany that I can't remember, but I think it has argan in it. Right now I'm using the Aesop Fabulous Face Oil and mixing it with my Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer.

MAKEUP
The Luminous Silk Foundation is the only foundation I use. It’s very thin. I never thought I'd be one of those girls using highlighter all over her face, but I use a little of the Glossier Haloscope. I love this Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Eyeshadow in Gold Blitz, it's beautiful and it stays. I think it always goes with your eyes. In the evening I'll use a small brush with a brown eyeshadow and do a line, always blending it. Earthy tones—never cold, always warm. It's nice for my skin and also for my blue eyes. Lipsticks are always a dark red like Chanel Rouge Coco Etienne or YSL Rouge Couture Les Mats Rouge Rock. The YSL one is my favorite because it stays. But even if it doesn't, if it comes off on a drink or something, it's nice. Too much can look crazy. MAC Amplified Blankety is my natural color. It just makes my lips look a little fuller.

I think sometimes blush can be a little bit aggressive, but Chanel Les Beiges Bronzer is great for a bit of color. I would only use it on my cheekbones or eyes—I've spent a long time figuring out what I'm was comfortable with. Estée Lauder Alluring is another good color. I have to use powder because my skin isn't super matte, but it has to be light. I don’t like too shiny, I don’t get the glossy look. Like, ‘Are you sweating?’"

—as told to ITG

Larissa Hofmann photographed by Tom Newton at her home in Brooklyn on January 21, 2017.