"I grew up in the countryside in a really small town in the Netherlands, one hour and fifteen minutes from Amsterdam. I think I had only been on an airplane once before I started modeling and then I started flying all around the world. Then I moved to New York. My skin was definitely having a hard time from all the traveling and stress, so I started a treatment in Holland called ZO Skin Health. It's a routine I do at night. I cleanse and then use a treatment toning pad. The first two weeks my skin got very dry, but then it got better. I use their scrub three times a week and two different creams, one for day and one for night.
On a normal day, I wear a little bit of concealer and mascara and I brush my brows. My mom is blonde and barely has brows. My dad has black hair and really dark eyebrows. I got the blonde hair from my mom and the dark eyebrows from my dad. The first thing my modeling agent told me was, 'Never pluck your eyebrows again.' I used to pluck them! Thank God they grew back. When I was little, I thought my dark brows were weird but now I'm really happy with them. If they're kind of crazy when I wake up I’ll use the Bobbi Brown Brow Gel.
I always like to give myself lots of time to get ready, an hour and a half to two hours. Choosing clothes to wear always takes a little while, and then I do my makeup and hair. If I’m going out, I like to have good music to get in the mood. I put '80s pop music on, like Whitney Houston, and a have a glass of prosecco. I like to take a hot shower and feel fresh before I go somewhere. I use the Fix It Coverstick from Dior if I have a little spot or redness. I like that it's not too dry. I mix #1 and #2 to match my skin. I also have the AC Cleanup Mild Concealer by Etude House that I use on a pimple if it's really red. I got it in Japan. I like to contour with Maybelline Fit Me. I use it on my cheeks and under my jaw. It definitely gives me more definition.
I don't really use blush because my cheeks get red naturally, but I have a really nice highlighter from Maybelline that I put on the bridge of my nose, my cheekbones and on the inner corners of my eyes. I use Kiki Milano mascara, the 30 Days Extension Night Treatment Booster. It extends your lashes. At night, I like to add eyeliner and a taupe-y eyeshadow. I love this Dior 5 Coulers in Undress eye palette. It has taupe, nude, and pink colors. I like to do a [smoky eye] and I use a brush so it's not too smudgy. Sometimes I wear eyeliner, but I find it really hard to do. One eye always looks good, and then the other one is a little different. It takes so long, and they're never the same. I like a red lip, but it depends on my mood. I have a nice Gucci one that I like. My favorite lip balm is the rose one from Vaseline. It smells good too. I also have this depuffing roller lip balm from Japan. For fragrance, I wear Miss Dior. I've been wearing it for half a year. Before that I used Valentino. I always wear a sweet fragrance.
My hair is naturally blonde, but I dyed it a little blonder a year ago. I use silver shampoo to [maintain the color]. I try not use conditioner because it makes my hair heavy, and I like to have a little volume. Instead I use the Leonor Greyl Serum de Soie Sublimateur to make my hair stronger and I use a sea salt spray if I’m going out. When I had longer hair, I used to use clip-ins. Now I use one or two because my hair is very thin. I got mine from a shoot. They don't always let you keep them, but this time I got lucky. [Laughs]
I'm always the one who wants to go out. My friends would probably say that I'm really easy to convince [Laughs]. I like to go out to dinner first, before we go out. I'm still discovering nightlife in Amsterdam—I just got a place there, but it's similar to New York. In New York, people wear heels out, but in Amsterdam—we’re all really tall—there aren’t as many girls in heels. Usually I wear flats, like boots, but sometimes I'll wear a small heel. I like these Steve Madden ones. In my bag, I keep a small fragrance, concealer and lip balm, and my phone and credit cards. When I get home from going out, I like to order fries. Sometimes I just go straight to bed, but I always take my makeup off. If I have a full face on, I use Bioderma first, and then I’ll do my whole skincare routine."
—as told to ITG
Maartje Verhoef photographed by Tom Newton on February 6, 2018.
