It's snowing in frigid New York, but you'd never know it when I sign in to Zoom with Ashley Graham. Wearing a tank top, with her hair in a high pony, she's glowing from top to, well, bottom of the computer screen, as she sits next to a table featuring the newest St. Tropez self-tanning products.
She's the new global brand ambassador for the luxury self-tanner, and from my perspective, it's a match made in heaven. “It makes you feel and smell like you just got out of an amazing vacation,” Graham says of the St. Tropez Face Purity Mist and the Express Bronzing Mousse. “It's all about feeling good from the inside out. I like to say it's confidence in a bottle.”
And Graham should know. As the unofficial spokesperson for body positivity, she's never been shy about sharing her secrets to help others feel empowered. And in this particular case, when I tell her I love how great I feel when I'm tan but hate the application process, she's ready to help with a virtual step-by-step tutorial.
“Toss out your back-scrubber contraption,” she says with a laugh, “and just spray the St. Tropez Purity Mist like 20 times back there. I'm telling you, it's a game changer for getting fully tan since those are the spots that typically are the hardest to get to.” She also advises me to use the mist on my face as well, but every other night. “The good news is, there's no transfer to your pillow case,” she adds.
When I confess I also hate walking around my house naked in the dead of winter until the tan dries, she shakes her head as if to say, “Nope, those days are over.”
“It dries so quick, it's easy to use, and has the best ingredients from hyaluronic acid to rose hemp oil,” she says. “I put it on at night before I go to bed, and then in the morning, I shower, moisturize, and boom, I'm ready to go. I just sleep in very loose, oversize shirts or wear nothing.”
And she's right. When I try it myself later that night, I wonder where the heck Ashley Graham's advice—or these products—have been all my life. So it should be no surprise then that when I put her to the test for Glamour's Big Beauty Questions, she had even more secrets to share—from how to keep your brows in place to the secret highlighter you didn't know you had.
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Glamour: What beauty trend are you obsessed with right now?
Ashley Graham: The ultimate brushed-up brows. The bigger brushed up, the better. I’ve been putting eyelash glue in my eyebrows so they stay. You don't need a lot—and I suggest using the clear or white one—put it on the spoolie, and just brush it up. It’s not hard to get it out at the end of the day, either. I just use an oil cleanser.
What one beauty rule do you think is B.S.?
The snapback [of your body] after postpartum. That’s B.S. It’s hard. So why put that expectation on yourself?
What’s the best beauty advice your mom ever gave you?
Less is more. Linda has always been about less is more, and that has always been a staple my entire life.
What city or country gives you the biggest beauty inspiration?
Reggio Calabria in southwest Italy. It’s where my husband’s family lives and it’s so beautiful there. They have a little beach house in this town called Scilla. It’s aesthetically gorgeous, the food is beautiful and fresh, the people are lovely. I would go there every year if I could. It doesn’t get old.
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What are you loving on your nails right now? Any particular colors or designs?
I've been really lazy about my nails. I've just been trying to keep them healthy. I’m on prenatals, so they’re growing really fast. That's never happened to me, so thank you, prenatals. But it’s hard to keep it up.
Fill in the blank: I love my hair…
When my whole hairline grows back because it all fell out four months postpartum. I’m lucky that I still have these strands in front of my face, but all this near the front fell out. It went “bye.” It’s weird, but totally worth it, and I’m definitely going to do it again.
Would you rather get a facial or massage?
Facial. I’m obsessed with taking care of my skin. I want to always have glowing, beautiful skin, and for me, a massage is a cherry on top. I’d rather do yoga or something at home to stretch my body out. I love Mzia Shiman on the Upper East Side in New York. She’s amazing.
What’s your go-to perfume?
I love Byredo. I also love Santal. I use my husband’s Santal sometimes. He’s like, You smell like me. I’m like, Is there a problem here?
Screw, marry, kill: mascara, lipstick, highlighter.
Screw mascara, kill highlighter, and marry lipstick.
I didn’t think you would kill highlighter since you love to glow.
No, you know why? Because I can just use a gorgeous moisturizer as a highlighter. I have been known to use Aquaphor as a highlighter because I've got nothing else in my back pocket. I’ll just dab it on my cheekbones. I’d rather use highlighter, but if I’m in a pinch, I’ll use Aquaphor.
If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, what would it be?
Get rid of the filter and show your true self. I do love a ring light, but we don’t need filters all the time.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram @jessicaradloff14.
