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“I don’t use hot tools—can’t you tell?” laughs a bare-faced Gabriela Hearst, her lengths knotted at the nape of her neck. After staging the industry’s first-ever carbon-neutral show (and championing a chic, electricity-free hairstyle to match) last fall, the designer will return to the runway this afternoon with her Fall 2020 collection in what’s sure to be a visual feat that further pushes the conservation conversation forward.
Sustainability isn’t just an industry buzzword for the 43-year-old self-professed “farm girl,” but rather a way of life: Born in Uruguay, Hearst grew up on her family’s 17,000-acre ranch in Paysandu where she developed a deep-seated respect for nature that still influences her every move. “We were very, very far away from a city, so shopping wasn’t easy; I remember when we used to make our own soap!”
Of course, these days—as her recycled cashmere coats and ethically made macramé suits regularly turn up on the likes of Laura Dern and Lauren Hutton—she’s traded the outback for a West Village brownstone and prefers Tata Harper’s organic skin-care saviors to any homemade variety. “My mindset in beauty is the same mindset I have in consumption in general, from food to any product: Am I going to use this to the end?” she asks, before adding: “My whole existence is about quality over quantity.”
Below, Gabriela Hearst sounds off on how to build a sustainable—and decidedly luxurious—beauty regimen, from the fastest way to fake a facial to the firming body oil that she uses to the very last drop.
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Fitness is the Best Facial
“There’s a point when you become middle aged that you prioritize health over everything else, so I’ve become really dedicated to exercising. I do yoga three times a week and short circuit training two times a week. My mother always used to say to me that I needed to do yoga—and I tend to disobey my mom—but she was right on this. I feel that so many parts of my health have opened up since I started practicing yoga in a serious way. There’s been a huge change in my skin because essentially when you have your circulation flowing it’s like having a facial. Everything has improved since [I’ve started] exercising. Sometimes the schedule gets so busy [between] all these new demands and challenges and a lot of traveling, [so] how do you ground yourself? I feel my commitment to health and exercise has really changed me physically, changed my confidence, [and] the way I think.”
Dry Brush Your Way to Better Skin
“I have bad circulation and water retention, so I dry brush. I think it really helps. [Afterwards] I put on Francisco Costa’s toning body oil, the one product that I recently got and I absolutely love. I use it everywhere. It’s so nice; I love the way it smells and I can actually see a change in the skin. I also see Marina Baratashvili, who gives this painful [lymphatic drainage] massage that I now like. She always tells me to drink more water!”
Meditation is the Key to a Clear Mind—and a Winning Smile
“I do TM meditation every morning or evening for 20 minutes. It’s amazing how much energy I get when I do it in the morning. I seem to be much sharper; I seem to calm my brain and wake it up [simultaneously]. I think it’s really interesting because I can actually see a difference in my performance. I feel it works especially [well] when you’re in a creative job. I think it’s also extremely necessary for having a smile, which is a very important beauty secret.”
Use Everything to the Last Drop
“My mindset in beauty is the same mindset I have in consumption in general, from food to any product: Am I going to use this cream to the end? I’ve really shifted the way I consume. I used to love to have all different beauty products, but now it’s more about sticking to one and using it all. My whole existence is about quality over quantity: have less but make it good. I like Tata Harper’s products. When I use her serum, it just feels like [my skin] is glowing. I don’t really wear makeup, only when there’s an event. I have some of Gucci Westman’s makeup, which I use if I need to.”
Skip the Styling Session
“I don’t use hot tools, can’t you tell? My hair’s always a mess because I only have time to brush my teeth or brush my hair, so I had it [cut] really short last year. It was amazing because I never really washed it and it was just go, go, go, go, go. I also see Sharon Dorram uptown [for color].”
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Buy in Bulk
“My whole family uses Red Flower’s Icelandic Moonflower shampoo and conditioner, which are very mild. I buy them in bulk in order not to have too many plastic containers. They also have this really nice yuzu body wash that we use.”
