Daria Werbowy!

“It was one of those things that I think every woman goes through, and with modeling, it’s like, you just get really fucking tired of looking the same,” Daria Werbowy said of asking hair legend Christiaan to hack off her long, wavy locks two years ago. “Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, but we want you to look like Daria.’ You want to shed that a little, and it happens to everyone, I think.”

The bob that launched a thousand imitations is now grown out, but short hair or long, Werbowy, who turns 31 this week, is as in demand as ever. For proof, look no further than her Fall ’14 campaign roster: Céline, Equipment, Diane von Furstenberg, and AG. Maybe it’s because, as she told me, she feels more comfortable in her skin now: “I had this whole stigma of what beauty was and what it meant to be a woman. I was so focused on that stigma that I was missing myself completely in a way,” she explained. “All that really matters is that you’re doing what you want to be doing.”

We sat down to discuss all things beauty, her future in front of and behind the lens, and much more.

If you weren’t a model, what do you think you’d be doing at 31?

Oh, my God, that’s such a hard question! I don’t know, I think I’m meant to do this for a reason. I think I was supposed to do this, even though I resisted for so long.

Why resist? Being a model seems like a good gig.

Because I was like, “Fuck the world.” I was so anti-everything, and I really just did it to make some money in the beginning. I was broke, I needed to make some money, and then it just sort of exploded into this thing. You get a little addicted to it and it fucks with your head a lot, so you go through a lot of things—like a part of me is still 15. A part of me is still stuck there because I didn’t get to experience those years of my life like most [people] do. But then that got replaced with a lot of other things. Yeah, being angry is not really a good look. I think you just get to a place where if you’re perpetually angry, [you realize] you’re never going to be happy. So it’s like, “I can actually change my perspective and things are happier.”

You did end up taking something of a hiatus from the modeling world in 2008. Why did you feel that that break was necessary?

I think it’s important to do things sometimes that we are really scared of doing. I think most of the time we should be doing things we’re really scared of doing. And sometimes when you leave, that’s when you realize how good you have it. I mean, let’s be serious, by the time I was 22, I was spoiled rotten. I had every material [thing] you could imagine, and when you step away, you do different things and gain perspective. Sometimes it’s unfortunate that we have to do that, but we all come from different places, and I think I just needed to get out. I wanted to see other parts of the world and see how other people lived and live with those people. I was in Peru for three and a half months with a family in the jungle, and I hadn’t experienced connection like that in so long because we’re constantly in 20-minute conversations or 40-minute conversations or two-day jobs, and we don’t get to spend time with people without having to be on or having to perform. It’s always extreme situations. And when I went to Peru for a couple months, it was slow. It didn’t have to be fast. It was really beautiful, and yeah, I think that’s important.

What made you want to come back to the life that you had previously?

Coconut water! No, I’m just joking, the coconut water is way better down there! What made me want to come back? There’s nothing really specific, but I’m not done. I don’t know what that means—I just have a feeling. I think you know when you just want to fuck off and never come back, and I don’t have that feeling where I want to completely go away. One of the girls in another interview asked me, “What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve ever done?” and I don’t think I’ve done it yet. I don’t feel like I’ve really cracked myself open yet.

What do you think is next?

No idea. But I’m much more open-minded now. God, it took me a fucking long time! What I mean is that there’s something that boiling inside that hasn’t come out yet.

Interesting. Do you think it will have anything to do with fashion?

It’ll be like, the next cover of French Vogue. [laughs] No, I think it’s something much more creative on my part. I’ve been doing some photography, maybe acting, maybe a combination [of both]. It’s definitely being more vulnerable on my part.

Speaking of being vulnerable, you sailed across the Atlantic. What was that like and what prompted you to do it?

I grew up sailing, and it was always a dream of my dad’s. He restored a boat for 10 years—for a long time. And then we went, and it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had, by far. It’s like everything uncomfortable you can think of, everything scary—it’s so humbling and free.

What was the scariest part?

Fog. When you hear—our boat is 52 feet, it’s substantial—a horn blow and you hear “BRRRRRRRN!” and you can’t see it, then there’s like a 100-foot tanker beside you. Yeah, fog was scary. Weird things happen out there. Weird things happen in the sky; weird things float in the water; singing at night—it’s very Old Man and the Sea. It’s very interesting. And it was cool to be only concerned with that boat and those people.

How many people were on the boat?

My brother, sister, father, and friends. Your world becomes really small, and you’re in this sort of really intense situation and you can’t get away from each other. It was interesting psychologically. The world got very small, but very big at the same time. The only thing I kept thinking of was that I knew there was land. For people—like explorers who didn’t know if there was land—that must have been really trippy.

I imagine it was! Since you’ve traveled to so many different places, have you picked up any interesting beauty products?

India’s really good for that stuff. They’re always massaging weird oils and things on their bodies. They use mustard oil a lot, which you’re not supposed to ingest. They put it on their hair and their bodies. In the morning you see them massaging it on their kids.

Did you ever try it?

I did for a while, and then I was like, “Eh…”

I suppose since you’ve been the face of Lancôme for close to 10 years, you’re fully stocked with plenty of products. How has being a face of this brand impacted your career?

It’s helped me in a lot of ways because it’s given me security. It gave me an opportunity to do things that I really wanted to do, and they have been supportive of that. It wasn’t like I had to come in and be molded into some woman that I’m not. Lancôme’s been like, “OK, we’ve figured you out now and we like you!” They weren’t trying to fit me into a box, and more than any other brand I can think of in terms of beauty, they’re probably the most open-minded in a way. They have a range of different women, and there’s a classic-ness. Their [spokeswomen are] interesting.

Do you think you’ll do another makeup collection for Lancôme like you did in 2008?

Yeah, we’ve been talking about it, then we stopped talking about it, and now maybe we should start talking about it again! But yeah, I’d be totally interested in doing that again.

What are your go-to products at the moment?

I’ll do a [face] mask, and then I just do lots of contouring! I just get out the freakin’ taupes, curl my eyelashes, and maybe a red lip. I still use the colors I made for Lancôme years ago, and maybe now I’ll do more of an eyebrow or something, or a lip, because [Lancôme was] kind of like, “Can you wear more?” I don’t feel comfortable wearing a full [face of makeup]. I feel like I transform. It really affects who I am. Put a little bit of makeup on, and I feel like I lose my personality.

Since you’re not big into makeup, what’s your skincare routine like?

It depends on what I’m doing or where I’m going. It’s pretty simple. In Ireland, I almost use nothing because it’s so damp there, but in the winter, I’ll use Visionnaire and sometimes mix some argan oil into that. That’s pretty much it. The Lancôme bronzers I use, and the tinted moisturizer I think is great.

Which face mask do you use to prep your skin?

There’s a great mask—I just found out about it a few weeks ago—from Wei. It’s a sheet one. Other than that, I like the tea bag thing. Not tea-bagging—for the record! I use green tea. It’s like a miracle. You put it in hot water, [let it get] warm, then put it in ice water. You do that a couple of times, for like half an hour.

Just on your eyes?

Just on the puffiness, because I get really puffy on top [of my eyes] sometimes. I did it today and it fucking works!

You’ve posed for quite a few nude photos in your career. How do you prep for a shoot like the Pirelli calendar?

I didn’t do anything and you can tell I didn’t do anything! I’m really not good at that. I have the intention of doing things, but it doesn’t happen. Two years ago, I started practicing Ashtanga [yoga] and that’s been really good.

Do you ever do cleanses?

I try to fast once a week…actually, it doesn’t really happen once a week. More like once every two weeks. I learned that in India.

What does that do, exactly?

It helps reset and emotionally brings up stuff.

So you don’t eat anything?

Usually, I’ll eat just fruit or I’ll just drink liquids.

You don’t try to transform your body, but when Christiaan chopped off your hair, people were shocked. What made you do it?

I was in Peru, and I said, “I’m going to go home and cut my hair short and get a nose ring,” and I did it. That’s pretty much how it went down.

I love that you’re so committed.

I wanted to shave it, but that didn’t go over so well with Lancôme! Actually, they didn’t even know that I cut it.

Cutting your hair off is therapeutic—that’s why mine is short!

It does feel therapeutic! It feels good, and it totally changed [how I felt]— like I felt really masculine. I got mistaken for a man a lot, which I still do.

What?! Not possible.

I know, but if I put on a hoodie, jeans, and a pair of sneakers it’s pretty dude-y. No, really, it’s true!

I read that you were a little bit of a tomboy growing up.

A little? Not even a little. I still haven’t shed that skin, that’s for sure!

But now you’re such a huge fashion and beauty icon for so many women.

I know…and it’s all a lie! I go home and I put on a hoodie and go skateboarding. Yeah, I’m still very much a tomboy.

Have you ever embraced your girly side?

No, never. I’ve tried, I really have. Lancôme’s given up. They’re like, “You know what? We’re just going to be honest!” They try to [set me up with] hair and makeup for events and I can’t do it. I just do my own.

If you DIY your look for the red carpet, how do you get those amazing waves?

I don’t do anything. I really do nothing. My dad has really curly hair and my mom has really straight hair, so I guess I’m in between. And this weather gives it that extra frizz. But I do use a lot of oils. If I’m in Ireland and not doing anything, I’ll put oil in it and keep it in for three days.

Speaking of Ireland, why did you decide to move to West Cork?

I will never know the answer to that question!

I understand your dog’s name is Strawballz and you drive around in a 1979 Vauxhall Viva.

All of those things are facts! Yeah, I don’t know, I went to Ireland 10 years ago and I said I would live there. Then I went to a psychic and she said I was sacrificed in Ireland in my past life, so hey, that could be it.

That psychic reading didn’t deter you from giving up the life you knew and starting over in Ireland?

No, I love that stuff. That’s part of why I like it! It’s all of that mythology—you see it, you feel it. When I went there 10 years ago, it was like coming home, it was so familiar. I’ve only had that [feeling] there and in Africa, in Botswana. It’s a weird sensation. It all feels very familiar. Ireland’s tough, you know. It’s heavy, there’s a lot of history. The people can be peevey, but they’re quite funny, actually. There’s just something there. And I wanted to get far away, too, let’s be honest.