Supermodel Helena Christensen on Skin Brushing, the Perfect Red Lipstick, and Her Five-Minute Morning Routine

On how she wakes up in the morning

I have a gorgeous little dog that, at some point in the morning, starts inching her way closer to me. I wake up with her sniffing and licking—it’s the first moment I open my eyes. I really try to be disciplined about my morning and evening routines, especially when it comes to my skin. I wasn’t always like that, but I learned pretty early on that it’s a really smart thing to do to take good care of your skin. I wake up by splashing [my face with] cold water, then hot water, then using products, and I kind of look forward to it. I also massage my skin to wake it up and stimulate blood flow. I do the same thing on my body. I do the whole brushing and scrubbing thing, then I do some stretches and exercises. It sounds like a lot but it’s become a very organic thing to do that doesn’t take more than five minutes.

On cold water swimming

If you’re a big cold dipper or swimmer, then you go in every day. I would be a big cold water swimmer if I could jump in the Hudson River, which I live very close to, but since I can’t I just do it whenever there’s an opportunity. I wish that was every day. There are so many benefits—since I started dipping in cold water, taking supplements, and living a more or less balanced, healthy life, I haven’t had a cold. I really do believe that going in cold water helps with lymphatic drainage and blood flow, as well as with activating the body and brain. What it does is immense, really immense, I cannot recommend it enough. 

On her skin-care routine

I’ve always been very into oils and serums. My skin is thankfully pretty healthy and sturdy and can handle a lot—it’s got to in this business. When I think about what it has been through all these years… I’m very grateful I still even have my skin! It tends to need a lot of hydration—my skin is thirsty, let’s put it that way—so oils and serums are my favorites.