Helena Christensen beauty program

To stay in shape, Helena never does any exercise nor follows any diet--just a few essential moves and very personal tips she shares with us. It's a minimalist beauty program, but the results are spectacular!

MAKEUP : "he natural look takes priority!"

"I've discovered recently that I love seeing my skin in photographs. So I've said good-bye to foundation. The less I'm made up, the more I like it." With her ever-bronzed skin, as fine and smooth as satin, her incredible eyes, and her beautifully defined lips, Helena's face doesn't need any artifice. All she needs is to emphasise her fine features. Thibault Vabre, makeup artist for Lancome, knows her well: "I'd much rather accentuate her peculiar traits than try to make them 'normal.' I stress her round cheekbones by applying cheek blush, and I use a pencil to accent her eyes without trying to 'pull them up.'" Add mascara, a brownish red or transparent gloss on her lips, and Helena's freshness comes alive.

Helena's never worn her hair short, and had been content to wear short wigs during shows and shoots. She prefers her hair long, even if, for the past year, she's worn it in a bob--more modern and somewhat mischievous. Helena has added some gold highlights to her natural dark brown--a trend she launched a year ago in French ELLE, which prompted hundreds of phone calls from readers who wanted to know the secret of this "sunstreak." In Helena's hair, honey harmonizes with the golden aura around her pupils. To maintain these highlights, Helena has a very personal tip: rinse with vodka and lemon juice! "In the summer, I also use those lotions that lighten your hair when you stand in the sun. That gives it more body. When my hair is natural, it is so fine and clingy that I can't do anything with it." Another detail: Helena doesn't accentuate her eyebrows anymore, but instead bleached them a light brown that softens her face and lets her gaze do its powerful work.

"I use a lot of hydrating creams for my face. In planes, it gets dry quickly." Her choice: Lancome's Nutribel, a nourishing fluid enriched with jojoba oil for dry skin. "I always figure out the number of time zones I'm going to go through, and plan the most restful connecting flights." When in the sun, Helena always wears high-SPF sunscreens.

Helena's eyes light up when the subject of scent is broached. "I love perfume. I collect bottles and display them in my bathroom. Right now, my favorite is Eden, by Cacharel, but I've just bought Feminine du Bois from Shiseido, and I like it very much--the design and color of these bottles are beautiful." These fragrances haven't been chosen by chance. Sensual and mysterious, these perfumes have the same goal: seduction.

"I'd like to say that I exercise a lot, but I really don't do anything except runway shows--and believe me, that's a lot of miles every season! I'd love to say that I drink a lot of water but I don't pay much attention to it. In fact, I don't do anything special to maintain the way I look." Helena is the true exception, the one top model who doesn't manage her body like she would an investment. "She's almost the only one who, when we go to a restaurant, will not deny herself anything, and certainly not dessert!" says Marylin Gaultier, director of the Agency to which Helena belongs. Her ex. fiance, Michael Hutchence, confirms, "She adds cream everywhere and then butter in the cream!" After observing her during several meals, it appears to be true: She does eat everything, drink wine and liquor, and has whipped cream--which she loves. Long and slender, toned and supple Helena is provocation incarnate!

"Lacking the time and the opportunity, I've never set foot in a beauty institute. I have never, in my life, had a facial! But I would love to lie down and get a massage sometime. "

"I love being taken care of."

1997-04-26