Exclusive: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on Self-Care, Skincare, and Authenticity

If you’ve been paying close attention, you might have noticed that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has always been an outspoken fan of cruelty-free beauty brand Hourglass Cosmetics—most notably on her namesake beauty website, Rose Inc. Now, it seems that her genuine love for the brand has turned into an official relationship: The supermodel was just announced as the first-ever celebrity ambassador and face of Hourglass Cosmetics. 

“I’ve been talking about Hourglass over the last six years since discovering the brand, and then certainly since the launch of the site [in 2018], I’ve always spoken about brands and just naturally brought them into my tutorials,” Huntington-Whiteley tells us over coffee at the Crosby Hotel in New York City. “I discovered the brand from a makeup artist that I’ve worked with for many years in London, and I think she first probably used the products on me. Through using them, loving them, talking about them, promoting them, [and] getting to work on small projects for Carisa [the founder of Hourglass Cosmetics] over the years, it just sort of built to this announcement of being the face of the brand.”

Also marking the newly official partnership is the launch of two new Hourglass Cosmetics products: The Vanish Airbrush Concealer, an antioxidant-packed, lightweight concealer that Huntington-Whiteley describes as “creamy,” and eight new shades of the brand’s best-selling Confession High-Intensity Refillable Lipsticks, including a nude terra-cotta shade called You Make Me, which Huntington-Whiteley calls her “signature shade.”

Hourglass Cosmetics Confession™ Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick in You Make Me $36.00

Shop

Ahead of the new announcement and launches, we sat down with Huntington-Whiteley to learn more about her relationship with Hourglass Cosmetics, her 2020 goals and, of course, what her current skincare and self-care routines look like. Here is everything she told us.

On her connection with the cruelty-free mission of Hourglass Cosmetics…

“I find [that] what’s really important is for a brand to stand behind something that has a bigger message than just the product itself. It’s not just about beautiful products and beauty and all the sort of superficial things that come along with that, [but] it’s about spreading a deeper message and doing something that is making a better choice, or doing something that’s better for the world, however big or small.”

On her favorite Hourglass Cosmetics products…

“I’m really excited about two products right now. [First,] the Vanish Concealer. I love a creamy concealer. For me, I like to have a hydrated, sort of glowy-looking complexion, and it’s also really quick and easy to use. [It] has high coverage but is also sheer enough that I can use it all over, and it also gives you coverage that will allow you to build. So, that’s a product that I’m thrilled about having in my makeup bag now and I can’t wait to talk about it. And then the Confession lipstick. I have my signature shade, [called You Make Me].”

Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish™ Airbrush Concealer $34.00

Shop

On self-care…

“I think as a modern-day woman you wear so many hats—you’re a sister, you’re a wife, you’re a partner, you’re a mom, you’re a businesswoman...whatever you're up to. With all that being said, taking time for myself has really become a luxury. When you hear people talk about that before you have kids and businesses you’re like, 'Yeah whatever,' but I had so much time on my hands before [having a baby]! I think [self-care is about] just taking time out to go for a massage, or have a massage at home, or have a mani-pedi. Have a long bath. Have dinner with a girlfriend. Have a cocktail. Whatever it is that allows you to reconnect to yourself. I do love a massage, I’d say that’s my ultimate indulgence, and a good facial.”

On her current skincare favorites…

“I’m really loyal to one particular skincare brand called iS Clinical. And I’ve been using it for about six or seven years now. I think it’s a brand based in research and science and clinical studies and formulated form a scientific aspect, and that’s ultimately what I lean towards with skincare. I’m a firm believer in oil-free, non-comedogenic skincare products and makeup. That makes a big different for me.”

On her go-to fix for dark circles…

“Sleep! Sleep and concealer."

On how becoming a mother changed her outlook on beauty and life in general…

“I’m a mom now and I’ve been working for 16 years and I think that I’m at a point now where I find my choices in life always come back to whether [there is] integrity behind it. And that’s my choices in everything—whether it's a product, whether it’s something for my home, whether it’s what I’m wearing, whether it’s something I’m giving to my son. It’s really important that your decisions go back to something and that there’s either research done or there’s something that’s truly authentic, from the heart. I think that that’s definitely something I’ve felt more since being a mom. Also, being a woman in her thirties, you just learn that that’s what feels good, those decisions that come from authenticity and integrity.”

On the future for Rose Inc...

“The sky’s the limit! For me, ultimately, it really started as a passion project and I saw an opportunity to talk about things that I love, and there was the appetite there for it. Content is just where everything is at, and I kind of felt like this was something I could authentically speak to and had a unique point of view into the beauty industry, having sat in the hair and makeup chair for sixteen years with all of these incredible artists. 

In hindsight, it’s been really interesting because I think sometimes [you] start a business rather naively and you know [that] it’s going to be hard work, but when you’re really getting into the weeds of it… it’s a beast that is never satisfied. You have these huge highs and really low lows and you’re kind of always in flux and [there’s] always a new challenge to beat, a new triumph to cheer about…so that’s been one of the biggest surprises is just the amount of work that goes into it. But I think ultimately, it’s the most fulfilling part of what I do. I have to say that after spending all these years as a model, I was really ready to use and stretch my brain in a different way and use everything I’d learned in the industry and build something. So, where I see it going is, there will be more experiential events, hopefully, and more incredible brand collaborations. We have some exciting things in the pipeline for next year.”