After years of sitting in the makeup chair and quite literally absorbing tips and tricks from maquillage masters with the magic touch like Pat McGrath and Dick Page, model Lindsay Ellingson decided to start her second career and launch her own beauty empire. “For me, it was kind of like makeup school,” the catwalker said of serving as the face for designers and megabrands like Victoria’s Secret for the past ten years. Starting with one SKU, Wander Beauty On-the-Glow Blush and Illuminator, Ellingson’s travel-friendly stick quickly became a best seller, and her next round of products—including brow pencils, gel eyeliners, liquid shadows, a cheek tint infused with skin-plumping hyaluronic acid, and a Paris-inspired cosmetic capsule collection—is set to follow suit in September. “I’m the girl that never checks a bag—I’ve carried a Céline bag around for years and I have to fit all of my products in it. We’re creating products that are easy to take on the go, whether you’re on the subway, a plane, or in a taxi,” she said. Here, the super (dubbed the “walking Sephora” by her friends) shares her must-have French pharmacy products, the secret to a runway-worthy glow, and how John Galliano jump-started her modeling career.
Why did you decide on Paris for your new makeup collection?
That’s where I started my career. I was in college studying biology and I did a test shoot. Viva in Paris saw one of my images and asked me to fly over for Fashion Week, so I dropped out of school, took a chance, and the day I landed in Paris I met John Galliano, who cast me for Christian Dior, which started my whole career and this amazing journey. Paris is very dear to my heart—it’s where I met many of my best friends, fell in love with high heels, croissants, and beauty. French pharmacies are one of my favorite things ever. We really wanted to capture the essence of Parisian women in this collection. And for me, when I think of a Parisian woman, I automatically think beautiful skin, undone hair, and of course, a red lip. Ours is very innovative in that it’s a shiny, balmy, buildable formula that you can wear sheer for day or go bold for night. It’s infused with prickly pear extract, which is a potent hydrator. It conditions your lips instantly and continuously throughout the day. It also has rose extract, which is where the beautiful scent comes from.
I see you’ve made another highlighter, but this one is a lot smaller.
We made it more precise so you can get into those hard-to-reach places like underneath your brow bone, inner corners of your eyes, and your cupid’s bow. This is a trick that I learned at my very first fashion show for Christian Dior—highlighting is really what sparked my curiosity with beauty.
Was Pat McGrath doing the makeup backstage at Dior?
Yes, she is the queen of highlighter. It’s something that enhances your natural beauty and it’s so easy to do.
Where do you put highlighter?
I always put it underneath my brow bone and all over my lips—especially our nude glow illuminator because it makes your lips look fuller and sexier—or I just put it on my cupid’s bow.
Since you’ve had your makeup done thousands of times, which pro boasts the best beauty tricks?
It’s hard to say just one [makeup artist]. I think each person has a distinct style, and I’ve [gained] knowledge from each of them, like little things from each artist. I was really inspired by Dick Page at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last year. I loved how he applied blush before foundation because it looks really natural. And it was actually lipstick that he applied—it wasn’t even blush—it was a strong, red pigment. I’ve done like eight shows now and that was my favorite look. I think that he has a really cool approach to applying makeup, so he’s definitely an inspiration. But like I said, I’m making it my own.
I know a lot of the models will run to the bathroom to “fix” their makeup before a runway show. True?
Oh, I always have my own kit! I mean, for years, doing hundreds of fashion shows, I would always—I mean, sorry, makeup artists—fix my eyebrows, curl my eyelashes, conceal here and there if they missed something. It’s not their fault, the [pros] have to do so many girls in a short amount of time. And nobody knows your face better than yourself, so I would always rush to the corner [and touch up]. After a while, I just started doing it out in the open. After a while, the makeup artists were like, “Do your own thing, you got it. We trust you.”
Who are the other girls guilty of retouching their makeup before a runway show?
I would say 60 percent of the girls are in the bathroom doing that!
Have you picked up any beauty tricks from your fellow models?
I think a good beauty tip is to kind of overdraw your lips on the top and bottom with a liner that matches your lip color—it makes your lips look a little bit fuller.
Who taught you that?
I don’t want to give away too much—it’s girl code!
I know that you were also a dancer. Did you learn any beauty lessons during that time in your life?
That’s true—I forgot about that whole part. I have some scary photos of my dance team. We really put on the blush and all the fake eyelashes. We didn’t know what we were doing. We should have had a makeup coach or something back then. But that did get me started in makeup, even though it was all wrong! Now I know what not to do. I look back on photos and there was hot-pink blush.
Covering backstage, I find that so many models dread hair and makeup. You, however, seem to have latched on to the concept.
I love it. I think it’s so fun. It’s fun to change up your look, and maybe that comes from dancing because we transformed . . . I’m this introverted person, and then when you go onstage, you transform, whether it’s your appearance or your act. I love transforming into different characters—even if you just put on red lipstick, you feel different. Or when you put on an orange lipstick you feel really happy. I think makeup can make you feel different emotions, and it’s fun to play that up.
For the red carpet, you often do your makeup yourself. Where do you find inspiration for your looks?
I do a little bit of research about what’s on trend and I look at all the runway shows. I was really inspired by the pops of color on the eyelids, so that’s why I did the blue eyeshadow look at a premiere not too long ago—you guys did a story on that with Kristen Stewart. I just experiment. It’s all about researching what’s on the runway because that’s where all the trends are being set, and then I take it and transform it into something wearable.
Is there anything you’ve seen on the runway recently that you want to try?
Well, that’s why I did a no-mascara look today because I noticed that the nude look was really in. I wanted to try that out because I think some women can get so accustomed to wearing the same thing every day. I always wear mascara, so I’m like, “Okay, let me get myself out of that habit and just try something different.” I also saw January Jones on the red carpet recently and she had the powder blue eyeliner, so I’ve been dying to try that.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you think women make when it comes to makeup?
In general, some of the mistakes I see are making eyebrows too dark or penciling them in too much and creating a harsh line—and I probably made that same mistake before, too. And that’s the one thing that I found a lot of makeup artists doing to my eyebrows and I would always go to the bathroom and fix it! I’m a stickler about eyebrows; I want them to be amazing and perfect because they’re so important.
What is your technique for filling in your brows?
I start where there are any sparse areas or holes, but if I had perfectly shaped brows, I would just do really gentle strokes, but not too much [near the bridge of your nose] because they end up looking too rectangular and square—that part needs to look the most natural. You can extend the shape [near the tail] to elongate and frame your face. You need to have a gentle approach because you don’t want to overfill them and end up with clown brows!
Since you’re a self-proclaimed Sephora junkie, what are some of your other must-have products?
I’m obsessed with eye patches, like the ones from Klorane. It’s calming [for your skin], and I like to put them on while I’m doing my makeup, so any [shadow] that falls down falls onto the pad, and you just pull it right off.
So smart—especially when you’re doing smoky eyes.
I’m also such a Wen girl. I started using it a year ago, and my hair has grown like crazy—it’s much healthier.
Flawless skin is also so important for models. How do you wake up to a perfect complexion every day?
In the morning I use the Dr. Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Moisture Cushion and EltaMD sunscreen, and at night, Pratima skincare’s Rejuvenating Oil that you mix with a vitamin C serum so that it penetrates deeper into your skin. On top of that I put the Age Delay Serum on top. I love Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub for exfoliating and Heritage rosewater spray from Whole Foods. I’m a Whole Foods junkie, too.
Is there a beauty look that your husband loves?
The smoky eye. Any time I wear a T-shirt, ripped jeans, and a smoky eye, he’s like, “Oh, my God, you look amazing.” It doesn’t take much for him! He doesn’t care about the dresses and the high heels. He just wants a smoky eye and a T-shirt.
Since your new collection is inspired by Paris, what are some of your go-to spots in the City of Light?
Angelina for pastries and tea—I love sitting down for tea. I haven’t been to Paris in a while, but I remember always going to Café Ruc on my downtime and then heading to the Louvre—I would have the Nutella crepes. I even loved the little stands that sell fresh crepes with applesauce on the Champs-Élysées.
Where did you shop for beauty products in Paris?
French pharmacies! I’m obsessed. Whenever I go to St. Barth’s for work, occasionally I’m like, “Yes!” because it’s the closest French pharmacy you can find. I come back with Bioderma [makeup remover] because it’s so much more expensive here [in the States]. It’s a must-have for beauty. I also buy Decléor oils and this amazing moisturizing face mask from Embryolisse. French pharmacies and boulangeries are two of my top places to go—beauty and bakeries!
Did you live in Paris for a long time?
I lived there for a year when I was working a lot with Christian Dior. I did one of their campaigns, and it didn’t actually ever come out because they had to reshoot it with Kate Moss. Nick Knight just released the images last year, which was so cool because I never saw them before! I shot it with Lily Donaldson and Gemma Ward, and it was kind of a bummer because they said that we looked too young, which isn’t a bad thing! The campaign looked amazing with Kate Moss, but it was so cool to see those pictures come out ten years later.
Were you staying in a model apartment?
Viva would put us up in this little apartment-slash-hotel, and that’s where I met all of my best friends who are still my closest friends today. It’s also where I fell in love for the first time.
What is the romantic spot in Paris?
I want to take my husband there and find the most romantic spot! I really want to see Love Lock Bridge because I walked past it but never really knew what those locks meant. Now you can’t put locks up anymore, and it’s really sad.
Who were the girls that you bonded with in Paris?
Rachel Alexander, Ana Mihajlovic, and Louise Donegan—we loved Paris and it was amazing, but at the same time we were so homesick. It was my first time away from home for that long. You create an incredible bond when you are in a country alone.
Did you all have Parisian boyfriends at that time?
I did, but I was the only one with a Parisian boyfriend. I have to say that American boys are much more romantic.
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