The campaign for the fragrance, Love is Heavenly, features Erin Heatherton, Lindsay Ellingson, and Toni Garrn with flowers in their hair and minimal makeup. The look for the event was similarly minimal. "It's fresh and light and pretty," said Victoria's Secret makeup artist Meredith Baraf. "There's a little happiness in the cheeks, some highlighter on the brow bone, soft color on the eyes, and lots of mascara." I was expecting strips of false lashes and caked on foundation, but the reality was much more approachable. In fact, the models had such gorgeous skin that they needed little more than some VS Pro Airbrush FX Face Primer and a few dabs of tinted moisturizer. (At this point, my jealousy was starting to peak.)
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The hairstylists don't use a ton of products
I imagined the room would be engulfed in a cloud of hairspray, but that wasn't the case at all. "The hair should be full and sexy, but also soft and touchable," said Victoria's Secret hairstylist Yusef Williams. "There's nothing sexy about hard hair." The main product they used on all of the models is one of my favorites: dry shampoo. All the hairstylists used Victoria's Secret So Sexy Style Clean & Go Dry Shampoo, $14, to create volume. "It swells the hair," explained Victoria's Secret hairstylist Nicole Blais. "Then all you have to do is curl it with a medium-to-large barrel curling iron."
While the result was gorgeous as always, it was fascinating to discover that Heatherton has fine hair like my own. (OK, feeling a little better about myself.) She wasn't wearing extensions, so in order to get as much lift as possible Yusef set the top sections into pin curls until the hair cooled.
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Erin loves freckles
I got to talk with Erin Heatherton for quite a while, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and normal she seemed. Of course we chatted about the fragrance -- which she says is "sexy, soft, and subtle." Then the conversation turned to skin. She's known for her freckles, so I told her how more than one dermatologist has wanted to laser mine away. She was horrified: "That's just terrible -- I would never!" she said. In fact, the campaign images play up her freckles, and Baraf hardly used any foundation on her at all.
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The models' opinions matter
Even though the three Love is Heavenly models are all tall, blonde, and bronzed, you can tell that they're each distinctly different women -- and that comes across through their hairstyles. "They each have their own personal style, so as long as it's beautiful and sexy, they get to dictate which direction they want to go," explained Blais. "If they want to wear it beachy and messy, or if they want to go for something more glamorous and neat -- that's up to each girl's personality." Heatherton's look was polished -- I kept thinking that it was the perfect blowout for a job interview. Meanwhile, Ellingson went full-on glam with big waves that were classic Victoria's Secret. Garrn, the new girl in the group, opted for pretty waves -- and even though she looked great, I did notice that she fussed with her hair more than the others. A little first-day-of-school insecurity maybe?
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They do their own touchups
After the makeup artists were finished, Ellingson grabbed a bronzer and added a few more swipes to her cheeks. Then, while waiting for the photo op -- which took place in a Victoria's Secret store -- all three models gathered in front of one of the display mirrors to add a few more coats of lip gloss. (They looked just like girls getting ready to go out together.)
We left the store, and the models joined a group of beauty editors for a press lunch to celebrate the launch of the fragrance. Throughout the day, each of the models checked her own makeup -- instead of relying on the beauty team. I even saw Heatherton look at an editor's iPhone picture and ask for a retake -- it was very normal-person-like and endearing.
I can't stand Victoria's Secret models. They're tall, thin, tan, and -- unlike most other models -- they're seriously sexy. It's impossible not to be jealous. I had the opportunity to bring my husband (then boyfriend) to the VS fashion show a few years ago, and I didn't leave him alone for a second. I was afraid one of those gorgeous creatures would blink in his direction and he'd never recover.
So when I was invited to go behind the scenes before the launch event for the new Victoria's Secret fragrance, Dream Angels Love is Heavenly Eau de Parfum, $52, I was thrilled. I thought I'd finally get to pull back the curtain and see what the Angels really look like -- without hours of hair and makeup, spray tans, diamond-encrusted lingerie, and gigantic wings.
You see, I generally find models underwhelming before the beauty teams get their hands on them. I've gone backstage at New York Fashion Week for more seasons than I can count, and the way I get through it without feeling horrible about myself (because of the tall/thin thing) is to focus on the negative. It sounds kind of sad, but the models' cellulite and acne makes them more human -- more likeable.
Even though Erin Heatherton and Lindsay Ellingson are Angels of the Victoria's Secret variety, I hoped that meeting them in person would reveal that they're not actually celestial beings. Wouldn't it be reassuring if they turned out to be regular women with problems just like the rest of us? All I'll say now is that I'm still in awe of these women, but significantly less intimidated. Read on to see why.
