InStyle Australia – June 2017

IF SOMEONE DOESN’T ACCEPT ME FOR

WHO I AM, THE WAY I LOOK, OR THE COLOUR OF

MY SKIN, THAT’S THEIR PROBLEM—NOT MINE”

W

hen you were growing up in

Puerto Rico, who taught you

about beauty? “My mother

and grandmother. We lived

in the countryside and walked every where,

and they’d always tell me to avoid the sun

and drink lots of water. My grandmother was

a simple woman. If she owned ChapStick,

that was a big deal. But my mother to this day

will say, ‘Aren’t you gonna put some lipstick

on?’ I’m like, ‘Mummy, I do have lipstick

on. It’s called nude.’”

At what age did you start wearing make-

up? “Around 14. I have two older sisters and

I’d always watch them get dressed. The first

thing I learned was how to do a baby cat

eye. I would always steal their liquid liner.”

If you need to be out the door in five

minutes, what’s your beauty routine?

“I moisturise, fill in my brows, throw on

concealer and mascara, and put my hair

into a bun or do a loose wave.”

Did you always want to model? “No, I

wanted to be a veterinarian. But one year

I grew really tall and I was awkwardly

skinny. People would tell my parents

to put me in modelling, so I entered

a competition—and lost. I still wanted to

give it a try, so I came to New York and did

open calls with agencies. I got rejected by

a bunch of them but eventually got signed.”

You have talked about the discrimination

you’ve experienced in your career.

As one of the leading faces of colour

in modelling, do you feel you have

a responsibility to promote diversity?

“Absolutely. The world we live in has so

many faces from different backgrounds and

it’s important that the industry be reflective

of that. Everyone should be represented in

some way, shape or form.”

Have you always been so confident?

“I’ve always been sure of who I am. It’s

how my parents raised me. I don’t linger on

negativity or get put off by what people say.

There will always be someone who accepts

me and the way I look.”

What did you eat the day of the Victoria’s

Secret fashion show? “I had scrambled

eggs with herbs and cheese, a croissant and

a fresh juice in the morning. Then at the

show, I ate something sweet because

I needed sugar. I honestly don’t have the

inner power to deprive myself. I’m Puerto

Rican—I love flavourful food.”

—KAHLANA BARFIELD BROWN

JOAN’S MUST-HAVES

1 Kérastase Paris Nutritive Masquintense,

$60; kerastase.com.au 2 MAC Cosmetics

Full Lash Curler, $40; maccosmetics.com.au

3 Moroccanoil Treatment, $59.95;

moroccanoil.com.au 4 Estée Lauder

Advanced Night Repair Synchronized

Recovery Complex II, $150/50ml;

esteelauder.com.au 5 Estée Lauder Double

Wear Waterproof All Day Extreme Wear

Concealer, $40; esteelauder.com.au

MAY 2011

“This was my first Met Ball.

I remember going back and

forth about whether I should do

something bold or play it safe.

So, I decided to just go for it”

JUNE 2016

“I’ve worn short hair for shoots

but never in real life, so I wanted

to switch it up. I did short bangs to

show my brows, then I thought,

‘hmm...a red lip? Let’s make it pop’”

APRIL 2014

“It was spring, my hair was light

brown, and I wanted to do colour on

my eyes. In the picture it looks blue,

but it’s actually purple. I used liner

and went over it with shadow”

DECEMBER 2014

“I did this make-up myself backstage

at the Victoria’s Secret show—

burgundy eyeliner on my lower

lash lines traced with black inside.

And I glued on individual lashes”

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JUNE 2017 In STYLE 143

Beauty