Newly Married Natalia Vodianova Reveals Her Beauty Cabinet Shelfie

Natalia Vodianova – supermodel, philanthropist and mother of five – is talking to me from the French countryside where she has been spending the majority of the year with her family. ‘We have found ourselves with all this time together that we didn’t expect to have,’ she grins with palpable delight at having all five of her kids under one roof. ‘It makes me so happy to see our children all together.’

Natalia has three children from her previous marriage to British aristocrat Justin Portman (Lucas Alexander, 18, Neva, 14, and Viktor, 12) as well as two children with her now husband, businessman and heir presumptive to the LVMH empire, Antoine Arnault (Maxim, six, and Roman, three). Natalia revealed her modest nuptials on Instagram to an ecstatic following.

But, as anyone looking after kids in lockdown knows, it also comes with its challenges. ‘I’m kept very occupied with the cooking,’ she laughs. ‘That was quite daunting to begin with. I haven’t cooked regularly in a long time, and now I cook for a large family every day, twice a day.’ Natalia recently roped her children into cooking US chef Bryant Terry’s green rice ( a recipe from his cookbook Vegetable Kingdom). ‘I love anything involving a big pot that we can all stir. It’s an incredible experience, a beautiful way of expressing your love. The older children join me and help, but the little ones get frustrated because they want Mummy to run around with them and play.’

Still only 38, Natalia is adapting to the role of head chef with comparative ease. But then she has adapted many times over the past two decades. Nicknamed ‘Supernova’ for her stratospheric rise to supermodel status in the early noughties, she grew up in Soviet Russia where, along with her single mother, she helped care for her younger sister, Oksana, who has cerebral palsy and autism.

At 17, modelling took her to Paris, then New York, where she famously appeared pregnant in a Marc Jacobs campaign at 19. By 2012, she ranked third on Forbes’ highest paid models list. But she has always used her wealth and influence in a positive way, founding the Naked Heart Foundation in 2004 to support children with special needs and their families. Fundraising activities usually involve star-studded galas but the pandemic has put that on hold for now. ‘We are thinking creatively, we have to find other ways of fundraising, but it’s going to be hard,’ she says, sadly. ‘It’s devastating for the families that depend on us who are now confined to their homes. Changing routines for a person with special needs or autism is problematic. My sister, for example, likes to go to her favourite café in a department store with my mum in Russia. The café is closed, but my mum takes her to sit near it and eat a pre-prepared lunch to simulate the routine.’

Alongside keeping on top of work commitments, all that cooking and attempting to home-school her kids, she likes to spend her downtime... massaging her face? ‘Yes!’ she laughs. ‘I do a lot of face massage. I think the beauty industry used to be about seeing the right person for a certain facial, or booking in a particular treatment, and now I believe it’s much more about what you can do yourself. I’ve been on that journey for three years and it’s transformational. Especially when it comes to face massage. We hold so much tension inourfaceandneck.Itrytodoitfor15 minutes and feel incredible afterwards.’

I can’t speak to a supermodel in her home without asking: what’s in her bathroom cabinet? No sooner is the question out of my mouth than Natalia is en route to the bathroom. She even sends over a shelfie picture. ‘I love Guerlain Abeille serums, and my basic skincare is from Biologique Recherche. I also like Cellcosmet, its products are incredibly nourishing. I have quite a lot of products in here,’ she laughs, rifling through audibly clinking lotions.

Natalia Vodianova's Bathroom Cabinet Shelfie

‘I love Augustinus Bader’s Rich Cream for hydration, and Alpha H Liquid Gold. When it comes to my hair, Philip Kingsley’s Shampoo is still my favourite, and anything in the Leonor Greyl range. All the masks from the Christophe Robin line too. I also put coconut oil in my hair overnight. I have a lot of hair but it’s very fine. Coconut oil gives nice bounce but calms the fly-aways.’ Just when you think she’s done. ‘Oh, there’s another one!’ The Russian lilt in her voice is exaggerated in her enthusiasm. ‘Balmain Paris Hair 5-Week Enriching Hair Treatment, this is incredible,’ she laughs. ‘I’m a little obsessed with my hair.’

It’s heartening to note that Natalia hasn’t always been this up on her beauty intel. ‘I have a class photo of me in my teens where I’m wearing that classic ’90s blue eyeshadow, tons of mascara, shiny lipstick and a pink lurex sweater with a white checked skirt, it’s so funny.’ Since then, she has been the face of many beauty campaigns, including 12 years with iconic French house Guerlain. This year, she fronts the campaign for its new Rouge G lipstick collection. And, while it might seem frivolous to think about lipstick in the middle of a pandemic, many of us are finding that putting on make-up helps us feel more ready to tackle the day. ‘Beauty and fashion have always been there to help us get through difficult times; they can change the way we feel,’ she agrees. ‘Whether it’s putting on a piece of clothing we love, or applying our favourite lipstick, it makes us feel in control. It’s important to nurture yourself.’ Take it from a Supernova who knows.

To find out more about the Naked Heart Foundation click here__.

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