The Glam Grind

What Models Really Do to Be Runway Ready: Part 4

Sep 26, 2025

Hair Removal: The Eternal Prep

There’s no part of beauty prep more Sisyphean than hair removal. I’ve tried everything — wax, cream, tweezers, lasers — and the truth is, every method works… temporarily.

Lasers, in particular, were a late luxury for me. Technology for darker skin tones wasn’t perfected until recently. It wasn’t until 2018 that I finally felt confident enough to test it — and the results were gorgeous on my legs and bikini line. But for armpits, mustache, and menopausal chin hairs? Too sensitive, too risky for discoloration, and frankly, too painful. That’s not my kind of glamour.

For anyone with richly melanated skin hoping lasers might eventually become part of their beauty arsenal, the Nd:YAG laser is now considered the gold standard. Thanks to its long (1064 nm) wavelength, it bypasses skin melanin and targets the hair follicle directly — cutting the risk of hyperpigmentation dramatically while delivering smooth results.

Before lasers, I waxed religiously — salon visits were pricey, and at-home kits were messy and tedious. For all my extravagant appearances, darlings, I’m thrifty at heart. Which is why I remain fiercely loyal to Nair. Both their wax strips and hair removal creams are genius — inexpensive, effective, and blissfully private.

For jaw fluff, mustache, and chin hair, the cream is my savior: four to seven slightly stinky minutes and the hair literally wipes away with a tissue. Unlike waxing, it doesn’t tug at fragile skin or leave redness, shiny patches, or accidental exfoliation in its wake.

My full-body ritual? Once or twice a month, I snap on rubber gloves, slather myself from jawline to ankle in cream, and let the magic happen before rinsing in the shower. Bikini line trickiness? Wax afterward — or if using cream there, shield it with a generous layer of Vaseline first. Yes, it requires legs-akimbo and feels unglamorous, but it works. Tissue off that cream, rinse with care, and never skip silky after-oil or lotion afterward — a peace treaty with your skin.

Smooth Moves

Best for Darker Skin: Nd:YAG laser — safe, effective, worth the splurge.
Budget Babe: Nair cream — stinky but genius for mustache/chin fluff.
Wax Wisdom: Shield bikini line with Vaseline if using cream there.
Full Body Hack: Gloves on, cream from jaw to ankle, rinse — 20 minutes flat.
Pro Reality: Glamour sometimes = legs-akimbo in the bathroom.

Body Care: Brushing, Boosting, and Beyond

Dry brushing may be as old as the pharaohs, but it’s still one of the simplest, most indispensable beauty rituals. All you need is a stiff natural-bristle brush and five spare minutes before your shower. Always start on dry skin — the clue is in the name.

Begin at the toes, brushing upward with gentle strokes along one side of the body and then the other. Once you reach your stomach, switch to circular motions that echo the natural flow of digestion. On your chest, follow the rhythm of the heart. For the neck, stroke upward to the chin. From fingertips to shoulders, brush toward the heart. The result? Brighter skin, improved circulation, and a lymphatic system that hums instead of stagnates.

But before fashion week, I step things up. Dry brushing is the prelude; the symphony is Icoone lymphatic drainage. Imagine this: you strip down, slip into a stretchy white unitard, and lie on the treatment table while a technician wields two handpieces tipped with rollers and gentle vacuum suction. The sensation is oddly satisfying — skin lifted evenly away from muscle, circulation boosted, toxins escorted out like uninvited guests. Icoone goes where dry brushing can’t, offering a deep tissue massage that also tightens skin, contours the body, and even softens cellulite. Bonus: it treats puffiness in the face as well, so you leave glowing from head to toe.

Body Rx

Daily Ritual: Dry brush before shower — five minutes to glow.
Pro Boost: Icoone lymphatic drainage — sci-fi suit, heavenly results.
Beauty Math: Better circulation = brighter skin + tighter tone.
Face Bonus: Icoone tackles puffiness head-to-toe.
Insider Wink: Cleopatra would’ve been all over this.

Restorative Baths

When you need to feel clean down to the bone, nothing compares to a hot bath steeped with salts and oils. For me, it’s the ultimate DIY remedy to soothe sore muscles, fend off winter colds, and revive tired skin.

My go-to mix: four cups of plain table salt, topped with one cup of magnesium flakes, and a few drops of essential oil — lavender for relaxation, eucalyptus to clear the chest, patchouli when I want something grounding. If you’re not the mix-it-yourself type, Dr. Teal’s lavender or eucalyptus bath salts are an easy drugstore one-and-done.

Salts help draw excess moisture from deeper layers of the epidermis, which supports the skin’s barrier and helps it heal. And when throngs of people converge on Fashion Week, bringing with them a mix of cultures, styles, and inevitably, germs, I double down on salt’s restorative powers. Flushing out my sinuses with a neti pot of warm salt water is nothing short of mankind’s original antibiotic. Salt is both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory — with clear nasal passages, bacteria have nothing to cling to. I never travel without a neti pot, unless, of course, I’m heading straight to the sea.

Salt Rx

DIY Soak: 4 cups table salt + 1 cup magnesium flakes + a few drops of lavender.
Shortcut: Dr. Teal’s lavender or eucalyptus salts — drugstore, done.
Nasal Rinse: ½ tsp salt in warm water = neti pot magic.
Immunity Boost: Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory — the ocean in your tub.
Insider Secret: Models don’t just sweat it out, we soak it out.

Facial-Grade Body Products

Next-level body care before a big event is a necessary extravagance, IMHO. Why spend hours toning in the gym, scrubbing, shaving, sloughing off dry skin, only to come out sparkling clean and then slather your body — the largest organ you have, and your first line of defense against the outside world — with some regular old “smegular” lotion? Not today, Satan.

Here’s the truth: retinol body lotions do the last bit of God’s work when it comes to tightening and smoothing skin head-to-toe. But a quick note: save them for night. Retinol plus self-tanner is a hard no — you’ll end up with patchy streaks instead of a golden glow.

On show days, when I know I’ll be stepping out in swimwear, lingerie, or a micro-mini, I’ll add one more layer: a caffeine-charged cream on my knees and cheeks (yes, those cheeks) for a fast, firming pick-me-up before a designer sends me down the runway.

Supermodel secret: next-level body care doesn’t have to break the bank.

Body MVPs I Actually Use

Derm Pick: Dr. Doris Day Retinol Body Lotion — gentle, smoothing, doctor-approved.
Budget Hero: Gold Bond Age Renew Retinol Overnight — retinol without the splurge.
Instant Fix: Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream — caffeine = firming on demand.
DIY Hack: The Ordinary Retinol Serum — add drops to any body lotion.
Insider Mantra: If it works on your face, your body deserves it too.

Hair Fortification

“I had my hair done in hell.” With my hand to God, I swear every model, editor, and stylist has uttered some version of that line after a week of back-to-back shows. Constant heat styling, teasing, lacquered sprays, and quick backstage changes are punishing — even on the healthiest strands.

Fashion Week prep for me always includes hair rehab: strengthening masks, bond-building treatments, and supplements to fortify from the inside out.

Hair Rx

Backstage Reality: Heat tools + teasing = inevitable breakage.
Go-To Products: Oribe strengthening system, Viviscal shampoo, Nutrafol supplements.
Gloss Play: L’Oréal clear gloss for light-reflecting shine + cuticle protection.
Home Remedy: Warm olive oil scalp massage — economical, unbeatable.
Insider Secret: Finish with a cold rinse — the OG gloss spray.

Injectable Tune-Up

Injectables are fashion’s worst-kept secret. A micro-touch here or there smooths without freezing. The sweet spot is one to two weeks out: early enough to settle, late enough to hold.

Subtle Fixes

Timing Sweet Spot: 10–14 days pre-show — enough to settle, still fresh.
Golden Rule: Never debut a new filler before a major event.
Pro Touch: Less is always more under runway lights.
Micro Magic: A “tweak” smooths, it doesn’t freeze.
Insider Wink: If you can tell it’s Botox, it’s bad Botox.

Body Scrub

Some nights I turn my shower into a spa with a DIY scrub: two parts coconut sugar to one part jojoba oil, stirred straight into a glass jar. The sugar is a gentle natural AHA, the oil is like mother’s milk for the skin. After a day of changes and shows, a slushy scrub rinses away everything.

Scrub Smarts

DIY Ratio: 2 parts coconut sugar, 1 part jojoba oil. Slushy perfection.
Pro Vessel: Mason jar — chic, airtight, apothecary vibes.
Swap Options: Almond oil = light, avocado = rich.
Spa at Home: Turns a shower into a treatment.
Insider Tip: Rinse carefully — slippery floors are not couture.

Nails: Hands + Feet

For work, nails must be short, clean, shaped — finished with either clear polish or a neutral color. Your job is to be a canvas for the designer and the glam team’s vision. Period.

Sometimes there’s a nail tech backstage — but most of the time, there’s not. That’s why extending the life of your manicure becomes essential. Keep cuticle cream in the shower — if it’s there, you’ll use it. And next to your bed, stash a dropper of vitamin E or jojoba oil to massage into cuticles nightly. It’s all about hydration.

Gently push your cuticles back with your thumbnail — no clipping required. Neat, safe, and totally under your control.

A clear gel topcoat is a backstage secret weapon. Apply it as soon as — or, if you’re a nail nerd, before — you spot a hairline chip. Works on pedicures, too.

Always carry a nail file. No one expects a runaway hangnail to derail a one-of-a-kind look — but it happens. A cheap file in your bag quietly saves your skin and your wardrobe.

Salon time isn’t always in the budget. That’s why I swear by a professional manicure kit. Know what each tool does, and wipe them down with alcohol after use — hygiene is the luxury you can control.

No tools at hand? No worries. Your own nails will do. After a shower, push cuticles or trace toe contours with your thumbnail. For feet, a light scrape across soles works wonders. Add a drugstore pumice or foot file for calluses — model-worthy with zero fuss. And for truly epic calluses (hardcore like me), AHA foot masks offer a dramatic reset.

Nail Rx

Work Standard: Short, clean, neutral — you’re the canvas.
Cuticle Care: Keep cuticle cream in the shower (steam softens + you’ll actually use it).
Night Ritual: Oil by the bed — vitamin E or jojoba massaged in overnight.
Topcoat Trick: Clear gel before chips appear — pedi too.
Bag Essential: Nail file = saves your sweater, tights, sanity.
Pro Products: Sally Hansen cuticle remover + nail hardener; Sephora kit for chic, Aceoce kit for sturdy drugstore.
Foot Care

Brace yourself… this is going to be gross.

No tools? No problem. Your own nails do a decent job of pushing back cuticles after a shower. I DIY it all the time: lightly scraping across the soles with the edge of my thumbnail or tracing the contours of toes. It’s surprisingly effective exfoliation.

For consistency, nothing beats a pumice stone or sandpaper file from the drugstore. Use them often and they quietly erase rough patches. And if, like me, you collect scandalous calluses from going barefoot every chance you get, AHA-based exfoliating foot masks are a revelation — peeling away the evidence of your sins in sheets.

Products I Trust

Fingers: God’s all-purpose tools
Dimacel Foot File — expensive diamond-dust file, lasts a lifetime, laser-fast results
Dr. Scholl’s Foot File — dependable, affordable, never fail

Foot Rx

DIY Hack: Thumbnails double as exfoliators post-shower.
Drugstore Heroes: Pumice or Dr. Scholl’s file — use consistently, magic happens.
Splurge: Dimacel diamond-dust file — pricey but lasts a lifetime.
Callus Reset: AHA foot masks peel away “scandalous” calluses from barefoot adventures.
Insider Wink: Perfect feet aren’t born, they’re filed.

Headspace

In one of the most harried, competitive environments in the world, everybody is compared to everybody else — and the standards can shift on a whim. Your job as a model isn’t just to wear clothes. It’s to sell confidence.

That can feel impossible when you’re transforming into the image of the day for a designer — especially when it’s not a look you’d ever choose for yourself. And everywhere you glance, there’s the nagging thought: someone younger, fresher, with a tighter ass, is waiting to replace you.

That’s when centering yourself becomes non-negotiable. Remember: you are there because you belong there. Remember: almost everyone else is just as terrified, in one way or another.

And the thought that steadies me most is this: the show isn’t really about me. It’s about the designer — someone who has put their entire reputation, and often 90% of their capital, on the line for a 20-minute spectacle. When I take the focus off myself and put it on the work, the nerves dissolve. That’s when the magic starts.

Mental Rx

Core Job: You’re not selling clothes, you’re selling confidence.
Perspective Shift: Everyone’s scared — even the veterans.
Anchor Thought: The show belongs to the designer, not the critic in your head.
Nerve Fix: Put your focus on the work, not yourself.
Insider Mantra: Confidence is the only thing that never goes out of style.