Three women walk into a bar: a badᴀss rocker chick with smudgy liner in a vintage concert tee, an impeccably coiffed fashion-world darling dressed by the latest “It” designer, and a lingerie model wearing… well, does it really matter what a lingerie model is wearing? Fast-forward to the punch line—it’s only one woman: Lily Aldridge. The Italian-English, Nashville- dwelling supermodel is an enigma. Scratch that. She is a stunning enigma. (Is the girl crush coming through yet?)
With creamy olive skin and wide-set eyes, Aldridge, 30, has dominated the seemingly mutually exclusive worlds of bedazzled bras (earning her Victoria’s Secret wings in 2009) and high fashion (becoming the face of Michael Kors’s latest fragrance, Wonderlust). She also happens to be the wife of Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill, mother to four-year-old Dixie, and a founding member of Taylor Swift’s girl squad. If you haven’t noticed, we’re a little obsessed. So naturally, we grilled her on her beauty and style savvy and secrets.
“In high school, I over-tweezed my brows until I had about four hairs left on each one. Thankfully, I’m Italian with thick hair, so everything grew back. And I went through a goth phase, which looked terrible on me.”
Her go-to highlighter:
Benefit Sun Beam
On getting perfect model-off-duty hair:
“I like a pretty, undone look. So I wash my hair every other day so it doesn’t get dried out, and I let it air-dry. If I want soft waves, I’ll braid it first.”
On faking a good eight hours of sleep:
“Undereye patches are genius. From traveling, I get really puffy under my eyes. Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches are a great ten-minute trick to look refreshed. They’re perfect for moms running on no sleep.”
On how to not use bronzer:
“[Dixie] puts on my red lipstick and kisses my face so she can see her lip prints. She also likes taking my bronzer and brushing it all over her face until she’s super brown.”
On a favorite fragrance:
Michael Kors Wonderlust “makes me think of adventure, travel, and romance.”
On the scents she loves for herself and her home:
“Wonderlust is a beautiful floral with some wood that’s perfect for summer. And the Byredo Burning Rose candle is amazing—I use it all over my house.”
On the haircut she will never repeat:
“When I was a kid, I got a bob because all of the other girls on my soccer team with straight hair had one, and so I wanted one. Now I know girls with thick, curly hair should not get bobs. My hair was like one big circle.”
Her favorite red lipstick for a night out:
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte in Volatile
On seeing the contents of her refrigerator in a new way:
“I love making a body scrub with ground-up coffee and coconut oil. It’s really good for circulation, and it smells delicious. I also do a DIY Greek-yogurt-and-honey mask that softens your skin and helps reduce puffy eyes.”
On a very uncontroversial style icon:
“Audrey Hepburn was effortless and the epitome of glamorous, elegant, and cool.”
Her skin and hair essentials:
Ouai Hair Oil, La Mer The Eye Balm Intense (“It’s so luxurious!”), and Oribe Masque for Beautiful Color
On the moment she feels most beautiful:
“Any time I’m on a beach somewhere, like Turks and Caicos, with the sun shining on me — wearing sunscreen, of course.”