As a supermodel, she walked countless miles on the catwalks of Paris, New York, and Milan and smiled on the covers of virtually every magazine from the 1990s on. But today, Christy Turlington Burns devotes most of her energy to Every Mother Counts, a nonprofit she founded almost 15 years ago to provide safe and equitable maternal health care for all. Since its inception, the organization has created a film series, Giving Birth in America, and invested more than 24 million dollars worldwide in grants that directly impact mothers. Here, the mother of two shares the health and beauty secrets that keep her feeling and looking super.
WAKE-UP TIME:
Seven-thirty or eight A.M. most days. I am not a morning person or a natural early riser.
BREAKFAST:
Coffee with oat milk and sometimes a piece of toast with peanut butter.
ENERGY SAVOIR:
A good sleep cures all.
SNACK:
Any type of roasted nut or seed or nut butter. I have digestion problems and shouldn’t be eating nuts and seeds all the time, but I love all the things I’m not supposed to have! I’m a savory, salty, crunchy type of person. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, although I didn’t say no to the blueberry pie last night!
COCKTAIL:
I’m pretty much a red-wine person all year round, but if I’m in Mexico City or Europe in the summer, I’ll have a paloma. And if I’m in a cozy place in the winter with fireplaces and bookshelves and there’s a moment for a cocktail before heading straight to wine, then I’ll have an old-fashioned.
PRODUCTIVITY TRICK:
A glass of red wine and a quiet, empty apartment.
WORKOUT:
Yoga, running, Pilates, and, whenever possible, Jimmy Minardi’s Beach Workout in East Hampton.
MOOD LIFTER:
All of the above.
TRACKER:
I’m not a tech person in any way, shape, or form. I’d rather listen to my body. I feel like the people who wear all that stuff talk about their devices constantly, and that’s kind of annoying.
VITAMINS:
8Greens Gummies are like candy. The label says they’re supposed to have all these amazing green nutrients, but I honestly just like them because they’re chewy and taste so good. They also make lollipops!
SPA:
I love treatments at Onda in Tribeca, especially massages with Sophie [Bolvary]. The ambience is so warm and cozy. It’s a luxury to have someone come to your house for a treatment, but for me that means the dogs jumping on the massage table and people walking in and out, so I love the peace at Onda.
SKIN SAVIOR:
Le Balm from Bonjout is super-hydrating and works well alone or under makeup. That and RMS Super Natural Radiance Serum. I’ve always been a less-is-more person and prefer natural-ish makeup. RMS is all about enhancing your skin to look super-healthy and glowy, and I like that.
FIRST BEAUTY PRODUCT:
Kissing Potion and Lip Smackers. I loved them because they tasted like fruit.
MAKEUP MUST:
A combo of RMS and Victoria Beckham—all the creamy concealers, blushes, and eye shadows—are my current favorites.
Hair-Care ESSENTIALS:
Blu & Green Solid Oil and a comb. A hairdresser friend, James Pecis, launched this, and it’s a very simple, bio-friendly line. In the summer my hair is really frizzy and curly, so I just put in a tiny bit of the Blu & Green Solid and it controls the frizz.
SCENT:
Tiger by Her Side, by Sana Jardin.
JET-LAG HACK:
Lots and lots of water with a massage already scheduled when I arrive, especially after long flights. That’s more aspirational, but it works when I manage to do it!
BUT WHEN YOU REALLY NEED REVIVING, WHAT’S THE PLAN?
No matter what kind of day I’m having, my dogs are there to love. Even just a photo of them works. They sense what I need. One of them is licking my leg right now.
YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE?
That it’s always changing.
BUT IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING …
I miss my old two front teeth a lot. I have the biggest regret about doing anything to my teeth ever, ever, ever, and the fact is they didn’t even bother me, they bothered my dentist. That bothers me even more. I would love to have my little-girl teeth back.
THE BEST THING ABOUT GETTING OLDER IS …
I’m wiser.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL?
After a week of vacation with lots of sleep, no work or stress, reading, and getting away from my normal day-to-day. I’m overdue for a vacation right about now.
Holly Parmelee, formerly an associate publisher at Little, Brown and Company, is an editor and writer at Serendipity magazine
