Reneé

Photography Michael James Rooke

Renee Wilkins-Foster

Model & Comedian

Instagram @renwilks

BC: You were a child model but how long have you been doing this as a career? 

Reneé: 2020 will be my fifth year of modeling full time.

Looking good is your job now, talk me through your morning/ night skincare routine

For my morning routine, I use a foaming hemp cleanser from CannaCell followed by a witch hazel toner. I usually use Skinfood Moisturizer and add a drop of either rosehip oil or vitamin c oil into it (or both) And then sunblock! Everyday! In the evening I use either Bioderma or coconut oil to remove any makeup, sunscreen, etc on my skin. I then cleanse my skin with either the glossier salicylic acid or the moon juice acid potion (I try to only do this every couple of days as it can be quite harsh and dry out my skin) I then tone, moisturize and apply a Naturopathica eye cream.

As a bit of a party girl, what’s your recovery routine?

When I get home from a night out the first thing I do is eat, drink lots of water and remove my make up. A friend once told me eating a peanut butter sandwich before you sleep will cure a hangover and so far she hasn’t been wrong… (sorry if you are allergic to peanuts) 

As well as your daily facial rituals are there any treatments that you swear by to keep your skin looking so fresh

I started getting IPL laser facials last year and now I swear by them. They’re quick and almost painless and they have really evened out my skin and reduced the redness I used to have.

You have some of the best hair in the business, do you have any industry secrets to undo all the heat/styling damage the job entails?

I try to only wash my hair after a shoot or working out. If I don’t have work and my hair isn’t oily I try to leave it a couple of days before washing so I’m not constantly stripping my hair of natural oils with products. I occasionally use a hydrating hair mask or a leave-in conditioner when my hair has been over-styled on shoots. 

“Do you have save/splurge products? 
I buy way too many hydrating sheet face masks. Way too many.”

Career highlight so far?

I’m not sure I can pick a specific career highlight. I guess what I am most grateful for are the jobs where I get to travel. Flying to another country or seeing a place I  never thought id ever go to and some I had never even heard of, is definitely one of the massive perks of my job.

Working with so many different makeup artists you must have picked up some little tricks along the way, can you share a couple?

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is how important it is to prep skin before putting on makeup. Each makeup artist I work with has their own preferred technique, whether its exfoliating, putting on a hydrating sheet mask or doing a mini facial massage. I definitely notice a huge difference in how the makeup settles with good skin prep and also how much brighter my skin looks.

I know you're an animal lover, is cruelty-free something you find yourself looking for more and more in a product?

Yes, I’ve also noticed the more organic and gentle a product the better my skin appears. Less is definitely more. I try to avoid anything with harsh chemicals or products that have been dermatologically tested. Unfortunately due to the nature of my job a lot of the products make up artists’ use are still tested on animals however I have noticed a big change over the last few years as makeup artists are becoming more and more conscious, choosing more organic products that aren’t tested on animals.

You are in great shape, is it down to exercise and diet or are you just lucky!!

I am definitely lucky in terms of what I am able to eat to remain slim and I put that mostly down to my genetics, however, I  feel (and look) so much better when I am working out drinking lots of water and eating healthy. I have noticed when I eat lots of dairy my skin breaks out, lots of gluten makes me sluggish and tired and I’ve noticed the more I eat gluten the darker my eye circles get. In saying that I definitely try to stick to the 80/20 rule. 80% clean healthy food and 20% pure indulgence (usually chocolate).