Catwalk regular and face of Jean Paul Gaultier, Daphne Groenveld on perfume and her days off
Dutch model Daphne Groeneveld was just 16 when she was scouted as a model in Amsterdam. Since then her life has been lived across New York, Milan and Paris, walking for the greatest catwalk shows on earth and appearing in the glossiest, most prestigious fashion campaigns.
Now, as the new face of Jean Paul Gaultier’s infamous fragrance ‘Classique’, and fresh from walking in his outrageous Couture show in Paris, Groeneveld chats to Marie Claire about all things beauty.
MC: Do you always wear a perfume? DG: I think it really depends on my mood and what’s going on that day. But, I’ve always been drawn to Classique; it’s both feminine and sexy.
MC: You are well known for your flawless pale skin. Have you always loved your paleness? Were you teased for it? DG: When I was a kid I felt different about my skin to how I feel now. When you grow up, you realise you shouldn’t wish to look like someone else. It’s good to be different.
MC: You must spend a lot of time away from home. What do you always travel with? DG: I do have to travel a lot for work. When I do, I usually don’t take much stuff with me though. I like to travel light! But, I’m never without a good lip balm. I love Smith’s Rosebud Salve. And, of course, I always have my phone, wherever I go.
MC: Are there plenty of fun moments during fashion weeks? What comes to mind? DG: Yes so many! I love to reconnect with the other girls and the Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture show and dinner in Paris in a perfect example. It was so much fun.
MC: You were quite young when you were spotted. How did your friends at the time react? DG: My best friends were very happy for me, because since the beginning I’ve worked on so many exciting projects. I never thought I would be working for Jean Paul Gaultier when I started and I’m always thrilled to do it!
MC: How do you take care of your skin? DG: I always clean my face every night, and not only if I’m wearing make-up. I never, ever, ever go to bed with makeup on. I can’t sleep if I do. Even if I am sleeping at someone else’s place, I’ll have to go and buy makeup wipes from the drugstore. For SPF I use Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+. We should all protect our skin.
MC: What do you use to look after your hair? DG: Thanks to modelling, my hair just gets thinner and thinner. I used to have massively thick hair; I’d walk into a room and people would be all over it. I was told to bleach it because it was so straight and soft that products wouldn’t stay in it.
MC: When you’re not working where do you call home? DG: Holland but my favourite city to work in is New York.
MC: Are you very good at doing your own make-up? DG: The thing is with models, we don’t really wear make-up when we’re not working. When I do wear make-up I like dark, smoky and metallic eyes. I find them super cool. I have a round face so I always use bronzer to contour. But I never wear bright red lips - when I go on a red carpet for instance; I’ll just put on lipstick. And when I go to the grocery store, I don’t wear any.
MC: Tell me about your fitness regime? DG: For breakfast I eat yogurt with muesli and apple. When I have plenty of time, I love to go running. Otherwise, castings and fittings are a pretty good workout.
MC: What is your most indulging meal? DG: All kind of Italian food!
