She is one of our most successful exports, yet still quintessentially kiwi. A supermodel married to a rock star; she has lived a life of glamour. But today, Rachel Hunter is on a new journey as a teacher.
Editor Trudi Brewer catches up with Hunter in Bali after completing her first retreat with her daughter and fellow yoga teacher Renee Stewart. Read on to learn more.
Images Rachel Hunter Instagram
Spending time in every corner of the world, from her native New Zealand to India, Bali and California, Rachel Hunter is still globe-trotting, but life for this beauty has taken a slower pace. Since 2017 Hunter has been working on a new career, mastering the art of yoga. Focusing on her spiritual awareness and the art of intention, with over 500 hours of yogic training, including meditation and Indian astrology, she is now sharing her knowledge, including the virtues of local beauty brand Essano. Here she gives us an insight into her journey and her philosophy on living and ageing well.
What has been your career high to date?
It’s a combination of things. Working on the TV series Tour of Beauty allowed me to share different ways of beauty. While we focused on many elements, including ayurvedic medicine, which is 5000 years old, I wasn’t sharing anything new, but what I was doing was being the catalyst to explore different options. The spiritual stuff, like yoga and meditation, I was exposed to as a child by my mother. She had a deep hunger for different spiritual practices and religions, so I always dipped and dived into that during my career. So as far as my new focus and career-high, it was a combination of my mum’s death and visiting India on Tour of Beauty that inspired me. When my mum died, I needed to process mum’s death, and I thought the only way I could do that was to return to India. I had been doing yoga for some time, but I kept asking myself, what is yoga, and how do I put my career into yoga? Then, it all unfolded rapidly; I returned over and over again to India to learn more about where I wanted to go. I never wanted to go to India, but I also never wanted to be a model; it’s strange how things happen. In saying that, it wasn’t an easy journey; I was a naughty student, resisting and wanting to bolt all the time, but I preserved, and now I am teaching what I have learned. In many ways, it is where the world is going, searching for that balance, and I have just gone with it.
“Beauty comes from being your absolute truth. ”
What have you been most surprised by working in the beauty industry?
There is no definition of beauty. There is no perfect version of this; almost imperfection makes someone or something beautiful. While our generation still has an insatiable appetite to chase mortality (like the movie Death Becomes Her, that’s such a good movie), we’re starting to see an acceptance of beautiful women with grey hair, women not having cosmetic medicine or women sprinkling in cosmetic treatments with natural skincare. I said this in my book, beauty is like an uncaged wild animal, and we are all trying to define it. For me, beauty comes from being your absolute truth.
Have you felt pressure to have appearance medicine or surgery?
I sometimes feel pressure, especially when I see someone who looks great that has had work done. I see things changing, especially around the neck area and lines around my mouth (I have always had lines around my mouth, I used to pinch my lips together as a child). Right now, I am seeing the rise and fall of my face depending on how much sleep I have had. But there is pressure; I have had conversations with guys who say, "she looks great for her age”, and I say, yes, but she has had lots of work done. So yes, of course. But I think you have to do you, and if you’re happy with a little bit of Botox, then do that. You have to be comfortable with yourself. For me, if or when the day comes that I want to have surgery, I will.
What are your secrets to staying healthy and looking youthful?
I don’t have any secrets, and I don’t have a strict routine; I like to keep it simple. It depends where I am, right now, I am in Bali, and it’s humid, so my skin doesn’t need much. But when I am in Los Angeles, my skin needs lots of moisture, it soaks it up. I try to eat as best as I can, plant-based food and fish (I haven’t dropped out on fish yet), and a good night’s sleep works wonders.
Why was Essano a brand you wanted to work with?
It’s available in the supermarket; it’s accessible; it’s affordable. Honestly, the fact that organic beauty is becoming so expensive, and it’s only for a certain demographic, is not okay. It needs to be accessible to everybody. I first saw Essano in the supermarket about ten years ago and reached out to them while we were planning Tour of Beauty, then again last year, I saw it again in Rite Aid in America, I bought it, and I loved it. I like that Essano do not test on animals, and committed to sustainability.
Essano Hydrating Rosehip OIl, $24.
Rachel Hunter is the face of the cult beauty buy, Essano Hydrating Rosehip Oil, sustainably sourced from Chile, and stacked with skin-loving polyphenols, fatty acids, and vitamins. It fits into any routine, is easy to use and instantly hydrates and brightens the skin.
Image Essano
How do you use Essano’s Hydrating Rosehip Oil?
I have dry skin, so my skin loves oil. In the morning, I splash my face with water and press two drops into my face . Then in the evening, put it on my neck and decollete (be careful using oil on your skin during the day without sunscreen). Depending on where I am and the climate I am in, my skin soaks it up when I am in Los Angeles, so I will use it twice daily. You may want more or less; it depends on your skin. I also add a few drops in my bath; it’s nice to oil the entire body too.
What about other NZ beauty products? How do they stack up?
There are some amazing New Zealand beauty brands out there that are now International. I think it’s because New Zealanders are conscious of their environment and what they choose to put on our skin. Also, we ask questions like, is this brand cruelty-free? Is it certified, and what is the ethos of this brand?
What is the best beauty advice you have ever received and share often?
Only that it’s a great play of balance, eating well and using good skincare. We all age differently, so you must ask yourself how you want to look and feel. Renee is more likely to give me beauty advice these days; that generation is more aware on how to live well.
Who is your beauty icon?
No, not anyone famous. I am more intrigued and have fallen in love with the many people I have met in my life. Those special people lay in my memory, more so than anyone famous.
What else would we find in your beauty bag?
The Essano Hydrating Rosehip Mist Toner, it’s great for during the day to refresh my skin, and when I travel and my skin feels especially dry. As far as makeup goes, I love the vegan brand Aleph Beauty. The Aleph Beauty Concealer Foundation gives great coverage, and the Aleph Beauty Cheek Lip Tint I use as blush and of course a mascara - I always have these with me.
Essano Hydrating Rosehip Mist Toner, $14. Aleph Beauty Concealer Foundation, $62. Editions de Parfums By Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady EDP, $402. Aleph Beauty Cheek Lip Tint, $58.
Favourite fragrance, why?
Editions de Parfums By Frédéric Malle, Portrait of a Lady I always used to wear it. It was my go-to. But lately, I love the sandalwood and rose essential oils I found in Pushkar in India; I like to blend them together.
What would our following be most surprised to learn about you?
I love hip-hop; that is my music. I grew up with that, and the kids say they did too, but I was the one playing the music, so they did grow up with it. I am a big hip-hop fan.
In her gorgeous Eastern Bays home.