All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
When Wendy Williams was waxing lyrical about Lil’ Kim, she could just as easily have been describing model, actor, and fashion muse Julia Fox. Because, at 33, Fox really is an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. A long-time fixture on New York’s cool kid scene and a former dominatrix, Fox rose to fame after her performance in Adam Sandler’s cult movie Uncut Gems. Now a front-row regular, Fox is celebrated for her daring sartorial choices and otherworldly make-up looks. Here, the new face of Isamaya Ffrench’s Industrial 2.0 collection shares her beauty secrets with Vogue.
On the term “beauty”
I hate the term “beauty.” I find it oppressive. I wish we could take that word out of cosmetics. Because, for me, when I’m using make-up, and when I’m doing my skincare routine or whatever it may be, I’m not aiming to look beautiful. It has more to do with self-care. The version of me that wanted to look hot for guys just does not exist anymore. Being attractive used to be a currency that I could use to get out of a situation, but I changed a lot after becoming a mum. I started to see the subtle ways in which women are oppressed. Which is why I don’t subscribe to the patriarchal notion that women should try and look beautiful. Look how it affects women and young girls from a really early age: we see the lengths that women will go to, putting their lives at risk, even dying to be beautiful. So for me, make-up is about trying to express myself and be creative—it’s another art form.
On her earliest encounter with make-up
I remember going to the pharmacy a block from my house when I was 10 and having so much fun with all the eyeshadows and lip glosses there. At the time I just wanted to seem older than I really was, which is funny because now I want to look younger than I really am.
On her go-to makeup products
I love the Isamaya Liplacq and the Isamaya Skinlacq. I bring the Skinlacq with me to set because it’s the holy grail. I also love my Pat McGrath palettes. I’m obsessed. I have every single one and they’re just so fun, there’s such a wide range for expression.
On standing out from the crowd
I think the best advice I can give is: don’t follow trends. Don’t try to look like everybody else. Don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it. The best thing you can do is to just stay true to who you are, and not allow yourself to be put in a box. When everyone goes to the right I like to go to the left, and do what other people aren’t doing. I want to show people that there isn’t just one reality, and that we don’t all need to look alike. A lot of people today on social media look like clones of each other. And that’s fine, but I just want to show girls that they can shine in their true identity, and be freaks. As cheesy as it is, the best thing you can do in life is be yourself. Even if the majority of people disagree with you, you’ll find a small group that does agree with you, and those people will enrich your life and you’ll be able to make genuine connections with them based on a mutual understanding. If you’re masking all the time, how are you going to attract authentic, genuine connections into your life?
On her extensive skincare routine
I like to get my skincare products from doctors rather than celebrities. So I love the Dr Dennis Gross LED mask. I also love those microcurrent things from FaceGym. Product-wise, I love the Biologique Recherche P50. And then sunscreen: I can’t stress enough how important sunscreen is. My go-to that I always have in my purse is the Supergoop! Glow Stick. And then I also use the Lancôme Rénergie Multi-Lift Night Cream. I get sent a lot of products so I’m always trying new things, but sometimes it’s about sticking to what you know. I used to get my eyelashes done religiously, but since becoming a mum, I just don’t have time anymore.
On her coconut oil obsession
I use coconut oil for everything. I use it on my hair. I use it on my skin, on my face, my body. I also use it on my teeth. It’s called oil pulling. You just gargle it in your mouth and the coconut oil sticks to the bacteria and pulls it out. Google it. It’s a thing.
On the power of a good face mask
I’m a mask girl. Every time I’m on a flight, I’ll put on a mask for the entire flight and just pass out with it on and wake up with amazing dewy skin. I love the SK-II masks and Amore Pacific. I like masks that come in a jar and sheet masks.
On balancing self-care with motherhood
I walk a lot. I love walking and I love riding my bike—I ride my bike everywhere. I write a lot. I try to get massages once a month. I go to this place on 6th Street in the East Village. It’s amazing. But self-care has kind of taken a backseat to motherhood, because I try to spend every waking minute with my son when I’m not working. We actually do a lot of self-care together. I put coconut oil on him and give him massages. It’s funny, if he finds a paintbrush on the floor he’ll start putting it on his face because he watches me doing it with my make-up. It’s really cute.