Christie Brinkley, Reformed Sun Worshipper, Dishes On How to Keep Your Skin Sexy at 60
Christie Brinkley earlier this year. Photo: Getty Images
At 60, blonde bombshell Christie Brinkley has never looked better. Did we mention she’s 6-0?!
Long celebrated for her classic, All-American good looks, the supermodel even wowed in a plunging turquoise one-piece on the cover of People magazine earlier this year (when she’s not in front of the camera, she’s still a bikini girl).
A mother of three (daughters Alexa Ray Joel and Sailor Brinkley Cook, plus son Jack), a working model, and now a beauty mogul-in-the-making, Brinkley is the embodiment of a sunny attitude and total tirelessness.
The original Uptown Girl has just debuted the Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare Collection, with a bigger rollout set to launch this spring on HSN and in Kohl’s stores nationwide. So what are Brinkley’s secrets to eternal youth? We asked her to find out.
Yahoo Style: What motivated you to develop this new skincare collection?
Christie Brinkley: I was looking around for skincare products and I wasn’t finding exactly what I wanted. I thought: I’m going to start my own company and hire some really great people. I did [come up with a beauty line] but I wasn’t 100% thrilled. And I learned a lot during my first two years. The main thing I learned is, if it’s got my name on it, I really want it to be good. I learned that I’m a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to creating skincare, so I pulled back, and found new people to work with to really make it something I was proud of.
YS: What was your biggest must-have in the collection?
CB: I wanted our day cream to really multi-task. It’s a fab anti-ager. And I wanted it to be a great sunblock and also a base for when I’m working as a model. It’s all those things. And then our dermatologist Dr. Doris Day was able to go beyond my dreams when she told me about developing something to protect us from infrared rays: it protects our skin from all the heat emitting devices we’re surrounded by, like cell phones or microwaves or laptop screens.
Related: Is 60 Too Old To Show Your Bra?
YS: What are the most unexpected beauty rules you live by?
CB: I have always believed in exfoliation, every day. Way back at the beginning of my career, I remember reading something that said men always look five years younger than women of the same age because they shave everyday. And I thought, Well I don’t want them to have that advantage! Back in the day you had to go to a health food store to get something like ground-up gravel to put on your face. I’ve started every day for the past 40 years exfoliating. It works for me, I do it every day.
The supermodel in 1996. Photo: Corbis
YS: Is there anything you did in the name of beauty that you regret?
CB: Well, I have become more careful with the sun. The thing is, I just love being outdoors. I look back at some pics of myself…I grew up at the beach, I was a little surfer girl, we thought it was healthy to get a tan. And then I was paid to go get a tan. The first day on location it would be, ‘Go out and get some color.’ But of course now I can see the damage, so I try to take as good of care of my skin as a I can. The number one thing is protecting your skin. My one saving grace is that I’ve always been a hat person. But my thighs, I can literally see where my pareo ended.
Related: Givenchy Muse Julia Roberts on Becoming a Supermodel at 47
YS: Do your daughters ask you for beauty advice? Sailor is now modeling as well!
CB: I’ve given both my daughters beauty advice and I have to say, both my girls have had me chasing after them with the sunblock. And both of them have such gorgeous skin as a result. My daughter Sailor is very independent, as she goes into her modeling, she’s a very self assured and strong minded young lady who doesn’t really need a lot of my advice. She’s got her own strong sense of style. She doesn’t really wear a lot of makeup, if any. When I go to a job and get professional hair and makeup, I can’t stand to wash it off, I love having that polish. She’s the type where as soon as they say ‘That’s a wrap’, she’ll go over and wash her face.
YS: Do you keep up with social media? Does that keep you young?
CB: I’m trying to learn more about social media. I just love taking photographs. I’m totally enthralled with the beauty of our planet and I just get such a thrill when I can turn it around and say ‘Look at this rainbow’, and share it with everybody. I haven’t really spent a lot of time thinking of it as a business tool.
Brinkley with her daughters Alexa Ray Joel and Sailor Cook. Photo: Getty Images
YS: The environment is a big priority for you.
CB: One of the things that was important to me was that our packaging be environmentally sensitive, so we have very eco-chic packaging. The jars are so pretty; the inspiration was seaglass. And when we do put things in easy squeeze containers its made with recycled materials and the best choice of plastics. Every step of the way we’re trying to be conscious.
YS: What other adventures are in store for you?
CB: I just got home last night from Turks and Caicos and now I’m heading out on Monday to do an episode of Parks & Recreation. It’s the final season now. And I’m in the final days of turning in my book [out next year.] It’s going to be a lifestyle book, on health, beauty, fitness, and nutrition. I’ve been enjoying the process, just kind of revisiting things from my past and trying to share things I’ve learned over the last four decades. In my first beauty book, which was published 30 years ago, I told everybody how to get the fastest, darkest tan. And of course I’m apologizing for that now.
YS: Doesn’t sound like you’re taking it easy…
CB: I think that people say what keeps you young is staying busy. And my kids keep me young and laughter and all of that. When I get an assignment, a job offer, I am so grateful. I always think it’s going to be the last one.
The new Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare line.
