Linda Rodin, Stylist & Entrepreneur

“I modelled in Italy when I was very young.

Styling was something I fell into when I came to New York because I like clothes and I wasn’t a very good photographer. I would never have modelled again [except that] people started asking me to, about eight years ago. I thought, sure why not?

I hate foundation…

… so I only wear lipstick and occasionally mascara and I fill in my eyebrows because they have gotten whiter and thinner. If I have a blemish or something I’ll spot it with Kevyn Aucoin to take away the spot immediately. I don’t put it all over.

I don’t know why everyone wants to look like a doll…

…I don’t understand [overdone makeup], especially on young girls. They have the most beautiful skin, they should enjoy it while they have it. They aren’t going to have it forever. It’s like a mask and it also can’t be good for your skin. I also think makeup on older women looks just as bad. I think when you get older it gets cakey. It’s tough!

My mother was very beautiful and always wore lipstick.

She was forever wearing it. I think that’s where I got my love of lipstick. She wouldn’t leave the house without it. In high school we wore frosted lipstick, and then in my 20s I didn’t wear it at all. I didn’t start wearing it again until I was about 50.

I am very simple. I don’t like to fuss.

I don’t like to take too much time on it, I just want to get out the door. I think it’s because hair and makeup [on shoots] can take so long. I have always been simple.

I started going grey at 35, and it has never occurred to me to dye it.

As I got greyer and older I felt I needed something to lighten myself up. I use a blue shampoo that’s great for grey hair and blonde. It takes the yellow out of it. I use many different kinds; I’m using Aveda Blue Malva shampoo now. It’s very nice. I just think [being grey] is easier. I don’t know if it looks better or worse. For me, I could never dye my hair every two weeks. And now 20 year olds are dying their hair grey!

I haven’t had a professional haircut in 10 years…

I just cut it off myself when it’s in a ponytail. I had very curly hair. But I don’t even straighten it anymore. I let it do its thing. When I wash it I pull it tight so it gets straighter – the easier the better. That’s why I always wear it up.

The old fragrances smelt the best…

…I wore a Givenchy fragrance that doesn’t exist anymore. They don’t smell like that anymore. You can’t even buy it because a lot of the ingredients are illegal.

Lipstick doesn’t have to match your outfit…

I don’t like it to clash, but I would rather it be a bit off. If I’m wearing purple maybe I’ll wear a red lipstick, or if I’m wearing orange maybe it’s a berry coloured lipstick or hot pink.

Blending lipstick shades together looks really chic.

The nude is a great one because it tones down every colour. And I’ll mix the orange and the red if I want a more orange red. Or I might even mix the berry with the red which makes for a deeper purple. You can just play around and make the five [of Rodin’s lipstick shades] into ten.

I don’t eat lunch, it makes me want to take a nap.

I am not a big lunch person. It makes me sleepy. If I do eat lunch, I might just have a smoothie or something. I’m a very healthy eater. I really like good food, so it’s not a problem. I have never been a junk food eater and I have never been a between meals eater. So I have been lucky. I like good, healthy food, I always have. It’s never been a struggle for me. I’ll have a cappuccino and a banana and a yogurt or something. I usually skip lunch, but I eat dinner about 5pm.

I walk my dog Winks many times a day.

It could be half an hour, it could be 15 minutes or it could be an hour if I am doing other things at the same time. And if I am not home he has a dog walker because he needs to go out several times a day. He gets plenty of exercise.

I wear jeans everyday…

…so the bottom half is done, and then I just change my shirt, my shoes and if it’s winter I’ll pick the right coat. I usually use the same handbag all the time. I don’t like to change, otherwise I leave something behind. So I use the same bag for a long time. Living in New York can be a nightmare. I don’t have a lot of closest space. No lavish big walk-in cupboard. I can barely see anything I own.

I started making my own makeup because nothing appealed to me…

I used to try every product makeup artists and models recommended in photo shoots, but they weren’t for me. I was exposed to everything and realized how simple I really was.

I started [Rodin’s] Olio Lusso range by accident.

I was trying to make something myself, something that was simple. I always loved oils and I just experimented with the ones I really liked and mixed them together in a cup. That was it. A bit of trial and error, and I got the perfect formula. I knew what I liked and I knew what the goal was and I just kinda managed to do it, luckily.”