JULIA KONRAD
THE BEAUTY TALK
WHAT PART OF YOUR FEMININITY DO YOU FEEL EMPOWERING ?
Those are really big questions! I would say the challenge of being exactly who you are physically and appreciating what you have. Feeling beautiful in your own skin.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS HAIR TRANSFORMATION… LETTING YOURSELF LIVE NATURALLY. WAS IT LIBERATING?
You know when I came back to Brazil after studying in NY, I was afraid not to fit the mold and be seen as a “gringa”. So I got back into my “Brazilian” costume and abode by the aesthetics of it. And then I started becoming more aware that I shouldn’t be afraid of judgment if it is something genuine. So I cut my hair and started wearing the clothes that I wanted to wear. And it is funny because people loved it! I feel the positive energy around me; I see comments that compliment exactly that, like saying that I am an inspiration to them because I am authentic.
HAVE YOU EVER RECEIVED THESE COMMENTS BEFORE?
No! This is totally new! I think people really get it when it is genuine. To me this change was totally liberating, I feel a completely different person. I keep questioning myself on why did I wait so long to let me be myself!
WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO IN THE MORNING TO GET YOUR WORK DAY STARTED?
I make my bed! I cannot leave my room without my bed being tidy. I do it even before I go to the bathroom. And then I wash my face and get a cup of coffee.
HOW HAS YOUR ROUTINE EVOLVED THROUGH THE YEARS?
I have always been a big beauty junky; I must have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars at Sephora sometimes without having the money in the bank. Back when I was studying musical theatre in NY, I was producing myself way more than nowadays. I would curl my hair on top of the natural curls and I would put on a whole face of make-up. When I came back to Brazil, I felt the need to start taking a better care of my skin so I didn’t have to wear the make-up and started taking care of my hair so I didn’t have to curl it.
ARE YOU THE KIND OF GIRL THAT LEARNS EVERYTHING FROM YOUTUBE TUTORIALS?
I was! Especially when I was in NYC. I would watch every single tutorial along with all my make up arsenal, take all the advices and buy everything they said to complete a look. It was crazy! And I loved it. But now my binge is on skincare products.
WHAT IS THE PRODUCT YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
Sunscreen first and then Vitamin C. Also I am crazy about lip balm and must have 345 different ones.
DO YOU FIND ANY GOOD SUNSCREEN WITHOUT ALL THE HEAVY CHEMICALS?
I use one from skin ceuticals which I think is good enough even though it does have some chemicals.
WHAT ABOUT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR HAIR?
I do the low poo / no poo thing. I mean kind of do it. I used to do it very religiously for a while until my hair got so healthy that anything I do is okay (laughs). Although I still only use regular shampoo once a week, otherwise I’ll do the low poo thing. I use the Deva curls products but also one of the good thing about being a celebrity is that I receive millions of beauty products.
DO YOU TEST OUT EVERYTHING YOU RECEIVE?
Yes! And my bathroom is ridiculous; my roommates are so happy about it! I don’t have enough hair nor skin to use all of it.
WHAT DO YOU STILL DO EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A HURRY?
I have really dark under eyes circles so definitively concealer. I use the Bobbi Brown corrector which has a little bit of orange in it which makes it super efficient on my skin.
UNTYPICAL USE OF A PRODUCT?
I would use lipstick as blush or bronzer as eye shadow. I went from being very high maintenance with make-up to very low maintenance, so if I have a good blush or a really good bronzer that I can use to do my whole face with, I definitively will go for it.
ANY TRICK YOU LEARNED FROM THE SET?
Hairspray for eyebrows!
DO YOU THINK BEING A WOMAN IS A POWER?
Yes! We are the daughters of the witches you couldn’t burn. We do have a power. It is so crazy, you put three women living together, their cycles will match. It is fascinating. We are so connected. Or the fact that you can feel when you are ovulating… I mean if that is not powerful and empowering then I don’t know what it is.
DO YOU PLAY WITH THAT POWER TO GET WHAT YOU WANT SOMETIMES?
Of course. We all do! Every single woman knows how to do that, we were born with that instinct. Maybe not always consciously, but I use this power all the time !
AND WE SHOULDN’T BE ASHAMED OF USING IT!
Of course not!
THANK YOU BEAUTIFUL JULIA x
CHECK OUT JULIA'S INSPIRATION TALK HERE AND CITY TALK HERE.
FOLLOW JULIA HERE.
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ITW & CREATIVE DIRECTION: LISA DEBATTY
PHOTOGRAPHER: GUILHERME NABHAN
BEAUTY ARTIST: PAULA KADIJAN
STYLING: CRIS BARROS
PRODUCTION: OUI SIMONE
This portrait is part of a curated series of 4 portraits of artists representing free, feminine and inspiring women that OuiSimone imagined with Cris Barros.
