This beauty photographer shares the products she actually uses

19 March 2017

By Fashion Quarterly

For Argentina-born, New Zealand based photographer Clara Pafundi, spending her days shooting stunning faces has given her a philosophical approach to beauty, plus a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to her own skincare and makeup routine.

FQ: What’s a normal day like for you?
Clara Pafundi: I’m a fashion and beauty photographer, most days I’m either at the studio or shooting on location. When I’m not behind the camera I spend a lot of time in concept planning — researching, testing new techniques and watching movies or videos.

What beauty aesthetic are you inspired by right now?
I’m still into the ‘no makeup’ makeup look, I think it’s a trend that is still going strong. I loved the fresh-faced look for Stella McCartney by Pat McGrath, and I’m also vibing really undone hairstyles with a little bit of texture.

Describe your relationship with makeup…
It’s complicated! In my teens I barely wore any, but since I’ve started working in beauty I’ve come to really understand it and therefore got better at doing it on myself. I’m not much of a YouTube tutorial person, instead I really enjoy getting tips from all the makeup artists that I work with. I’m on a journey for the perfect smokey eye at the moment, and maybe one day I’ll graduate to a perfect cat eye!

What’s the latest trick you’ve learnt that’s changed up your beauty game?
Coffee grinds to exfoliate the body and face once a week. It’s a mess but it works beautifully.

What’s the skincare product you tell everyone about?
Frank Body Scrub. I’ll be taking some for my mum and sister when I travel back to Argentina; I can’t stop recommending it!

Facials: at home treatments or leave it to the pros?
Both. I’m very self-indulgent in that sense so a professional facial is always a treat, I had an amazing facial at Stephen Marr’s Powder Room end of last year. However making it yourself is also great, I’ve been using a really simple recipe that a friend recommended not too long ago. It basically consists of two tablespoons of honey and half a cup of papaya mashed. You apply and leave for 15-20 minutes then rinse off with warm water. It’s great to calm skin with redness or sunspots.

Lipgloss, lipstick or lip balm?
Lip Aid by Sans [ceuticals]

Foundation: blending with fingers, sponge or brush?
Fingers always.

What do you guiltily splurge on?
Perfume. As many as I can.

Your best-ever supermarket beauty find?
Batiste Dry Shampoo, tropical scent.

As a photographer you work with beautiful faces regularly. What is your philosophy towards beauty?
I think beauty is something that is always there [in everyone], it’s simply a matter of having some perspective and understanding that beauty is not a set rule book. I think featuring more diversity in media is the key for us to grow into a more inclusive society, one that can actually represent all kinds of people in a better and more comprehensive way. I don’t think we are there yet, but I want to believe we are on a path of more inclusion and less unrealistic expectations.

Who is the most beautiful woman you know?
I’m surrounded by so many beautiful woman who do really cool and inspiring work. I think every single one of them have their own thing going whether it’s a great personality, passion for what they do, style or a great sense of humour.

Your morning skincare routine?
I wash my face every morning and night. I have tried so many products as my skin is really sensitive, but at the moment I’m using L`Occitane Precious Cleaning Foam. It leaves my skin clear and radiant, with beautiful pore definition, plus it’s a great makeup removal foam. After drying I apply the Lancôme Genifique Balm. I moisturise with Clarins Multi-Active Jour, I can’t live without it and have been using it on my neck as well. I finish it off with L`Occitane Precious Mist and take it with me to refresh throughout the day — especially after long hours in the studio.

And at night?
At night I keep it simple. I wash my face with warm water and moisturise with coconut oil. During the day it can be a little uncomfortable to use oil on your face, especially if you need to apply makeup, but at night I love to recharge my skin with all that goodness and let it work its magic for those eight hours. I love hand moisturisers, have four or five different ones around my night stand at any one time; I also apply it on my feet every night! I just finished off a beautiful Aēsop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm. At the moment I’m using a Body Shop Hemp Hand Moisturiser and a Victoria’s Secret hand cream I bought for fun at the airport.