FEATURE: RACHEL HUNTER

-By Michelle Ruzzene

I remember the first time I saw essano, I was at home filming New Zealand’s Got Talent and was wandering through my local New World, I was drawn to the Rosehip Oil and the pink packaging. I was happy to see a natural, home grown, premium rosehip oil that was accessible to everyone. Then in the last year I saw essano on the shelf in my local Rite Aid in LA. It is always exciting to see a Kiwi brand reaching America, so I bought the product of the stand right there and I got in touch with essano.

I always think when you’re working with a brand there’s almost this alliance that happens naturally between the two of you. Obviously there’s different things that we need to get out there and get across the line, but at the same time, there’s an ethos that we both believe in. essano is a natural, sustainable brand, they tick all those boxes about things I’m concerned about.

I’ve noticed as my body changes that I’m reacting to things much more sensitively sometimes so I think that you know what we put in, what we put on top of it has a deep reflection on how good our skin is as far as what we call beauty. Foreseeing you know what is beautiful and the everyday idea of how beautiful is your skin or whatever, it’s kind of what we’re putting into and onto our bodies. It is a constant sense of evolving and evolution of putting all these pieces together.

I would say definitely when I was discovered on the beach in New Zealand and then how rapidly that went and then I came over to Australia and did Australian Vogue straight away – I think I was 16 and a half. They brought me over and then I did the Pantene ad there a few years later but Australia was huge.

At one point I think I was on four covers in Australia, it was Harper’s Bazaar, and I worked with Stevie Hughs who was an amazing photographer, he was in Australia at the time and I had just finished ballet and he was also a dancer but also a photographer. I got sent immediately to New York, so those were huge moments, and obviously Sports Illustrated which was about a year later. It happened really fast - I mean I was working with Revlon, CoverGirl all of them within a year of modelling.

We did a lot of editorials, Elle magazine, I did a lot of Harper’s Bazaar but like I said the part of coming over to Australia and having that creativity and finding this amazing photographer that also did love the ballet was really nice because it kind of eased me into it.

It would have to be when I’m with my kids, either if we’re hanging out on holiday together or we’re in the kitchen together and just being together and cooking and laughing. If I’m not with my kids I would be in a temple in India.

Nature without a doubt, absolutely.

When my mum was about to pass away, I asked her the question ‘What do you regret doing?’ She regretted not fully being who she is, so really don’t give a shit what anybody else thinks. Just go do you fully and if you mess up then you mess up, if you don’t you don’t. There’s no time like right now. As a great teacher said to me, get out of the waiting room. I love that.

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