Supermodel Mariacarla Boscono’s Italian Beauty Secrets

Courtesy of Borghese 

By Jamie Rosen, TOWN&COUNTRY   

The relaunch of Borghese Roma—the beauty brand started by Princess Marcella Borghese in 1956—brings with it an ideal ambassador: supermodel Mariacarla Boscono. Aside from being born in the same city as its founder, she epitomizes the groomed and polished Italian style that feels like an antidote to the undone, no makeup-makeup look. After 15 years in New York, Boscono now lives in Rome with her 4-year-old daughter, Marialucas. But she returned to the States this week to celebrate her new role, share images taken at Villa Borghese, and her favorite way to unwind.

[post_ads]On working with Borghese…
It’s a good fit because I really believe in the product, of course. I am not Marcella Borghese, I am Mariacarla, I am a contemporary, modern, beautiful woman. We’re updating their history. What I represent is a strong, independent woman that can be doing business, can thrive. Because today, yes we’re taking time to do a mask, but we’re also mothers, we are business women, there’s so much more about it.
   

Borghese’s cult-favorite Fango gets a new look. Courtesy of Borghese  

On the multitasking wonder of Fango, Borghese’s famed mud mask…

I like products when they extend to more than one use. You can do Fango all over your body, your hair, on your face, or just the T-zone. I use the green Fango on the plane. I have my glass of champagne and watch a movie with my green Fango. When I land, I always do the Fango again. Then I use the Intense Age-Defying Exfoliator. It’s quite light. I scrub around myself with that; for the body I add gloves to make it more intense. You will see when you do the facial, you kind of have that glow because it reactivates your circulation and it also gives you that little tingle. So I do it all over my body, then I scrub it down, shower. And I generally try to do it at night so that I can go to bed with a thick cream and then you wake up and you look glowing. I’m into all that. I don’t like to have the eye cream, they have patches now for when you travel.

On maintaining glamour in a jeans-and-t-shirt world…

My mother is a very feminine, glamorous woman. You never see her with no hair done, no nails, or no jewelry. She can be in a silk kimono doing her gardening, with all her jewelry. It’s very Italian, very 70s. I kind of envy, you know, to be born in such a time. She always tells me “You can be underdressed, but there’s no way you have no hair done." It's incredible that with our generation, they think it’s cool to have on a t-shirt and sneakers. I feel gross. My daughter is very vain, too. She’s four and a half. We just came back from Marrakech, I had a truck of dresses all for her, because she needs to get changed three times a day.
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On mom life and model play...

A lot of my colleagues have children so we organize playdates when we travel. Like I met Lara [Stone] for the Chanel show in Rome, and we did a play date with her baby. It’s good for my daughter—she has a very active life. And I’m more like a driver. She has to go dance class and then she has a little appointment with somebody. I really adore my role as a mom. It’s a big job, but it really makes you see the world in a different perspective. Because they beautify everything, they’re surprised and they have the excitement. It makes you really value things in a different way.

One of Boscono’s go-to products. Courtesy of Borghese   

On the Roman hammam ritual…

My mom used to bring me to the hammam, to Terme di Stigliano. You walk inside, and you have to go under 15 meters down, so you walk down and have this long corridor and it’s quite dark. It used to be for the military when they were coming back from months of war, they were stopping by to get cleaned up before they enter Rome. To get cleaned and to enter Rome as victory and beauty and everything.

The one hair product she can’t live without…
My hair, that’s my second obsession. I always like to brush. There’s a lot of women that don’t do that. I brush my hair more than once a day. And then I generally bring a leave-in conditioner with a little bit of a smell.
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On the slower pace of life in Rome…

In living in such a fast life, you kind of lose track of the good of life. We're so privileged. Living in Rome has slowed me down, it’s pretty wonderful. At the beginning I was scared, there’s just nothing to do here, it’s very decadent. But in fact because of the nothingness, it makes you fulfill yourself and life and relationships much more. You do a luncheon at your house. You create things. And nobody is on the phone and you’re not doing anything but being with each other. You’re not watching a show, you’re not watching exhibition, you’re not going to a party, you just go to be together. And it’s very important. Slow life, you know.

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