I recently had the opportunity to meet and work with the incredible Gillian Zinser from 90210. I had such a blast collaborating with her, she is so smart, funny, clever and stunningly beautiful. She came to the photo shoot with so many great ideas and brought her spirit to these images and gave them a modern, whimsical feel. I think Gillian is amazingly talented, I cannot wait to see where her career is headed!

Rachel Goodwin: Gillian is a free spirit with a real penchant for the avant garde. I loved that she wanted to experiment with neon colors and abstract shapes for our shoot. Gillian see’s make up as an opportunity to experiment with ideas versus just beautification and that’s always really challenging and fun for me as an artist. I played with geometric shapes and vivid shades on her, taking a more bare bones approach to the rest of the make up, focusing mostly on the bold shapes and color. I used professional make up palette by Kryolan to create the look which are essentially face-paints. They can be found online or at places like Namie’s or Nigel’s Beauty here in Los Angeles or Alcone in NY.

Gillian’s hair is AMAZING! I am sure her hair will do anything you want it to, but I loved the texture in her hair when she arrived in the studio so I just took a 1 1/2 inch curling iron and wrapped random sections of hair around it and then I used a small amount of Dove Frizz Control Taming Cream on her hair to give it some extra shine.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT BEAUTY TRICK YOU’VE EVER LEARNED AND WHY?
GZ: Don’t over pluck your eyebrows. You’ll miss them one day.

WHAT IS BEAUTY TO YOU?
GZ: Grace. Confidence. Ryan Gosling. 

WHAT’S YOUR DAY TO DAY BEAUTY ROUTINE?
GZ: Chapstick. Horribly addicted. Currently on a 12-step program I found on the internet to ween myself off. Other than that, I’m pretty laissez-faire. Dermalogica and YON-KA on my skin, and Kerastase when I need to tame my wild mane.

10 Questions with Gillian Zinser

What beauty trick did you learn from your mom?
Less is more.

What drugstore product do you swear by?
Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick.

What products would we find in your teensiest red carpet clutch?
NARS The Mutliple Stick in Cadaques (this color is no longer available, but check out the other colors) and Tom Ford Black Orchid Perfume Pen.

What products do you never travel without?
Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30, Jane Iredale Magic Mitt, La Mer The Eye Concentrate, Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer and Bulgari Pour Homme Parum.

What’s your biggest beauty splurge?
My Breville Fountain Juicer.

Who is your beauty icon from the past?
Pocahontas.

Who is your current beauty icon?
Patti Smith.

Which of your red carpet beauty looks was your favorite?
This year’s Teen Vogue Young Hollywood soiree. Fewer things make me happier than a sequined muumuu.

If you could trade hair with anyone, who would it be?
Jem from the ’90s cartoon Jem and the Holograms.

The one beauty trend you’ll never embrace?
Hair extensions.

…and the one beauty trend you’d like to bring back?
The hair scarf.

Article by Mark Townsend