Get to Know Kenya Kinski-Jones—Model, Animal Activist, and Rising Selfie Star

This morning, as Kenya Kinski-Jones touched down in Paris, she joined Claire Boucher (aka Grimes) as the latest campaign girl for Stella McCartney’s new fragrance, Pop. The announcement came by way of McCartney’s Instagram, where Kinski-Jones’s long blonde waves and equally golden and makeup-free skin were set against a pink backdrop and simple pastel slip dress, her infectious smile communicating a palpable excitement. It’s a feeling that, hours later, the model confirmed over the phone. “I look up to her so much,” she says of the chance to work with McCartney.

In fact, Kinski-Jones and McCartney have been circling each other’s orbit since the model was born: “She’s very close with members of my family—my dad [Quincy Jones] is always affectionate when he speaks about her.” And, if Kinski-Jones had never actually met the designer in person until the campaign’s shoot, they already shared a similar worldview. Dubbed McCartney’s “animal activist sister” on the fashion house’s Instagram, Kinski-Jones has publicly aligned herself with the non-profit Last Chance for Animals and is an accomplished horseback rider; she is also, like McCartney, a passionate vegetarian.

A quick scroll through Kinski-Jones’s own Instagram feed is proof enough that a beauty campaign was practically an inevitability. Her filter-less dewy complexion, and towel-wrapped selfies speak to a devotion for the subject. “I love beauty products—I’m always reading up on things and seeing what I could do to make [my skin] better.” 
 Recent trial and error research has lead her to a less is more approach. “I used to think the more products I use, the better my skin will be. But by simplifying my skin care, my skin responds to it better.” She eschewed growing collections of serums and oils for a streamlined system of Bioderma SensibleH2O, Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, Elta MD UV Clear sunscreen for day, and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel for night. “I’ve eliminated oils from my skin care. Sometimes it counteracted and dried my skin out and clogged it up,” she reasoned.

Her blonde waves are the result of even fewer products. Outside of washing it with Clairol’s color-correcting Shimmer Lights Conditioning Shampoo to keep her dye job in the cool spectrum, and the occasional strength- and shine-enhancing coconut oil hair mask (“I just put it in a bun and let it sit if I’m staying home all day”), Kinski-Jones says having a good hair day with her mixed textures all comes down to the brush. “I recently found the Dafni—it’s a hybrid between a brush and a straightener, so you can brush and straighten at the same time” for a result that’s neither pin straight nor overwrought. Salon appointments, too, are spare, with visits to her colorist Lena Ott at Suite Caroline in New York scheduled every three months. “I like it when my roots [show]. I think it’s a cooler look and more relaxed.”

A pared down makeup routine may seem like a natural progression, but it’s also the product of her mother, actress Nastassja Kinski’s sage advice. “She has always taught me to be on the go and keep yourself together. Even when it’s not perfect, have a kit with you to put something on your lips.” For her part, Kinski-Jones is never without the instant “flush of color” that comes from a tube of Dior Addict Lip Glow in Coral, the eye brightening effects of eye drops for early call times, Josie Maran’s moisturizing Argan Black Oil Mascara, and Anastasia’s Tinted Brow Gel. It’s an infallible kit that’s about to get just a bit heavier with the addition of Pop, which Kinski-Jones says she can’t wait to wear every day. “I love the scent so much, because it has feminine tones and masculine tones. It’s a really cool, unique scent that I haven’t smelled before.”

The last factor in the full-picture equation is a lifelong commitment to fitness, another benefit of her mother’s influence. “She always encouraged me to workout and exercise. She really emphasized that.” Which is why when she’s not running uphill on a treadmill, she might be swimming or balancing on a saddle on top of her horse. “It makes you feel strong,” she says—and what’s more beautiful than that?

 

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