Gagosian Gallery’s Sarah Hoover knows a thing or two about looking the part. Not only does she sell art at one of New York City’s most prestigious galleries, but she is married to an artist and therefore often finds herself in the spotlight. When she isn’t brushing shoulders with the world’s finest art collectors, she is attending fashion and art openings, traveling, surfing, cooking and frankly living a dream life. But what I love about Sarah, and find most endearing, is that when it comes to her makeup routine, she is incredibly simple. And when I use the term simple, I literally mean that she doesn’t wear makeup. Nope. Instead she focuses on her lashes (an obsession that I understand all too well), hair, glowing skin, mind and body. She is practically the poster child for next season’s no makeup trend. I needed to know all the secrets of this art obsessed girl, and I am talking everything, from the details of her perfect blond hair to which workout classes she owes that figure to. It’s very clear that Sarah – whether she knows it or not – is very in the know when it comes to beauty. She proves that makeup doesn’t make the girl, but sticking to what you know and are most comfortable with certainly does.
“I truly do not wear much makeup. I do love products (prescription and non) and have a lot to say about that, but I am extremely low maintenance when it comes to makeup. I basically use non-petroleum balm on my lips and cheeks, and am devoted to eyelash extensions. But that’s seriously it. I don’t even own concealer or anything like that. The thing about me is I’m just lazy when it comes to beauty stuff…so I try a lot, but I just keep up with things that work with my lifestyle.
I get my hair cut like once a year, but yes I do love the Linkage Treatments at John Barrett Salon at Bergdorf Goodman and also use Efagold or Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil. I’m obsessed with my Phylia de M Shampoo and Conditioner. It even made me throw out all the other 300 kinds I used to have in my shower. I’m addicted to being blond and I’ve been to every colorist in NYC, Paris and LA. I mix it up, but in New York, I go to Mark at Marie Robinson and Jennifer at John Barrett. In Paris, Christophe Robin, but otherwise I do nothing to my hair. I keep it up when I sleep or it gets super messed up and I have to re-wash it. I like to use clips rather than rubber bands.
I travel a ton and I’m really busy so I can’t do anything that takes a lot of time. I get Aryuvedic Massages at Damien Hagglund once in awhile (they hurt but they de-bloat) and very often my husband and I have a masseuse come over and massage both of us without oil before bed. I love Thai massage because they don’t use oil so it’s not greasy after and you can just go right to sleep. I sometimes (VERY) loosely follow parts of the Ayurvedic diet but I pretty much just like to follow whatever I think my body needs and whatever I’m craving. I literally cannot cut out carbs or cut calories and I absolutely hate being hungry so “dieting” or “detoxing” or juicing would NEVER work for me. I like juice but only the sweet ones. I like coconut and watermelon juice, especially from the Lifetime Market Juice Bar after my workouts to rehydrate.
I’m really serious about my diet in the sense that I eat only whole foods. I HATE junk food, fast food, processed food and candy. I try to eat sustainably and organically. Even my dog eats a sustainable organic diet of food I cook for him at home. I’m on the board of a non-profit that feeds and educates homeless children about diet, so I’m very passionate about healthy eating. I cook a ton at home and love to bake. I basically live at the famers’ markets, but I don’t ever limit myself (I don’t do that kind of dieting.) I also love my workouts. I do Barry’s Bootcamp twice a week and if I miss it I get so sad. I really need it to keep my mind on track. I started it about two years ago and it’s one of the only workouts that really holds my attention, plus it made me actually enjoy running, which is good because running is a work out you can do anywhere, and if I’m traveling I need that. For a third workout I try to mix in a ballet class (I used to be a ballerina) at the Joffrey School near my apartment. The real reason I like ballet: the outfits, of course.
I don’t wash my face with soap, just water unless I feel like I am extra dirty, In which case I just use Fresh or Aesop’s Rose Body Soaps, and I use my Clarisonic Brush once or twice a week. I moisturize with Organic Coconut Oil most days. I have a bunch of other moisturizers if I’m super dry or need a fix for something (I like Kiehl’s Sodium PCA because it’s really light, and in the winter I use La Mer). I like Perricone Eye Cream, and I like to use it three times a week. I am a sunblock junkie but only because I finally found one that doesn’t make me break out or get shiny, Murad Oil Control Mattifier Sunblock. Oh, and yes, I always wear a hat, I have a bunch from Maison Michel (as pictured) for winter and summer which I just switch around. And, like everyone else, I’m obsessed with SK-II Face Masks. I also love Fresh Sugar Scrub for the face and the Fresh Rose Petal Mask. After I use them both I feel soooo soft and glowy! I do that once a week for sure. I like the Fresh Sugar Body Scrub too in the winter, because it’s so hydrating. And in the shower I like organic Rose Soap by EO Organic.
I use organic coconut oil on my entire body and also use Rose Body Oil from Annik Goutal as well as Fresh Rice Body Oil. My favorite lotion for when I need extra moisture is Jo Malone Orange Blossom. I also have La Mer for wintertime. I just use whatever I feel I need every day. Some days if it’s humid I don’t really need much moisture and in the winter I can’t get enough! I never wear perfume because I feel like all of that smells pretty strong. Oh, and I don’t wear deodorant, I just don’t really sweat. If I am nervous at a big event, I will sweat. I love to steal my husband’s deodorant when I need something strong.
Every night before bed I put non-petroleum jelly on my feet, elbows, lips and sometimes in winter I put it on my face. Alba Organics is my favorite. I used to be addicted to Aquafor but then I got smart about Petroleum products. Petroleum causes cancer and is just generally really bad for the environment. Petroleum is an oil bi-product. It is not sustainable. It is not eco-friendly. On my lips, I also sneak some of the Mint Lip Balm from C.O. Bigelow which smells AMAZING, and I just got a new Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Balm that has a tiny bit of pink in it and I really like it because it lasts so long.
I get eyelash extensions at Courtney Akai, religiously. Once I started getting those I pretty much gave up on makeup but before that I loved the Fresh Mascara and the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler. If I really need makeup, like I’m going to a super sexy party, I usually have my favorite makeup artist Quinn Murphy do my eyes. But in a pinch I can do a good smoky eye. I would use Sue Devitt Chunky Eye Pencils, which are heavenly. To get makeup off I use coconut oil and cotton balls. Any other look besides smoky (or bare) just isn’t my style. I get a spray tan every week at Benefit because their formula dries immediately and it looks extremely natural. I absolutely LOVE being in the sun but I always wear sunblock, so a spray tan is perfect for getting a sunny glow, [I can vouch for Sarah!! Benefit gives the BEST sprays that I have ever gotten in my life. No joke].
At Benefit I also get my eyebrows tweezed and trimmed. I like my eyebrows and nails to be clean and simple. I get a manicure and pedicure every 10 days but I don’t use polish, just buff, and I go somewhere cheap and fast because I get antsy. I am also obsessed with my laundry smelling good! I like the Tocca Laundry line especially for my sheets and undies. I never wear perfume, but I love the smell of some of them, namely the fig one from Diptyque which is not too sweet at all.
Oh, and I surf. My husband and I do a lot of beach vacations, so I have the best beach routine: I put conditioner and coconut oil in before and after I am in the water and then I shampoo once at the end of the day so that I’m not constantly stripping my hair.”
Sarah’s stranded on a desert island beauty essentials: Organic Coconut Oil, eyelash curler because no one would be there to keep up with my extensions, probably Latisse so my eyelashes would be long, my Murad sunblock and my eight hour cream for chapped lips.
Fav alcoholic beverage: Belvedere, orgeat, fresh lemon juice, iced tea mixed together over tons of crushed ice. Also good with mint. This is a tie with fresh watermelon juice, crushed basil, lime and belvedere over ice.
Fav travel destination: Gosh I love them all but I never get tired of Paris. I love Morocco and anywhere in the Caribbean.
Guiltiest pleasure: French fries and reality TV.
Sarah was shot by Madeline Wolf in New York’s Washington Square Park. She wore her own Maison Michel straw hat and an Isabel Marant Top.