WRITTEN BY MARIA MAY
Valerie Roy has spent decades in front of cameras, and she has surprisingly little interest in perfection.
The New York-based model has worked across fashion campaigns on several continents, living everywhere from South Africa to Dubai. Yet the philosophy she has arrived at after years in an industry defined by flawless appearances is, by her own admission, almost mundane. “I’d rather invest in taking care of my skin than spend money covering it with foundation,” she says. What makes that line worth paying attention to is how she got there.
For most of her early career, Valerie barely thought about skincare. While friends battled breakouts, she had naturally clear skin and considered herself lucky. Then, in her early twenties, her complexion deteriorated almost overnight, and her agency cancelled her bookings. When her mother saw how severe it had become, her mother broke down in tears. For someone whose livelihood depended on her appearance, it was the kind of moment that reorients everything.
The turning point came, as the best ones often do, from a stranger. Walking through New York City one afternoon, Valerie spotted a woman whose skin was luminous in a way she couldn’t ignore. She gathered the courage to stop her and ask what she was doing. The woman pointed her toward Mario Badescu Skin Care. Valerie went that same afternoon. “They squeezed me in for a facial that evening and gave me samples, explained exactly how to use them, and within two weeks my skin had completely transformed.”
More than the products, what stayed with her was the lesson behind them: there is always more you can do for your skin from the outside than you imagine, if you understand what you’re working with.
That understanding became a discipline.
Today, Valerie’s morning routine runs to 21 products. Her evening routine is equally as thorough. It sounds excessive until she explains the economics: her products come from about four brands, and none costs more than around CHF 65 individually. She is not chasing luxury. She is chasing ingredients.
The following pages reveal Valerie’s complete skincare ritual, featuring every cleanser, serum, treatment and moisturizer she uses, in the precise order they become part of her daily routine.
If there is one she considers non-negotiable, it is tretinoin (also known as retinoic acid and commonly sold under brand names such as Retin-A®), originally developed as an acne treatment and now one of dermatology’s most evidence-backed anti-ageing tools. It accelerates cellular turnover, stimulates collagen production and keeps the skin renewing itself efficiently over time. “It’s the holy grail,” she says without hesitation. Alongside it, she relies on alpha hydroxy acids for texture, salicylic acid for preventing breakouts, pep-tides for firmness and hyaluronic acid for hydration. None of these are trends. All of them have decades of research behind them.
She is equally clear about what does not work: inconsistency. “The biggest mistake people make is not being dedicated to their skincare routine,” she says. She compares it to brushing your teeth: you would not brush them the day before a dentist appointment and expect good results. Good skincare compounds in the same way. A simple routine will always outperform an elaborate one practiced only occasionally.
Valerie’s thinking extends beyond what goes on the skin. Sleep, nutrition, stress and movement all show up eventually on the face, she argues. Chronic inflammation from too much sugar or dairy, the visible toll of sustained stress, the dullness that comes from not enough sleep: the skin, she says, is the body’s largest organ and one of its most honest ones. “It’s a reflection of your overall health.” That understanding led her, years ago, to ask her dermatologist how she could avoid cosmetic procedures for as long as possible. His answer was prevent-ion: prescription skincare, diligent protection, consistency over time. She has held to that ever since. “I’ve always been very expressive,” she laughs. “I want my face to move with my emotions.”
More recently, she has added technology to that foundation. She uses FOREO’s LUNA for deep cleansing and circulation, the BEAR microcurrent device for toning facial muscles, and the FAQ LED Mask for red-light therapy, which supports collagen renewal. She is careful to frame these as amplifiers rather than shortcuts. They work, she believes, because the under-lying routine is already doing its job. The technology helps to keep the skin looking fresh by maintaining the underlying struct-ures from showing signs of aging. It does not replace the discipline.
When I ask what beauty actually means after so many years in the industry, Valerie does not mention skin or products or technique. “Confidence,” she says. “Being comfortable in your own skin.” It turns out that after 21 products and several decades, that is still the one thing no routine can manufacture. It has to be built, slowly, one consistent day at a time.
Photo credit: David Serkin
Instagram: @valerieanneroy
