Lauren Hutton Poses Topless for 'Harper's Bazaar', Talks Cosmetic Procedures: 'There's a Thin Line You Tread'

The iconic American model and actress opened up about her modeling career and her beauty routine as she dared to bare on the May 2022 cover of Harper's Bazaar

By

Published on April 25, 2022 06:21 PM

Lauren Hutton is dishing her beauty secrets — and ditching her shirt.

On Monday, Harper's Bazaar revealed its May 2022 Beauty Issue cover stars, including the iconic 78-year-old model and actress who graced the magazine cover in a pair of high-waisted trousers worn with a blazer draped over her shoulders, layered gold necklaces and the high-fashion editorial favored "hand bra." The gorgeous editorial was shot by famed photographer Cass Bird.

In her interview with Harper's Bazaar, the actress reflected on her modeling journey, shared her thoughts on cosmetic surgery and revealed her pared down skincare routine.

"When I moved to New York and became a model, I didn't know anything about the industry," she told Harper's Bazaar of her start in the modeling industry. "Once I started working, I made myself an athlete."

Hutton recalled finding herself in a dwindling modeling industry after landing her first gig at Christina Dior. "I jumped around. I worked hard. But by 1972, there weren't many of us models left. All the big girls like Veruschka, Twiggy, and Jean Shrimpton had basically split."

The actress also opened up about her experience with aging in the industry.

"I was about to become 30, and I knew I was about to expire, and wanted to protect myself with a contract that would guarantee I kept working for years to come," she said. "So I got a contract with Revlon. At the time, it was the biggest one in modeling history."

Hutton admitted she never wanted to adhere to those restrictions. "I started shooting with [photographer] Steven Meisel, and I told him, 'I'm not going to try and look younger,' and he said, 'I love that. That's why I am working with you'," she said in the interview.

Hutton is known for her unique features, including a famous gap-tooth smile, which the industry tried to conceal. ("[photographer] Dick Avedon used to look up at me from behind his camera and ask, 'Are they straight yet?'" she remembered of her crossed eyes).

Although she's dabbled in cosmetic procedures including botox and collagen, Hutton revealed she proceeds with caution when it comes to her face.

"There's a real thin line you tread," she admitted to Harper's Bazaar. "There are people who I find hard to look at today. Their faces don't look like the people I once knew."

So, what her skincare secret? She doesn't exactly have one.

"I don't spend a lot of time on skin care. I'm usually in a rush to get to bed and make love or read," Hutton noted of her simple routine. While her beauty ritual only consists of washing her face ("it's horrifying" she admitted), her go-to products are the StriVectin S.T.A.R. Light Retinol Night Oil (since 2020 she's been a StriVectin ambassador) and an aloe plant, which she uses for her face and décolletage.

She also shared her haircare routine, which involves castor oil that she rubs on her scalp to combat dryness.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

There seems to be no stopping Hutton, who is still modeling today.

"I'm still an athlete. But it's embarrassing to pose in front of a camera. You feel strange. You become self-conscious," she told Harper's Bazaar. "Modeling is like playing the violin: You have to practice every day. Now when I look at the camera, I've learned to picture my lover's face, my godkids' faces, my friends'—whoever I need in there."