Preparation
A big career in beauty was never part of Rose-Marie Swift’s plan; she just wanted to buy a microphone for her rock band. To pay for it, she worked in burlesque clubs in Vancouver, British Columbia, painting the faces of the dancers. She learned she had a talent for it, and after filling in on a local magazine shoot, the accidental makeup artist started trotting the globe for Louis Vuitton and Victoria’s Secret ad campaigns, and Vogue and W fashion features. Along the way, a series of ailments—hair and memory loss, anxiety, and insomnia—slowed her down, so she detoxed her life of potentially harmful chemicals, eating mostly raw, organic foods, and in 2005 began mixing her own natural makeup.
Models loved her formulas, and four years later she launched RMS Beauty, a clean line made from ingredients like cold- pressed, certified-organic coconut oil and adaptogenic herbs (with no preservatives). “I wanted them to be almost edible,” she says of her moisturizing lip, cheek, and concealer shades; soothing oils; and luminizers that leave skin looking kissed by candlelight. Her line’s packaging is as easy on the environment as the formulas are on skin. “We use glass and metal containers whenever possible, and hope to offer refillable ones soon,” she shares.
To showcase her products’ effects, Swift wears minimalist black and white every day, like the rock star she is. “I prefer to dress from the neck up,” she says. A series of classic pieces, people, objects rule her life; her role model, for example, is “Audrey Hepburn, my fashion icon. My style goes with my makeup: classic with a hint of sophistication.” Her drink of choice is a reflection of her signature traditionalism, as well. “I’m not a wine drinker, but I love a Dubonnet and soda. It’s very refreshing. I heard the aperitif is a favorite of Queen Elizabeth’s!” As for her go-to hobby? Collecting timeless artifacts from the past. “I have a fetish for antique mirrors. I collect ones from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and scour Alex Raskin Antiques, a shop in Savannah, for finds.” Ahead, Swift shares more of her daily essentials, from the products she uses regularly to the sheets she won’t live without.
Astrology Book: Astrology for the Soul by Jan SpillerRed Lipstick: RMS Beauty Wild With Desire Lipstick in RMS RedFloral Pruners: Fiskars Floral PrunersRecycled-Glass Vase: West Elm Pure Recycled-Glass VaseBlack Jeans: AG Prima Jeans in Super BlackOrganic Sheets: Boll & Branch Signature Hemmed Sheet Set
