Beauty Insider: Eileen Harcourt

The New York aesthetician Eileen Harcourt spends her days hopping from TriBeCa lofts to Upper East Side penthouses to Hamptons manses, treating a roster of VIP clients that includes Adriana Lima, Lauren Hutton, and Daphne Guinness. A fashion-world favorite, she can often be spotted prepping skin backstage at runway shows and treating models on set for the photographer Steven Klein. She also sees clients at her Upper West Side studio, where, happily, mere mortals are welcome. (eharcourts.com)

How did you start in skincare? “I was an Avon lady at 13, and my father manufactured makeup pigments, so I sort of grew up in a lab. After focusing on fashion in college, I was the first American to study under Jacques Courtin-Clarins, the founder of Clarins, in Paris.”

What’s your signature? “My ultimate goal is to achieve such great skin that my clients don’t have to wear makeup. I haul my Intraceuticals Oxygen machine with me to appointments.”

How do you define good skin? “I think of skin as fabric. Some skin is like linen; bad skin is like bouclé; and healthy skin should really be like a duchesse satin—glowing and smooth.”

How do you suggest Clients treat their skin on a flight? “I love the Patchology eye gels and face sheets, Cult 51 night cream, and my E Harcourts Liquid Gold. Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water spritz is a must. And drink lots of coconut water!”