Finn Buchanan’s daily beauty rituals: testosterone, cigs and lube

For this month’s instalment of Daily Beauty Rituals, we pinned down 20-year-old model and artist Finn Buchanan. Discovered in 2017 in a North London supermarket, Finn caught the eye of mega-stylist Katie Grand and secured a spot walking for Miu Miu​’s 2019 cruise show. He later opened for Margiela’s SS19 show, then for Hedi Slimane’s Celine as their first openly trans male model – ever. Despite the fanfare, he’s keeping things pretty real. Speaking of which, we catch up with fashion’s favourite face to chat spot cream and male pattern balding.

In the morning I wake up at… Between 11am and 4pm if I don’t have work.

The first thing I do is… Look in the mirror or drink some water. Today, I plugged my phone in since it didn’t charge overnight. Bad start.

My skincare regimen in the morning looks like this… Water, scrub, wash, zit cream, sunscreen and lip balm.

My favourite morning products are… Testosterone.

Because.… I was unfortunate to not produce it naturally, so now it’s a treat.

My worst beauty habits are… Vowing not to dye or cut my hair because I want to grow it. Then subsequently bleaching and shaving it.

My favourite feature is my… Versatility and androgyny. I decided to embrace it rather than resent myself for not passing.

My first beauty-related memory is… My grandmother has put her hair up in a perfect bun since I can remember. I’d consider that the first ​“signature look” I registered, ever.

This afternoon I’m… Going for a walk with my friends and then helping one interview someone, then we’re playing cards. It’s going to get rather heated.

What tasks have you got to get done? My to-do list runneth over with different places I still need to give my deed poll to, in order to change my name legally on everything. It’s tedious.

Do you work out? If making up barbell and dumbbell moves counts then yes. Also, cycling is my transport for the most part.

Are you taking any supplements? Not since I ran out.

What’s for lunch? Iced coffee with oat milk so far.

How do you relax? I smoke and I paint.

Do you listen to anything in the evening? I have the same playlist on repeat, always, homogenised off of Spotify. It’s everything I’ve liked for a few years now and runs for about 112 hours, give or take.

Burn any candles? Have a bath? Enjoy a bath, no candles though. I can’t be arsed.

What products do you use at night? Lube.

What skincare products do you swear by? None have given me clear skin and invisible pores within minutes of use, so bun ​‘em all.

What’s the best beauty hack you’ve ever learned and why? Not to rub your face downwards while putting on lotion and to not drag the skin around your eyes.

What’s the last product you apply before you sleep? Hair growth serum for male pattern balding because transitioning isn’t all cheekbones and stubble.

Who’s got your favourite face and why? Scarlett Cannon. When we first met we spoke about how I could be an alternate teen-her and I saw some of my face in her beauty, and liked myself a touch more for it.

Bedtime is at… Between 9pm and 6:30am recently.

How do you sleep… Ask your husband.

I’ve been dreaming of… In my dreams, my hair grows as every scene changes so by the end I’ve got a solid lob. So when I wake up and look in the mirror, it’s to check that I still don’t.