ANU KOSKI: the interview

ANU KOSKI

Anu Koski is with Women Milan & BRAND Finland

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PONY RYDER:How did you start modeling? ANU KOSKI:There used to be one model in my agency, BRAND, in Finland and she discovered my photos from one website, which is a page similar to Facebook. But that's mainly only for the Finns.

-->PONY RYDER: Anu, are you 100 % Finn?
ANU KOSKI: Heh, Yes I'm 100% Finn! Usually I'm hearing that I look like a Swede. But I bet my last name sounds really weird for people who are not from Finland.

PONY RYDER: We could swear you are Greek, your last name sounds Greek to us. Maybe that is why you are rocking Greek editorial scene?
ANU KOSKI: Maybe my blonde hair was the secret in the Greek market, I'll keep my secret. 😉

PONY RYDER: How many magazines did you book this year alone?
ANU KOSKI: This year, 2010, I've done now 21 editorials.

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PONY RYDER: So we can freely say that you are traveling 24/7 all year long!? Is that a good thing or a bad thing for a "moody" Scorpio?
ANU KOSKI: What, Scorpios moody? No way!! I'm always in a good mood and smiling. I can't even remember when I had a bad day. Especially now when it's summer weather, you can't be moody at all!

PONY RYDER: What is the best thing about being a Scorpio?
ANU KOSKI: I think that the best thing is the strong will. Scorpios are usually like that, if they know what they want, they will take it.

PONY RYDER: Have you ever come across a moody model?
ANU KOSKI: Sometimes I've met moody models, and usually it's not so easy to talk with models like that. There's not much to say in a situation where the other one is not in the mood for talking.

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PONY RYDER: When traveling, and working as much as you do, what keeps you grounded and what keeps you from showing you're feeling moody or tired at photoshoots?

ANU KOSKI: It's always important to be in a good mood in photoshoots. It will take you far. Clients will always remember a model who's fun to work with and who's nice.

I'm always so excited about photoshoots so I'm almost never moody when I know I'll have some job or test shoots. And not to be tired you have to take a good rest and sleep.

PONY RYDER:Ash clouds are keeping Europe under pressure, because of the canceled flights. Did you have to cancel a job for it?
ANU KOSKI: No, I was lucky that I was home at the time and I didn't have to go anywhere by plane. But I know people who got stuck in other countries and couldn't go to jobs or back home, that's bad.

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PONY RYDER: You spent some time in Korea, in Seoul. Tell us more about life there?

ANU KOSKI: Yes, I was in Seoul, South Korea, a bit over 2 months. Life there is so different compared to European countries. The city is so big and the culture is different. Everything. But it was really nice and like the other world. I like it!

PONY RYDER: Are there any Italian restaurants there?

ANU KOSKI: Yes, there was a couple of Italian restaurants if I remember right, mainly there were Korean restaurants and lots of coffee places!

PONY RYDER: We like Italian cuisine, so that’s the reason we ask. What about you?

ANU KOSKI: I also love-love-love Italian cuisine! Pastas and pizzas, mmmmm!

But also I really like Scandinavian cuisine. Potatoes and meatballs, almost anything with potatoes. Still, I eat all kinds of food, I'm not too picky. I would say that my favorite dish is potatoes with rainbow trout and tuna and, of course, fresh salad.

-->PONY RYDER: You live in a "carb" heaven Anu! LOL. What do you think Korean fashion scene is looking for in a Caucasian model?

ANU KOSKI: They were always saying "Oh, it's so rare that someone has green eyes" or even like me, I have green eyes with a hint of brown color in some parts.

PONY RYDER: What type do you think they like?

ANU KOSKI: The Koreans really like pale skin, green or blue eyes, blonde hair etc. It's because those are something that they don't have, it's really unique for them. Of course, they like good models with a great positive personality.

Ph. James Mountford

-->PONY RYDER: What is the TV program like in Korea?
ANU KOSKI: Everything is in Korean! There was maybe only one channel in English. So I didn't watch TV at all.

PONY RYDER: What was your favorite national Korean dish?
ANU KOSKI: In South Korea they have this dish called Korean barbeque and it's a mix of different kinds of meat. It's really delicious!

Also when I was at the shootings they usually ordered rice and chicken for me with this little bit spicy red sauce. But I can't remember the name of the sauce, but it was so wonderful!

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PONY RYDER: You are in Milan at the moment. How do you like it? Is that the city you could live in?

ANU KOSKI: I LOVE MILAN!! Such a great city! And now it's the season when there are lots of castings here, so perfect. But still I don't feel that this is the city where I could live, London is more like that or Stockholm. People can speak English there, it's one of the major factors, and also because the culture in those two cities is more similar to Finland, than what Milan is.

PONY RYDER: Who are your roommates now? ANU KOSKI: I have one roommate called Anais Pouliot, she's Canadian. Such a sweet girl with really great personality. I'm so happy that she's my roommate.

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PONY RYDER: Zara looks stunning in Milan, all in gold. Did you already go shopping?

ANU KOSKI: It does! I've been there already maybe 5 times! But I haven't bought anything yet, but I'm planning to go there on the weekend if I have time.

PONY RYDER: Where do you usually go shopping?
ANU KOSKI: Usually I like to shop in stores that we don’t have in Finland, because then I can have clothes that usually others don't have. But my all time favorite is Topshop, I love love love it! I could always buy everything from there!

PONY RYDER: What are your must have items for this summer
ANU KOSKI: Lots of cute summer dresses, of course! I love to wear dresses, I can't even remember when I have last worn jeans or trousers. But now I really want to go to buy some nice jeans shorts.

-->PONY RYDER: You look like a porcelain doll. How do you protect your skin from high sun exposure?
ANU KOSKI: Maybe I am one 😉 heh. But yes I'm always wearing sun lotion for my face which has SPF 50 and for body SPF 30. At the moment I'm using Aco's face sun cream, it's a Swedish brand, and for the body I'm using Nivea's sun lotion.

PONY RYDER: Seriously, do you really put sun protection on a daily basis?
ANU KOSKI: Yes I do, because my face is so pale, so if I didn’t put anything on it, it would burn quite easily. And also I don't want to get tanned, it's neither good for jobs to be tanned.

-->PONY RYDER: How do you maintain your skin?

ANU KOSKI: I'm washing my face mornings and evenings, so twice in a day.

For normal face cleansing I use:

• Aco Cliniderm's Soft cleansing mousse
• Aco Cliniderm's Moisturizing skin tonic
• Nivea's Aqua sensation eye care
• Decubal's original clinic cream.
  

When I have to take off the make up I first use:

• Lumene's Sensitive Touch cleansing emulsion,
• Loreal's Ideal balance cleansing milk
• Lumene's Eye makeup remover.
  

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CLICK FOR LUMENE PRODUCTS

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Lumene is a Finnish brand. And before doing make up I'll put Clinique's Dramatically different moisturizing lotion, because it really moisturized the skin so well.

For lips I'm using Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream.

-->PONY RYDER: Is there a beauty product that almost every model uses?
ANU KOSKI: Well, many girls have the Eight hour cream.

PONY RYDER: What is the best beauty advice you know of?
ANU KOSKI: Wash the face twice a day. And buy good products for your skin, it's good for you. It may take time to find perfect products for you, but it's worth it.

PONY RYDER: How about some Finish traditional beauty advice or recipe?
ANU KOSKI: Sauna of course and then there's a saying that "Cold coffee will make you pretty".

-->PONY RYDER: What brand of make up do you prefer?
ANU KOSKI: I really like Finnsh brand Lumene. They have really good make up bases.

So in my make up bag there's:

• Maybelline's Dream matte mousse (for eyes make up base),
• Lumene's Double stay mineral make up
• Dior's Diorshow mascara
• Rimmel's Exaggerate eye definer,
• Loreal's ColorAppeal
• Clinique's Transparency neutral powder.

PONY RYDER: Why Lumene's foundation?

ANU KOSKI: I use Lumene's foundation because it stays perfect whole day and I don't have to put any more powder after that one time in the morning. And it looks really natural on the skin.

PONY RYDER: Lots of girls complain about nail polish. What is the best brand for nail polish that you have tried?
ANU KOSKI: I don't use nail polish on my own, only really rarely. But Chanel has really great nail polishes.

-->PONY RYDER: Damaged hair is something that every model has to face at least once because of the shootings and shows. How do you deal with your split ends?

ANU KOSKI: I like Blonde Shampoo by Disp. But now I have found the perfect brand for hair, Schwarzkopf has this amazing Syoss product series. I have the shampoo, conditioner and hair mask.

I have normal healthy hair (and lots of hair) but from Syoss I'm using the products for Damaged, Dry hair because those are really moisturizing and after shootings and shows when I use the hair mask, my hair feels like silk!

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PONY RYDER: HIM! Yes! The band! What is your favorite song?
ANU KOSKI: I love HIM! They have such beautiful songs. I think my favorite is absolutely Heartache every moment. Love it!

PONY RYDER: Are they still playing?

ANU KOSKI: Yes they are, actually I think they just released a new album. I love also the other band from Finland, The Rasmus. Ah!

PONY RYDER: You are also into Twilight and The Vampire Diaries. It's kinda goth!

ANU KOSKI: I love those! It's like other world you can get in and forget the place you are in. Well who wouldn't like Robert Pattinson in Twilight 😉 I think that is one of the big reasons why all the girls are into Twilight, just kidding, of course the movie and storyline are great.

Actually I read the first book from the Twilight series about 3 years ago or something and I get so addicted, I couldn't stop reading! One of the best books I've ever read.

PONY RYDER: If you could say one thing to all the HIM fans out there, what would it be?
ANU KOSKI: Support them and go to buy the albums and don't download the songs.

-->PONY RYDER: Santa is still in Finland, no?
ANU KOSKI: If you can keep the secret I'll tell you..... Yes he is! But you didn't hear this from me, okay?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRAND MODEL MANAGEMENT



Interview with model Anu Koski is original work by Pony Ryder.