Iconic 90s supermodel Niki Taylor is living proof that age really is just a number as she shows off her flawless complexion in a new campaign for CoverGirl – 30 years after she became the youngest spokesperson to ink a deal with the beauty brand.
The 46-year-old mother-of-four has been revealed as the new face of the company’s Simply Ageless collection, a role that she described as ‘truly a full circle moment’.
Niki made history as a CoverGirl in 1992, becoming the first model under the age of 18 to sign a major contract with the brand, having already earned the title of the youngest person to be featured as one of People’s Most Beautiful People one year earlier.
Now, the supermodel is returning to her roots by starring in a new CoverGirl campaign, which she shot herself at home in Nashville amid continued COVID-19 restrictions, and which sees her flaunting the same striking features and fresh-faced complexion that helped to sky-rocket her to fashion fame more than three decades ago.
Back in action! 90s supermodel Niki Taylor, 46, has returned as a CoverGirl spokesmodel – 30 years after she first posed in a campaign for the beauty brand
Throwback: Speaking about the new campaign, Niki (pictured left in her latest ad and right in her 1992 campaign) described it as a ‘full circle’ moment
Spot the difference: The model flaunts her youthful complexion in the new campaign for the Simply Ageless Foundation – and looks as though she hasn’t aged since her CoverGirl debut
And while Niki’s ageless complexion makes her the perfect face for the brand’s Simply Ageless Foundation, she explained to DailyMail.com that, for her, age is more about your state of mind and ‘what’s inside’ than your appearance.
‘As long as you feel good and healthy, you can pretty much take on anything,’ she said.
In the 90s, Niki shot to stardom as one of the most successful models of the era, alongside fellow fashion icons like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington.
She made history in May 1996 by starring on the cover of six different magazines – Vogue, Allure, Elle, Marie Claire, Self, and Shape – in the same month, having landed her first cover – for Seventeen – seven years earlier when she was just 14.
In 1990, she landed herself on the front of Vogue for the first time, becoming the second youngest person, at age 15, to star on the cover of the publication.
Campaigns for major brands like L’Oreal, Gap, Versace, and Jean Paul Gaultier followed, as well as appearances in dozens of fashion shows the world over.
For decades, there has been a serious stigma about aging within the fashion and beauty industries, with many models speaking out about feeling as though they had a ‘shelf life’. However, in recent years, that has begun to shift, with more and more models finding success later on in life.
Ethos: Speaking to DailyMail.com, Niki said that – for her – aging is more about a state of mind than appearance
Emotional: ‘As long as you feel good and healthy, you can pretty much take on anything,’ the model (seen in her 1992 campaign) said
Fan: Niki said that returning to model for the brand felt incredibly natural because she has been a dedicated fan of CoverGirl since she first served as its spokesmodel at age 17 (right)
Niki believes that this shift has been a long time coming, explaining that she has seen industry insiders making moves towards increasing diversity for years – a trend that she is happy to see is now being represented in advertisements and campaigns.
‘It was unheard of to see a fashion model in her 30s back in the day. [But] it’s just a number, really! We’re all getting older, we’re all changing,’ she said.
‘[My new CoverGirl campaign] shows that beauty comes in many different forms. It’s not about what age you are, what race, style. It’s about the inside. And I feel like CoverGirl embraces that.’
Still, Niki jokes that she prefers the word ‘timeless’ rather than ‘ageless’, noting that it better captures her views on aging.
While Niki looks as though she hasn’t aged a day since her first CoverGirl campaign, her life has changed a great deal in the years that followed her history-making 1992 partnership with the brand.
The supermodel has become a mother to four children: twin sons, Jake and Hunter, whose father is her ex-husband Matt Martinez, and a daughter, Ciel, and son Rex with her husband of more than 14 years, Burney Lamar.
She now balances her work as a successful model with her commitments at home in Nashville – although sometimes the two worlds collide, as they did with her new CoverGirl campaign, which she revealed that husband Burney helped her to shoot.
‘This was the first time [that I’ve shot a campaign myself at home]… I transformed my house into a set!’ she shared.
Looking back: Niki (pictured in 1989) shot to fashion fame in the late 80s, when she landed several high-profile campaigns, and her first magazine cover
Famous face: The superstar’s first ever magazine cover shoot saw her featured on the front of Seventeen in 1989 (left), and she went on to pose for the likes of Vogue, Allure, and Elle
‘My husband helped me film it with my iPhone. I did hair and makeup. It was very cool. Then I just sent [CoverGirl] a whole bunch of stuff to edit.’
Niki has also endured heartbreaking tragedy and difficult trauma over the years.
Loss: Niki’s sister Krissy, who was also a successful model, passed away of heart disease in 1995 – and Niki now works closely with the American Heart Association
In 1995, just three years after signing her first deal with CoverGirl, Niki’s sister and best friend Krissy suddenly passed away from heart disease at the age of 17.
‘We were very close. We worked together. We did everything together. I miss her very much,’ Niki said of the tragic loss during an interview with Oprah in 2014.
Then, in 2001, Niki herself was involved in a near fatal car accident in Atlanta, Georgia while being driven by then-boyfriend Chad Renegar.
Renegar was apparently attempting to answer his phone when he lost control of the car and crashed into a utility pole.
Over the years, Niki has spoken candidly about how she dealt with the loss of her sibling, and her recovery in the wake of her car crash, and today, she works closely with two charities that remain close to her heart in the wake of the tragedies.
‘My charities that I love are the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, those are personal to me,’ she explained.