Her Life Is Her Art | Chase Carter

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Chase Carter began modeling at age thirteen when she was scouted in an airport while visiting family in Sydney, Australia. The IMG model and blonde beauty has a true passion for all things sports, only rivaled by her passion for her hometown. Even though she grew up surrounded by some of the world's best beaches, Carter is a self-proclaimed "land and sports" person, having gone up to eight months without ever touching sand. She mentions a painful to hear, cliché tale of being thirteen, in New York to meet with four agencies, and told she was too short and that her nose and hips were too big to be a model. Then she met with IMG "who rolled out the red carpet" for her and her mother, and there was an instant rapport. The team at IMG embraced her sporty side, the fact that she wanted to be "more of a personality", and the fit felt like home. She lucked out by signing with them on the spot in an under two hour meeting. Little did she know at the time, she was signing with world's top agency. Carter recently became the latest member of Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Class of 2018, landing a "dream job" with the magazine and well as one for athletic brand Under Armour, a campaign shot in the beloved country where she grew up. We talked to Chase about her approach to modeling, her minimalist POV, how she plans to gives back to the land she loves, and more.

What is your version of a t-shirt and jeans? I'm wearing a white ripped muscle tee and ripped blue jeans with white "golf wife shoes" that were gifted to me on Instagram. I like these jeans, by Pistola. They fit me really well.

Do you wear makeup when you're not working? No! I wear nothing. When I'm asked to bring makeup to a shoot, it's like, oh no...all I have is mascara and brow gel. Even if I'm having a pimple day, I try to pretend it's not there.

What other products do you use? I'm into skincare. I'm such a routine-based person that for seven years, I've used the same skincare: Olay face wipes and Olay moisturizer. More recently, I've started using facial sprays and applying facial masks. I use Mario Badescu's aloe, cucumber, and green tea spray, and also the rose spray. I use Kiehl's Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque. I really like that that it's something I can leave on overnight, because my least favorite thing is having to put something on my face and then wash it off. It's so annoying, and because I'm a minimalist person I'm like, no thank you. And Kiehl's also has this vitamin C oil, Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate, that I put on during the day, it's great, especially for the winter.

Your hair is so gorgeous. What do you wash it with? Products that come from Duane Reade or CVS are perfect with me. Right now I'm using Organix's Coconut Curls Shampoo and Conditioner, because my sister left it with me.

How do you get your best ideas when you're modeling? How do you focus and figure out how you're going to pose? I like to get really involved creatively. When I go onto set, I always ask, "what are we looking for?" I hate wasting time on something that's not working. Once I'm shown the mood board, I kind of tap into an alter ego and go forward with the vibe and get into character. I design a character in my head. Because in real life, I'm different. I am a tomboy, but I get in the zone! Having that skill probably has to do with my background in sports. Once you step on the field, the outside world disappears. You focus, you're in it. I use the vision of the photographer and the client to do the best that I can do. I'm Bahamian...I'm a people pleaser! I like working hard and getting what's needed.

What do you do when you're stuck? I've always had great experiences with photographers. If I do a pose and they want something else, they'll tell me, and I take direction very easily. I see it as a team effort, and because of that, I've never had that "stuck" feeling.

How do you keep sports alive in your life of modeling today? I try to get involved, as much as possible, with sports. For example, I just did a charity soccer event in London; I did a marathon; I might do the Bahamian marathon in January.

What sports do you love to watch and to play? Oh that's easy! To watch, American football. I grew up watching it every Sunday with my father and my uncle. My dad's side of the family is very sports oriented. My dad went to college for tennis. Everyone in my family played sports in college and in boarding school. I follow as many sports accounts on Instagram as I can, and I keep up to date with all the major sporting events, like the NBA finals, for example. Basketball is my second favorite sport to watch. I played everything when I lived in the Bahamas, but loved soccer the most. I was on the Bahamas National Football Team. Now, I do a majority of running. I skip rope to keep my cardio going when I travel. After I was injured in November from the marathon, I became really comfortable doing my own workouts. Before that, I was into classes like Barry's Bootcamp or SLT. I've been working out on my own for over seven months now.

Are you afraid of anything? I'm afraid of rats. Wrong place to live...New York City. Sharks too.

What is your most amazing recent discovery? I'm obsessed with cereal. I even eat cereal for dinner. My friend introduced me to a "protein" cereal, Magic Spoon. I hadn't realized that there are like 20 grams of carbs and 1 gram of protein in a serving of regular cereal, and then there are the sugars, and the added sugars. I haven't tried Magic Spoon yet, it's being sent to me. But I know it contains 12 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbs per serving! And also I like that the cereal contains coconut oil.

What are you focused on in your free time, besides sports? I really want to give back to my country. Giving back to my Bahamian people, the youth, and the people I grew up with. I'm thinking about what I can help them out with, whether it's tennis shoes or helping the sports coaches, like mine, who dedicate their time for free. Giving back to the Bahamian community as much as possible will be in full action for me.