Cris Urena interviews with TeenVogue

Life as a Ralph Lauren model is certainly sweet! Nineteen-year-old Cris Urena is one of the faces of Ralph Lauren's new Big Pony Collection, a scent quartet that celebrates different aspects of a woman's personality. In the ad campaign, Urena captures the essence of the #4 fragrance, or the "stylish" persona—something she carries off quite easily! We chatted with the Dominican model about her quick rise to the top and what beauty products she relies on to stay gorgeous.

How did you first get discovered?

Some of my friends submitted my pictures to a few agencies in New York City. A few months later I signed with New York Models! That was just a year ago, and since then I've been working steadily. It's been a busy year! My life has changed completely.

I bet! Did you always want to be a model?

Like every young girl, I dreamed about it, but my passion was to be a nurse. I was working as a nurse's assistant in my hometown before I started modeling. Nursing is still my passion and my backup plan, but for now I'm really focused on being a model.

What were the biggest challenges in getting your career started?

The hardest thing for me was being away from home. I'm a big family girl. Being in a big city by myself was really challenging. It's definitely worth it, but it was hard at first to adapt to a new life!

How did you feel when you found out you booked the Big Pony campaign?

I was in shock! I was like, "OMG!" I was flattered because they picked me out of who knows how many girls, and I was like, "This is amazing!" My agents kept saying, "Do you understand how much this means after only six months in the industry?" It was a pretty amazing feeling.

What was the best part of shooting the campaign?

The most exciting part was simply being on this epic shoot! It was in Massachussets, which is close to home for me, and we had skydivers at the shoot. I got to see a lot of my friends who I knew through other campaigns with Ralph Lauren. I mean, Ralph Lauren is one of the most luxurious American brands and everyone knows it, so it was just exciting to be there at all!

Do you feel like you relate to your #4 "stylish" fragrance personality?

I definitely consider myself to be like my fragrance. My favorite number is four, my favorite color is purple (just like the fragrance bottle), and my style totally depends on how I feel. If want to be relaxed, chic, or fun, I play with what I wearᾹa lot like the #4 girl. Plus, I love to shop! I love going to Scoop and Intermix because you can find a little bit of everything. I mix a lot of brands but I always wear Ralph Lauren.

What skincare and makeup products do you rely on?

I use the Clarisonic cleanser—it's amazing! I also love Lancome mascara, and I always use Kerastase shampoo and conditioner. Kerastase is definitely a must-have!

Since you're on Twitter, who do you love to follow?

TeenVogue! I'm always reading it, I love it so much! I also follow Rugby for Ralph Lauren news. I love Ben Grimes tooᾹshe's a friend of mine who's also a model and she's so fun

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