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Milk Fam Diaries: Chantal Stafford-Abbott

Meet the model creating safe spaces for conversation.

Chantal RISE Mascara Model Chantal RISE Mascara Model

Welcome to the Milk Fam Diaries. At Milk Makeup, we believe it's not just about how you create your look; it's what you do in it that matters. We see your creativity on our feeds and hear your support in our comments daily, but we wanted to dream up an interactive way to share a few more pages from your stories. That’s how this series was born. In these diaries, we’ve created a space to have candid conversations with our community on inspiration starters, self-expression, favorite products, and so much more. Get to know the faces behind our campaigns who are as inspiring off camera as they are on. This week, we talk to Chantal, a model whose passion in life is facilitation.

Meet Chantal, one of the rising stars of our Rise Mascara shoot. Based in Canada, Chantal is most at home in nature, where she can enjoy all things outdoors with her two dogs, Ellie and Gonzo. When she’s not enjoying the outdoors, she channels her focus into facilitating groups for personal growth, mental health, and community building. From founding and leading a safe space for human conversations to doing community work with fellow models, her passion for human relations shines through in everything she does.

That mindset also reflects in her makeup and skincare routine. With an approach to beauty that blends women’s studies with personal empowerment, she’s the embodiment of the #LiveYourLook mentality.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that beauty is a type of superpower,” she says. Read on to find out how she channels her (many) superpowers.

How would you describe your personal style?

I dress to my emotions so it's quite eclectic. I have a lot of funky pieces in different colors, and I like to mix and match. It really depends, but it’s like “mood dressing.”

How would you describe your approach to beauty? 

It’s changed a lot. I took a lot of women’s studies classes recently for my undergrad and have been looking through the history of time at what beauty represents and at womanhood. I do feel that as a model it's a complicated topic, and I’ve come to the conclusion that beauty is a type of superpower. There's an infinite amount of beauty for everyone in the world. I like the idea of everyone being empowered to embrace their own individual beauty.

Chantal Stafford-Abbott wears Milk Makeup RISE Mascara for long lashes
 

If you could only use one Milk product for the rest of your life what would it be?

The Electric Glossy Lip Plumper.

What album or song are you currently listening to on repeat?

“Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac. I’m walking down the aisle to it!

If you could only bring one product to a desert island, what would it be?

Sunscreen! Duh. I can’t with these freckles. It’s been drilled into me since I was a kid.

What’s your go-to makeup look?

I have two: One would be a really clean face and red lips. Super simple, no mascara, no brows. Just clean, dewy skin and matte red lips. The second—my everyday look—is a bit of bronzer, a little color in my brows, and a little mascara. An elevated natural look. A little lip balm but not too much. Also a luminizer–I love the shine and glow.

What does your ideal day look like?

A day in nature with my family, my dogs, and my partner.

What is your favorite hobby?

I’m the kind of person that gets into something for a year or two and then moves on to the next. I’ve had my phase of being into photography, then being into painting. Recently, I got my yoga teacher training so I've been doing a lot of yoga. During the pandemic, I did a lot of puzzles and watched TV.

What were your first impressions of RISE Mascara?

I love RISE Mascara! I kept looking in the mirror going, “This is how I want my lashes to look, this is what I want.” It's not clumpy. I feel like it gave a nice texture but still that length and the pop of the eye. I loved the final effect.

What other work are you interested in?

My passion in life is facilitation, and I’m studying human relations right now—I have one year left. I do a lot of group facilitation focused on personal growth, mental health, community building, and bringing people together. I started a community in Montreal called The Deep Space. I trained 20 different facilitators, and we do these monthly events where we pick a topic that we don’t usually talk about, pick a charity to donate to, and have our facilitators guide the conversation. Let's say we did one on loneliness: We donated to a charity that helps older people in care homes learn digital literacy skills so they can talk to their families.

I also recently started doing community work with models, leading support groups where we talk about different things that go on in the industry. It’s surprisingly popular. I kind of imagined that only I would be into this stuff and people were going to be afraid to join. But I’m so grateful to see how many people want to volunteer and help. I’m building it with my friend Elena Zimmer who’s also a model, and she just finished her studies in psychology and social work. The name is sort of an inside joke: It's called Bring Your Nude Thong

Follow Chantal on Instagram @chantalstaffabb.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Brooke Hannel (she/her) is the editorial intern for Milk Makeup and freelance writer keeping up with all things pop culture. She's also an Aquarius, so that says everything you need to know.

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Brooke Hannel (she/her) is the editorial intern for Milk Makeup and freelance writer keeping up with all things pop culture. She's also an Aquarius, so that says everything you need to know.

All information is created for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.