International super-model Coco Rocha was at Westchester Mall Jan. 20 promoting her new TV show.

In the show, Rocha will be appearing alongside Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova as they compete to find the new face of ULTA beauty. The show will follow the three supermodels as they lead their respective teams through challenges such as photo-shoots and commercials.

As part of the promotion for Rocha’s new reality show, titled “The Face,” Oxygen launched a contest: “The Face: Challenge.” The challenge asks for modeling video submissions, in order to award a contestant “the supermodel treatment.” Hundreds of young girls showed up at Westchester Mall to record their videos with the help of Rocha. The winner will go to New York City for a photo-shoot with world-renowned photographer Nigel Barker, who will be hosting the show.

After coaching countless photo-shoots, Rocha opened up about the show, her co-stars and her very own experiences as a model.

Ionian: What was the first thing that came to your mind when you were asked to do the show?

Rocha: The first thing, I think, jump for joy. I mean for me personally I go on my own, a lot of people don’t know this, but I take models and I help them with their careers if it’s from posing to runway. So when this was offered to me I thought, “Well, this is fantastic because now I get to do it on a bigger level. I can now teach not only models.” I can teach young girls and boys about how to be smart business people, how to conduct themselves at work. It doesn’t matter if you are a model, but this was kind of a fascinating way to do this on a bigger scale. So I’m not about being famous. It’s not about, you know, being on TV like a lot of other people. I really wanted to use this for my advantage to have a big platform.

Ionian: What is your favorite part of doing the show?

Rocha: You know what? You find that you have a lot of power in this show because I have a team of four girls that look up to me, and if I just offer them a suggestion, they don’t take it as a suggestion. They just do it. So sometimes you feel a little like “wow!” It’s a lot of power to have. You think you are doing well for them but then maybe it was not a good idea at all. But they’re going to always listen to you. So, it was interesting to have that sort of like godmother power.

Ionian: We haven’t met your team yet, but how would you describe them?

Rocha: It’s funny because if you look at each team, it is exactly like each mentor. Naomi’s is girls with personality. Karolina’s is girls that are very sexy. You know, exactly what Victoria’s Secret girls are like. Mine are very quirky. I would say professional girls. They are willing to take a chance and they don’t care if they look a little silly when they do it.

Ionian: What’s it like working with Naomi and Karolina?

Rocha: Well, I came on this show because I heard that Naomi’s name also was part of it. I was a little nervous, you know? You look at today reality TV and anyone is a celebrity just because they get on TV. And it made me nervous to who is going to be the other models. Were they going to be real models or were they going to be, I don’t know, celebrity models? When I heard Naomi’s name on it I thought, “This is perfect. This is fashion.” I want people to really believe this story and she’s going to make it believable. Karolina as well; she starts singing randomly all the time. She loves to sing when I’m just like, you know, I’m frustrated and I’m trying to do something and all of a sudden I hear like “Sound of Music” or “Les Mis” and I’m like “Shut up!” But no, she’s good, she keeps you on your feet. She keeps you happy.

Ionian: How would you describe your coaching style?

Rocha: It’s very much like me. I told the girls right off the bat: “Do not second guess yourself.” And that’s the same for anybody. Do not second guess yourself when you are doing something; just go dive into it. Especially with modeling. If you watch some of the girls that come here, and they just kind of pose. When you seriously pose there’s a difference. And it’s the same with these girls. I tell them, “Do not be overwhelmed, do not be shy,” just to have confidence in themselves, and it kind of starts there. And you know what, you see the change. You see how they say they don’t like their nose, say they hate their mouths – we all have an issue there. And then all of a sudden these girls are really into their mouths, they’re really into their nose now. They have that confidence that they didn’t have.

Ionian: What are you looking for in “The Face?” How would you describe her?

Rocha: What I like about this competition show is that you’re winning a contract, not an agency. So, these girls actually have agencies. Some do, some don’t even have any. But, what’s interesting is that you’re looking for exactly that, the face of a brand. Which is exactly what a model looks for. I don’t get every single brand out there, but you are the face of one brand so this time it’s ULTA beauty. What are they looking for? They’re looking for a girl that has personality, that is a good spokesperson that has, of course, a good face to put makeup on. But also, you know that they can speak on their behalf. So, it’s not just about taking pretty pictures anymore. You have to do a lot more than that.

Ionian: What was going through your mind the first time you did a runway or a photo-shoot?

Rocha: I think, just nerves. I used to dance so I think that was a big help for me because it’s like a performance, but like I said, you second-guess yourself. Specially here, I was surprised how many young girls just went up today because I probably would’ve been like “no, it’s okay.” It’s very overwhelming but, runway, it was easier for me. I remember my first runway, I literally walked out, and it was white, and it’s totally dark, and I literally stopped. I think and I was like “why am I stopping? I gotta keep moving.” I was so overwhelmed so it is a little worrisome, but I enjoy it. I keep doing it.

“The Face” premiers Tuesday Feb. 12 on Oxygen.