If you want to know how to design an exceptional beauty routine, ask a beauty editor for advice. They are essentially walking, talking encyclopedias on all things hair, skin, nails, and makeup. When your daily 9-5 is all about interviewing top beauty experts, testing tons (seriously, tons) from new product launches and researching for hours on the latest beauty-centric trends taking over the internet, you learn a few beauty tips and tricks.
Among the array of beauty editors over the years, there are a few whose careers are nothing short of iconic, leading major titles like Allure, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar and launch their own must-have brands. These legendary publishers are the ones who first laid eyes on many of these once-nascent trends (modeling, mullet fashionand exfoliating tonersanyone?) and helped turn them into staples of the modern skin, hair and makeup routine. Y2K mode – these beauty editors are a treasure trove of industry secrets.
Now, decades and thousands of articles later, what do these legacy beauty editors really respect for their own beauty routines? To find out, TZR tapped into some of the editorial world’s most notable names for the best makeup and skincare tips they’ve learned over the course of their careers, plus the must-have products that will never leave. their beauty arsenal. From the magic of using a good face oil to breaking a few controversial products, learn the beauty industry‘s top secrets straight from the source — and be prepared to take notes.
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Jamie Rosen, Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Ziip Beauty; Contributing Editor, Town and Country; Wellness Editor, The Conservatory
At the start of her career as a beauty and health editor for W Magazine in 2007, Rosen learned all about the magic of oils from Pratima Raichur. Since then, it has converted to oil.
“I went to her for a story about the comeback of oils in skincare and she sent me to get a Shirodhara treatment at her spa in SoHo which involved getting what looked like a gallon of oil poured over my third eye for 20 minutes,” she says. “It was like immersion therapy — I felt like an olive, but I was addicted to the oils from then on.”
Rosen says Raichur also opened her eyes (and her beauty routine) to using neem oil for acne. She converted Rosen to using cleansing oils, which she says are still part of her essential skincare regimen to this day.
“The process of applying it to dry skin, massaging it into my face, and rinsing it off with cold water to get this milky lather is something I always find so satisfying and peaceful,” Rosen says. “The first oil cleanser I used was DHC Cleansing Oil but right now i love it Metamorph Cleansing Balm by Ayond.”
Jamie’s favorite products:
Jennifer G. Sullivan, Co-Founder + Co-Host, Fat Mascara; Former beauty director and editor-in-chief, Marie Claire
Sullivan learned a very important tip from a famous makeup artist Laura Geller: do not buy a magnifying mirror.
“No one sees your skin up close, so the mirror only makes you obsess over the random hairs and pores that are completely normal,” she says. “Trust me, they look good.”
We all know we should be wear sunscreen every day to prevent skin cancer, but that’s not the only reason you should take that bottle of SPF every day (and reapply it every two hours, according to the American Academy of Dermatology). Sullivan also notes that it’s the number one anti-aging product on the market, which is why nearly every skincare expert she’s spoken to suggests applying it daily.
Sullivan says, “Don’t bother getting laser treatments or even buying skin care products if you’re not going to be wearing sunscreen. I can’t attribute this advice to any one expert, because I’ve heard it from so many people over the years: The best anti-aging product is sunscreen, and the best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually wear. . For me, it changes depending on my mood, my skin, the season, whether I wear makeup or not, and so many other things.
Some of Sullivan’s favorite sunscreen brands include EltaMD, Neutrogena, Supergoop, Cultivated Alchemistand color science.
Thanks to the famous beautician caroline hironsSullivan has decided to drop a famous product that might be in your medicine cabinet right now: face wipes, which have sparked controversy over how ecologically unsustainable (and terrible at cleaning) they are.
“The wipes are for buttocks, not faces. Okay, okay, I’m paraphrasing, but that’s more or less the sentiment of beauticians, including one of my favorite skincare experts, Caroline Hirons,” she says. “Not only do face wipes generate unnecessary environmental waste, they don’t cleanse the skin as well. Of course, you can use them in a pinch, but also: just wash your face.
Finally, Sullivan would like to put epidermal growth factors (EGF) on your radar if they aren’t already. She says she swears by them for their skin-smoothing, bleaching, and texture-enhancing properties, and even prefers them over retinoids since her skin is prone to rosacea.
“If the FDA paid attention and brands marketed EGFs with a full list of their benefits and claims they could make, they would be drugs; that’s how effective they are,” she says. “But most brands that include EGFs are careful with their claims and marketing language so they can sell them as cosmetics. However, I’m not a brand, so I’ll tell you the truth: EGFs provide drug-like benefits. I love them.”
Jennifer’s favorite products:
Julee Wilson, Beauty Director, Cosmopolitan; former Global Beauty Director of Essence
For industry veteran Wilson, there are two beauty seedlings she wants to plant in your mind. Like Sullivan, she says proper sunscreen is key to great skin, even if you have an extensive skincare lineup and frequent visits to the dermatologist for professional treatments. As she aptly puts it, “Wear SPF everyday, damn it!” »
Wilson also notes that your skincare routine doesn’t stop at your face. If you forget your neck, cleavage, and nipples, you should make the extra effort to pay more attention to those areas. Just like your face, treating these overlooked areas during your skincare routine can help reduce a variety of skin issues, such as dryness and UV damage. Plus, giving your skin a little love from the neck down can also help reduce sagging and wrinkles (goodbye, technical neck).
“Your face stops at your nipples,” she says. “Be sure to extend your skincare routine from your neck to your décolletage.”
Julee’s favorite products:
Jessica Matlin, co-host and co-founder, Fat Mascara; beauty director, Harper’s Bazaar
As Beauty Director of Harper’s Bazaar and co-host of the beloved Fat Mascara beauty podcast, Matlin has had the opportunity to chat with just about everyone in the beauty industry — and pick up some beauty tips along the way, of course. . One of her go-to tips: a little blush can go a long way for everyone. “Everyone looks better with a bit of blush. It’s true,” she says.
Another tip: whether you’re an eyeliner expert or just learning the trick of the trade, a cotton swab can be life-changing for creating perfect wings and lines.
“It took me way too long to learn that I didn’t have to be perfect in eyeliner,” she says. “Even the pros don’t get it the first time: they clean with a sharp little cotton swab dipped in eye makeup remover, then go in and create whatever shape they want.”
Matlin’s final piece of advice is also her most important, one she learned from the great bobbi brown se. “Work on your happiness – you’ll look better,” she says.
Jessica’s favorite products:
Linda Wells, founding editor of Seduce; Founder of Flesh Makeup
As the founder of the most iconic title in the beauty world, Seduce, Wells has become a wealth of vital information on all things beauty. One of her biggest tips is to keep your beauty routine minimal, especially when it comes to skincare and makeup.
“More problems are caused by too much than not enough,” she says. “Maybe it’s not so much advice as a maxim or a philosophy. I have overstepped the bounds over the years, but I realize that, for me, focus and discernment are the guiding principles.
Wells says trying new skincare products — which she does, given her career a lot – she will use one brand at a time instead of a whole “hodgepodge”. “Once I find things I like, I fully embrace the hodgepodge,” she says.
As for makeup, she says apply a light coat of “the basics” and then let her makeup sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. “If I double-check and think I need more, I’ll add it,” Wells says. “But I don’t start with a full beat, because it’s harder to take away than add.”
Another tip: once you’ve opened your skincare products, don’t leave them untouched for months – they might actually get spoiled if you do like this. This particularly applies to your antioxidant-based skincare products, which are sensitive to air and light.
“If I open a new antioxidant, I use it and only until it’s empty, because once most antioxidants are exposed to light and air, they start to degrade” , says Wells. “This is especially true for vitamin C serums.”
Like Matlin, Wells also believes in the power of a good blush and has mastered the art of applying it — and luckily, she has an application tip for those who are a little too hard on it.
“A lot of people ignore blushing and it makes such a difference in the liveliness and clarity of your skin,” she says. “I wait about five minutes for my foundation to set, then apply it to the apples of my cheeks, adding a little high on the cheek, centered below each eye.”
