'I cover aerospace, innovation, and tech for CNN. The way I like to describe it is anything geeky, nerdy, and cool. When I was a kid, my dream job was to be an astronaut, but I was kind of a 'bubble child' with tons of allergies and some health issues, which automatically pulled me out of the running. When I got to Princeton, I just decided to go for it and take rocket science. That class kind of set the stage for the rest of my career. I think it’s an innate curiosity that we all have where you look up at the sky wonder what’s out there, how can I get there, and if I got there what would it smell like, taste like, feel like?
I switched gears and go into news because I love that immediate satisfaction. I worked for NY1, and it was simultaneously the best and worst job in the world. All of a sudden, you’re a one-man-band, and you’re in the South Bronx at a murder scene at 1am in the morning. I had a uniform of a baseball hat, cargo pants, and a backpack—and I always wore my hair in a ponytail. It was not a glamorous job. Eventually, I applied for a position as a Production Assistant at Bloomberg, and my interviewer told me I would never get a job there because I didn’t have a business background, and there were thousands of people looking for a job there. I was like, 'You know what, I think I have a lot to offer this company. You’re just not the right person for me speak to,' and before I left the building, I found the right person. So I went up to him and was just like, ‘You don’t know me, but you’re going to hire me, and I’m going to follow this up with an email,’ and he was like, ‘Uh, what? Who are you?’ [Laughs] It took some more persistence, but that guy did hire me, and he was my mentor who eventually brought me on to CNN. I get to travel the world and meet the people who are changing it. It’s great, and I love it.
SKINCARE
I’ve always had to be really careful with products and stuff because I’m allergic to a lot of ingredients, but it doesn’t really stop me from experimenting with products and makeup. One of my favorite things to do is a face mask. I bring them on the road, because when you’re traveling a lot, it’s one of the best ways to look refreshed and feel at-home. You can be in a Motel 6 but put on a face mask and feel like you've taken a trip to the spa. I love Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque when my pores feel big and the Éminence Clear Skin Probiotic Masque—it smells like you’re putting yogurt on your face or tzatziki, and it makes you want to eat it! That one is pretty firming, too. I also use one from my facialist Christine Chin—her Soothing Hydrating Masque is really refreshing.
I typically wash my face with Revision Brightening Facial Wash and my Clarisonic. I don't travel with my Clarisonic though, so when I'm on the road and need to take off heavy makeup for the camera at the end of the day, I use Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser. I also like to layer my serums—I was told it was OK, so now I use Joanna Vargas Skincare Daily Serum after Obagi Professional-C Serum 15%. I also really like this Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate as well. It makes your skin glow immediately—like you just had a microdermabrasion facial—but if I use it too much, though, it clogs my pores, so I use it sparingly.
MAKEUP
When I was growing up, my aunt was the beauty editor at Allure. So when I’d come to New York with my mom, she would bring me into the closet, and I’d play around with all this cool stuff. It was like the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory of makeup. Since then, I’ve had to learn how to really do my makeup since I’m always on the road. This Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze is my magic block. I’m obsessed with it and bring it everywhere. My palettes break a lot, but I still won’t throw them away. I’ll just wet my finger, rub it on the palette, and put it on my eye. You can also use it for eyeliner too—even though I think it's just meant to be a blush. I've used Stila Eye Shadowin Twig as liner since high school because I have a green eyes. Then I take a little angled brush and put on a little blueish color along with it, like the blue from the Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Marie-Galante, usually just on the bottom. I also like to take Sephora Colorful Eyeshadow in No. 63 Under The Covers and put it in the corner of my eyes and middle of my eyelid to open them up. I’ll put a little water in the cap of my water bottle and dip the brush in there when I'm on the go.
I actually can only use one mascara because all the other ones I’ve tried have made my eyelashes fall out, so I use BADgal Lash Mascara by Benefit. When I get my makeup done in the bureau, I still have to put on my own mascara because this is the only one I can use. I have raccoon eyes—a combination of allergies, lack of sleep, and genetics—so I use the Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Concealer in 320 Pink Beige. It’s a really weird pink, and I don’t know why it covers but it does.
I hate lip gloss—I never wear it. I feel like it’s cheesy. I’ll maybe wear Carmex Lip Balm, but that’s about it on the regular. Though I do love MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Fast Play. I’ve got it down to a science in which I can fit all of my makeup in this little bag. I always take my own travel sizes of everything I use, and I always have Visine with me because I’m always tired.
HAIR
I only wash my hair every two or three days, so I protect it with a shower cap like an old woman. Then, I curl it on the road. I love sea salt spray, but for TV and my job, it has to be a little bit more polished than I would have in real life. If I’m hanging out with my friends, then I’ll put sea salt spray in my hair and boom it is done. I curl my hair on the road with the T3 SinglePass Whirl—it was the best they had at the Sephora. I love these Tangle Teezer Hairbrushes—they’re like the horse hairbrushes and don't pull out your hair. They’re really weird, but they’re the best. I hate cutting my hair and haven’t cut it in over a year, so the bottom gets pretty ratty. The more disheveled and messy my hair is the more I like it, so I try to never cut it. I may polish my hair a little more or go in for a trim when my job requires it, but they have sort of accepted me for who I am, and I think they like me for that.
If you’re on a big story then the story comes first, and beauty can be a distraction sometimes, but it then makes it so much more enjoyable when you have the time and the resources to work on something like that. Like I was saying, when you’re on the road and have that moment to put on a face mask, it can be incredibly comforting.”
—as told to ITG
Rachel Crane photographed by Tom Newton.
