The #ITGTopShelfie interview series focuses on the beauty routines of Into The Gloss' lovely, accomplished, and loyal community of readers. Submit your own on Instagram—post your Top Shelfie (tag us @intothegloss!) and include the hashtag #ITGTopShelfie for a chance to be featured on ITG.
"Hi! Anita here, @papitaanita on Instagram. I'm originally from London but moved to New York three years ago, now I live in Brooklyn. I am the Director of New Business for Select World, a global beauty, fashion, and luxury agency. I get up every day and get to work at a place where all anyone can talk about is innovation in the beauty category and how we can best service our clients by providing them with smart thinking and engaging content. Our goal is to get the consumer to fall in love with product. That's my job!
My skincare routine starts at night by taking off my makeup with Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, which is great for sensitive skin. The rosewater in it really calms and balances. I massage the Foreo Luna Mini on my face for about five minutes–I came across this product about six months ago, and to say it has revolutionized my face care is an understatement. It gently pulsates while scrubbing my face and I can literally feel the dead skin coming off. After that I wash my face again with a yellow soap with lemon extracts—similar to black soap, but better—from Ghana that my mum introduced me to, which I have used for years. I can't live without it. After I dry my face I literally slather on my ultimate fave Révive Moisturizing Renewal Crème Supreme. It is pretty pricey, but I am obsessed with it and have even gotten a few of my friends to swear by it. The glycolic really works!
In the mornings, I pretty much get up and go. I wash my face and depending on the weather and I either use Olay Active Beauty Fluid Lotion, which I find to be really light yet extremely nourishing during summer months, or Darphin Hydraskin Light which is a heavier cream with a lovely light scent that works for me during the colder months. I think Olay Beauty Fluid doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Don’t sleep on it! It’s a cheaper alternative than all the super expensive creams, but personally I find it to be just as good for my skin. Three times a week I use m-61's Vitablast C Serum under my moisturizer. When I first started using it, I got so many compliments about my skin and how bright it looked. Literally live for that vit C burst.
My makeup in particular depends on how much time I have in the morning. If I have time, I'll go all out. I enjoy makeup and the application process. I don’t wear any foundation but I like the YSL Touche Éclat to cover up any blemishes. I also like to accentuate my eyes, so that’s always my starting base. My mascara addiction is pretty ridiculous and I use anywhere between two to three mascaras at a given time–they all do different things, I swear. Lancôme Cils Booster XL is my base and then I use CoverGirl LashBlast for volume followed by Revlon Super Length Mascara for, yep, length. Then I finish it all off with my ultimate Cargo Cosmetics Boundless Lashes Mascara which is length and volume combined. For my eyebrows I use Chanel Le Crayon Kôhl in 62 and keep it in place with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gelin Clear. My bronzer is my lifeline and I haven’t found anything better than the Body Shop’s Honey Bronze Brush on Beads. My blush is the London-based brand Stargazer's Blusher in 3, which I have an infinite crush on. My friends call me the Silver Surfer… highlighter, highlighter, everywhere. Current favorites are Colorpop’s Glo Up and Jane Iredale's Signature 24-Karat Gold Dust. My rule is that if they can’t see you coming, then you need to put more on. Kidding, but also not kidding.
My hair routine is straightforward—I wash it once a week with Millcreek Biotene 24-H Shampoo which is really good for a sensitive, flaky scalp like mine. I wash it, condition it with the Biotene 24-H Conditioner, and then I put a Shea Moisture Hair Mask in and leave it for an hour. Then—I know this sounds really weird, but I wrap it around in tinfoil so I can protect it and after about an hour I detangle it with my hands instead of brushing it through with a comb. Then I rinse it out and I wrap it in an Aquis Lisse Luxe Hair Towel. It absorbs all the moisture and it’s heat-free. That's really great for me.
I like to think of myself as an undercover holistic nutritionist and believe that it’s all about the inside to get really good skin. Over the summer I took part in a Hot Body Project, which is an online group coaching program. It was mainly about macro-counting alongside my regularly scheduled program of exercising, but my skin had never been better. I would say the best thing I’ve learned is expensive products are all well and good, but the best thing you could do for your skin is to eat clean and drink a ton of water. Not revolutionary, but your skin will thank you."
—as told to ITG
