The Teaching Assistant Who Hoards Lipstick

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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! I’m Lubna (@lubnaumar). I'm a postgraduate student, teaching assistant, and part-time beauty blogger—I'm as passionate about makeup as I am about literature. I'm also a huge Murakami fan and Ontario native, and my biggest weakness is donuts.

I have a long list of favorite products, because I'm such a junkie about it. Like, I hoard lipstick. For me, it's all about the nudes—peachy nudes, rosy-brown nudes, beige nudes, everything. My favorite one is MAC Taupe, this lovely warm brown which translates as a rusty rose color on my lips. Another great one is the Bite Beauty Multistick in Brioche, which is a little pinker. It has a powder-based formula that makes it lightweight but gives a satin finish. If I want to make more of a statement, I wear my favorite red lipstick, MAC Mangrove [ed note: discontinued]. This is your ultimate summer red. It's got strong orange undertones—looks great with a tan.

My coverage is Nars All Day Luminous Foundation in Barcelona and set with Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder. I don't always do eyeshadow, but if I do, it's MAC Saddle. I always do a wing—I feel naked without it. The best eyeliner I've tried is the NYX Matte Liquid Liner in Black, which is really affordable, matte, and smudge-proof. I top that off with L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black.

Blush, too, I can never have enough. Becca’s Amaretto from the Jaclyn Hill Face Palette is my go to for a kind of cinnamon shade. I think of those as sculpting blushes because they're like applying contour and blush together. Another great one is NARS Unlawful. This is a warm pink blush with microfine silver shimmer that just makes me look healthy and flushed.

I have PCOS which means my hair can get thin and brittle. As a result I don’t use heat on it, and whenever I get it colored, I always ask for Olaplex. Otherwise I use L'Oréal’s Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner. Once a week, I’ll deep condition with olive oil. After I shower, I apply John Freida’s Frizz Ease Serum to protect the ends.

My skincare is pretty straightforward. I take my makeup off with Bioderma Sensibio H2O. It is my holy grail makeup remover. It never stings my eyes—it's just like water. Then I wash my face with the Dove Beauty Bar. Sunscreen is a must for me, and I always use the Neutrogena Moisture SPF 30 Sunscreen and the Avène Hydrance Light Cream in the morning. The best night cream is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. For lip balm, I use the classic Rosebud Salve.

My most recent discovery is the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. It's like laser in a tub—it's got pumpkin enzymes and AHAs which chemically exfoliate. It's pretty intimidating at first, because it feels like your skin is burning when you first apply it. I use it twice a week and within a few weeks I noticed that my stubborn acne marks were fading, and my skin was baby soft. I recommend this to everyone. It’s a terrific skincare investment and it smells like pumpkin pie. What more do you need?"

—as told to ITG