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 Marit (@mheret). I’m from Norway, and I’m currently living in Philadelphia. I have a bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from BI Norwegian Business School and I work at a translation company as a marketing assistant. I think of marketing as constant development, so in terms of beauty, I am constantly trying to better myself inside and out.
Growing up, my mom never used any beauty products other than mascara and a basic drugstore moisturizer—and she annoyingly enough has the best skin ever at 47. I pray I’ve inherited those genes. But I had to learn everything myself from scratch. I started when I was about 12, because that was when I started getting consistent acne. My personal beauty philosophy is to be naturally beautiful and healthy enough to be able to wear as little makeup as possible in my daily life. I do, of course, love playing with makeup—I just don’t want to be dependent on it to feel good about myself.
I have sensitive skin prone to breakouts, and I’ve spent most of my beauty ‘career’ trying to find affordable products that really work. It’s easy to waste a lot of money and time on expensive things that don’t necessarily do their job any better than the more affordable things. I have a hard time trusting facialists for this reason. That said, I really trust the people at Rescue Spa! Since I have been using Biologique Recherche products—which I’ll never be able to pronounce—honestly, my skin has never been better. Although they are on the expensive side, I have found that I save money using them. They last a long time. Especially given that I’m no longer changing my routine every time I get a pimple.
I usually start my morning with a splash of cold water, and will use whatever toner I’m trying to use up before I can get back to P50. Right now that is the Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence Rose Edition. I follow with Biologique Recherche Complexe Iribiol. It's for oily skin, so I just use it on my T-zone. Then I use the Extraits Tissulaires Serum on my whole face. I let that sink in, then I use the Biologique Recherche Creme Dermopurifiante, followed by a little of The Ordinary's Rosehip Oil on my cheeks and on scars—but nowhere in my T-zone as oils seem to clog my pores easily. I usually have a cup of tea with apple cider vinegar while I let the oil sink in. I finish my skincare with Earth's Recipe Waterful Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA+++.
For makeup, I curl my lashes, add Maybelline Eyebrow Gel, and maybe put on some Laura Mercier Translucent Powder in my T-zone. I will say the best powder I have tried is the Algenist Color Correcting Finishing Powder. I use this all over my face and it helps keep me matte and even. I just ran out, sadly. Depending on how my skin is feeling that day I might add Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer in Crème Brûlée, Erborian BB Crème au Ginseng in Clair, and Physicians Formula Bronzer and any rose/peach colored blush. I love lipsticks and lip products—they’re my thing! Especially tinted lip balms, because they’re the only thing I find I'm able to touch up with throughout the day. Other than that, I take the Kora Organics Food Supplement every. Single. Day. I love it, it makes my skin, hair, and energy top-quality.
At night, I cleanse with the Biologique Recherche Lait U. I put it on dry skin and massage, then add a little water to my fingers and massage some more before I rinse off. If I’m wearing a lot of makeup I double cleanse or go over [my face] with a cotton pad with micellar water to make sure everything is off. After that I use the Biologique Recherche P50 1970, the same procedure with the serums and moisturizer as in the morning, and make sure I let it all sink in before I go to bed so my pillow doesn’t steal my products. I use Masque Vivant twice a week after the P50 and before serums and moisturizer.
I have been blessed with a lot of thick hair—even though that means on the rest of my body, too—so I will use almost any regular drugstore shampoo. Then I let my hair air-dry. I'll usually add a little argan oil or the Biosilk Silk Therapy to my hair at night before I sleep with it in a bun, which gives me waves in the morning. If you have thick hair like mine and feel like your hair is heavy and flat when you air-dry it, you can take a top section of your hair into a bun while the bottom layer dries, occasionally scrunching it up a little to create some volume. I then do the same with my top layer. Easy, and it really makes a difference."
—as told to ITG
