The #ITGTopShelfie series puts the focus on the lives and beauty routines of Into The Gloss's lovely, accomplished, and loyal community of readers. Show us your own Top Shelfie on Instagram—tag us @intothegloss, and include the hashtag #ITGTopShelfie.
'I’m Dana Schwartz [@danalaurenschwartz] and I live in New York, originally from Toronto, Canada. I'm the Senior Fashion Director at Wetherly Group, where I work on publicity for brands like Brother Vellies and Zadig & Voltaire, but I’ve been into beauty for as long as I can remember. When I was very young—we’re talking 4 or 5—my mum would give me the perfume samples from magazine tear outs and I would save them in a special box like they were treasures. I would sit on the bathroom floor and watch her take her face off. It was so glamorous to me. It takes me like 40 minutes to get ready for bed now and that is probably why. Good skin is like the new it-bag.
My beauty philosophy is gentle but consistent. In the morning I clean my face with Erno Lazlo Phelityl Cleansing Gel or Cetaphil or Philosophy Purity Made Simple. I’ve used Cetaphil and Philosophy Purity for eons. All of these cleansers are just really nice and simple, which to me is ideal. So many products are so 'active' that I just like a simple step, plus it’s on your skin for like 20 seconds. If I’m broken out I’ll use Spectro Jel Cleanser For Blemish-Prone Skin. It’s from Canada and you can find it on Amazon and eBay. In the winter when it’s really dry, I’ll sometimes just splash warm water on my face in the morning so I don’t wash off whatever cream I just slept in.
I usually wash my face right when I wake up because I need to let everything soak in which makes this a lengthy process. I get up much earlier than I need to and will sit in my robe and marinate while drinking coffee before I actually make any noticeable progress that an outsider can see. I start with Joanna Vargas Daily Serum. It’s really light and a good base for anything. It’s supposed to be like green juice for your skin which is good because I don’t drink green juice and I should. On top is sunscreen and I switch between Erno Lazlo Firmarine Moisturizer with SPF 30, Amore Pacific Future Response Age Defense Creme With SPF 30, and Ole Henriksen's Protect The Truth Vitamin C SPF 50 Sunscreen. If I’m going to be outside I also dust on Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45.
The oils I like to mix are Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil, Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil, and Fresh Elixir Ancien. The Sunday Riley oil is amazing and I can see that my skin is firmer and more awake when I use it. Anything that makes my skin look more rested is wonderful. The Ole Henriksen oil is neon orange and you absolutely need to let it sink in. But once you do, you’ll notice how plump everything is. The Fresh Elixir Ancien is just dreamy and lovely and it’s blended in a monastery in the Czech Republic, so it must be somewhat godly. Actually, my best beauty tip is to use up old face products—the ones we spent a fortune on and stop using after one week—on the tops of your hands at night.
Twice a week I'll do a face mask. I like the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask which is a peel off. It hurts a little when you take it off and my eyes always water but you can see everything is pulled off which is wonderfully satisfying. If my skin is oily or broken out I use Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque which is like $2.99 and by far the most rational beauty product I own. I never totally got into sheet masks but the closest thing I have are these Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Skin Vitality Treatment Masks. You mix this powder together with this liquid and it forms a sort of rubber paste that you need to apply quickly. It’s the most soothing mask I’ve ever tried. It’s a splurge or I would use it all the time. I love Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack, which is just like nutrition for your skin. I also like exfoliating masks and I have a lot but one of my favorites is Caudalie Glycolic Peel—it’s effective but gentle. I also do weekly body scrubs, and the best is Bliss' Hot Salt Scrub.
I’ve never found a foundation I like. The only product I think looks halfway decent on me is Bare Minerals Original Foundation loose powder and I mix this with No7 Perfect Light Loose Powder to make it even more lightweight. I buy all of my brushes from Sonia Kashuk’s line at Target. I love blush and my favorite is Dior Rosy Glow Healthy Glow Awakening Blush. It’s supposed to bring out that flushed, healthy look. I finish my makeup with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder which is the next best thing to walking around holding a candelabra.
I’m big on eyeliner and I mix them. I use the Sonia Kashuk Eyeliner Palette in Lay It On The Line 11, which comes with six colors. I ignore three of them and mix the navy, brown, and black together on an angled eye brush. The blue is supposed to make the whites of your eyes look brighter and then I like the brown and black mix because it creates a softer black liner look. After I apply Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Mousse and Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Instant Thickening & Strengthening Serum. Both of these really condition and thicken, while at the same time don’t weigh my hair down, which is like the holy grail for fine hair. One of my favorite tips is to use dry shampoo at night before bed. I only wash my hair every other night, so this is great for me. I find it works best on cleanish hair where it can be oil and grease-preventative. I like Klorane and Psssst.
I grew up in the contemporary art world and because of that art has always been something that’s close to me. I love portraits and reference them a lot for beauty inspiration. Nan Goldin, Diane Arbus, Francesca Woodman, Cindy Sherman. And anything with great light! Lighting is a great beauty reference. I love artists that play with it, like James Turrell...His spaces are usually bathed in a rainbow of colors that I would like to see in an eyeshadow compact.”
—as told to ITG
Meet the digital manager who commits to one makeup-free day a week and the beauty executive who swears by facial pads—or read more #ITGTopShelfies.
