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.
'My name is Lucy Bidwell [@lucywbidwell]. I used to work for an indie documentary production company in TV development—we were coming up with ideas for TV shows and selling them to networks—which was an amazing experience, but it made me realize that I need to not shy away from being a creative, which can be really scary. Now, I freelance in film and video and also just launched a website called ‘ The Perfect T' with my partner Gaby Rosales which aggregates our personal favorite t-shirts based on criteria like durability, shape, price, etc. What I do totally influences the way I think about beauty. On a set, you’re working 12-hour days, and by the end of it my face is a big oily mess. If I wear anything, it needs to stay put so that I don’t end up looking like a clown, which is why I like to use stains instead of blush, and I dye my lashes instead of using mascara...
I started loving makeup from an early age—since I was five. I grew up in a house with all boys, so in a way it was my way of distinguishing that I was a girl. I never really wore it, though—I would just hoard those pink glittery kits under my bathroom sink like treasure. I’m really sensitive to things looking like makeup…I like to look as natural as possible. I’m all about Lauren Hutton. She has this strong natural beauty that is so effortless. I love that she hasn’t fought off aging, either. Wrinkles can be so sexy on women. They tell stories and show that you’re comfortable in your own skin. When a woman tries to cover them up and hide them with fillers, it’s a transparent indication of insecurity and reminds me of that scene in Brazil by Terry Gilliam where the mother gets a creepy facelift.
Right now I live between LA and New York. In LA, my skin is terrible and really breakout prone, so my products were always really aggressive to combat acne. Ironically, despite New York setting the tone for an unhealthier way of life, my skin has done a total 180. I swear it has to do with the water quality here. I now use a lot more oils and serums. I love La Prairie Skin Caviar Concealer Foundation because it looks natural on my skin, and it’s actually a skincare product rather than just makeup. My skin looks more radiant when I use it and if I fall asleep with it on I don't break out the next day. Their Cellular Treatment Foundation Powder makes everything look flawless and matte…useful when you’re like me and your oil glands light you up like a disco ball. And not bad for your skin! Sisley’s Phyto-Touche Bronzing Gel Powder is the be-all end-all of bronzers. Totally natural looking, not cakey, and the color is this perfect bronze that isn’t orangey. Splurge, but worth it.
For eyes, the Chantecaille Nano Gold Energizing Eye Cream is really nourishing. The skin around the eyes is really delicate and ages more quickly than other parts of the face, and I think this product really delivers. I'm all about eyebrows and I love Glossier's Boy Brow in Blond—it makes brows fuller and more even, and grooms them. Then I use a separate wand to go over and even out the pigment. When I’m looking paler in the winter and need more color on my face, I wear Kevyn Aucoin Loose Shimmer Shadow in Rose Quartz on my eye lids and it really helps make my eyes pop. And you don’t have to deal with brushes! Then, for my lips, Lipstick Queen Lip Liner in Nude is the best—I have like five of them scattered in different purses at all times. It stays for hours, it’s the perfect '90s supermodel brownish-pinkish pigment. It makes your lips stand out without making it look like you’re wearing lipstick. I just use this with some Carmex Chapstick and go.
My mother always said, 'Don’t gild the lily'—meaning, don’t over-do it on something that’s already beautiful—and then my grandmother would advise that once you go out for the evening, you shouldn’t look in the mirror again...although, sometimes, that has backfired. What I think she meant was that you shouldn’t worry or rely on how your face looks—people are paying attention to what you have to say and how you act, not if you need to re-apply lipstick. Then my own beauty two cents: surround yourself with people you love and who make you feel good. Beauty, in a lot of ways, is a reflection of our own happiness.”
—as told to ITG
More girls who film: Allyson Lupovich takes beauty advice from Bobbi Brown and Libby Gray worships at the altar of Olay in the #ITGTopShelfie.
