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 Mae [@maebergan] and I live in Brooklyn. I've been working at designer furniture house called DesignProps for the past 10 months—before this, I worked in marketing. But I had a kind of quarter life crisis last year—it's real, I swear—when I realized I wasn't doing what I wanted to do, so I ended up networking with a lot of people and finally found a new job that I'm really passionate about. In my daily life, I work on architecure and design, as well as construction, project management, and client management. It's been a dream come true.
Switching up my career after five years was risky, but I consider myself a fairly risk-averse person otherwise. My style is really minimal and monochromatic, and I tend to stick to the same beauty products, too. I know what looks and works for me—heavy brows, solid eyelashes, and a bit of lip tint. Why mess with a good thing? I love Sunday Riley's Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer in Light on my face along with some quick, cheap, Maybelline blush. It's a good natural glow. On my lips, I'll apply Glossier Generation G Lipstick in either Like or Crush, with a heavy layer of Carmex.
My thoughts on my eyebrows are, when you love something about yourself and are confident about it, go with it. I'm weirdly proud of my eyebrows! I also love how a heavy brow really defines your features, and doesn’t make you feel or look so made up. I start off with Glossier Boy Brow, and then usually add some Maybelline Falsies Volum' Express in Blackest Black for darkness. I brush them upwards, and spray some hairspray on a Q-tip to keep them in place. I'll also use the Maybelline mascara on my lashes. I've tried every. Single. Mascara. This is the best one. It looks just as good at 9pm as it did at 7am.
I wash my face with a Dove White Beauty Bar. It doesn't make me break out and it gets my makeup off at night—and my grandma only ever used it, so. I follow that with Sunday Riley Good Genes in combination with Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil. The Artemis oil is so good—it just smooths and clears everything up. I'll mix those two with the tinted primer sometimes, too. It gives me a glow like no other. My other favorite thing to use is Neosporin, which is my cure-all. I use it on blemishes, chapped skin, chapped lips, cuticles, and anything else.
My perfume of choice is Maison Louis Marie No. 04 Bois de Balincourt Perfume Oil. It's musty and sexy but clean at the same time. My fiancé and I were staying in South Beach, Miami at the 1 Hotel and the rooms smelled unbelieveable. A few weeks later I was at Mociun and I smelled this, and I died, because it smelled just like the hotel! I bought the oil and matching candle. I can’t get enough. I prefer oils because I feel like they stay on and keep the scent longer, as opposed to perfume spray. Also, you use less!
I'm getting married this year, and I know I want to look like my everyday self, just elevated a little. Strong brows, obviously, great lashes, and a nice dewy glow. I played around with the idea of a red lip but I want to kiss my fiancé a lot that day. My hair is still up in the air, but I'm growing it out now. I've had a bob my whole life, and my haircare is very minimal currently. I wash, blow dry, add some Arrojo Refinish Dry Shampoo for texture, twirl it around on my fingers a bit, and I’m off. I never want to look done. Just nice, and clean, and fresh."
—as told to ITG
More reader recs: photographer Kat Borchat steals her boyfriend's shampoo, producer Esther Lee Leach perfects the makeout-proof lipstick routine, and writer Hannah Johnson goes all out on her eye makeup in the #ITGTopShelfie.
