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 Elisabeth Lovell [@myarrow] and I'm the head buyer, colorist, and creative director for Whiteroom, a store and salon in Brooklyn that I started with my husband. I've been doing hair since I was 16, and I've worked in a lot of different places. But where I wanted to work was a beautiful space with great talent, the best products, and an amazing client experience, beginning to end. That place didn't exist yet, so we started our own.
Whiteroom started as a salon, but also became a beauty store because we saw a need for that. I hate department stores that are overfilled with things, with no way of knowing if what you're buying is any good. I like an edited number of things—my own routine is really simple. When caring for my skin, I always double cleanse my face with an oil cleanser, and then a cream cleanser. Oille's Face Wash gets all the grime from the day off without drying my skin, followed by Grown Alchemist's Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser for when my skin is stressed from cold weather or too much sun. That's a great brand... Their Age-Repair Hand Cream is another favorite. It's non-greasy, smells like sage, and filled with fatty acids to keep my hands looking young.
I want everything I use on my face to be hydrating. I tone and finish with an oil serum... and Vintner’s Daughter is everything. I get so many compliments on my complexion since starting to use it, and the best part is that it really is all I need to use for moisturizing because the ingredients are so powerful and concentrated. I also love a good facial mask. In winter I use Earth Tu Face's Honey and Coconut Mask once a week, and in summer I'll go with something more clarifying with clay or sulphur. Grown Alchemist's Deep Cleansing Facial Masque with Wheatgerm is awesome.
A lot of makeup is not a good look on me, but I do love a bright lip. Red-orange works, or hot pink, if I'm feeling particularly crazy. I love Make's lipsticks especially because they're matte, but not drying. I'm also in love with their Face Gloss which is a great alternative to Vaseline for giving eyes and cheeks that dewy look. And, of course, eyebrows. Glossier Boy Brow is my only everyday beauty product because I always have to have my brows filled. I'm so tempted to try eyebrow tattoos, but don’t think I have the guts to. My face looks better when my brows are colored in—I’d love to never have to worry about them. I’m just scared something will go wrong! I don’t think it’s in the cards anytime soon.
Day to day, my hair is pretty much always the same. I like it to be messy and wavy, so I use mousse and David Mallett Salt Spray, then diffuse to give it a little more volume. A good dry shampoo helps keep my bangs from getting greasy, because if my bangs are greasy, my day is ruined. David Mallett Volume Powder is great, and R+Co Death Valley is also amazing. I'm also a big believer in pre-shampoo treatments, and I think Leonor Greyl makes a great one. It really makes my shampoo feel more effective. When I wash it I use Christophe Robin's Cleansing Mask with Lemon. It's the perfect non-foaming shampoo, and it cleans and conditions without soap. When I go out, I'll do my hair. I am lucky enough to be married to a hairdresser so I'll have him curl my hair and give me a '20s-inspired wave with a deep side part.
We actually got married pretty recently. For the ceremony, my biggest fear was looking too bridal. I really didn’t want to look like an over-done bride or get caught up in too many wedding trends—no flower crowns. I did my own makeup, save for the lipstick I got very last minute at the Kevyn Aucoin counter at Bloomingdale's. My best friend who married us worked for years at Bumble and bumble, so she did my hair. We got married in rural Massachusetts and I wanted my dress to feel special but not too dressy or glamorous for an intimate barn wedding. I really liked the top of one dress and the bottom of another, both designed by Leanne Marshal, and she agreed to custom make the dress from the two separate pieces, which I highly recommend. I was pretty laid back about the whole day. We were just so comfortable, and we had the best time."
—as told to ITG
Megan Parry takes scent cues from Liv Tyler, Margaret Park suggests masking in the morning, Esther Lee Leach shares her nightly retinol with her husband in the #ITGTopShelfie.
