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 Lily Esposito [@lilphil] and I’m 24 years old. I’m from Missouri but I just started law school in New York. I’m only a couple of weeks in, but I actually look forward to doing my homework. My favorite thing about being a student again is that it means I can wear t-shirts during the week. I really like that comfortable-but-put-together vibe—I aspire to be that mom who has all of those great sweatshirts and perfectly worn-out jeans. Natasha Richardson from The Parent Trap comes to mind.
My beauty philosophy is this—if it looks pretty, it'll make you feel pretty. When a product is well-designed, I like to think that means it has smart people behind it, and if it has smart people backing it, it means it’s a smart product! I don't have many routines or practices I stick to, except always having a glass of water and chapstick by my bed. I do have a hair routine, though. When I shower in the morning, I'll use Living Proof No Frizz for Shampoo and Conditioner... That stuff is my jam for the summer. After the shower I spray a little Jo Malone Grapefruit or Wood Sage and Sea Salt on and then I put It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In on when my hair has dried a little. It tames my frizz and smells like a garden. If I remember, I’ll put some Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Styling Treatment in before I leave for the day.
If my face is feeling gross, I'll wash it with Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser in the shower. I combine a little bit of Erborian Yuza Sorbet Featherweight Emulsion with some Origins SPF 25 Age-Defense Moisturizer with White Tea for my day moisturizer. My eye cream is a combination of Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate with Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm. I love mixing products together because it feels more personal... It also means your products last longer. My favorite thing I own, though, is the Erborian Bamboo Waterlock Mask. It's so refreshing on my skin and smells amazing. Can you tell that I like things that smell good?
I use YSL All-In-One BB Cream as my base, mainly because it smells good, stays on all day, and doesn’t leave my face greasy. I have really bad dark circles under my eyes, and I still haven’t found the perfect fix, but for right now, I’m doing a combination of YSL's Touche Éclat and YSL Touche Éclat Bisque Neutralizer. I’ve been using the same Nars Multiple for, like, over five years. I have it in Portofino, which works well for my fair skin. Then it's Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder to finish the job. If I’m feeling extra fancy or if I'm going out, I'll add Boy Brow and a bold lip. I find doing my makeup for nighttime to be really therapeutic, even meditative. I think caring about beauty products can be perceived as silly, and in a way it is, but taking time out of your day to focus on yourself, however you use that time, is valuable. I love feeling that my only responsibility is myself, so when I’m getting ready, I really try to milk that time as much as possible."
—as told to ITG
Fellow post-grad Grace Overell-Heywood shares how one Clarisonic changed her skincare game, lawyer Alexandra Pakzad recommends the concealer that feels just like skin, and writer Claudia McNeilly opts for rosehip oil over Creme de la Mer in the #ITGTopShelfie.
