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.
"Hey guys! I'm Alexa Sandidge—@alexamsandidge on Instagram. I live in Boise, Idaho, and I currently work for a company called WEGAI that does structural and seismic engineering, which means I'm usually running earthquake simulations and doing checks to make sure structures aren't going to fall apart in an earthquake. Once I'd accepted my fate as an engineer, it really seeped into every part of my life, including how I dress, how I do my hair, and what products I use. I like to know everything about something before I get into it. I remember when I first heard about Korean beauty here on Into The Gloss and after that I went into crazy research mode to learn all about it. Something so deeply rooted in their culture and history, it really is fascinating. Once you find something that interests you, why wouldn’t you want to know as much as you can about it?
When I'm feeling lazy and not rushed for time, I'll go all out on skincare and start with the Mizon No. 1 King’s Berry Cleansing Oil. As much as it can be a pain, I've found that oil cleansing is really important. It helps get rid of sunscreen and any makeup that I might have been wearing, and it's good before I go in with CosRx Low-Ph Good Morning Cleanser. Every other day I throw in an exfoliant, like Herbivore's Blue Tansy Mask. In the morning, I'll also put on Image Skincare's Daily Matte Moisturizer with SPF 32. It's the un-sunscreen sunscreen, I swear.
That's the base routine—everything after that is really just to add in as extras for if my skin is breaking out or feeling extra dry. I use different sheet masks for different situations. My go-to sheet mask is the Mizon Enjoy Vital-Up Time Nourishing Mask... It just makes my skin calm down. But if I want something more hydrating then that I do the Cremorlab Hydro Plus Aqua Tank Water-Full Mask, which is the best hydrogel mask because it doesn’t leave behind any weird residue—only moisturizing goodness. If I feel like I have some acne coming on I use the Sunday Riley Luna Oil. And I am almost always trying to get rid of bad acne scarring from when I was younger so I use some Aromatica Neroli Brightening Oil for that. My finishing product is Belif's The True Cream Aqua Bomb, which is a great summer product since it's a lightweight gel formula. I rarely wear much makeup on top, but when I do, it's usually just Glossier's Skin Tint and Stretch Concealer in Light, with some Boy Brow in Brown or Blond. I used to wear mascara every day but I ditched that effort since there always seems to be fallout. I would love it if someone made a lash stain. A natural long-lasting color that would just enhance your natural lashes a bit.
My hair has always been really important to me. If it's gross, then I feel gross. If it looks bomb, then I can conquer anything. I want to try a ton of different things, but right now, I'm going with an easy all-one-length cut that requires no maintenance. I have thin hair but a lot of it, so finding products that don’t weight it down seems way more difficult than any math problem I've ever had at work. The closest thing to perfection that I've found is Davines. Right now I use the Nounou Shampoo and Conditioner, with the Love Conditioner on my ends if they're dry. After I wash my hair, I put Ojon Rare Blend Oil on the ends, which is the greatest fix of all. But overall, my biggest hair tip is that I don't brush it. I have a natural wave that I'm trying to hold on to, so I take advantage of that."
–as told to ITG
Meet the commenters: Discover the beauty routines of Duff, EmmaHager, and more in the #ITGTopShelfie.
