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! My name is Camai (@cmk.b) and I live in Los Angeles. I work at The Beverly Hills Hotel as the Group Sales Coordinator for the hotel and our sister property Hotel Bel-Air—that means I'm responsible for the pre-operational tasks for groups that stay with us. But my leisure time is very important to me—I take it very seriously. When I'm not working, I'm either reading or working out. I do yoga, lift weights, and run weekly. I'm frequently at one of the many Korean spas LA has to offer. Most are inexpensive and you can hang out literally all day. I'm addicted to the full-body scrub downs.
I work for two very classic places, so that's kind of the way I approach my personal beauty. I like being able to go bare face with mascara for most of the work week. I wear L'Oréal Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen every day, that's the best. I'm usually rotating between three or four moisturizers, but my favorite right now is Peter Thomas Roth Camu-Camu Moisturizer—it's got vitamin C and makes my skin look luminous. Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin Serum is also great to layer for the same reason.
Every Sunday evening, I take a long bath and do a mask. Right now I love Origins' Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask or Glamglow's Youthmud. Both are amazing for deep pore cleansing, and the Glamglow mask doubles as an exfoliant. If I use Orgins, I follow up with a Yes to Grapefruit Pore Perfection Brightening Peel—it just keeps my complexion even, and it smells like a freshly-peeled grapefruit, which doesn't hurt.
For my makeup overall, I just like to look like myself. I also like to support brands that market to women of darker complexions—the importance of that should go without saying. My favorite foundation is Diorskin Star Fluid Foundation in shade 60—it's the perfect match for my skin tone. For mascara, I use Dior Addict It-Lash for my top lashes and Kevyn Aucoin The Volume for my bottom lashes. It sounds high maintenance, but both brushes work best separately. And I can justify them because they cost way less than eyelash extensions, but they look pretty close. My favorite lip products are Nars Dragon Girl and Train Bleu. They're both highly pigmented, easy to apply, and look great without a liner. I'm very particular about lipsticks, and I don't like overbuying!
My sisters are some of my biggest beauty inspirations, especially when it comes to hair. They helped me transition from relaxed hair to my natural texture by introducing me to Shea Moisture—it's some of the best haircare. I love the Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Shampoo and Intensive Hydration Masque, they're both very nourishing and smell delicious. Their Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie mixed with a little bit of Chi Silk Infusion is my favorite product combo for a twist-out. Depending on how much you use, you can get really defined twists or looser waves. When my sisters and I lived together, our bathroom cabinet looked like the CVS Natural Hair aisle. It's something I'm really grateful we bonded over.
This isn't a hair product, but one of my favorite things ever is Shea Moisture's African Black Soap. It's clarifying, but really moisturizing—I use it on my face and on my body. And I dry brush nightly. I'll do about 10-15 strokes per area on my body, brushing towards my heart. It's great for exfoliating and circulation. That plus Clarins Body Lift Cellulite Control has been really effective for keeping my skin smooth. Honestly, I'll try most things. I really want to get into microneedling, those little handheld rolling devices, because they're supposed to help your skin absorb product. Basically I like to explore it all."
—as told to ITG
Receptionist Emily Dando gets the best bronzer from CVS, investor Kimmy Scotti gets a pink marble vanity from Mae West, and digital supervisor Jen O'Neill gets her skincare habits from her Chinese mother in the #ITGTopShelfie.
