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 Bo Ren (@bosefina) and I'm a product manager at Tumblr. Basically, I act as a conductor between engineers and designers, activating ideas and helping my team launch cool, new digital features. I moved to New York from San Francisco recently to pursue my passion in content, media, and tech—expressivity and creativity matter a lot to me. Working in a fast pace tech industry, simplicity and efficiency are guiding principles in my work. It's always evolving.
The same is true with my beauty routine. Since I was 13, I've basically tried every single mattifying lotion in Sephora, and like a true techie, I like to A/B test my face. Sometimes I wish I had two faces to test products—one control and one experiment. Day to day I follow a strict Korean skincare routine mixed with clinical strength products. In the morning, I double wash my face with Laneige Brightening Cleansing Oil using a rose quartz massager before double cleansing with the pH-balanced Kicho Natural Mineral Foaming Cleanser. My serum is Skinceuticals C E Ferulic for brightening. I am very much an Asian mom about sun protection and always put on the Rodial SPF 30 X-Treme Dark Spot Sun Filter before my Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion. For anti-aging and hyperpigmentation, I use Sunday Riley Good Genes at night followed by the Mun Aknari Brightening Youth Serum.
After a trip to Seoul's Myeong-dong district last year, my old roommate Katie and I bought almost every sheet mask under the sun. We seriously tested them for over a year, studying the effects on each other's skin, and both of us decided that Tonymoly's Pureness 100 Snail Mask was the best. It was so much better than the more expensive hydrogel masks for brightening, hydrating, and soothing acne inflammation. When I'm writing, I like to put on that mask, listen to to a good calming sound track—like Frank Ocean's Blonde—and burn a scented candle. My favorite is Le Labo Santal 26.
I'm obsessed with aromatherapy and scents. I remember reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez in high school. Márquez used scent as a motif to mark the passage of time. Scents recall stages of my life. I fell in love with Le Labo Rose 31 because my first manager at my startup job wore it... She passed away from breast cancer two years ago so I bought a bottle to commemorate her. I love light floral scents. I wear the Jo Malone Red Roses Cologne on a casual weekend. Diptyque Philosykos was my first big girl scent, and it just makes me feel confident. My favorite summer scent, though, is Diptyque Olène. It reminds me of childhood summers in Xi'an, China and the scent of my grandma's jasmine.
I used to work at Facebook, and during a product launch week, I skipped makeup so that I could save time in the morning and get to work earlier. Nobody noticed! And after a week, my skin looked better. Now I try to wear as little makeup as possible. Some days I just go out with SPF and Glossier Stretch Concealer. I cannot leave the house without doing my brows using the Glossier Boy Brow. Nothing is more confident than a pair of thick and well-groomed Brooke Shields brows. If I wear more makeup, I'll use the RMS Illusive Lip2cheek color for my cheeks and lips. Lately, I've also been loving the Milk Lip Pigments which double as blush and lip colors—my favorite colors are Swear By and That Red Tho.
Beauty, to me, starts from within, embracing your differences. I love this Iris Apfel quote, where she says, 'I never felt pretty, I don’t feel pretty now... I’m not a pretty person. When you’re somebody like myself, in order to get around and be attractive, you have to develop something, you have to learn something, and have to do something, so you become a bit more interesting. And when you get older, you get by on that.' As a nerd and late bloomer growing up, I never felt pretty. I don't focus on being pretty. Pretty is overrated and boring. I like to be quirky, witty, and different—uniquely me."
—as told to ITG
