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.
"My name is Olfa Barson (@olfa_barson). I’m from Paris, France, originally. One of my fondest beauty memories was when my mom would take me to the Sephora on Champs-Elysees (it’s the nicest one in Paris !) and buy me Chanel nail polishes as little gifts. We weren’t allowed to wear makeup at school, so nail polish was the only thing I could experiment with back then. I recently moved to Seattle, Washington two years with my husband, and now I’m a retail manager for a fashion company.
My job is pretty stressful at times so my favorite thing in the world is a glass of Bordeaux, a warm bath, and a candle. My favorite bath at the moment is Herbivore’s Coconut soak. It smells like vacation.
I work long hours, so my beauty routine is pretty quick and straightfoward. I’ve never had perfect skin, but I had to deal with crazy hormonal breakouts when I switched pills two years ago and I made it my focus to improve my skin. I probably spend 80% of my money on skincare and 20% on makeup—it makes so much more sense. I use the Lotion P50 from Biologique Recherche, and it’s my all time favorite product in the world. If you haven’t tried, go for it. I promise it will change your life. For serum, I use Glossier Super Pure. It keeps my skin clear and it doesn’t sting or irritate my skin. I was raised on French pharmacy products—sometimes I use an eye cream from Nuxe, and for moisturizer I use Avène Tolerance Extreme Emulsion.
Two times a week, I exfoliate with Yoshimomo Botanique Alpha Beta Cleanser. It’s kind of like sand but it foams when you add water and makes your skin super baby soft, and I'll follow up with a Cattier Menthe Clay Maskto get rid of all the impurities. If I'm taking off makeup, I'll first use an oil cleanser like Shu Uemura's. Then I use my Clarisonic with the Grown Alchemist Gel Cleanser, which is super gentle and never leaves my skin dry.
The first thing I do for makeup is blush. I put Benefit Benetint on before any foundation—it looks much more natural that way. Then I use the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in the shades Dark and Deep mixed together and the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat in 4.5 on my undereye area to brighten. If I’m going out I will use the Nars Sheer Glow in Syracuse for a little bit more coverage. After I’m done with my base I spritz my face with Herbivore’s Coconut Hibiscus Mist to add a little glow. I love highlighters. During the day I use the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, and at night I use the Dior Nude Glow 001 for a more dramatic look.
I used to wear my hair straight all the time but it rains so much in Seattle that it ends up being a mess after one day…now I embrace my natural hair and I get so many more compliments. I wash my hair with Klorane Dattier du Desert Shampoo and Conditioner and then I put the Devacurl Ultra Defining Gel on my wet curls and let that air dry. That's really it. For fragrance I love Byredo’s Bal d’Afrique, and Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc and Jasmin Rouge. Jasmin Rouge is my husband’s all-time favorite so I only wear it on date night to make it even more special. I'm definitely very classic and I stick to my routines. Although since I've moved here, if there's a trend I like, I'll usually try it. American girls are much more adventurous than French girls, I've realized."
—as told to ITG
