The Photographer Who Endorses Keratin Treatments

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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.

"Hello! My name is Shelby Rodriguez (@shelbyrodriguez_). I’m originally from Michigan, but I live in New Jersey. I’m a full-time creative manager for the online publication shefinds.com, and I also shoot street style and backstage beauty coverage in addition to my freelance photo work. My work actually exposes me to more diverse beauty standards than before I worked in the industry. Unexpectedly, it's has led me to have more realistic expectations of beauty for myself.

Beauty is beyond vanity to me. It's more about enjoying the process and how it makes you feel. I think that taking a few minutes every day to indulge and relax is much more rewarding than the end result of how I look. In the past I've taken hot yoga classes, and now I take ballet classes at Broadway Dance Center—it's therapeutic mentally and physically. I also try to take a bubble bath at least once a week, ideally with Diptyque Feu de Bois and Susanne Kaufmann Witch Hazel Bath. The Susanne Kaufmann has a very calming scent of chamomile and sage, and the witch hazel soothes my skin.

I love Susanne Kaufmann's Enzyme Peel and Healing Earth Mask. Both products feel so refreshing, and used together, they make my skin feel refreshed, unbelievably soft, and poreless. To cleanse, I use Glossier Milky Jelly morning and night, which is really effective at removing makeup. If I'm breaking out, I'll use CeraVe Foaming Cleanser with a Clarisonic Mia FIT every other day. After that, I wipe my face, neck, and chest with Dickinson's Witch Hazel on a cotton pad. It completely removes anything remaining on my skin without irritation. I've been using SK-II Facial Essence religiously morning and night for a few months and it's changed my skin for the better. I know, it looks like water, but my pores are smaller and my skin has more of a glow since I've started using it with their Essential Power Rich Cream. I went home to visit my family a few months after consistently using those two, and my mom immediately asked what I'd been doing differently with my skin.

After I moisturize, I apply Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide in the color Macadamia with a damp Beautyblender. I don't put very much on my forehead and focus instead on the red areas near my nose and on my cheeks. Then I use Glossier Boy Brow in Brown and comb my eyebrows slightly up and outwards, and after that I sweep a little bit of shade #2 from Charlotte Tilbury's Sophisticate Eyeshadow Palette across my eyelids using the Nars Blending Eyeshadow Brush #42. Next, I apply a tiny amount Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx06 with my fingertips under my eyes and blend that out, too. I also may add a little to either side of my nose to conceal any redness.

Then I set with Make Up For Ever HD Powder to minimize any under eye creasing, and then I apply dots of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter in Opal along my cheekbones and on the bridge of my nose. After that, I blend with a Beautyblender. I like Tata Harper Very Nice Lip and Cheek Tint on the apples of my cheeks and on the bridge of my nose for a natural flush—emphasizing uniqueness is always the most beautiful to me. I have extremely straight eyelashes so I always use the Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler before applying a coat of Gucci Iconic Black Infinite Length Mascara on my upper lashes. It really is one of the few mascaras that I've tried that doesn't clump or smear.

I naturally have a lot of wavy, stubborn, frizzy hair, and growing up, it was a constant battle. Even if I took the time to blow dry, flat iron, and use hair products, any amount of humidity would reverse all hours spent taming. But then I got my first keratin treatment four years ago and it was life-changing. I do it twice a year and all I have to do now is blow dry my hair for five minutes, apply R+Co Badlands dry shampoo at the roots and ends of my hair for some texture, and then I’m good to go. I often leave for work with damp hair and it dries by the time I get to work without any frizz. I know keratin is controversial for some, but it works for me and it's completely made my day to day hair routine almost effortless. I am currently using Nth Degree True Repair Helichrysum and Grapeseed Shampoo and Conditioner. It's safe to use with keratin treated hair and makes my hair shiny.

I'll occasionally indulge in a gel manicure. I always stick to black, nude, grey or a shade of brown. I don't really get pedicures even though I probably should—I was a ballerina for 11 years, and my feet are permanently scarred from pointe shoes. I think they're a lost cause at this point, though."

—as told to ITG