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 Dani Barrett, and I currently work in Artist Marketing and Industry Relations at Pandora—the music streaming one, not the jewelry one. I’d be lying if I said the music industry wasn’t a tough grind, but I’m lucky that my job now has an excellent work-life balance. I was born and raised in southern California, and now I live across the street from the Glossier LA Showroom. Which brings me to the big reveal… you might know me better as @glossierboyfriends on Instagram. Yep, you read that correctly—I’m finally putting an end to the mystery! I started the account as an homage to my boyfriend Robert, the original #glossierboyfriend, so a special shoutout goes to him. The good ones exist, guys, never settle!

I had the clearest skin throughout college, miraculously—I would go to bed with all my makeup on and probably washed my polyester sheets once a semester. But my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, and there was some evidence to suggest that being on the pill long-term resulted in an increased risk of developing it. I had been on Yaz since high school to treat acne and terrible periods, but I didn’t want to chance it. And anyway, I figured those things should have subsided by age 25. Boy, was I wrong! The acne came back with a vengeance, my hair started falling out, and I couldn’t find a painkiller that actually worked. The stress of basically going through a second puberty really took an emotional toll.

Dermatologist after dermatologist kept recommending that I go back on the pill, take antibiotics, or go on Accutane, and I tried it all. Ultimately, what actually worked was completely the opposite—it took a lot of experimentation, research, and listening to my body, but I’ve been able to get the majority of my acne under control without all that stuff. Diet and lifestyle play a huge part in my beauty routine. I make it a point not to exercise for more than 35 minutes at a time, and I basically follow the diet of a diabetic. I had been a vegetarian since high school, but reintroduced chicken and fish so it would be easier to eat meals that are high in protein. It took a lot of trial and error for me to identify specific foods that triggered breakouts, because they weren't the usual suspects—it’s not like I cut out gluten and my skin was magically cleared. I try to avoid caffeine, dairy, nuts and seeds, pineapple, acai, chocolate, avocados and anything very high in Omega 6 fats. I also try to cook with broth when possible, instead of oil. I can usually tell what caused a pimple based on where it is—like, if I have a breakout in between my eyebrows, it’s probably because I went to town on the chips and guac at Mercado. I still enjoy a pizza and a glass of wine every now and then, but it’s all about balance.

Hair can reveal a lot about your internal health, and taking vitamin D and iron supplements helped mine immensely. My shampoo is Davines Well-Being, and I like that it’s moisturizing and color-safe. As a recovering Head and Shoulders addict, I miss that squeaky-clean feeling, but I know this is healthier. I just bought the Ritual Hair Oil by Playa and have been using that every day. People complain about the smell, but I actually quite like it. And I get my hair cut by Marcos at Chris McMillan. He’s a genius with layers and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

My routine may not be the most exciting or glamorous, but I like that it’s reliable. I’ve found that the less I do to my skin, the more it likes me. I keep coming back to Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser, because it’s accessible and effective. If I’m feeling particularly congested, I’ll swap in a benzoyl peroxide cleanser a few times a week, because my sensitive skin can’t handle it in leave-on form. Differin Daily Deep Cleanser is the gentlest one I’ve tried. If I’m feeling dry, I like to layer Zerafite Soothing and Calming Moisturizer on top of Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, but my favorite moisturizer is La Roche Posay Toleriane Fluide. They recently reformulated, so I stock-piled as many bottles of the old formula as I could. I have to figure out what to do once I finally run out, but I’m filing that under ‘Future-Me Problems’ for now. At night, I take off my makeup with Bioderma, cleanse, and, if I remember, use prescription Finacea.

I usually wear some makeup if I’m going out. For foundation, I use Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation in Natural 2, which is a powder, or Clinique CC Cream in Light. I’m not picky about mascara but I only ever wear brown—I think black mascara is too harsh on me. I use Nars Orgasm on my cheeks, and the only two things I use on my lips are Rose Balm Dotcom or Generation G in Like. Remember when I said I’m going through a second puberty? I really wasn’t kidding—I’m doing Invisalign right now. I was always pretty diligent about wearing my retainer after braces, but my teeth still shifted over time. I brush and floss after every meal, and have gotten used to doing it in random public restrooms. Luckily, my treatment only clocks in at about seven months—I’ll see if it was all worth it in July.”

Photos via the author