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! I’m Telsha Anderson (@telshaanderson). I’m the owner of t.a., a women’s boutique based in New York. I wear a lot of hats at t.a., and a lot of my day-to-day work is handling necessary business operations. It’s not the most exciting, but it’s necessary! I also carefully source and select everything we sell, from clothing to decor. There’s Black art hanging high on the walls and the store is truly representative of my taste and community. As a Black woman in today’s (and yesterday’s) America, it’s a blessing to wake up in the morning and have a place to go that’s my own. Every day is a new day to tackle whatever hurdle is placed in front of me, for myself and on my own terms.

I live with my sister in Harlem, and we always share products and beauty advice. She introduces me to different beauty influencers on YouTube and Instagram, and sends tips and tricks via DM from across the room. Skincare and beauty have always been a big deal in my family. When we were growing up, my mom would take me and my sister (and brother!) to see a dermatologist and get facials, and she helped us buy products to build our routines. It was important for her that we indulged in self-care by uplifting our bodies mentally and physically. Now I have lots of different routines based on what I have to do each day, and I give them all names: there’s the Get Out the Door routine, Treat Yourself, Take Your A$$ To Bed, and my personal favorite protocol, the Monday Mid-Afternoon.

My Get Out the Door routine starts with a beautiful eight-minute shower. I use Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar to wash my face, drown myself in Keri Lotion, and apply the Blemish Control Booster and Signature Moisturizer from Rose Ingleton MD Skincare. I discovered that brand over quarantine when Amanda Murray did a Instagram Live with Dr. Ingleton—supporting a Black woman in the beauty space is top of my list, and now I’m hooked on the product. To style my hair, I use the Rosemary Mint Strengthening Edge Gel from Mielle. The brand was founded by a Black woman named Monique Rodriguez, and this stuff smells amazing, doesn’t flake, and lasts through an eight-hour day. For everyday, I apply Bobbi Brown’s Skin Foundation SPF 15 in Cool Almond over their Primer Plus Mattifier, and swipe on some Glossier Lash Slick. Then I throw on some Rose Balm Dotcom and head out the door.

When I’m working from home, I usually treat myself to the Monday Min-Afternoon routine after I’ve answered a few emails. I start with the Eminence Organics Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser, which I steal from my sister. Then I do a mask—either Eve Lom’s Rescue Mask or the 10-Minute Out of Trouble Mask from Origins. As I get older, I’m learning that what worked for me when I was 18 might not help my skin now. But the exception is that Origins mask—I’ve been using it since I was a teenager, and my favorite thing about it is that it works quickly and lets you know when it’s ready to come off. For a boost of midday moisture, I add Eve Lom’s TLC Cream. I always keep a mini edge control brush handy if I need a touch-up.

When I’m in-store I interact with people (wearing a mask!) between 11AM and 5PM. It’s hard to truly stop working when I get home, which is where the Take Your A$$ To Bed routine comes in. Lately, my favorite thing to do is ride my Peloton late at night—I’ll jump on and binge some Netflix, and that effectively keeps me from opening emails in bed. I’ve also gotten into Pinterest, and have made about five different boards in the past month. If I’m up past 2AM, the first step before going to bed is washing my face with Eve Lom’s Cleanser. After 27 years of searching, I can say with confidence that there’s nothing on this earth like this stuff—the mixture of oils (clove, eucalyptus, Egyptian chamomile, hops) and cocoa butter softens and soothes my skin. It’s never stripping, and encourages my skin to be its best self naturally. I love this product so much that once I paid an extra fee to avoid letting TSA throw out a jumbo size tub I accidentally put in my carry on. After that, I use the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate and seal it with Eve Lom’s Radiance Face Oil. I’ve seen a tremendous increase in my skin hydration since using those; there’s nothing like knowing a product actually works.

I try to treat myself to a manicure every two weeks. I use my hands every day, whether it’s to wrap merchandise, pull things off the racks to suggest to customers, or answer emails, and when I look down at them I love to feel a hint of joy. Manicures are always at the top of my to-do list and my budget breakdown, and my go-to nail artist is named Miki. She always comes up with new designs and her attention to detail is unlike anything I’ve ever seen—especially because I have short nails. During quarantine, I had a lot of time to experiment with different hair products, and was determined to find what worked as part of my post-quarantine glow-up. The women in my family are obsessed with the Honey Fresh Clarifying Shampoo and Make It Rain Conditioner from Taraji P. Henson’s haircare line, TPH. Both leave my scalp feeling refreshed and my hair feeling moisturized. I’m sure a lot of Black women can attest to how hard it is to find products that genuinely work for our beautifully multi-textured hair.

My overall beauty philosophy is to embrace change, which is why I’m always open to learning about new products and techniques from people I trust. That being said, my best piece of beauty advice is to listen to your mom (the first time!) when she says you’re wearing the wrong foundation shade. There is still an old school picture hanging up in my parents’ hallway where I look like a ghost. Shade matching was always a big thing for my mom—whenever she went on dates with my dad, she’d take the opportunity to explain how important it is to match your makeup to your clothes. My sister and I would sit in her bathtub and laugh about how long it took her to get ready, and how she’d secretly try to match my Dad’s outfit too! I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning from her—or stealing products from her drawer back home.”

—as told to ITG

Photos via the author