Shelf Care: Shannon on Beauty, Part 1
Here at She’s Full of Lit, we are multi-faceted women whose mutual interests don’t just include books. One of those interests is beauty, and the products and rituals we use to take care of ourselves. We thought a series outlining our skin care, makeup, and hair routines, as well as some deeper questions about what beauty means to us, would be a fun read outside of our usual book-related content.
First up: the one who has made a career out of beauty! We should disclose that Shannon has worked for The Estée Lauder Companies for seven years, which owns every brand/product with an asterisk next to it below. She does get discounts on those products. Please note that there are affiliate links throughout the below, but I have not affiliate-linked the brands that ELC owns.
What are your AM and PM skin care routines?
I have dry combination skin (*Clinique skin type 2, for those who know). At night, I remove my makeup with *Clinique Take the Day Off Oil and then cleanse with whatever I have around. I like Fresh, Cle De Peau, Shiseido, *Origins. Next, I exfoliate with either *Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 (the purple one! yes I still use this throwback!) or the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads. I just started using the latter in November and I love them, but I don’t necessarily feel like I need to use them every day. After exfoliating, I apply my HG serum, *Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Last, I moisturize. It should not surprise you to learn I have many different options, and what I use depends on how my skin is feeling:
*Glamglow ThirstyMud: this is if my skin is super super dry. I also use it religiously on long flights.
*CliniqueID Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with the cartridge for Pores and Uneven Texture: I use this if I haven’t used the Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads. Both products contain AHA so doubling up would be too much for my skin.
I usually add a few drops of *Clinique Fresh Pressed Vitamin C Booster to the moisturizer. I’m honestly pretty terrible about using eye creams, but I like the *Origins Plantscription one if I remember. And if I’m extra-dry in the winter, I use an oil on top (*Origins Night-A-Mins, which I think may have been discontinued which is a huge bummer if true). If I don’t use the peel pads, I use a retinol like *Clinique Fresh Pressed with Vitamin A.
In the morning, I basically do all of that except removing makeup and washing my face (I just splash cold water on). I sometimes add an essence if I’m really dry (Cle De Peau Essential Refining Essence), and of course I add a sunscreen (I like La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 50 Tinted).
I also like to do masks occasionally (Drunk Elephant Babyfacial and the *Origins Charcoal one are both excellent), and I love any sheet mask for extra moisture).
What is your daily makeup “uniform”?
A good example of my daily makeup look.
When it comes to makeup, I’ve definitely gone through phases where I’ve worn more or less. It also depends on how many times I’ve pressed snooze in the morning. But my basic routine doesn’t usually deviate.
Foundation: *Clinique Even Better Glow. I stan Clinique foundations. (I did also work there for 4.5 years.)
Brows: Benefit Goof Proof + Gimme Brow (I rarely leave home without a swipe of Gimme Brow)
Undereye concealer: right now I’m using Cle De Peau Radiant Corrector For Eyes, which I love
Mascara: right now I’m using a *MAC one although this changes depending on what I have around.
Blush: NARS Orgasm, a classic for a reason. If I’m drier that day, I’ll use *Clinique Chubby Stick For Cheeks which is a lovely cream formula.
Lip color varies and depends on the season/outfit: generally pinks and mangoes for the spring/summer, violets and reds in fall/winter generally. I have too many lip products to list but some favorites are the *Clinique Chubby Sticks, *Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip, Shiseido Gel Lipstick, Fenty Glossbomb, *Becca Glow Gloss.
If I’m going out or have an event, I’ll amp up my eyes. I have green eyes so I tend to stick to golds, greens, and purples. Some favorites: Pat McGrath, *Tom Ford, ColourPop, and I also love *Clinique Lid Pop in green, applied with a wet brush.
My signature hairstyle pre-2017
Let’s talk hair. Do you have a signature style? A go-to product?
Before I started working at Bumble and bumble 2.5 years ago, I was basically the top-knot queen. I did not know how to do my hair, I never heat-styled my hair (still don’t do this tbh), and I had never colored my hair. I had figured out a topknot look that worked, but I wasn’t sure what to do with my fine, flat, straight, dark brown hair.
Of course, that all changed two years ago. I figured out which products work for me (*Bumble and bumble Thickening), learned how to use the iconic *Surf Spray (spray it on damp hair, twist hair into a loose top-knot, and sleep), and actually highlighted my hair (three times!). Hair is so personal and emotional (how great do you feel after walking out the salon?!) and I’ve definitely developed more of an appreciation for the actual craft of hairstyling itself. Good hairdressers put in so much time and effort to perfect their art, learn new techniques, and experiment with new products, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned at Bumble and bumble is how a great haircut really makes it so much easier to work with your products.
Below are some of my favorite Bb. products (noting that this is the specific brand I work for):
Curl Shampoo and Conditioner: great for color-treated hair, even if you don’t have curly hair, which I definitely do not.
Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner: I used this before I got highlights. Definitely added volume to my fine hair. I still use the conditioner now.
Glow Bond-Building Styler: also for damaged hair. Repairs hair’s bonds and strengthens, adds hold. Use on damp hair before heat-styling or air-drying.
Surf Styling Leave-In: adds flexibility, hold, and a tiny bit of texture to hair.
Surf Spray (or Surf Infusion if you have coarser hair): gives hair a bit of grip/grit, and, if you have wavier hair, helps define your waves
Tres Invisible Dry Shampoo: actually invisible! cleanses hair! removes grease! I love. (I use the Pret-a-Powder version when traveling so it doesn’t count toward my liquid allotment)
But my new favorite! That launched today (February 24) on Bumbleandbumble.com is Pret Post Workout Dry Shampoo Mist. It’s a bi-phase liquid mist formulated specifically to clean sweaty hair. I’ve been using it since August and it’s completely changed my life/wash schedule.
Right after getting my hair highlighted for the first time. It does not look like this on a regular basis.
There’s nothing like that “fresh from the salon” feeling. Where do you get your hair cut and colored?
Unsurprisingly, I go to Bumble and bumble in New York. I’ve had amazing haircuts from Francesca, Mac, and Ivan, and Diaz has colored my hair all three times. It took a year and a half of working at Bb to actually work up the nerve to highlight my hair, but I’m so glad I finally did.
What are your favorite and least favorite features?
My eyes (and eyebrows) are my favorite features. I have pretty bold brows with a good natural arch, and even though I have to fill them in a bit more now than I used to, I still think they’re a great feature. And not to humblebrag but I’ve been getting compliments on my eyes for as long as I can remember (I think the green was pretty striking with brunette hair), so I like to play those up when I’m doing a more intense makeup look.
