You know the #ITGTopShelfie—our interview series that shares the beauty routines of Into The Gloss’ lovely, accomplished, and loyal community of readers. Now we’re taking you into the bathrooms, cabinets, and makeup bags of some of Glossier’s own. These folks work in beauty, and they bring to the table lots of capital-t Thoughts about it. Submit yours on Instagram—post your Top Shelfie (tag us @intothegloss!) and include the hashtag #ITGTopShelfie for a chance to be featured on ITG.
“Hiii! I’m Priscilla (@priscilla.quaye + @curlcilla). I was an executive assistant to Glossier’s SVP of marketing for three years, but recently I started a new role within the company. It’s a weird time! Now I’m a content studio manager on our creative operations team. A main function of my job is producing photo shoots, which we can’t really do right now, so defining my responsibilities has been tricky. But we’re all kind of starting new jobs in a way, and trying to figure out how to operate in this new world. That part’s been encouraging.
Wearing my ‘fro is really how I feel the most ‘me.’ I’m super tiny and it’s pretty big, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked if my hair is a wig and where I got it! My go-to style is a wash-n-go—I used to wash my hair weekly, but now that it’s gotten so long, I’ve extended it to every two weeks. I always use a sulfate-free shampoo which is gentler on my curls, and then finger-detangle with a cheap, super slippery conditioner like Aussie Mega Moist. After that, I always deep condition! I usually grab something by Shea Moisture or Camille Rose Naturals, and then use a Huetiful hair steamer to help the treatment penetrate my strands. [Ed note: Priscilla’s steamer is discontinued, but here are some similar ones.] To style it, I just use a leave-in from Kinky-Curly and a styling cream.
I never, ever skimp on my skincare routine. I’ve had really bad eczema all my life, so as much as I like trying new products, I try to err on the side of caution. In the morning, I wipe down my face with a cotton round and Simple’s Micellar Water, which gently cleanses and doesn’t aggravate my sensitive skin. After that I moisturize with Cerave PM Moisturizing Lotion. My eczema hadn’t crept up to my face until earlier this year, when I started noticing flare ups around my eyes. Within days of covering it with La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar Balm, the eczema cleared up! Now I put it around my eyes every morning and every night whether I have an active patch there or not. Last is sunscreen—I will not go out without sunscreen. Like many other people of color, my issue was always finding one that didn’t leave a white cast. I bought Invisible Shield a few weeks before I started at Glossier, and have used it every day since. I love that it’s 100-percent clear, gives me a nice dewy glow, and plays nice under makeup.
I’m the youngest of four kids, and I was a preteen around the time my siblings started leaving for college. Playing around with makeup was something I could do by myself when I was basically an only child, and even today I approach beauty with FUN in mind. First I do my base, which is pretty much always the same. I did not luck out in the brow department, so obviously I lust after thick, fluffy brows—isn’t that always how it works? I’ve tried everything, but Brow Flick was life-changing for me. The drawn-in brow hairs look so realistic. I add more depth with Boy Brow in Black, and then I love to do a crazy voluminous lash. I’ll start with Maybelline Lash Discovery, which is a bottom-shelf mascara (literally on the bottom shelf at every drug store). The tiny brush lengthens and separates, so it’s a great base coat. Then I do one or two coats of L’Oréal Voluminous on just my top lashes for a doll-like look. Instead of combing the mascara wand from the root of my lash to the top, I keep the wand still and blink the mascara onto my lashes. I find it creates more depth and gets into the nooks and crannies better. After that, I mix Haloscope in Topaz and Quartz in a ‘C’ shape from my cheekbone to under my brow bone. Being glowy is my number one goal in life.
Once my brows, lashes, and skin are done, I can have fun with color. I have such a vivid memory of taking my first trip to MAC and buying their Chrome Yellow eyeshadow with my allowance—to be honest, I would still finesse that look today. If my lip is more tame, I love a fun eyeliner like Colorslide in Early Girl or UZ’s yellow liner. And I like the bronze-y shade in Charlotte Tilbury’s Bella Sofia palette on my eyes if my lip is a little out there. I’m not shy about wearing any shades, and some of my more obscure favorites are MAC’s Heroine, Nars PowerMatte in Done it Again, and Fenty’s Midnight Wasabi, this crazy green. But I’ve been wearing a very 90’s lip lately, and my favorite product to do it with is MAC’s Cork lip liner. It’s one of the best ‘nude’ liners for women of color. I like to use it to fill in my lips, under a clear lip gloss with no other lip color, or with MAC’s Half ’n Half all over the top. KKW Beauty’s liner in 2.5 with their Creme Lipstick in 6 is another great combination. My go-to reds are MAC Ruby Woo with Cherry liner and Flesh Beauty’s liquid lip in Brazen.
My nails are my pride and joy. I do them every Sunday night like clockwork—you will never see me without polish on. I like my nails to be oval-shaped and long, and my secret to keeping them strong is moisturizing my cuticles every night with Olive & June’s cuticle serum. And Seche Vite’s Gel-Effect Top Coat is THE best. It dries so fast and leaves me with shiny nails all week long. I also force my fiancé to open packages, unbutton particularly tight buttons, and open beer cans for me. But he likes my nails, so he always helps! Actually, the week he was going to propose, I was considering cutting them down and starting over. Every time I’d ask for his thoughts, he was so adamant about not cutting them. I would’ve been SO upset if I didn’t have my signature nails in those photos!
I’m a night showerer. Living in NYC, I need to wash off the grime from the day. Because I have eczema, It’s really important for me to make my showers quick and to not use anything that will irritate or strip my skin. I use Cetaphil’s Gentle Cleanser in the shower, and always, always moisturize with their Moisturizing Cream on damp skin when I get out. I’ve been using it literally since I can remember, and it’s one of the few products that’s thick and moisturizing enough to help keep my flares in check, but doesn’t leave that greasy feeling.
After a crazy day, my nighttime routine is where I have full control. The same Simple micellar water takes off glitter, stubborn liquid lips, and three coats of mascara, and then I wash twice with Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser. I try to use P50 V 1970 three nights a week, and the Aztec Indian Healing Clay mask with apple cider vinegar once a week, on a night I didn’t use the P50. I’ll follow that with a hyaluronic acid I’m not picky about (usually ours or The Ordinary’s) and moisturize with the Cerave. I always get deep, cystic pimples around my time of the month, so if I have any of those, I’ll attack them with this Signstek high frequency device that I learned about from Steph Shep’s Top Shelf. Then I throw on a ZitSticka pimple patch. I also like to watch other people’s routines on YouTube—beauty, skincare, hair, house tours, ‘what I ate in a day’… I find so much comfort in routines.”
—as told to ITG
Photos via the author