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.
“Hi, I’m Roya (@royashariat)! I live in Brooklyn and work as Glossier’s Social Impact Manager. My work centers around making a positive impact in the world, whether that’s running our employee volunteer program Smile Wave, or finding non-profits to partner with. Over the past few weeks I’ve been focused on how we can support the healthcare community on the front lines—we recently launched a really exciting initiative where we donated 10,000 units of Hand Cream to healthcare workers.
My career trajectory has always been focused on doing good, so I try to seek that out when I shop, too. Who is the founder? What sets this brand apart? Are they doing something to make a positive impact on the world? A few brands I feel great about supporting are Hi Wildflower, By Rosie Jane, and Byredo. I’m eager to try Hanahana Beauty next.
I can’t talk about beauty and not talk about history. My grandma was a beauty devotee: in Tehran, my grandpa would make her sweet almond oil from scratch, peeling almonds one by one. Growing up in Maryland as a first-generation Iranian-American, I was always very conscious of being ‘different’ and ‘other.’ All I wanted was to wake up one day looking like Sabrina the Teenage Witch. With a lot of time and effort, I’ve grown to love and appreciate all the things that might otherize me, because that’s what makes up my unique history. I’m OK if people love it or list it leave it. And now I always want to smell like an Iranian dessert or a poorly written novel about the Middle East: give me rosewater, saffron, jasmine, and cardamom, and I’m happy.
I tend to work out early in the day to guilty pleasures: ‘90s hip-hop and electronic music. But when I’m finished, the music changes to ‘80s New Wave (The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is always a good idea). Certain songs make me feel strong, capable, and beautiful—they’re important as I hype myself up for a new day, or unwind at the end of one. I need to wash my face with cold water immediately after I work out or I’ll break out. Sometimes I’ll quickly follow up with iS Clinical’s Active Serum, but it’s pricey, so I treat it like saffron and use it sparingly. I just finished Peach & Lily’s Glass Skin serum, and my friend recently turned me on to another K-beauty brand Peach & Lily sells called Ground Plan. Their 24 Hour Secret Mist is soothing, cooling, fragrant—all the things you want in a facial mist and more. Next up is Glossier’s Priming Moisturizer, which has the right amount of heft for the mornings, followed by Image’s Prevention+ Daily Matte Moisturizer. It’s a mineral sunscreen with a nice, bright scent.
For makeup time, the soundtrack is VH1 Divas (with The Internet and SZA thrown in for good measure). I’ve been using Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation in 7, which I love because it makes my skin look even and radiant. I mix it with some moisturizer if I want lighter coverage. I follow that up with Glossier Stretch Concealer in G8 most days—sometimes I’ll take a stippling brush and blend it all over my face in place of foundation. Nars Soft Matte Concealer in Canelle under my eyes and on my eyelids evens everything out. I used to contour under my cheekbones, jaw, and around my hairline every day with Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation in Flawless, which is darker than my complexion. Now I mainly keep it for evenings and going out out. For a radiant evening look I’ll also use Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter all over, but a little on the high points of my cheeks is perfect for everyday use. Liquid liner (either Glossier’s Pro Tip or Stila’s Stay All Day), Suratt’s eyelash curler, and Boy Brow in Black are my everyday eye. Then Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie pulls my entire look together with a little (but not too much) oomph. It’s so creamy and easy to apply. I tend to gravitate towards mattes—I love the look of gloss, but it always brings up awkward middle school memories.
I know I shared a bit of history earlier, but I also come with a whole hairstory. NYC water won’t let my natural curls be great: the second I leave the city, they’re smoother, less frizzy, and more defined. I still haven’t figured out what works best when I’m here, so I tend to style with hot tools. I recently purchased the Revlon One Step after listening to Caroline Moss’ Gee Thanks, Just Bought It podcast, and even though I haven’t fully mastered it, it’s super efficient! If I’m styling with a tool that isn’t super loud, like a flat iron, something soulful (maybe Al Green or The Isley Brothers) is probably playing.
At the end of my day, my cleansing ritual involves Bioderma Micellar Water, Glossier’s Milky Jelly, and Spotify’s Lush Lofi playlist. Every few days I’ll dab on some P50 1970. I definitely notice a difference in my skin texture and breakouts when I go without it, and at this point, the pungent smell is part of its appeal. I’ll follow up with whatever serum I have in rotation, Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream, Laniege’s lip sleeping mask, and Josh Rosebrook’s Vital Balm Cream. It has this beautiful baby blue color and melts on contact, like dreamy room temperature butter for your face. I’m hoping to try his hair products next. After years of masking multiple times a week, I had a recent existential crisis about it. Do masks really make a difference in my skin? I just ordered some hydrojelly masks from Sofie Pavitt, so we’ll see. My masking soundtrack is usually something chill with a little dramatic flair, like Solange or Kelela.
When I’m not working or dancing around my apartment, I’m probably consuming the news with a concerned facial expression, waiting patiently for fig season, or reading a book. In 2018 I read one book by an author of color each week and called it the #OneBookOneWeek Challenge (reading list here!). I continued it into last year, and I’m thinking of starting up again—it led me to discover some amazing books I wouldn’t come across otherwise.”
—as told to ITG
Photos via the author