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“My name is Emily VanCamp (@emilyvancamp), and I’m an actress. I’m currently working on season four of The Resident, which is on Fox, and I just finished up The Falcon and the Winter Soldier—they were actually shooting at the same time, so I knew it was going to be quite an involved year. Playing two characters at the same time is never the easiest because you’re in two totally different headspaces, but the fact that they both shot in Atlanta was extremely helpful. I’ve been in Atlanta for a minute. I’m originally from the Canadian countryside, but I left home young to study ballet in Montréal. It’s interesting—Marvel roles often come with a little bit more of a physical challenge, and I think my background helped with the fight scene choreography. That, and the fact that I box. The footwork and jiu jitsu moves required a bit of learning, and even though it was hard work it was fun. Fun hard work.
My schedule is different all the time. That’s what’s tough about the business—there’s really no consistency. On a Monday I’ll be up at 4:30 in the morning, and by Friday, I could be going into work at 6:30PM. Because of the sheer amount of makeup I have to wear every day, I am not someone who puts on a lot of makeup in my personal life. I like to keep my face very clean. I probably wouldn’t have as many products in my routine if I didn’t have to wear makeup so much, either. When I entered my 30s I started taking my skincare a bit more seriously. Sometimes I watch things I’ve been in for professional purposes, because as cringeworthy as it can be, I think you learn a lot from watching yourself. That being said, it’s hard. If I really start tapping into the lines and how my face looks, or start criticizing the way I look instead of my performance, it’s a very slippery slope. One thing I loved about my mom, especially when we were kids, was that she never put a huge emphasis on looks. She has four daughters, and she never talked about body image or beauty. I think that was really smart.
There were so many times in my 20s when I would get home and take my makeup off in the morning. Because when you get home, you’re tired! Now, the thought of that is horrifying to me. I can’t actually leave work without properly removing everything. My go-to eye makeup remover is the Lancôme Bi-Facil. I don’t mess with things that work. My makeup artist, Jordan Venetis, is super into skincare, which I think is key for film and TV makeup artists. She recently recommended the Dermalogica Precleanse for when I get home, which gets all the extra cruddy stuff off. Then, I’ll follow with the Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser. So far, so good in terms of breakouts. I take a bath every night—it’s the only way I unwind. My new favorite bath thing is the Babo Botanicals Moisturizing Baby Bubble Bath & Wash, which I bought because if it’s good for babies I figured it’d be fine for my skin too. It makes the bath really good and foamy. Because I’m always doing physical stuff for work I’ll also use the Weleda Arnica Muscle Soak, which is to die for. There’s got to be something minty in there, and it’s anti-inflammatory. On a Sunday night before the week starts, I give myself a facial in the bath. I’ll do the Tatcha Rice Polish, and then put on Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser with her Resurfacing Mask. I let that sit for 20 minutes before rinsing it off—that’s a Tata Harper special.
I think Hand in Hand body products are amazing. I use their body wash and their hand soaps, and the cactus blossom scent is my favorite. I get that stuff at Whole Foods and my husband loves it too, even though it’s a bit girly. All of my other body products are Weleda. My mom always said to rub my body down with oils, so after the bath I’ll give myself a massage with their Arnica Massage Oil or Stretch Mark Massage Oil. Those are expensive, so sometimes I’ll just use basic sweet almond oil from Whole Foods instead. I put it all over my body right when I get out, and then I pat dry. It’s the greatest hack, especially in the winter when my skin is extremely dry.
For my face, sometimes I pat on Tata Harper’s Hydrating Floral Essence for hydration, and I’ve also been using Kate Somerville’s Quench Hydrating Face Serum. That’s an old classic that has never broken me out. If I do have a spot, I’ve been using the Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment. It kinda zaps everything. I like the Tata Harper Clarifying Spot Solution too. Recently I started using a little combo of the True Botanicals Pure Radiance Oil with a little tiny bit of their Vitamin C Booster, which adds a little glow that I like. I’ve been using Natura Bissé’s The Cure Cream for over a decade. I’ve tried so many different things but I always go back to it, I don’t know why. I just love it. And finally, I use the Hourglass Cosmetics Equilibrium Intensive Eye Balm. Everything Hourglass makes is vegan, and beautiful. I’ve been obsessed with their makeup— their lip colors are amazing—so I started incorporating the eye cream. I feel like it properly penetrates my skin overnight.
A serious routine at night means that if I have to be up super early in the morning, I can just hop in the shower and rinse my face. My makeup artist has a little skincare routine she does when I get to set, which is honestly a lovely way to wake up. Jordan has a lot of the products I use in her kit because if we mix it up too much, I’ll break out. But if I’m just getting ready on my own, I start with the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream with SPF 30. Every other SPF moisturizer I’ve tried either leaves that white film, or it’s a bit thick. This one is so thin and delicious. If I’m not working, I like to use the EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 for a little bit of coverage. It’s very sheer. My new favorite lip treatment is the Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil in Original. If I have to do a full face of makeup on myself, that goes on first.
My under eyes look so tired when I’m working so much. I use one of two eye creams for daytime, either the Tata Harper Restorative Eye Crème, which is rich but still plays well with my eye makeup, or the Natura Bissé The Cure Sheer Eye. It’s the best tinted eye cream ever—just a little bit of coverage, but not too thick. I’ll use the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealing Pot on top if I want any more. I usually don’t leave the house without blush, and I have all the shades of the Tata Harper Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint. If I’m doing a little quick thing, I’ll finish by mixing all the shades in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. That thing is amazing.”
—as told to ITG
Photos via the author