We’re in for such a treat today because Emma, a Who What Wear beauty editor, is here to tell us about her favorite products as well as beauty tips.
If there is anyone who tried as many products as Lauryn does for us, it’s beauty editors! They get to try some of the best beauty and skincare products on the market so we’re feeling very lucky that Emma Walsh is giving us the low down on what she absolutely loves.
As mentioned, Emma is a beauty editor who has always been obsessed with makeup, skin and wellness. After years of trying all kinds of products, she has narrowed down her ride or dies and is here to share the standouts with us.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
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Hi, I’m Emma! I’m a beauty editor at Who What Wear. Ever since I was young I’ve been obsessed with makeup, skincare, and wellness, so I’m beyond grateful that it’s now my career. Not going to lie, my job is pretty amazing: I get to interview derms, founders, and industry professionals, and test and review more products than I can fit in my 1-bedroom flex in NYC. It’s basically my life mission to be your beauty bestie and spill the best tips and tricks that I’ve learned.
Today I’m giving you my top four essential tips that will make you glow from the inside out. I’ll also share my eleven ride-or-die products that I’m genuinely in love with (out of the literally hundreds that I’ve tried.) Let’s go!
Have a Healthy Lifestyle
Say it with me: beauty starts from the inside out! If you follow Lauryn you’re probably already on point with your healthy habits, but this tip is still worth noting. All of the products, treatments, and procedures we invest in can only do their job if we’re taking care of ourselves from the inside out. We could do a 10-step skincare routine, get weekly facials, and get all the injectables—and it will definitely help some, but having a healthy lifestyle is what will make the most impactful difference in the health of our hair, skin, and nails. Here’s a refresher of the things that are the foundation of beauty (and good health in general).
Diet
Nourishing your body with whole foods is the best way to get glowing skin and strong hair and nails. Everyone is different, but I recommend eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet with a variety of fruits, veggies, proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. I also take a probiotic because a healthy gut = healthy skin.
Hydration
Drink up! Water hydrates your skin from the inside out, and trust me, you’ll be able to see the difference. I always start my morning with a glass of warm lemon water, and aim to drink two to three 32-ounce bottles throughout the day. (Get Lauryn’s latest water bottle here).
Movement
Moving your body on a daily basis has countless beauty benefits, including circulation (glowing skin), stress relief (clear skin), and it’s anti-aging (tight, bouncy skin). My biggest piece of advice is to find a way to move that you genuinely enjoy. I personally love Pvolve, Pilates (use code LAURYN), yoga, and going for walks.
Sleep
I always underestimate the power of beauty rest until I get a night of bad sleep. It makes such a big difference in how you look and feel.
Stress management
It could be meditation, self care, journaling, yoga—whatever you like to reduce cortisol!
Confidence and self esteem
I’m personally still working on this one, but books like You Can Heal Your Life prove that positive affirmations truly have the power to make you look and feel more beautiful.
Follow a Simple Beauty Routine Consistently
I bookend my days with my morning and evening beauty/self care routine—which is actually not as elaborate as you might expect lol! If you’re looking to build a solid routine, I recommend focusing on consistency first before adding in a million products or steps. Here’s a glimpse into my daily rituals:
Morning
+ Brush my teeth and scrape my tongue.
+ Skincare: splash my face with water; apply a hydrating serum, moisturizer, and spf; and do some facial massage/lymphatic drainage.
+ Simple makeup (if I’m wearing it that day): tinted moisturizer (mix it with Drunk Elephant bronzing drops and thank me later), concealer, curl my eyelashes, mascara, tinted lip balm.
+ Put up my hair.
+ Spritz on a fragrance.
Evening
+ Skincare: double cleanse; apply a hydrating serum and moisturizer.
+ Shower
+ Attend to any grooming tasks like exfoliating, shaving, dermaplaning, cleaning up my brows and nails, and whitening my teeth.
+ Do at least one extra-special thing that makes me feel cared for and beautiful, like a lymphatic massage, hair mask, or one of those gold eye masks.
Cost ≠ Quality and Efficacy
This might be a hot take, but I’ve learned that especially when it comes to skincare products, expensive doesn’t always mean better. For example, if I had to choose between…
- An ultra-luxurious $500 moisturizer with pretty packaging, but it has synthetic fragrance and hydrogenated oils
- A $20 drugstore moisturizer (my faves are from Bubble and Inkey List) that has ceramides, aloe, vitamin E, and is fragrance-free
I would choose the less expensive option in a heartbeat! As much as I’m a sucker for pretty packaging and a beautiful application experience, the ingredients are what matter most. And the truth is, you don’t always have to shell out tons of money. Like, I’m genuinely amazed at how many high-quality, affordable products are in the drugstore nowadays. HMU if you need any specific recs.
Invest In Your Favorite Treatments and Services
If you’re going to spend on something beauty-related, I would recommend investing in a treatment like baby Botox or laser hair removal. Yes, they’re pricier, but they’re so worth it and give results that products just can’t. Here’s what I personally love to invest in:
+ Baby Botox
Botox has changed my skin. What I love is that it’s almost an imperceptible difference, but it makes my complexion look so smooth and I even look so much better without makeup on. It’s like you, but better.
+ Laser Hair Removal
This is a game changer for saving time on the daily. It’s so worth the money, especially for the bikini area.
+ Highlights
A fresh cut, highlights, and a blowout makes me feel on top of the world.
This is just what I love, but everyone is different. Maybe getting lash extensions makes getting ready in the morning easier and more seamless. Or maybe getting a new mani every week brings you so much joy, or a bit of lip filler gives you that extra confidence boost. You don’t have to hop onto every beauty trend or get every treatment, just do your research and choose what you want to invest in, because we all know when you look good, you feel good.
My Top 11 Favorite Products
The Skinny Confidential Ice Roller and Pink Balls Massager
Face massage and lymphatic drainage have truly changed the shape of my face and the texture of my skin. Obviously, The Skinny Confidential ice roller and face massager are elite. They’re pink, pretty, and the benefits are endless—they reduce puffiness, contour your face, and make you glow.
Satin Pillowcase
Silk/satin pillowcases are good for both your hair and skin because they reduce frizz and breakage and prevent wrinkles. I’ve been using these affordable pillowcases from Amazon for years. They’re shockingly high-quality.
Rhode Glazing Milk
This glazing milk is magic in a bottle. It has ceramides and glycerin (two of my fave ingredients), which hydrate and nourish your skin and leave it incredibly dewy and luminous. I was surprised by how much I loved this and now I simply can’t go without it.
Clearstem Hydraglow Moisturizer
I first heard about Clearstem on The HIM & HER Show and was so intrigued by Danielle and Kayleigh’s story, so I was dying to try their products. And let me just say, this moisturizer transformed my skin into luminous, bouncy perfection. It has bakuchiol and squalane, as well as blueberry and pomegranate oils that make it smell so sweet and amazing. I also love the Hydraberry Moisture Mask (which I just use as a moisturizer.)
Colorescience No-Show Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
As we all know from Get the F♥ck Out of the Sun, sunscreen is the most important beauty product. I can confidently say this is the most perfect zinc-based sunscreen—like, ever. It’s a liquid formula, so it blends into my skin so flawlessly and gives this beautiful radiance, too. I’ve literally gone through four bottles, and I think it’s worth every penny. I’m also obsessed with the Glow one if I want a tinted sunscreen.
Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops
I’ve completely fallen in love with all three of the Drunk Elephant drops. They’re basically a fusion of makeup and skincare: each one has different beneficial ingredients for your skin and they all make you look so good without any actual makeup. If I had to pick, the bronze drops are my ride or die for a warm, sun-kissed glow. I also love the B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops for a natural golden-hour radiance, and the O-Bloos Rosi Glow Drops for an adorable dewy flush. They’re all super easy to use, too, all you do is mix a few drops with your sunscreen and blend it in.
Tower 28 Hydrating Concealer
I’ve tried countless concealers over the years, but none have impressed me quite like this one. I find that it’s full-coverage enough to conceal my under-eye circles and any breakouts, but it still looks so natural and blends into the skin like a dream. It makes sense since it has skincare-level ingredients like hyaluronic acid and centella asiatica. And honestly, for only $22, it’s beyond worth it.
Rhode Vanilla Peptide Lip Treatment
I’ve tried basically every popular lip balm, and for me, the Rhode peptide lip treatment in Rhode Vanilla is the one I keep coming back to. It hydrates my lips for hours, gives a glazed-donut-level-shine, and tastes like a vanilla cupcake. I also love the lip tints—my personal fave is the shade Ribbon, which is a light ballet pink.
Patrick Ta Major Headlines Crème & Powder Blush
My life was forever changed when I tried this blush and Patrick Ta’s specific application method. He recommends applying the powder first to give a bold, highly-pigmented base, then applying the cream on top for a dewy, lit-from-within glow. I tried it, and boy oh boy, I am in love! I honestly don’t want to wear blush any other way now.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum
I’m sorry, but out of literally all the perfumes I’ve smelled in my life, the inimitable Baccarat Rouge is my #1 favorite. It has this elegant and expensive-smelling blend of amber, jasmine, saffron, and cedarwood, and the wear time is unmatched. If you don’t feel like spending over $300 on a perfume (I don’t blame you!), some great affordable dupes are Cloud by Ariana Grande and Dans Les Bois from Dime Beauty.
Glamnetic Press On Nails
Press-on nails are another product that has changed my life. Having beautifully manicured nails just makes me feel like I have my life together, but to be honest, even as a beauty editor, it’s difficult to justify the time and money going to a salon. (And I surely don’t have the discipline and patience to do my nails at home.) But, when I tried this specific brand of press-on nails, my problem was solved. They’re the perfect shape and size for my petite fingers, look like a salon-level mani, and they actually last a solid week or two. (Side note: Because life happens, it’s inevitable that one or two may fall off, but my tip is to keep some nail glue in your purse so you can quickly fix it on the go.) I literally get so many compliments on these so they’re definitely worth giving a try.
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There you have it – tried, tested and true beauty recs from a real life beauty editor. What are you favorite beauty products that you recommend to everyone you know? Tell us below.
And if you want to see more from Emma be sure to follow her @emma.walsh and check her out on: Linked In, her website, Muck Rack, Who What Wear.
x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ Learn tips from one of Lauryn’s makeup artists.
++ Check out the best hair products for the beach.
EMMA’S FAVORITES:
