Beauty Detail
Laura Harrier’s Eye Cream Application Technique Is A Game-Changer
The actor shares the products that keep her glowing.
In Bustle’s Beauty Detail, we dive into the beauty bags of our favorite talents for intel on the rituals that keep them glowing and the MVPs (most valuable products) they can't live without. Here, Laura Harrier tells Bustle about her go-to protective hairstyle, the one thing she wishes she knew sooner about skin care, and the ‘70s icons who inspire her.
When it comes to her beauty routine, there’s one strict rule that Laura Harrier always abides by: Thou shalt wash off thy makeup before bed. “If I sleep one night with a face full of makeup, I instantly pay for it the next morning. I’ll have bumps on my face,” the Hollywood actor tells me over the phone. That’s enough to deter her from slacking off. “No matter how late it is, how jet-lagged you are, how many glasses of wine you have, it's so important. Make that little promise to yourself. I think, ‘Okay girl, I know you’re tired, but you’re gonna watch this face.’”
The BlacKkKlansman star also likes to switch things up with her hair (she counts ’70s sweethearts Diana Ross, Donna Summer, and Bianca Jagger among her beauty icons), but is careful with her fine texture. “I love a box braid,” she says. “[But for me], it’s protective up until a certain point. If [the braids have] been in there for too long and it’s getting too heavy — or I’m on vacation and the water’s weighing it down — I do feel like I’m getting a lot of breakage.”
Like most people, Harrier learned a few things about taking care of her complexion that she wishes she knew a lot sooner. She doesn’t hesitate when I ask about her greatest skin sins of the past. “I wish I just knew to be nicer to my skin,” she says, laughing ruefully. “I have really sensitive skin and I don’t think I realized that until kind of late in the game.” The actor admits that she regrets using toners with harsh ingredients as a teenager. “I thought, ‘Oh, this will get rid of my zit.’ It just burned off my face, which was not a good idea.”
Now that Harrier’s beauty routine has evolved, she takes a much gentler approach. Another change? She’s recently become more open to playing the skin care field. “I used to be very much like, ‘This is my regimen and I’m sticking to it all the time, no matter what.’ I’ve learned that I need to have different products to accommodate my skin where it’s at.” She tailors her routine to address changes caused by things such as frequent traveling and hormonal changes: “I pay attention to what [my skin] needs and go from there.”
Below, more on the products that Harrier keeps handy.
Her Favorite Eye Cream
“I like to use my eye cream before my serums, because [otherwise], it can kind of settle too much into my pores. I use the lymphatic drainage method that I learned about through partnering with Clarins — you dab in a 360 motion — and it literally [de-puffs] my whole eye area.”
The Serum She Swears By
“I’m generally a morning shower person and I’ve been really liking Biologique Recherche’s cleanser. After I get out of the shower, I do a toner — either their P50 or a spray of rose or orange blossom water.”
Her Glow Booster
“After I use my eye cream, I either use the iS Clinical Active Serum or the Pro-Heal. I love makeup — wearing a red lip is definitely a big signature of mine — but if I’m using great products and a great serum, I feel like my face looks great and glowy.”
Her Must-Have Moisturizer
“My Clarins cream comes after my serum — I use the Day Cream in the little pink jar.”
Her Go-To SPF
“I finish up [my skin care routine] with a sunscreen. I’ll either use my Supergoop or another oil-free one from Control Corrective.”
