Welcome to You Look Moist, a column in which Repeller asks cool people with glowing visages how they achieved their supreme hydration (amongst other things). Today’s story features content creator and sustainable fashion enthusiast, Jazmine Rogers.
How would you describe your skin (including the best and most challenging things about it)?
Like me, my skin is a little sensitive. It doesn’t respond well to harsh or unnatural products, so I try to make sure I choose products with the simplest and cleanest ingredients. It’s always been a bit dewy, too, but I’ve learned to love and embrace that. I don’t break out much other than sometimes on my period or after eating too many oily foods, but nothing to complain about. I also noticed I get these weird, bug bite-like bumps when I touch my face too much. I have no idea why it does that, so if you’re a dermatologist reading this, help ya girl out.
How would you describe your skincare approach in general? (high-maintenance? Low-maintenance? Worthy of canonization?)
If I want my skin to look like a cute baby’s bum, I need to treat it like one. I use just a few gentle and natural products.
I’m passionate about investing my dollars into brands with an ethical and sustainable focus—so along with a clean and natural ingredient list, I’m also aware of sustainable packaging/sourcing, if it’s made by a company owned by a woman and/or person of color, and what environmental initiatives they have in place. I apply this mindset to both my skincare and makeup routines.
Which skincare products are integral to your routine for achieving your ideal, glowing, well-moisturized complexion, and how/when do you use each of them?
I absolutely LOVE facial oils! They’ve been a gamechanger for me, in going from dull to dewy skin. I was hesitant to use them because I thought that they would make you more oily. However, I’ve found that they’ve been key to making my skin supple and glowing. The two oils I like to restock are Liner Beauty’s Boabab Facial Oil and Cocokind’s Watermelon Hemp Oil. Both bottles last forever because you only need a few drops at a time to be fully moisturized.
And now that I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I also use an oil cleanser to clean my face. I’ll use a few drops of Cocokind’s Facial Cleansing Oil to wipe off my makeup with a reusable cotton pad, followed by another cleanser, like Pete Rivko’s Gentle Cleanser, to pick up any remaining dirt in my pores. I make sure to only use these cleansers at night to not overwhelm my skin. In the morning, I only use lukewarm water to rinse my face. After either cleansing session, I’ll use a rosewater toner, like Cocokind’s Rose Water Facial Toner, to prep my face for the facial oils I mentioned before.
Because I use gentle cleansers, I do make sure to exfoliate my face at least once a week for a deep clean. My favorite way to do this has been using the Youth to the People’s Yerba Mate Resurfacing Mask in the shower in between conditioning my hair and washing my body. Their formula is super refreshing, and I’m obsessed that they use sustainable micro bamboo beads to do the work.
What about makeup products?
I’m NOT afraid of a good blush! Although my makeup routine looks pretty natural, I feel a heavy blush is key to my signature look. My favorite blushes are those I can spread with (clean) fingers, like Ilia Beauty’s Multi-Stick in A Fine Romance and RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Smile. I’ll put a few dabs of either one on each of my cheeks and then a little over my nose to create a slightly sunburned look.
Then I’ll accentuate the blush with a highlighter to complete the dewy look. The Ilia Beauty Illuminator in Stella by Startlight is hands down my favorite highlighter. It’s incredibly smooth, and just a few dabs instantly brightens my face. I’ll apply it along my cheeks and the inner corners of my eyes.
But before I do all this, I love using a multipurpose, lightweight foundation to truly set the stage. Lately I’ve been obsessed with Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in Kamari. With just a few drops, the foundation quickly melts into and matches my skin. It almost feels like the TikTok Beauty filter IRL.
When it comes to my eyes, I like to use Ilia’s Limitless Lash Mascara for both my eyes and brows. I don’t mind using my mascara on my brows after applying it to my lashes since they’re the same color. It also helps create a feathery eyebrow that’s so light and fresh, but still a bit defined. I’ll use W3ll People Expressionist Eye Liner to create a thin line to really make my eyes pop.
And right now I can’t get enough of tinted lip glosses to bring the whole look together. I particularly love switching between W3ll People’s Bio Extreme Lipgloss in Berry and Ilia’s Balmy Lip Gloss Tinted Oil in Saint. They remind me of all the Lip Smackers I had as a kid, but now we’re keeping it mindful and natural.
What’s the cheapest product you use regularly and love?
I know this mainly applies to my bodycare, but I LOVE using coconut oil. For only about $4-6, I have a full-body moisturizer, hair conditioner, and back-up makeup remover. Definitely good bang for your buck.
Is there anything you try to avoid, skincare- or makeup-wise?
I like to avoid brands that aren’t mindful of their impact on the planet and people. The entire skincare and makeup industry is extremely unregulated here in the States, and products are often filled with harmful ingredients that are unethically sourced and packaged without the end-of-use in mind.
No brand is perfect, but I gravitate toward brands that try to be as transparent as possible with their ingredients, processes, and packaging. Conscious consumerism won’t fix all the environmental injustices we face today, but it can’t hurt to support brands that are trying to make a change.
Any next-level tips, tricks, or services that you swear by to help you look “lit from within?”
Idc how annoying it is to hear, but regularly drinking water is a necessity for me to achieve healthy skin. Also paying attention to my diet. My skin looks best when I minimize my oily/processed foods intake and load up on fruits and veggies.
I also used Cap Beauty’s Light Ray a little while ago, and my skin was POPPING when I had it, so now I’m thinking maybe I should restock…
What’s your go-to product or trick for fixing a skin disaster?
My skin disasters usually look like a red, irritated breakout. When this happens, I’ll use the Golde Clean Greens Mask to soothe my face. Depending on the breakout, I’ll use it on my entire face or just use it as a spot treatment and pretend I’m a li’l cow. I’ll repeat the treatment up to three days in a row and my skin is good as new!
Do you do anything differently skincare-wise when you travel?
I try to keep my routine the same to avoid my skin going into shock—but more often than not, my skin gets a bit dry and irritated on the road, so I make sure to have my rose toner on hand. I’ll also apply a little more facial oil and use the Golde Papaya Bright Face Mask to liven it up.
What’s something you wish your teenage self knew about taking care of your skin?
That beauty isn’t always pain. STEER CLEARRRR of the Clearasil pads, you were only burning your face and creating more breakouts!
