Bus, plane, club, another club, that’s Fashion Week. For people who work in fashion, Fashion Week is basically their superbowl, all about running around, working hard, and looking good doing it. All that travel and stress can wreak havoc on your skin. So what’s it really like to go to Fashion Week as a Fashion Insider while also prioritising self care? We sent fabulous writers Michelle Li and Tora Northman to Fashion Week around the world armed with The Ordinary’s PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum to write all about it.
Tora’s LFW skincare routine:
Nighttime:
Remove makeup — usually I just wear mascara, blush and maybe some concealer
Wash face, sometimes twice
Toner
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA moisturizer
LED red light therapy mask for 15 minutes
The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum
The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm
Daytime:
I always start with washing my face, and then go into an attempt at guasha/massage to wake myself up
Toner
Serum, I’ve been loving the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA moisturizer to have a nice and hydrated base
Sunscreen always
Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm + re-apply while out and about
My name is Tora Northman, and I’ve spent nearly a decade working in fashion. I originally started off as an editor at HYPEBEAST, after applying for a role straight out of high school. It was truly a “right place, right time” story, and since I got hired there at 19, my career has followed many different paths. After four years, I left HYPEBEAST to join Highsnobiety – a controversial move, some would say – and ended up spending 3.5 years there. I started off as a writer, and then pivoted into social when I eventually realised that no one really reads anymore, and ended up managing our social media team across all our verticals. Social made sense to me, and the world-building it offers was the perfect segue for me to finally take the leap and try something different. Since the beginning of the year I’ve been freelancing and loving every single minute of it.
Back in the day, I always used to do London, Milan, and Paris Fashion Week, which without a doubt caused me a lot of stress. Doing the circuit four times a year for seven years definitely left me feeling a bit fatigued, because not everything is as glamorous as it might look on social media. Now, fashion week is less about work, and it is more about having fun and enjoying the shows. It has also become a great moment to catch up with industry friends that I only ever seem to run into during fashion season. This time around, I’m doing London Fashion Week in the best way possible–a handful of shows and trying my best to practice patience, even when shows are running over an hour late. When it comes to skincare, I’ve always kept it pretty simple. I find that for me, usually good quality product with great ingredients work the best, but during hectic days when I’m running around at London Fashion Week, my skin definitely needs a little more TLC–especially in the evening.
This week I’ve been preparing my skin for all that London Fashion Week has to offer, and I’ve integrated a new product into my routine. When the temperature starts to drop, my lips always get dry and flakey (yum), and The Ordinary’s PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum has been a new hero for me. I’ve been applying it before bed, and then sealing it with the Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm, which I’ve also been carrying with me everywhere for the past week. It works great both with a cute lipliner underneath, or on its own, and has become a true fashion week side kick for me.
Coming home after a long day, I genuinely look forward to doing my skincare. There’s nothing better than having a long shower, and then going through each of my skincare steps. I actually treat it like a ritual. The Ordinary’s packaging also makes me feel like I’m back in chemistry class, which is always a plus. I’ve been loving the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, it’s so affordable and it is the perfect product when you need extra hydration, especially in combination with the Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA moisturizer. I use it both morning and night, and it also looks amazing underneath my makeup – a true test, considering I am pretty shit at doing makeup.
Michelle’s NYFW skincare routine:
Nighttime:
I love The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum
Then I put on The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm
Daytime:
First cleanser
Next is moisturizer
Sunscreen is a must!
The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm (and I always re-apply while out and about at shows)
I keep makeup simple but cute: blush, lip liner, lip gloss
I’m Michelle, a stylist, writer, and creative consultant based in NYC! I love finding different ways to communicate personal style and fashion stories through social-first content and writing. I started working in fashion through magazines (at Refinery29 and Teen Vogue) and I loved observing all of the different roles on a photoshoot. That helped inform my next steps of wanting to be the one creating the content, either behind or in front of the camera. I’ve always enjoyed fashion and trying different clothes, taking notes of how things fit and work together, and thinking of fun ways to capture it. I think that’s why fashion has always resonated with me: It has the power to transform how you perceive yourself. Fashion week is really the pinnacle of that, which is why I really enjoy it. I love seeing all of the new emerging designers and also the designers that hold NYFW down like Tory Burch, Eckhaus Latta, Calvin Klein, Khaite. It’s so inspiring to see and I always keep a folder of looks I want to try and new ways to style things.
This fashion week, I mostly watched everything online except for the Sandy Liang and Collina Strada show. I loved that Collina Strada and Sandy Liang explored fantasies in different ways. Sandy Liang being about our childhood dreams and fantasies, and Collina Strada about our dark shadow selves. It was all surreal, which is how the end of fashion week feels anyway. I’m always asking myself at the end of a long day if it was all just a dream.
As for skincare, I’ve learned to keep it pretty minimal and focus on a few key products that have gentle and science based ingredients (like The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm) vs. trying everything. Moisturizing is super important for me as I have really dry skin and eczema. My lips are pretty much always dry (so I’m obsessed with The Ordinary’s PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum, this Fashion Week it’s been my holy grail product) and I am always on the hunt for a fragrance-free rich moisturizer.
