My day in beauty with Michaela O’Shaughnessy: ‘This one product completely transformed my skin…’

By Aisling Keenan
14th Feb 2019

My day in beauty with Michaela O’Shaughnessy: ‘This one product completely transformed my skin…’

Michaela O’Shaughnessy is the social media manager for Teen Vogue, she works in the heart of New York City and she’s a really, really lovely person. I’m more than a little envious of the life of this Lady Bear, and more than a little interested in her beauty loves…

“I always start my morning with a splash of cold rose water straight out of my fridge, a little moisturiser that sinks in while I eat my breakfast and a lip balm. New York winters can be pretty harsh and one thing that always suffers is my lips. Thankfully I discovered Image Skincare’s Ormedic Lip Balm which has been a godsend,” says Michaela.

“My everyday make-up routine is pretty consistent, I don’t switch it up too often unless I’m trying out a new product or going somewhere fancy. Then when I get home, the first thing I do is remove my makeup using a Simple face wipe and then cleanse, tone and moisturise. About two or three times a week I’ll pamper myself with a sheet mask and recently I’ve been trying to schedule a facial every 3-4 months,” she continues.

Michaela’s skin picks:

Toner: Thayer’s Rose Petal Witch Hazel
Moisturiser: Glossier Priming Rich
Serum: Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Oil
Eye cream: Pestle and Mortar Recover Eye Cream
Mask: LAPCOS Honey Mask
Hand cream: L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid

“I’m a huge lover of sheet masks. I store the LAPCOS Honey Masks in my fridge so they’re nice and cool when I put them on my face. I usually do them two nights a week and it’s my favorite form of “self-care.”

“I have one product that has completely transformed my skin. It’s Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid. It’s a liquid exfoliant with 2% BHA that I use every second night. I’ve been using it for well over a year now and find that it’s really made my skin clearer and brighter.”

Michaela’s skincare tip:

“Obviously number one would be to wear SPF every single day. Secondly, I’ve learned a lot about my skin since I started getting regular facials so if you can swing it, I would definitely try and schedule one every couple of months.”

Michaela’s make-up picks:

Foundation: Charlotte Tilbury’s Light Wonder Foundation
Primer: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Primer
Mascara: Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express
Liner: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. It stays on all day long
Palette/eyeshadow: Charlotte Tilbury’s Stars In Your Eyes Palette
Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder
Lipstick: Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink in Heroine
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo and Glossier Boy Brow
Highlighter: MAC Hyper Real Glow Highlighter Trio in Flash and Awe, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Beauty Light Wand

“I love a bright orangey-red lip and my go-to is Maybelline’s Superstay Matte Ink in Heroine. It stays put from morning to night when I literally need to scrub it off of my lips.”

“I naturally have very fair brows so I find darkening them a little really changes my face. I love to use Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in medium to add some color and Glossier’s Boy Brow to set them in place.”

Michaela’s top make-up tip:

“Use a beauty sponge or a beauty blender to apply your makeup. I was very late to the game and only started using one a year ago but it’s been a complete game changer for how my foundation looks on my skin. I honestly don’t know how I survived without one before.”

Michaela’s hair picks:

Shampoo: Philip Kingsley Flaky Scalp Shampoo
Conditioner: Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Conditioner
Hairspray: L’Oreal Elnett Satin
Texture spray: Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray
Brushes: Mason Pearson
Tools: T3 Volumising Hot Rollers

“I loving throwing a couple of T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers in my hair after blow drying it. They heat up super quickly and give a lovely curl and volume after just 10 minutes in your hair.”

“About two years ago I started getting real bad flare ups of dandruff at times when I was stressed. I tried every product I could get my hands on but nothing worked until my friend gave me a bottle of Philip Kingsley Flaky Scalp Shampoo. It’s pretty pricey but I can’t go back to regular drugstore shampoo now that I’ve tried this.”

Michaela’s top hair tip:

“I always sleep with my hair in a soft scrunchie that doesn’t rip my hair out or cause breakages. It’s important to let your hair and scalp breathe at night.”