Listen In: How A Beauty Journalist "Front-Loads" Her Beauty Routine + More

"There's polarity in the beauty industry, but nothing's black and white. I can almost always see the other person's side of the story," says beauty journalist and co-host of Fat Mascara Jennifer G. Sullivan, who just debuted a column with The Cut titled "Ask a Beauty Editor." 

In this episode of Clean Beauty School, Sullivan and I chat mostly about how to navigate all the gray areas and nuances in beauty media. A few topics we cover? No-no lists, "doing your own research" about ingredients, how much regulation should the FDA really have, and why lab-derived ingredients can be the more responsible choice than their "natural" counterparts.

Because ultimately, questioning common beliefs (be it ones you hold or not) is a good thing. "I'm almost always stress-testing my opinions—asking myself, do I really believe this? Or do I believe something else?" she says.

Of course I'd be remiss not to ask her about her beauty and well-being routine; she's a seasoned reporter in both topics, after all. And like most editors immune to the whiplash of skin care trends, it's fairly concise.

"I front-load my routine, so I can do less every day. I'm all about injectables, good health, and exercise so I don't have to do a lot of steps day to day. If you look at my daily routine and the products I use, it's very pared down," she says. "But don't let me confuse you that means I'm not doing stuff: I'm all about fillers, neurotoxins, lasers, getting outdoors, breathing fresh air, going on hikes, eating tons of vegetables. And that way I don't have to worry too much about skin care because I'm doing all this stuff."

As for that day-to-day, here are her core products: An oil cleanser (she's into Angela Caglia Neroli Oil Cleanser right now), epidermal growth factor serum ("I don't tolerate retinol or vitamin C well," she says), and sunscreen ("How much better are the new sunscreens? I love the Australian brands like Ultra Violette Sunscreen and Naked Sundays Sunscreen," she says).