Laurel Pantin, Teen Vogue’s Assistant Beauty Editor, is a Glitter Girl at heart. From slacks to sequins, her wardrobe reveals a distinct sense of self-awareness. Laurel’s specialty is fearlessly injecting tomboyish twists into every outfit. With access to industry secrets and insider tips, this beauty expert is refreshingly candid about her latest adventures, newest obsessions, and everyday essentials.

Laurel in a vintage jacket, Organic by John Patrick tank, and J Brand shorts on her fire escape. It has an amazing view of the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Tell us a bit about your style. What does it say about your personality?
As shown by my wardrobe, I love glitter and sequins, crazy high heels, and anything vintage or kind of strange. In my everyday life, though, I’m a huge tomboy! I love jeans and my white canvas Bensimons. I hate feeling like I can’t do something because of what I’m wearing. I’ll try on ten different outfits before a concert, and I end up changing a million times just to make sure I’ll be comfortable regardless. Even though my fancier looks tend to have a sort of tomboy edge, I still love getting dressed up. I love dressy trousers and tuxedo jackets. I guess I’m usually more Lauren Hutton or Katherine Hepburn than Marilyn Monroe.

“I got my tie-dyed clutch at Barneys, but I can’t remember who made it! The gold beaded clutch and the black one with the gold bow up top are both vintage. The glitter box is by Anya Hindmarch!“

“My absolute favorite bracelet is a vintage Cartier men’s ID bracelet with diamonds my boyfriend gave me for my 25th birthday. He picked it for me because I’m kind of a tomboy, and it’s so masculine.”

Do you have a strict daily makeup routine, or do you frequently switch up your look?
Working in beauty, I get to play with so much stuff. I’m always bringing new products home! I have my old favorites for skin and hair, but I do love to experiment. In terms of makeup, I generally wear the same three or four products, but I try a lot of brands. I like to bring home things that I might try for a big night out or a party. Lately, I’ve really been wanting to recreate a look from DKNY. Charlotte Willer from Maybelline gave the girls a super clean face, and then used a tiny dot of silver glitter in the middle of the top eyelid (right above the lash line). I thought that was gorgeous!

You must work with hundreds of different products on a regular basis. Do you tend to stick to old favorites or experiment with new items?
Well, I really just stick with three or four product categories (sunscreen, concealer, mascara, lip balm) but within those categories, I’m rarely loyal to one brand. Within those four categories, sometimes I’ll try something new. For example, I just switched from sunscreen to a tinted moisturizer with SPF from La Prairie (which I’m now totally obsessed with). I like to try different mascaras, and I have ones for specific purposes. MAC “Haute & Naughty” is for parties, CoverGirl “LashBlast Length” is for every day, La Prairie mascara is for zombie mornings (it really makes me look awake without being too “Va Va Voom”). With lipstick, though, I do have an ultimate all-time favorite color. It’s by Milani, and it’s a neon orange called “Mandarina.” I must have a hundred of them — one in every bag, clutch, tote, pocket, everywhere! In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than a bright orange lip.

If your makeup bag were limited to one item, what would it be?
Probably my tinted La Prairie SPF. Sunscreen is a must — no matter what, you’re never going to look healthy or beautiful if your skin is wrecked from the sun! My skin gets really red, so the tint is important to keep an even skin tone. But that said, I’ll tear my hair out if I don’t have a lip balm of some kind handy.

Do you have any beauty secrets or tips you can share with us?
It’s so lame, but so true: wear sunscreen! That’s honestly the most important thing. Being backstage during fashion week, I also learned that a little bit of Aquaphor or Vaseline looks really pretty on your eyelids (but just a little). It makes you look refreshed, dewy, and awake. In a pinch, your favorite lip gloss will also work on your cheeks too. If a color works on your lips, odds are that it will work all over your face (the exception being if your favorite lip gloss happens to be fire-engine red). But generally, a glossy color on your face can make you look really healthy and lovely.

Left, Laurel wears J Brand jeans, Gryphon top, Prada shoes. “These are my absolute favorite jeans! I wear them all the time; they’re the perfect length! This is actually kind of a go-to outfit for me, especially if I’m not feeling so good. Sequins always perk me up!” Right, “Clearly, I have a problem. Those aren’t even all of my glittery shoes!” Top: Marc Jacobs, Bottom: Zara

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