“I really feel like I’ve seen every vintage classic film you could possibly watch,” she gushes over the phone. “I’m so inspired by Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Josephine Baker…how they do their makeup is so fabulous.” On camera, Parsons can pretend she’s starring in one of those classic films—her “fantasy world,” she calls it. Her commitment to various roles and genuine passion for makeup history feel refreshing among the swarm of “effortless” beauty looks; it’s what no doubt fuels her 1.7 million TikTok followers. As you can probably guess, Parsons has no shortage of application tips and techniques. But recently, I got the chance to catch up with Parsons about her personal routine, the products and rituals she gravitates toward when she’s not Marilyn, or Josephine, or Joan Crawford, or Lucille Ball, or Clara Bow—but the striking, warm, fabulous Erin. “So I switched to a milk cleanser. My current favorite one is from a brand that’s pretty unknown; it’s called MBR—Medical Beauty Research. I have to double cleanse because I wear a lot of makeup, so I always have an oil cleanser. There’s no specific brand; I will use anything because they all work. And then I use a milk cleanser. “[It] completely transformed my skin. It used to be so dehydrated… So that’s what I found that worked.”
MBR ContinueLine Three in One Cleanser “I’ve been doing it consistently every single day for two weeks. I’m literally looking in the mirror, and [my skin] just looks a little more radiant.”
Omnilux Contour FACE “You do basically have to use it for the rest of your life, and that’s fine because I use moisturizer every day, so I just make it a routine. It’s kind of wild how well it works.”
Women’s Rogaine 2% Minoxidil Solution “I wear hard-core waterproof makeup, and just micellar water doesn’t remove my waterproof makeup. This product actually removes my waterproof makeup, and it doesn’t feel greasy after I use it. “If I mess up my liner, I’ll always dip a [cotton swab] in micellar water, but sometimes that can even mess up the wing when you try to straighten it out. Whereas with Dickinson’s, there’s no grease. It wipes everything off, it cleans everything, and it’s very inexpensive. I have a bottle on my vanity in my office; I have a bottle on my vanity at home. It’s great, and it’s cheap. “I use it in my kit, too. So when a model comes into my chair, I’ll use the Dickinson’s to clean their face, and then I go with moisturizer, and then I go into all the makeup products. It’s just kind of a staple for all facets of my life. But for me personally, dipping a [cotton swab] in and sharpening up a line, or even creating designs on the face… It’s fantastic for that.”
Dickinson’s Micellar Witch Hazel Makeup Remover “I don’t know if it makes any difference. I don’t do it all the time, but if I’m laying in the bath, I will literally start to splash my face 50 times thinking that this water is going to miraculously make me look like a teenager. It’s this weird Erno Laszlo–developed routine. “Marilyn Monroe used Erno Laszlo, and they found the paperwork at the end of her life that she was doing this Erno Laszlo routine, which I believe included that face-splashing thing. So maybe there’s something to it!”
RIKI Babe Travel Set
KNESKO Amethyst Hydrate Face Mask
FonsBleaudy Moisturizing Spa Gloves and Socks Set “I do not do highlighter. I don’t do bronzer. I like the skin to look velvety, so I do like powder. But blush—I love to put on blush. It just gives so much color to the face. So I think if someone were to associate something with me, it would be that particular nude lip, eyeliner wing with lots of blush. I think you would see that on my page all the time.”
Maybelline Hyper Easy Liquid Pen No-Skip Eyeliner
