AM to PM with Allyn Rose

“The beauty routine that I obsess over is styling my hair, I have a very specific system to achieving my ‘big hair is closer to God’ quote. I can spend a good hour arranging…and rearranging it. I work at the QVC Channel as a model for several beauty companies, but one of my favorites is WEN by Chaz Dean. Chaz also happens to be the official hair care sponsor for the Miss America program! As a “WEN girl,” I don’t use anything on my hair except the WEN cleansing conditioner (I use the Fig scent, which is the most moisturizing) and their line of styling products. I cleanse, rinse and repeat and leave a dime size amount in my hair as a leave-in conditioner. I also use the WEN body cleansing cream as my shave cream – once you try WEN, you will never go back! I have turned all of my friends and family onto his line; as Chaz says, “friends don’t let friends use shampoo!”

When styling my hair, my daily look is a soft blow-out. I use the WEN styling cream and WEN medium boar bristle brush and blow out my hair with the H2pro Ultra Light Nano Hairdryer 2500 Watts…in Pink! I finish is off with the WEN smoothing cream for a nice finish and shine.

Most women wash their face at the sink every night, but I do not. I never feel like my face gets clean unless I wash it in the shower. I use Neova Purifying Cleanser, which is great for dry, acne prone skin. It gives you a deep clean without being too astringent. About once a week, I get a deeper clean with my Clarisonic Mia…also in pink [laughs]. After the shower, I moisturize withSkin Medica Ultra Sheer. I have dry skin, but I am also acne prone, so finding something that helped combat my dry skin, while not clogging my pores was difficult, but Skin Medica did the trick! From time to time, if I am feeling extra dry (especially during the harsh winter months), I will add the Skin Medica Vitamin C & E Complex, which is like a serum, and leaves a velvety finish to your skin.

I’ve always had acne, like your normal young adult, but it wasn’t until my senior year of college that I really knew how bad it could be. I began developing cystic acne, which turned into intense hyper pigmentation and my face was covered in scars. Now, I was faced with scarred skin and acne on top of those scars; I was not a happy girl. This went on for about 6 months until I ran into my sister-in-law, Kelly, who happens to be an esthetician at Hela Spa in Georgetown. She immediately came to my rescue and with the incredibly generous staff at Hela, I was able to completely transform my skin. A combination of light surface peels, IPL laser treatments and Kelly’s tutelage, my skin is now more radiant than ever. I wake up feeling beautiful every day and I owe that to Kelly and Hela Spa. I continue IPL treatments once every month or two to combat my acne and any residual scarring that I may have.

Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara is one of my favorites for competition or all day wear, it is a littttle too much for me on a daily basis because I do find it drying, but for a girl on the go, it WILL last all day. For everyday use, I stick with the tried and true, L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara– cheap and works great! Again, Tarte comes out of top – their EmphasEYES Amazonian clay waterproof liner stands the test of time – you can even put it on the inside line and it doesn’t come off. I use a combination of Make Up For Ever eyeshadow colors in light and dark brown, gold and cream shimmer to get my favorite sexy smokey eye.

Eyebrows are important! They can completely shape the look of your face and emphasize your eyes. I swear by Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencilin Ash Blonde. It’s so difficult to find a color that works on a blonde as light as I, but this one does the trick! 
 If I’m on air, hands down, I use RCMA foundation– it’s great for a flawless finish. For daily use, I use Make Up For Ever HD Foundation. I cheat. I don’t use a contour powder, but rather the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Finish foundation in a dark ebony color. The love of my life is Make Up For Ever Duo Mat powder, great for walking down the street and strutting your stuff on stage.

It’s not just for grandmas anymore! I love lip liner, sometimes I get away with coloring my lips with liner and topping it with Chapstick! A nice touch of color and some moisture. My favorite is Rain Cosmetics, it stays on all day and most importantly, it doesn’t bleed! Can’t go wrong with a MAC lipstick in Modesty. Take note- this color works on everyone. I don’t know who sold their soul to the devil for this amazing product, but NARS Blush in Orgasm is… orgasmic!”

Beauty 101: “The best beauty advice that I’ve ever received is pluck your eyebrows in the car…not while driving, of course. But the natural light that you have when you are outside is the best for spotting those renegade hairs that we might miss in the light of our bathroom or vanity. I keep a set of tweezers in the car and when I have a second before a meeting or a casting, I pluck away.”

Allyn Rose (@allynrose) is an American beauty pageant titleholder and model/actress from DC. Rose currently works as a paralegal for a criminal defense practice.