I remember the first time I walked into Brooke’s bathroom. It was late, after a night of shared oysters, shrimp toast, and a few good margs. We headed back to BB’s new casa for a nightcap and wooden spoon, kitchen karaoke session. When I excused myself to use the bathroom, I was pleasantly greeted by her untamed beauty supply that looked incredibly familiar. I knew she was product obsessed, but had no idea I had met my match. There were shelves upon shelves of creams, balms, serums, and oils. It was love and endless product discussions at first sight. When we’re ready to hire a dedicated beauty editor, we know where to turn.
Read on as Brooke Baxter, the 30-something, ex-esthetician turned jewel expert, spills her Skin Milk and shares the ins and out of her carefully edited routine, her love for all things skincare, and the products she knows well.
Tell us a bit about your morning routine. “Coffee, more coffee, too much cell phone time, and more coffee. I try and meditate, but I usually end up doing it in the afternoon.”
Tell us a bit about your skincare. “Well, I have a problem. I am a true product junkie. Seriously, I have closets full. Products bring me great joy! Basically anything from Violet Grey is what I’m using these days. I try to go for clean, natural products that don’t contain sulfates, parabens, etc., and there are a lot of great brands out there that focus on keeping it simple. I appreciate that.”
Brooke's Skincare
Dr. Dennis Gross DRx SpotLite Acne Treatment Device
"Once in a while, I get those marble cysts and if I use this a few times a day it keeps them from coming to the surface. It also speeds up healing time if you have a pesky pimple that shows up. And, it’s portable!"
Dr. Dennis Gross , $52
Clary Collection Renew + Repair Oil
"I am obsessed with the smell! I also use it as a renew neck oil every night because iPhone neck is real ladies."
Clary Collection , $29
Rodan + Fields Lash Boost
"Not only do you get length from this, you get thickness. This stuff works! And you can put it on your brows."
Rodan + Fields , $90
Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum
"All around best facial oil for sensitive acne prone skin. Trust me. Using this oil on break out prone skin is a good thing."
Vintner's Daughter , $185
Solaris Laboratories Jade Facial Roller
"Feels good. It works for fluid retention and collagen production."
Solaris Laboratories , $27
37 Actives Anti-Aging and Filler Lip Treatment
"This actually hydrates my lips and they stay hydrated all day, so there isn’t a lot of reapplying that needs to be done."
37 Actives , $95
Solaris Laboratories Gua Sha Rose Quartz Tool
"This thing is awesome and I swear using it on the back of my neck wakes me up in the morning and it carves out a mean cheekbone!"
Solaris Laboratories , $25
Tell us a bit about your makeup. “It’s pretty basic. I used to wear a ton of makeup in my twenties because that was my profession — I was an esthetician / make up artist. I wear very little these days, but I wouldn’t dare leave my house without mascara and a brow tint.”
Brooke's Makeup
Westman Atelier Foundation Stick II
"A non-silicone foundation that has a super natural finish."
Westman Atelier , $68
Glossier Stretch Concealer
"It really stretches, I swear. Sheer enough to use under the eye and pigmented enough to cover up those stubborn spots."
Glossier , $18
YSL Beauty Kajal Eye Pencil
"The best to smudge with my pretty (said in best wicked witch voice)."
YSL Beauty , $35
By Terry Baume De Rose #4 Bloom Berry
"For starters, it smells like roses, but it also is the most natural cheek tint I have used AND it’s the perfect lip shade for me."
By Terry , $56
Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara
"Done and done the BEST mascara ever."
Charlotte Tilbury , $29
Tell us a bit about your hair. “What hair? I kid, I kid. So, I have really tortured my hair over the years with bleach. I’m also famous for my at-home hair trims (don’t do it kids). I am loving Playa Shampoo and Conditioner right now. I love my girl Nina Kairouz at Mare Salon in LA, but I don’t get to see her nearly as often as I like because I live in Nashville. I also take Nutrafol hair supplements to try and grow more hair because I’m pretty sure the years of bleaching my scalp has actually killed hair follicles, but it could be simple aging.”
Brooke's Hair
Aesop Violet Leaf Hair Balm
"I mix this with my hair oil and it gives you a great air-dry finish. I’m a very low maintenance hair person and this does the trick for that 'I care what my hair looks like, but not too much' look."
Aesop , $35
Nutrafol Core For Women
"I love Nutrafol for hair growth — years of bleach and tone has done a number on these strands."
Nutrafol , $88
Tell us a bit about your beauty from the inside/wellness. “I truly believe a healthy mind is a healthy body. I’m on a constant mission to be better and in being better, I feel better, I look better, etc. I try and eat healthy and exercise even though I’m quite lazy at keeping a good routine. I do love pilates, but I travel a lot so keeping up with that has been challenging lately. My friend Lindsey at Nashville Pilates Studio is a phenomenal teacher incase anyone is looking! She has really helped me to understand my body.”
Tell us a bit about your nightly routine. “Never ever, ever sleep with your makeup on. Period. Even if you have to use a make-up wipe. It’s the worst thing, I swear. I keep it simple. I don’t use water to wash my face. I use micellar water and an unbleached cotton wipe to remove any makeup. Nashville water has a maddening amount of chemicals and it irritates my skin. Right now I’m using Augustinus Bader night cream and Susanne Kaufmann eye cream (it’s pricey, but totally worth it). And off to bed I go! I love sleep — gotta have eight hours or nothing is getting done the next day.”
Biggest beauty secret/advice? “You can buy a hand held high frequency machine on Amazon. It’s amazing. I also truly believe that the jade roller and chinese facial tools have kept me away from the botox for the past eight months. Not that I get a lot of botox, but I have a mean RBF and it’s starting to show.”
