Marina Raphael knows her way around a beauty bag. The accessories designer and sixth-generation member of the Swarovski family designs luxury handbags that have been spotted on the arms of J.Lo, Megan Fox, Katie Holmes, and more. She plays with materials and textures—wool, braided leather, canvas, feathers, raffia, and crystals—to create sculptural, embellished bags that are effectively portable works of art. Raphael’s love for maximalism also applies to her skin-care routine.
The 24-year-old loves discovering new products and appreciates a high-low combination of brands. Talking to her on the phone is like trading beauty secrets with a friend. She’s warm, enthusiastic, and real: “I’m not obsessed with luxury brands; I really pay attention to the texture and quality of the products,” she tells Glamour. “As long as the product is good and feels good on my skin, that’s what matters.”
As a young entrepreneur, Raphael travels a lot. One week she’ll be visiting the factory in Florence, Italy, where her handbags are made. The next, she’ll be taking press appointments in Paris and London. Then she’s off to Austria to visit the Swarvoski headquarters to learn about the latest in crystal innovation. The dedication she has to growing her brand is matched by a passion for giving back; Raphael is involved with a handful of local charities around the world that she visits regularly, like the Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation in Mexico and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Even though Marina Raphael is almost always on the go, her skin-care routine never misses a beat. “There’s so much that can affect your skin when you’re traveling—from changes in temperature to local weather to being on a plane for a really long time—it’s important for me to find time to take care of myself; it’s a form of self-care,” Raphael says. “Whenever my skin feels good, I also feel better.”
Needless to say, she keeps her beauty bag stacked with trusted minis she can use no matter where she finds herself. Here, the jet-setter shares her favorite products for Glamour‘s Drop The Routine.
My cleanser
I haven’t experimented too much with cleansers actually. My favorite one is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Cleansing Gel.
My toner
I love the Barbara Sturm Balancing Toner. The formula is really light and great on skin—I love to get it in the travel size. When I’m in a rush I’ll apply this plus a thin moisturizer and some foundation and I’m good to go.
My serum
I’ve been using Skinceuticals’ C E Ferulic serum for about a year now. Sometimes I’ll apply it in the morning but I usually save it for the evening when I have more time to go through my routine.
My moisturizer
I love the La Mer moisturizer—the brand has beautiful bottles and packaging. The texture of this cream is so light—it’s not heavy on my skin at all—which is something I really like. I’ll wash my hands thoroughly and then massage the product onto my face with my fingers; whenever I use it my skin feels glowing.
My eye cream
I picked up my eye cream from my mom who swears by the La Mer Eye Concentrate Eye Cream.
My face mask
I did a collaboration with Vichy a while back, which is where discovered a mask that I really liked: Vichy Mineral 89 Fortifying Instant Recovery Mask. I’ve always been a huge fan of the brand, but one of the products that really stood out to me was this face mask. It delivers results instantly and I use this both in the bottle form and as a sheet mask.
My spot treatment
Whenever I feel a blemish come on, I’ll apply a bit Kiehl’s Breakout Control Breakout Control Targeted Acne Spot Treatment at night and it works amazing overnight. I also use 111Skin Three Phase Anti Blemish Booster.
My face mist
I like the Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Face Mist a lot. The [formula] is thin and refreshing and great for traveling around with.
My sunscreen
In the summer I love Heliocare 360’s SPF 50. It’s lightweight and tinted for just enough coverage—it’s like wearing makeup. In the winter I love Barbara Sturm‘s sunscreen drops. I’ll apply a few whenever I’m going outside.
My lip balm
My favorite lip balm is the Laneige Lip Sleep Mask. It’s the only one I use and I like to apply a lot of it in the morning and evening. Since it can be quite sticky, I actually use a Q-tip to apply it instead of my fingers.
Talia Abbas is the senior commerce editor at Glamour.
