Beauty

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Believes in Climate Activism, Equality, and Skincare

The congresswoman has three simple steps that keep her skin looking and feeling great as she fights for her constituents.
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Being Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is sure to come with a lot of stress—the 29-year-old has been constantly in the limelight since her election in June 2018. While Twitter loves to berate the New York congresswoman, her efforts towards reinvented environmental policy, economic reform for the 1%, and more haven’t gone unnoticed. She recently teamed up with Bernie Sanders for a new green housing initiative, questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the platform’s politics, and called for widespread drug decriminalization in the United States.

While her life as a politician is tumultuous, AOC has been refreshingly open and honest about her personal life. She frequently chronicles all of the miles of cross-country traveling and hours of political debating that she goes through for her job, but also makes time to talk about self-care and mental health. Through it all, her skin still maintains a miraculously radiant glow. It’s so stunning, in fact, that masses of her fans and followers digitally begged her to share her nightly skincare routine. 

As she often does with her policy, AOC came through for her supporters, sharing her three-step, systematic skincare routine in a series of Instagram story posts. “Skincare is straight up a hobby of mine,” she wrote in the story. “I’m a science nerd and I truly enjoy the science of it, reading about compounds. It’s like that.”

In typical democratic fashion, AOC wanted to remain neutral on her product picks, choosing not to list specific brands or items and instead leaving it up to the imagination. Not to fear, though, we here at L’Officiel USA have scoured the beauty sphere for products that best match her descriptions. Get to it!

STEP 1: CLEANSE IT UP

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La Mer The Cleansing Foam ($95)
Clarisonic Mia Prima Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush ($99)

The most important rule in AOC’s skin-care bible is to double-cleanse. Leading beauty gurus state that double-cleansing ensures that pollutants are safely removed from your pores. AOC starts with a balm or oil. Luckily, we have already compiled a list of 14 cleansing balms that are the bomb. Next, she requires using a natural foamy cleanser. One cleanser we’re obsessed with is The Cleansing Foam from La Mer ($95) which is infused with sea algae fibers and white pearl powder ensuring a glowing and purified look. Sometimes, if she is feeling extra she’ll incorporate a face brush or makeup towel. And we agree, too much is never enough—so rock the Clarisonic Mia Prima Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush ($99).

AOC warns against skin-care products that contain alcohol.

STEP 2: TONE IT UP

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Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Toner ($45)
Glossier Super Pure ($28)

AOC knows what works for her when it comes to toner. She states that she has tried several products, even basic witch hazel, and she stresses as long as there is no alcohol it should be fine. This Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Toner ($45) is award-winning and alcohol-free. She also recommends using actives, which are serums with vitamins. We love the Glossier Super Pure ($28) which is vegan and cruelty-free and reduces redness, soothes, purifies and balances.

STEP 3: MOISTURIZE AND PROTECT FROM THE SUN

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Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream ($48)
Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense SPF 30 ($36)

To AOC, finding the right moisturizer is “like finding jeans that fit,” it’s personal and individual. For a smart start, we recommend scrolling through Sephora’s Bestseller Skin-care list to find a product that puts in the work. Protecting your skin against the sun’s harmful rays is super important, even if you’re not beaching. We recommend Drunk Elephant’s Umbra Tinte ($36) because it protects from the sun and has a tint that makes dull skin glow.

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AOC’s skin regime also spans far beyond just products. She emphasizes the importance of diet; for her, she experimented with a brief period without dairy to minimize breakouts but also discusses small actions such as not touching your face with your hands.

Now, if only we could get ahold of Elizabeth Warren's skincare regime.

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