BEAUTY

AS IF PROUST BEAUTY CONFESSION ALBUM:

SUNHEE GRINNELL

Beauty Industry Insider and Adviser.

WORDS

by TATIJANA SHOAN

WEB EDIT

by JEENA SHARMA

PHOTOGRAPHY

by VICTOR DEMARCHELIER

Introducing the AS IF Proust Beauty Confession Album, where beauty icons, artists, and influencers reveal their deepest beauty secrets by answering the original Marcel Proust questions, but with beauty-centric answers.

As the former Beauty Director at Vanity Fair and an industry veteran, SunHee Grinnell wields a sizeable amount of influence within the beauty realm. For over two decades, Grinnell consistently dispensed top notch beauty content through a range of articles, and monthly columns with a razor sharp focus on quality products, and a discerning editorial voice.

As she continues to transform the landscape of modern beauty, she talks to AS IF about her favorite products, skincare regime, and her treasured possessions.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

SunHee Grinnell: To sleep as long as I want to without an alarm.

What is your greatest fear?

That my face has fallen to my knees.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Hating my looks.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Hating their looks.

Which living person do you most admire?

Michelle Pfeiffer.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Cosmetic and aesthetic treatments for the face and body.

What is your current state of mind?

Content.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

The true meaning of beauty.

On what occasion do you lie?

My actual age.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Everything and nothing, depends on the day.

Which living person do you most despise?

Donald Trump. The ugliest person alive. Followed by Senator Susan Collins.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Having a sense of humor about his grooming habits.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Knowing her limits not to go too far with various treatments from injections to surgery.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Don’t over do it!

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My son. He’s a handsome beauty.

When and where were you happiest?

–Abroad:

After being pampered at the spa, perched on the terrace, gazing at the glorious scenery and its beautiful landscape at Le Sirenuse Hotel & Resort in Positano, Italy.

–Stateside: 

Getting a heavenly massage treatment at the Tierra Santa Healing House, the spa, at the Faena Hotel in Miami, followed by lounging by the pool.

Which talent would you most like to have?

To have a beautiful singing voice that could take away all frown lines while listening to my music.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To have Gisele Bündchen’s body.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Liking myself.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Hmmm…Gisele Bündchen?

Where would you most like to live?

Perhaps at a mediation and Yoga center in the Alps.

What is your most treasured possession?

 My beautifully spirited family.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Hating the way I look.

What is your favorite occupation?

A professional spa-goer.

What is your most marked characteristic?

 Innate confidence.

What do you most value in your friends? 

Innate confidence.

Who are your favorite writers?

At the moment, Madeline Miller (The Songs of

Achilles) and Rachel Cusk (Outline).

Who is your hero of fiction?

Katniss Everdeen.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Barbara Streisand, but only if I could sing! Waaahhh…

Who are your heroes in real life?

My grandmother, my mother, my sister and my dynamic and ageless friend Maryjane Fahey, a true natural beauty who possess a kick-ass confidence like no one. 

What are your favorite names?

Adaline Bowman and Benjamin Button.

What is it that you most dislike? What is your greatest regret?

Overdone plastic surgery. That I didn’t have plastic surgery.

How would you like to die?

Beautifully, with my dignity intact.

What is your motto?

Beauty to the rescue!

Describe your current beauty regime

–Morning:

My steps are a follows this month as I try to change my products around every month.  

a. I only rinse my face with water then dab to dry.

b. I use a toner to cleanse with a cotton pad (I have many in my cabinet 

and at the moment they are: DMH Aesthetics, Orveda and By Terry.

c. Followed by another toner, Biologique Recherche P50, using a cotton pad (this is product constant). 

d. I mist my face with Josh Rosebrook Accelerating Hydrator. 

e. Followed by my SK-II Essence, which is applied in a pressing motion. 

f. Then, while I am still dewy, I apply Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum. 

g. Followed by a combination of one drop each of Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Acid, Anti-Pollution and Sun Drop SPF50. 

h. Then, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer with 

SPF 50. 

i. Finally, an eye shadow combo from neutrals to iridescent pink shades 

(Nars, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent); powder blush (Tom Ford 

bronzer in Gold Dust and Nars blush in Orgasm); Lip gloss (Dior Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm).

j. Finally, I mist the entire face with Amorepacific (“moisture bound skin energy hydration delivery system” I know, don’t ask - Koreans, lost in translation obviously) face mist to set the makeup to appear as if I do not have any on. It 

always does the trick.

–Afternoon:

Around 2 or 3 pm then at 5 or 6 pm, I mist my face with Amorepacific face mist as a refresher and it keeps me dewy looking into the night.

–Night:

Depending on how exhausted I am, these steps often get shortened. But 

for the most part, here is my nightly ritual. 

a. Wipe off my makeup with makeup removing cleansing clothes. I like 

Neutrogena or M-61.

b. Apply cream cleanser on semi-wet skin, then wipe off with a cloth or you can rinse out the same makeup wipe to take off the cleanser with warm water. At the moment, Omorovicza Cashmere Cleanser. 

c. Using a cotton pad, By Terry Cleansing Water. 

d. Then, Biologique Recherche P50, using a cotton pad. 

e. Instytutum anti-wrinkle Brightening C-erum. 

f. Eye cream varies from Cle De Peau to Fresh to MBR to La Mer.

g. Neck cream also varies from Omorovicza to La Prairie to Sisley. 

h. Face cream varies from Biologique Recherche to Estee Lauder to La 

Prairie to Royal Fern. 

i. Apply Harklinikken hair elixir unto my scalp in gentle rubbing motion 

every night. (I’ve been suffering from a bit of hair loss due to health 

reasons and stress, Harklinikken has brought my hair back to its natural 

state and then some!) 

j. Floss, rinse, then brush teeth. My Toothpaste is Lebon or Crest.

k. Moisturize the body hands to toes using DMH, not forgetting the bum, I try to use Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream because it smells like the beach! 

l. When I am too tired too tired to moisturize the body, I use a body oil 

immediately after a shower, applied onto slightly wet or damp skin. My 

choice for the moment: Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur bath and body oil 

(it’s the chicest thing in a bath, ever.) 

m. Lip balm - Fresh Sugar Lip Caramel Hydrating Balm or Vaseline in Rosy Lip or Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm.

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