Artist Claire Buckley Shares Her Secret To Self-Care Bliss

If you think of artists as being the brooding, moody type, then clearly you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Claire Buckley. The Brooklyn-based artist is as cheerful and inviting as her colorful, abstract art pieces.

She also happens to have some very strong feelings about skin care, something we can relate to wholeheartedly. A lifetime of dealing with dry skin will do that to a girl. It will also force her to become very skilled at finding the absolute best products to keep her skin truly hydrated and dewy (hint: Venn's new hyaluronic booster plays a big part in that mission).

On the day of her very first pop-up at Shen, we thought now would be a great time for you to get to know Claire — and her beauty routine — better, which is why we made her this week's guest on The Regimen. Keep reading to learn all her best beauty tricks and tips, plus how she recovered from some overenthusiastic teenage brow plucking and why she thinks art and beauty are at a natural intersection.

Name: Claire Buckley

Profession: Abstract artist

Skin type: Dry

Hair type: 2B waves, or so I’ve recently discovered — thanks, TikTok!

Duration of beauty routine: On most days as quick as humanly possible, but if I’m in a self-care mood I can take up to an hour. 


Walk us through your daily beauty routine: 
My routine has changed so much since quarantine. Before COVID I was living a very fast-paced lifestyle working as a social media manager for various fashion designers, commuting every day from Brooklyn to Manhattan and most days would be lucky to slap on some moisturizer.


Now that I’ve had time to slow down, I’ve really been prioritizing my self care and it’s had such a great impact not only on my outer appearance, but more importantly my mental health. 


When I wake up I try to drink at least one glass of water and do 15-30 minutes of Pilates followed by a shower. Most days I’ll let my hair air dry with the help of Kevin Murphy Killer Curl Cream, then I’ll dive into my basic morning skin-care routine. My skin is super dry, so I’m mostly focused on retaining moisture. I typically switch up my products on a semi-regular basis, but right now I am loving the Irene Forte Helichrysum Hyaluronic Toner, before applying Venn Age Response Compound K Hyaluronic Booster, Lernberger Stafsing S.O.S Barrier Repair Cream and EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46.


My nighttime routine stays pretty much the same as morning, sans SPF. These days I’m only wearing makeup on rare occasions but when I am I like to keep it fairly simple with a skin tint, concealer, cream blush, mascara, and brow gel. 



What is your philosophy on beauty? 
There is no such thing as perfection and trying to achieve it is a waste of time. Work on your mind and body and the rest will follow. 


What is your best beauty advice?
Stop comparing yourself to others. 


What is the best beauty advice you've ever been given, and by whom? 
My mom: makeup off before bed no matter what!
 
What are your three must-have products?
Venn Age Response Compound K Hyaluronic Booster for my dry skin, the Manta hairbrush to protect my color-treated hair, and the Tetra Balance Pipe to help unwind at night. 


What's the biggest beauty mistake you've ever made? 
Waxing my eyebrows from 8th grade through high school. They never fully grew back and I don’t think they ever will, so I get them tinted by Josh to help with the thinning hair and fill them in at home with the new Kosas Air Brow Tinted Volumizing Treatment.



What do you love most about your job?
Being able to tune out the rest of the world for a bit and focus solely on colors, textures, and painting has done a wonder for my anxiety.


What inspires your art?
After a career in social media that often left me feeling anxious and unfulfilled, being able to step away from the screen and create something tangible that people connect to keeps me inspired.


What do you think the intersection of art and beauty is?
Perception and that the beauty found in art can be completely different for everyone. I love how ever-changing and evolving our perception of beauty can be. What someone is drawn to in a piece can change years from now or even day-to-day, always giving it life and new meaning.