Jewelry Designer Melissa Joy Manning On Finding Beauty In The Unexpected
Whenever we're in the mood to treat ourselves to something shiny, our first stop is always to Melissa Joy Manning's Brooklyn shop. A jewelry designer with a gift for creating responsibly sourced, conscious works of wearable art, Melissa eschews the disposability that is so common in fashion today with ethical designs that are meant to become heirloom pieces unique to the wearer and last a lifetime. It's the kind of jewelry you love so much, you wear it every single day.
For this week’s The Regimen, we asked Melissa to take a quick break
from being a genius in all things sparkly to talk to us about her beauty philosophy,
her must-have products, and how to make your old jewelry look fresh again.
Name: Melissa Joy Manning
Profession: Jewelry designer
Skin type: Dry
Hair type: Curly and annoyingly frizzy!
Duration of beauty routine: Five minutes
Walk us through your daily beauty routine:
I cleanse, use my rosewater toner, then grab one of my Environ treatments for spot care, followed by a face oil and moisturizer. I use a body oil every day and Virtue hair products because they are the only products that work on my hair.
What is your philosophy on beauty?
My grandma always said, “beauty is what beauty does." Meaning you can be pretty, but true beauty is rooted in kindness, consideration, and respect.
What is the best beauty advice you've ever been given?
Sunscreen. Always, sunscreen. I’ve heard it all my life, but sadly didn't listen. It's only after investing in the suite of Environ products to fix all that sun damage that I finally follow that advice.
What are your three must-have products?
Pai Rosehip Bioregenerate Rapid Radiance Mask is transformational and makes you look like you’ve slept when you haven’t. May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon is so good and my dry skin can't get enough of it. And my rose quartz face roller — I keep it in the fridge and pull it out when I need a fast pick me up. Also, my son loves to pretend his matchbox steamroller is one too!
What's the biggest beauty mistake you've ever made?
Fake nails — enough said.
What do you love most about your job?
The freedom to spend time with my son.
What's your best jewelry advice?
Wear what you love and don’t be afraid to layer as much as you want. Also, when an heirloom piece doesn’t feel you, consider redesigning it rather than letting it languish in a box somewhere. Jewelry holds such memory and energy- giving it new life and wearing it honors your tradition and roots.