Brianne Howey Just Told Me All of Her Best Beauty Tips and Product Must-Haves

Say hello to Unfiltered, a fresh beauty series where you’ll get an exclusive glimpse into the dressed-down beauty routines of our favorite celebrities and content creators. They’ll reveal their guilty-pleasure beauty practices, the five-minute-routine product lineup they can’t live without, the one good-skin tip they’ll be forever thankful for, and so much more. To bring every conversation full circle, we ask each celebrity to send us a selection of self-shot, filter-free photos of their choosing to capture the essence of their Unfiltered beauty philosophy.

Up next, we’re getting to know actor Brianne Howey, who stars as Georgia on the Netflix hit show Ginny & Georgia. Below, she’s answering all of our rapid-fire questions and sharing her favorite products, best-kept wellness tips, and more. Enjoy!

If you had to leave the house in five minutes, what are a few staple beauty products you’d apply or bring with you?

I would definitely bring under-eye concealer—100%, that’s a must for me. I would probably bring a brow gel just to keep the girls in place, and I am obsessed with the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion ($17). So for emergencies, I would definitely keep that with me.

Do you have a favorite brow gel? You have really, really nice brows.

Anastasia! It’s always my go-to.

How about skincare—can you walk me through your morning and evening routines?

Of course. First off, tools. Twice a week, I love using my Clarisonic ($135). I think it’s a must. And then I’ll do a couple of masks a week depending on what’s going on. I love the Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial AHA + BHA Mask ($80)—obsessed. And then the Eminence Organic Skin Care Eight Greens Phyto Masque ($59).

That’s the one that heats up and feels really spicy on your face, right?

Yes! You’re a little bit pink or red afterward, but it clears up everything. So the Clarisonic, the masks, and then I also use a facial steamer a couple of times a week, and I swear it immediately reduces fine lines.

Because I utilize these tools and these masks, I feel like I can keep my daytime and nighttime routine simple. I’ll do a really clean foaming cleanser and sunscreen in the morning, and then at night, I’ve been using a lot of this brand called U.SK Under Skin, especially the serums, a light moisturizer, plus the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion anywhere and everywhere. [Laughs]

Do you have a favorite sunscreen? It can be so hard to find a good one.

I love Supergoop! They have an amazing tinted one, and they also have a really great regular one that’s clean and never makes me break out. Sunscreen can be really tricky, especially if you’re layering makeup over it, but the tinted one is really perfect if you’re on the go.

Agreed—love Supergoop! How does your own approach to beauty compare with that of your character on Ginny & Georgia?

I would say it’s pretty different. Georgia loves utilizing fun colors and loves playing dress-up. She loves matching with her outfits and having everything be on theme, whereas I keep it pretty simple for the most part. I try to keep it fast. I don’t want to use up too much time, so I’ll on throw my Clé de Peau Beauté concealer ($75)—I’m obsessed with it—and then some BareMinerals foundation ($35), which I just brush on really fast. Some Anastasia brows, and then I love Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Shadow ($32). It’s just super easy to swipe on. If it’s nighttime, I throw on a black liner (I like gel formulas because they go on so smoothly) and then some blush! I love my Laura Mercier blush ($34), but Drunk Elephant also has these Rosi Glow Drops ($36) that add a nice tint and glow to your skin.

What about mascara? I’m a big lash girl, so I’m always nosy and want to know what people are using. [Laughs]

Yes! You know what I love? Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Lengthening Mascara ($28). It goes on so well, it doesn’t clump, and it also washes off fast and easily. It’s super simple. I don’t know if the magic is in the bristles of the brush or what.

I swear Benefit has some of the best mascaras, and I love that one too. Do you have any favorite makeup or beauty tips that you’ve picked up while on set?

I really like keeping any facial tools or eye patches in the fridge. When you apply them, the coldness really reduces any puffiness and redness, so I love doing that. Also, for season two, our makeup artist used a really fine brush to apply the under-eye concealer. It’s not something I had ever done before, but I actually think it helps a lot with preventing creases as opposed to a sponge. Oh! Another fun little trick is to put white eyeliner on the inner-lower rim of your eye. It really makes them pop.

I’m sure that’s especially helpful when you have early call times or a crazy schedule without a lot of sleep.

I will take all of the help I can get! All of the eye patches, all of the brightening, whitening—yes!

What about hair? Do you have any nonnegotiable products or practices that keep it strong?

I love using Oribe. I love the Gold Lust Dry Shampoo ($48) and the Dry Texturizing Spray ($49). For shampoo and conditioner, I’m using Pureology’s Hydrate collection right now. It’s just wonderful, and it smells amazing. We wrapped up shooting for season two a couple of months ago, and they have hot tools on your hair multiple times a day in between takes and constantly switching up looks. You’re also getting your hair color-treated a little more frequently to help with continuity. So when we wrapped, I took it down a few notches just to bring some new life back into my hair and let her breathe a little bit. I stopped getting as many highlights and just let it be a little more natural. I’ve been having some fun with that, and it’s also nice to just mix it up a little bit.

That said, I do have the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer ($429), which is a complete game changer. I have surprisingly thick hair, and it used to take me 45 minutes to an hour to dry my hair, and now, I can get it done in like 25 minutes.

It’s so good! It’s spendy but a really smart investment if people can do it. We’re super obsessed with fragrance at WWW—do you have a signature scent, or do you switch it up?

I love Jo Malone London Grapefruit Cologne ($80). It’s clean, simple. … I don’t want anything too loud. I feel like it works day to night, and I just love it.

It’s such a classic. Hmm, okay. How about some high/low? What’s the most affordable beauty product that you can’t live without, and what’s the most expensive?

I love the Dr. PawPaw Multi-Purpose Balm ($6). It comes in a red tube. … I think I’m addicted to it! I put it on everything because it’s not just for your lips. I love it for skin everywhere. We shot season two in the winter, and it’s just so moisturizing and wonderful. For most expensive … I think La Mer. I have a La Mer eye cream that I love. I just love it so much.

Your Instagram is full of travel highlights—what are some treasured products or pieces of beauty wisdom you’ve picked up in other areas of the world?

You know what’s so funny is that I didn’t really notice this until I was in Paris, and of course, I bought a bunch there, and now that I’m home, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I could have also gotten it here.” But Caudalie! Amazing! They have this gorgeous face mist that I can’t get enough of. And what else… Biologique Recherche. I just feel like it’s a lot easier to get when you’re in Europe. It’s a hunt when you’re here, but I love grabbing that when I’m abroad. I discovered it when I was shooting in London, actually. I was getting a facial, and that’s what the esthetician was using.

It’s such a nice line! They actually just opened their first flagship store in the U.S. here in L.A. last year, which I’m super happy about. The facials are amazing. Okay, switching gears. Beauty and wellness are so intertwined—do you have any sacred self-care rituals or tips for staying centered when life starts to feel especially stressful?

In the last couple of months, I started doing acupuncture, and it’s an enormous game changer to help with stress. Sleep is something that I’ve always struggled with. I’ve always had a little bit of insomnia, and I can get really anxious at nighttime. The acupuncture not only helps long-term, but that 30 minutes when I’m doing it is almost like a gateway for me to meditation. Meditating can be an incredibly intimidating exercise, so it sort of forced me to stay still in the moment and focus on breathing. When that time is already carved out for you, it makes it so much easier.

Definitely—I’m personally so intimidated by meditation even though I know it’s so life-changing for people. I sit down for two minutes and immediately start to squirm. [Laughs]

Right! You get distracted, and then your pet’s there. [Laughs] … It’s so hard! I have so much admiration for people who do it. But I guess that’s why they call it a practice. I really respect people who take it very seriously.

Completely. Okay, so let’s say you have a whole day. You’re not working and have absolutely nothing to do and are devoting it entirely to self-care. What would you do, start to finish?

I would … take my dog on a walk. I love getting to spend time with Bodie, especially if it’s not rushed and we can take our time. I love starting off my day like that. Then, I will make a nice breakfast—like actually take the time to make some delicious scrambled eggs and actually cut up some fruit. Maybe even sit outside to enjoy it. Then, Pilates. I love doing Pilates classes. It just feels so good to stretch and to tone. I feel like Pilates is what helped me get through COVID. It really helped with my mental health. I would take a nice shower and lather myself with a lot of body oil—Osea’s Undaria Algae Body Oil ($52) and Body Butter ($56). Especially if you mix them together, [they’re] phenomenal. I would indulge in a book. That always feels like a luxury if I have time. I’m reading The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan right now. It’s actually really dark, but I also really love dark content.

I’m such a huge book lover and have seen so many people buzzing about that one. It’s on my list.

Oh my gosh, okay. It’s really heavy. It’s like The Handmaid’s Tale for mothers, but it’s very thought-provoking and provocative, and I have also cried quite a bit while reading it.

I’ve been warned!

Yeah, yeah, it’s heavy—I’m about 20 pages away from finishing it and just gutted. But then I would go out to eat dinner either with girlfriends or with my husband. That always feels like such a treat—not having to make dinner or do the dishes. And then I love going to the movies. I feel like that really got robbed during COVID, and the novelty will never wear off for me.

Me too—nothing else compares. Okay, this is actually my last question! What’s your Unfiltered beauty philosophy in seven words or less?

Getting older is a privilege.