Ella Rubin's Skincare Philosophy: Learn to Cut Your Split Ends Before Chasing Perfect Skin
Sterling Point star Ella Rubin shares her daily skincare and makeup habits with Vogue, from the gentle cleanser passed down by her grandmother to her own hands-on, practical approach to trimming split ends.
There's a pair of scissors in Ella Rubin's bathroom, reserved for dealing with split ends. "You can't overthink it, you just have to cut it," she says toward the end of our conversation—an offhand remark that ends up capturing her entire approach to beauty. Rather than agonizing over things, just handle them.
A few years ago, during the actors' strike, Rubin experienced her first deep, painful cystic breakouts. Microneedling and red light therapy eventually helped fade the scarring—she uses the CurrentBody LED Multi Light Therapy Mask—but what truly changed things for her was the experience itself. "I tried to treat it as a practice, learning to detach from my own face," she says. "Maybe that's also a kind of practice—learning to accept yourself as you are in the moment."
Her daily routine starts with advice her grandmother gave her years ago: wash her face and neck with Vanicream's Gentle Facial Cleanser, which she calls "my holy grail." After struggling with perioral dermatitis, she switched to Epicutis's Lipid Serum, "one of the few serums that doesn't make things worse." Next comes Siv's Biome-Balancing Serum, CytoLine Eyecare Cream 100, and the lightweight Corthe Moisture Rx Recharging Gel, applied with a simple facial massage. She finishes with SKIN1004's Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50, then a final swipe of Aquaphor on her lips.
Another Skincare Obsessive, On Screen
Annie, the New York teenager Rubin plays in Sterling Point, has her own elaborate skincare ritual—except every step of it is wrong. "She's holding onto life so tightly, and that's how she treats her face too," Rubin says. Creator Megan Park wanted the show's teens to look like actual teenagers, so makeup artist Skye Tostowaryk kept Rubin's look minimal, occasionally letting breakouts show on camera, sometimes even leaving a trace of Mario Badescu Drying Lotion visible on her face. "Every time I broke out I'd think, oh, Annie's skin is acting up today," she laughs. The experience of filming ended up shaping her real life too: "This was the least makeup I've ever worn for a job, and it felt so freeing—it actually made me wear less makeup in real life."
What she calls her "everyday-plus" makeup starts with a thin layer of IT Cosmetics CC Cream, layered with two shades of Tower 28 Hydrating Concealer. She pulls out her well-worn Fenty Beauty Match Stix and apologizes to the camera: "Rihanna, I'm sorry, I've had this for way too many years"—using it to sculpt shadow along her nose bridge and eyes. Benetint is a set staple, dabbed on lips, cheeks, and nose bridge. Chanel's Baume Essentiel doubles as both highlighter and eyeshadow. She then shapes her lips with Rhode's Peptide Lip Shape before outlining with Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat—a habit picked up from her mother. "She's used this lip liner for as long as I can remember," Rubin says. "I really do look just like my mom."
Her grandmother remains another constant reference point—a former pageant contestant whom Rubin describes as "always put-together, but still understated," "the most radiant, luminous woman." Her one golden rule: "Moisturize every day, no exceptions." With that, she reaches for body oil.
Finally, Rubin lets her hair down for a scalp massage, then grabs the scissors to deal with her split ends—not picking at them one by one, but cutting them off outright. Rōz's Milk Hair Serum smooths things over, with a bit of bond smoother for particularly rough ends. Once the scissors are put away, she's finally ready to head out for dinner. "I need to stop myself," she laughs, "or I'll just keep cutting and messing with it forever."
