in pursuit of casually gorgeous

my beauty manifesto + a shoppable guide

Apr 08, 2025

she’s looong. open this in the substack app.

I have lived my entire life in pursuit of being Casually Gorgeous™.1 The application can look like many things, but the theory is defined by the following objective truths:

1. I love looking cute.

2. I hate putting the effort in to do so.

Morning shed and a 12 step skincare routine? Not casual. Sleeping through my makeup application window and forgetting to brush my hair in the morning? Not gorgeous. It’s a constant balancing act to walk the line of the two. It’s sort of everyone’s dream though, isn’t it? It’s like those high maintenance to be low maintenance TikToks, though they’re usually still far too much effort for a lazy girl like me.

I want the kind of je ne sais quoi where you apply cheap lipstick in a blur and look like you’ve stepped off a film set. I want to be the cool girl in the movie who throws on an old button down and immediately gives Bella Hadid. To be so clear though this is not an ‘I’m not like other girls’ judgement on people who live and die for their regimented routines2. I just find such little charm in the process of getting ready. Bouncy blowouts lead to aching arms, everything showers lead to existential crisis…what’s a Casually Gorgeous™ girl to do?

For a while I was getting lash lifts. This comes in at about a 5/10 on the Casually Gorgeous™ scale. You have to factor the casualness against the gorgeousness of the activity to see where it falls. Time + effort / results = the rate at which it is Casually Gorgeous™.

You have to go to a lash place, and spend this money, and sit there with your eyes closed for an hour while you try not to think about the fact that chemicals could seep into your eyelids. After the fact though, you’re set with lashes longer than your brother’s for 4-6 weeks. I keep this service in my back pocket for special occasion periods, but it is ultimately too high on the time and effort scale to be part of my usual routine.

I do see my ice roller on a pretty regular basis. It’s the easiest way for me to look more awake in the morning. It also takes literally 30 seconds and doesn’t require replacements or batteries, so in theory it could last as long as my freezer does. 9/10 on the CG scale for that.

If you too are pursuing casual gorgeousness and you’re interested in products that can help you do that then look no further: this is the shopping guide for you.

Dr. Dennis Gross DermInfusions™ Fill + Repair Serum with Hyaluronic Acid

So to be honest I first heard of this fill + repair serum while doing Sephora Sale reconnaissance. My eyes caught on ‘FILL AND PLUMP’ printed in giant letters across the display and the rest, as they say, is history. Dr. Dennis Gross refers to it as a ‘3D alternative to injectables’, and while that seems a lofty claim their work checks out. It contains four weights of hyaluronic acid, meaning you get hydration benefits both at the surface and at deeper levels of your skin layers. It also contains four different peptide proteins and contains niacinamide, something my sensitive skin in particular does really well with.

I haven’t tried this one personally, but if all I need to do is apply a little serum and get visible improvement it’s a win in my book. I also love the Dr. Dennis Gross LED mask and the iconic peel pads, so they’ve won my trust and my heart.

Clarins Cryo-Flash Instant Lift Effect & Glow Boosting Face Mask

Clarins actually sent me the Cryo-Flash Mask and the V-facial Instant Depuffing Mask free of charge, but they’re absolutely worth the price tag. I can’t recall any mask where I’ve seen such instant results, not just in that post-face-mask-glow, but with firming and tightening.

It is minty cool like a listerine tablet and looks like you had a $200 facial. They’re a 70 year old brand, so they’ve been around the block, and they also make incredible lip oils (shoutout to cherry and plum in particular).

REFY Face Sculpt Lift and Hydrating Moisturizer

Look at that applicator. Don’t you feel calmer already? I like to keep my moisturizer in the fridge for extra cooling powers post ice roller, and those metal tips would be absolute heaven on my skincare/condiment shelf. This gets extra Casually Gorgeous™ points because it does two things at once. You’re sculpting your face while you’re moisturizing, so no need to add a gua sha. Actually, it does three things. It’s also a work of sculptural art.

Biodance Hydro Cera-nol Real Deep Mask

I’m still recovering from winter emotionally, and this feels like it could help me recover physically. I’ve had so much winter dryness which I’m already prone to as someone with sensitive skin and rosacea so a hydrating mask is usually just the ticket to perk my skin up. Biodance has rave reviews and I like the look of the ingredients for my specific target areas.

Laura Mercier Long-Wear Tinted Moisturizer Natural Dewy SPF 30 with Hyaluronic Acid

I’ve been asking myself three questions when building this list. First of all, is it low effort and high reward? Second, is it versatile? Third, is it unfussy and a return to form? Laura Mercier hits all three. This is a brand my mother has been using for decades, and your mother probably has too. When something has been around so long and works as well as it does I have to wonder why we’re looking to newer and sexier launches when the original tinted moisturizer is right here.

I think I’ve established I love hydrating products, and I love that it’s sheer and buildable too. I am an absolute fiend for this type of layerable glow and kiss my Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter every morning on the lips. I think with this tinted moisturizer and a little spot coverage from the Merit Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick I’ll have everything I could need in my arsenal.

Saie Dew Blush Liquid Cream Blush

Not to brag, but I’m kind of a blush expert. I’ve been in love with cool pink tones since the Dior Rosy Glow in Pink Lilac was trending, and while I love that for a dusting there’s just something so versatile and simple about a cream blush. I used to mix Glossier Cloud Paint into my ideal shade, and have recently tried the Patrick Ta duo in Just Enough as well as Milk’s iconic Werk, but the siren call of my perfect shade of pink was still calling to me. I think I found it in Saie’s shade ‘Baby’.

Ouai Cleansing Scalp & Body Sugar Scrub

If you’ve smelled Ouai you’ve smelled God. I use the conditioner spray and it makes me feel like I’m on vacation watching my tan develop in the shower before getting a giant frozen drink and eating ceviche for dinner. I have a dry scalp and I’m out of body scrub, so it feels like an easy win to get me a product that does both.

The Casually Gorgeous™ Chart

If you ever get lost you can follow this trusty guide to see whether a practice is worthy of the CG title.

Shop the entire Casually Gorgeous™ article and remember the most casual and gorgeous thing you could possibly do is not buy anything and twirl your hair with your finger while chewing bubblegum. This is just in case you have a gnawing ache to consume.

xo,

Julianna

Casually Gorgeous™ was originally coined by my friend Paige when, on Christmas Day 2023, she announced via iMessage “Okay 2024 is the year of being casually gorgeous”. She has given her blessing for me to use it in this article and in casual (pun intended) conversation in perpetuity.

It is worth noting that the originator of the phrase is extremely regimented in her routines and is “physically unable to be casual”.