Lo Bosworth’s genius mascara hack for longer lashes

You know those skin-care and beauty products that you use until the very last drop? The ones that you’ve spent entire brunches/text threads/email chains, telling your friends about? They’re the best of the best…so amazing that you’d never risk putting them in a piece of checked luggage. At Well+Good, we call those our Beauty VIPs (you know, Very Important Products). In this series, we ask women in wellness and the public eye what beauty products they use every single day and why—with an entire Internet of options to choose from—these items stand out.

Despite being known best for her reality TV debut on Laguna Beach and The Hills, Lo Bosworth is one of those celebs who’s made quite the name for herself in wellness. The star, who openly shared her struggle with anxiety and depression, is now the host of her own podcast Lady Lovin’, wrote a book on relationships, went to culinary school—and (in all of her free time) started her own website and feminine health product line.

Having watched her transform from reality TV star to multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, I’ve also been fascinated with the progression of her beauty look, which she attributes to one big mindset shift. “My focus has really transitioned from makeup to skincare in the past few years like a lot of people,” she says. “And I’m getting older so taking care of my skin is really a priority for me.”

Throughout the night, which was hosted by LensCrafters, she added that eye health and using drops to cure redness “is genuinely part of my beauty routine now” (because nothing destroys perfectly feathery mascara quicker than itchy eyes). Even more inspired? Rather than hiding behind her frames, she uses them as a point of inspiration for her makeup, telling me that, “if you have colored frames, it can be fun to do a color that matches [on the lids].”

I continued to pepper her with questions about all the other products she uses in her skin-first, bright-eyed regimen. Here, the products that help her achieve that California-cool on New York turf.

Keep reading to find out which products Lo Bosworth can’t live without.

Joanna Vargas The Rescue Serum, $150

“Everyone makes fun of me for the amount of products I use, but they are effective,” Bosworth says. “I love Joanna Vargas, her line is great. In the morning, I love to slather my face in oil but it’s kind of hard to wear makeup and not have yourself be shiny throughout the day. So I limit it to two.”

Palermo Regenerative Facial Serum with Rosehip, $78

“I started integrating this face oil with rosehip in it as well,” she says. “It’s really made a huge difference in the quality of my skin and how glowy it is.”

Skinmedica Total Defense + Repair Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, $68

“This is one of the only sunscreens on the market that has infrared protection in addition to UVA and UVB protection,” she tells me. “So my dermatologist recommended that I use this sunscreen and this one only. And it’s great. It layers really easily with makeup.”

Nars Matte Multiple, $39 

“I stopped wearing traditional eyeshadow a few years ago and just do a cream bronzer with a little highlighter and it gives a really nice effect,” Bosworth tells me.

Covergirl Lashblast Waterproof Mascara, $9

“I always use drugstore mascara. Covergirl Lashblast’s waterproof formula has been my favorite for years,” she says. “Years ago, a makeup artist explained that if you have long lashes that don’t stay that curled, a waterproof mascara can set the shape of them better than a traditional mascara.”

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial, $80 

“I love Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Babyfacial. It’s an amazing product,” she says of the AHA and BHA resurfacing mask. “It’s like a 15-minute peel and it does what it says, it gives you baby-soft smooth skin right after.”

Supermodel Molly Sims has an arsenal of beauty products that make her look more rested, and these are the 5 things that Lo always keeps in her fridge.