Jessica DeFino Reveals Her #1 Beauty Product
The beauty critic on her glamorous everyday uniform, favorite reality TV, and the best thing about living in her grandma’s house.
Hi! How’s it going? We’ve had a busy week and I’m looking forward to a chillllll weekend. I’m going to the musical Teeth, which looks wild, and hosting a games night with my long-time guy friends. How cute are they:
As for Big Salad! This week, our editor Kaitlyn chatted on the phone with culture writer
, who publishes the smart, funny newsletter The Review of Beauty (formerly called The Unpublishable). Here’s a short Q&A about beauty…When did you start writing about beauty? Years ago, I was writing features and celebrity profiles for international magazines, when I was recruited to write for the Kardashian-Jenner official app. It was my dream job at the time, since I’d always been obsessed with beauty. It was fun for a while, but then I started questioning everything.
What were you questioning? Like, why are we selling these beauty standards that are unattainable, even for the people selling them? I decided to pivot to reporting on the beauty industry, but I struggled to get my more critical, investigative pieces published due to advertising conflicts. Finally, I launched my newsletter, which gave me the editorial freedom to write about the beauty industry’s impact, without fear of pushback.
How has your own relationship to beauty evolved? While working in beauty, I started having bad skin issues, likely from all the free products I was trying out and the stress of the job. I was diagnosed with dermatitis and reacted badly to the medication — my skin was peeling off, I couldn’t wear makeup, people looked at me like I was contagious.
Wow. It was a crisis of the self. I realized that I’d based so much of my self-worth on my appearance. I was like, wait, when I’m not able to use the tools of beauty, I feel like nothing. It became clear that something had gone very wrong if that was all I valued about myself!
What would you recommend to others who are thinking more deeply about beauty? James Hamblin’s Clean was a radicalizing read — it will change everything you think you know about how to care for your skin. Also, Thick by sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom, who writes with incredible insight on beauty as a form of capital and a political weapon. I also donate each month to Slow Factory and The Beautywell Project, because they’ve influenced my thinking about issues like sustainability and white supremacy in beauty and fashion.
What’s the best part of running your newsletter? I feel lucky when readers leave positive comments. I save their notes in a folder for when I need a boost. I often hear from people who stopped using their skincare only to find their skin looked the same or better, which feels very validating of my work.
Here, Jessica shares 12 favorite things, including her #1 recipe for entertaining and a dress she loves (but her ex hated)…
Hobby: Since my grandmother passed away four years ago, I’ve been living in her old house on the Jersey shore. It took me a whole summer to learn how to paddle board, but now I do it every morning when the weather is nice. I can’t bring my phone, so it’s just me and my thoughts and maybe a seagull.
Simple pleasure: The day I moved into my grandma’s house — just after my marriage ended — two swans swam up to the dock with their newly hatched cygnets. I was in awe. It felt like a beautiful sign for my fresh start. Now I buy food for them and carry it with me on walks (since bread is bad for waterfowl and the water!). I’ve turned into a birder, and I’m always looking out for ducks, geese, buffleheads, and cormorants. Last year, some ducks nested in my garden, and their ducklings hatched under a full moon — it was the most magical experience of my life.
Everyday uniform: I work from home in a silk floral robe. I have a collection of vintage and thrifted ones, plus a newer style from Free People. I layer them over light pants and a tank. It feels glamorous, even though I’m not going anywhere.
Jewelry: I embrace jewelry to express myself. I have a few Missoma earrings — like these mismatched pearl drop earrings — and I like to layer thin and chunky, short and long necklaces, plus a mix of cocktail rings and delicate bands. I have two hand-me-down rings from my grandmothers, which I wear often.
