By Mindy Kaling Shares Favorite Skin-Care, Hair, and Makeup Products and Tips — Interview
At this point, there’s usually a little makeup left on Kaling’s face, which she’ll “loosen up” with Drunk Elephant Slaii Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser before exfoliating with Tatcha’s The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder. “I get that into all the nooks and crannies of my nose, my eyebrows, and my jawline,” she says. Then, it’s time for La Mer The Oil-Absorbing Tonic, followed by SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator Serum and Joanna Vargas Super Nova Serum at nighttime. Her last step is always a La Mer moisturizer. “It seems like a lot of steps, but I can do that in two minutes at this point,” Kaling says.
On an average day, her makeup routine is even simpler. “In my normal life, I’ll just do concealer and do my brows and mascara, pretty much — but when I am going out, I love a little blush,” Kaling moons. “One that I’ve used forever is Nars Angelika; it has the tiniest bit of flecks of something.” (Angelika has been discontinued but the bubblegum-pink shade Thrill is quite similar.)
And Kaling’s hair routine, in her own words, is “pretty unexciting.” She has naturally wavy hair that’s constantly getting heat-styled, so she sticks to Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner for Magnificent Volume. One of the only other products she uses in her day-to-day is Sachajuan Hair Mousse because it’s a tried-and-true for her fine hair.
Clearly, the product recommendations Kaling has been giving her friends all these years are wildly valuable — and it doesn’t even compare to the advice she and her inner circle trade about life, love, work, and everything else. Having a support network of women to give and receive widsom from is a big priority for Kaling, which is why she partnered with T.J.Maxx to launch The Change Exchange, a program that pairs women together based on mutual experience so that they can exchange letters (physical or digital) and create new connections.
As Kaling explains, having a new person to talk to in a tumultuous time can be a big relief. “I’ve gone through so much change in the past year and a half: I had a baby during COVID, and I’ve been trying to run my two businesses,” she says. “I have a lot going on, and it just feels really wonderful to be able to share what our challenges are.”
At the very least, there’s one thing Kaling will likely never need help with, and that’s picking the right products in the skin, hair, and makeup aisles. But even if that changes, she’ll always have people to lean on for advice – what more could a person ask for?
Learn more about T.J.Maxx’s The Change Exchange program at maxxyouproject.com. The service is free for members who sign up before September 20.
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