21 Self-Care Essentials U Beauty Founder Tina Chen Craig Swears By
"If self-care means jumping in a tub with a glass of tequila or champagne and just scrolling TikTok, do it."
You may originally know her as a Bag Snob from her cult-favorite fashion blog, but U Beauty founder Tina Chen Craig has also worn many hats in the beauty industry for a number of years, stemming from her early work as an influencer.
"I was known as the Bag Snob for years on social media, and I think my following blew up because everyone speaks the same language [when it comes to bags]—I always call them the great equalizer," Chen Craig tells BAZAAR.com. "It didn't matter what size you were; if you had a great bag, that was it. You were put together, you felt confident. And the same can be said for skin. I think a lot of people came for the bags, but stayed for the skin care tips."
Chen Craig attributes her love of skin care to her Asian heritage, plus beauty lessons passed down from her mother and grandmother as a child. "I'm Chinese, and I grew up with a Shanghainese grandmother who instilled in me at a very early age that good skin was the ultimate sign of beauty, and anyone could have good skin if they worked at it," she explains. "I think my skin barrier has really held up because of all those things I've learned from them, like taking care of your skin from the inside out. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup; it was just always about skin."
Later in her career, Chen Craig worked as an ambassador alongside top beauty companies, like Charlotte Tilbury and La Prairie, to help launch and revitalize their brands, which ultimately sharpened her business acumen and product knowledge. Though she enjoyed the work she was doing promoting brands, Chen Craig questioned the need for an excess of items in one's routine. "I started saying to all these brands I was working with, 'I really love the fact that you have 500 products, you're launching one more, and you're paying me lots of money to now go on a master class tour with you, but could we just combine all of these into one to replace six of these serums?' And they'd say, 'Oh, no, you don't understand science.' So I started talking to dermatologists and biochemists."
After developing a skin-changing, sample blend of ingredients in a laboratory in Europe (later known as Chen Craig's best-selling Resurfacing Compound), the beauty founder was asked by a bevy of fashion and beauty insiders about the exact products she used on her face during a visit to Paris Fashion Week. "Paris is the last leg of fashion month—everyone looks like hell, everyone looks tired. And supermodels and everyone sitting front row kept asking me how my skin was still glowing," she says. " I pulled out my little lab sample that just said Tina Craig on the bottle and told them about my compound. Chriselle Lim was the first to say, 'Tina Craig skin in a bottle?! How do I get some of that?'"
Chen Craig requested more and more early lab samples of the compound as demand for "Tina Craig in a bottle" grew, eventually garnering the attention of retailers, like Net-a-Porter. What started as a personal skincare passion project quickly blossomed into U Beauty, which sold out of a year's supply of its products within the first three weeks of the brand's launch. "I started seeing samples of U Beauty on eBay—it was this crazy frenzy, that early time. We named the company U Beauty, because we decided it's about you. At that point, it was enough about K-Beauty, J-Beauty, everybody else's beauty but your own. And every person should have their own beauty; that's where the name came from. The brand was born purely by need, by this demand. My job is to make sure what I create is the best product I've ever used."
In addition to a brand ethos that emphasizes minimal, efficacious products that adhere to strict European standards, U Beauty is also earth friendly, manufacturing its products in a carbon-free factory in Italy that runs on green energy.
For expert tips on prioritizing health, self-care, and an effortless, glass-skin glow as a full-time mom and business owner, Chen Craig shares her essential product picks and go-to methods for Taking the Edge Off.
Alison B. Hart The Work Wife: A Novel, around $19
Besides lab reports and spreadsheets that I stay up all night reading until my eyes go blind? I just downloaded The Work Wife. It's really hard for me to read books, so I just decided to read a bunch of easy-to-read, mindless fun stuff. But I heard The Work Wife was really good though.
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Pure-Castile Liquid Soap in Peppermint, $23.50, Dr. Bronner's I've used Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap since college, it's my favorite—I highly recommend it. It's very entertaining, because when you're in the shower, you can read its label. I've used it since the '90s, and I'm still reading the manifesto—it's been 25 years! I also love Lord Jones's CBD bath salts, and I've been testing out different bath oils. I love Susanne Kaufmann's Bath Oil for the Senses, and then I just ordered a new one on Violet Grey, the Aman Nourishing Coconut Milk Bath.
The Super Hydrator, $104.41, U Beauty
Usually right before a Zoom, I put on The Super Hydrator, because it's not only a luxurious cream, it's a highlighter for your face. People always ask me, "What is that glow?" and I tell them, "You take a tiny drop of The Super and mix it with any foundation or concealer, or just dab it along the cheekbones." And, in fact, whenever I go on a Zoom with someone is when I sell the most U Beauty.
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Homecourt Hand Wash in Cipres Mint
I don't use hand sanitizers anymore. Your body needs some bacteria, and sanitizers kill good bacteria, too, so I've just been handwashing regularly. I've been loving Homecourt's Cipres Mint Hand Wash, and just use The Super Body Hydrator as hand cream.
La Nuit Narobi Candle, $133, Lalique
I'm obsessed with candles, I have so many different kinds. My favorite right now is Diptyque's London Candle—it's so good because I love florals, and it's limited edition. There's also a brand called Paradiso that's small batch and based out of L.A. with this hand-poured gardenia candle that smells divine. Lalique also has candles that smell really yummy. I always have three or four going at the same time all over the house—they just change the mood.
The Barrier Bioactive Treatment, 271.79, U Beauty
U Beauty's Barrier Bioactive Treatment—it's the last step in my skin care routine after I apply my Resurfacing Compound, my Super, and then I do my Plasma Lip, and then I put the Barrier Cream over all of that.
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Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation, $90, Chanel
During the day, I'm all about no makeup, especially since I use U Beauty as my "makeup" a lot: The Super for highlighter; my Plasma Lip has pigment-enhancing ingredient that makes your lips look like there's color on them. But at night, I'm really into bold makeup. I've discovered a few amazing makeup artists that understand my face, and I used to be that girl that's like, "Don't contour me," so then when I'd go out at night I'd look exactly the same as I did during the day. And now, I'm embracing makeup—Gen Z has taught me to love makeup—and there are so many great products out there.
Chanel's Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation and Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream are great, and I'm obsessed with Haus Labs by Lady Gaga's gel eyeliner pencil. Its consistency reminds me of my Maybelline eyeliner pencil when I'd burn the end of it in the '80s and let it cool off; it glides on like a liquid but dries immediately. I also love the Dior Backstage Concealer. And if I do use lip color, Westman Atelier's Lip Suede Palette is a beautiful compact. Also, Jones Road's Face Pencil—I use that as my nude lip liner and to cover any blemishes. Those are my musts.
Lip Suede Lipstick Palette, $130.52, Westman Atelier
What's the last fitness class you streamed or attended in person?
I do FlexIt five to six days a week. I've done 150 classes, and you literally have access to some of the best trainers on demand. It has changed my body, and I will never stop doing it because I'm the laziest person on the planet—if a trainer doesn't come to me, I don't show up.
What's one piece of self-care advice you'd recommend to our readers?
I've always said this: Put yourself first so that you can care for others. For me, self-care is so intentional and it's well thought out. I used to feel so guilty, but really, guilt is a wasted emotion. That concept is so hard to grasp for moms—all people, actually. "Oh, I should be working," "Oooh, I shouldn't be doing that." But if you put yourself first, and if self-care is intentional, then it's like putting on your oxygen mask before helping those around you, right?
I've decided regular self-care is not indulgent but a necessity: facials and things that make me feel good. Even if self-care means jumping in a tub with a glass of tequila or champagne and just scrolling TikTok, do it. Be proactive and intentional with your self-care. Make it a chore so you don't feel guilty about it. If self-care is something you have to do, then you feel good once it's checked off.
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.