Welcome to Shop My Routine, a series that explores the beauty routines of CEOs, tastemakers and influencers, while highlighting the essentials that make their day-to-day easier.
To say Chriselle Lim has a lot going on is an understatement. With a combined 5 million followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, the Korean-American influencer is known for her chic style and entrepreneurial prowess. Along with myriad fashion and beauty partnerships via her company Cinc Studios, the former wardrobe stylist is co-founder of parenting lifestyle brand Bumo (she has two daughters who she co-parents with their father).
In Lim’s latest venture, she’s collaborated with business partner Ben Bennett to relaunch clean fragrance brand Phlur. “I would say scent has healed me,” says Lim, who touts the power of fragrance and the inspiring role it’s played in the ups and downs of life. The brand’s first eau de parfum Missing Person went viral on social media, selling out twice and garnering a growing waitlist of over 200,000. “We describe this one as the smell of a lover left on a t-shirt. It’s a really beautiful, light skin musk that’s fresh and woody, and it just melts onto your skin.”
Chriselle Lim shares her top beauty, wellness and travel picks that help her stay balanced in her … [+] day-to-day work and family life.
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With back-to-back travel, juggling various businesses and parenting little ones along the way, Lim finds balance in her end-of-day ritual. “It’s my nighttime routine that I really look forward to because the mornings are kind of crazy with the kids,” she says. “I always take a shower at night—it’s my way to cleanse the day. Then I’ll do my tea and catch up with what I need to, but put a marker [to stop working] at around 10pm. I spend a lot of time reading; it relaxes me, and I pass out.” Here, Lim shares the essentials to help her unwind, beauty and travel favorites and her go-to regimen for jet lag.
Chriselle Lim’s Beauty, Wellness And Travel Staples
A Bright, Woody-Floral Signature Scent
Lim dubs this recent Phlur launch—a woody-floral EDP—the cool girl scent. “It’s airy; it’s bright. This one is inspired by chapter two of my story: finding myself again,” says Lim of her healing process after separating from her partner. “For an entire year, I was on a mission to find what happiness meant to me. It’s one of those fragrances that you put on, and it makes you immediately wake up. It’s very modern and fresh.”
A Head-To-Toe Hydrating Balm
Infused with nourishing mango seed and coffee butters, this multitasking balm is a constant companion for Lim, who always keeps one in her purse. “This is honestly the most hydrating balm I’ve ever used, and I’ve used so many,” she says. “I use it on my chapped lips and as a night routine where I just slather it on. It also works for cuticles, as a highlighter, for baby hairs—it works for everything.”
Her Holy Grail Night Cream
Lim credits this luxury overnight treatment as one of her ultimate skincare go-tos. “It’s quite pricey, but my skin has been at its best when I use Cle de Peau’s La Crème,” she says. “I have oily skin and this is the one night cream that is so rich but it doesn’t make me break out. When I don’t use this, my skin doesn’t feel as luminous in the morning.”
A Nourishing, Spa-Worthy Body Wash
For Lim, the first step to decompressing is an evening shower. “This is literally heaven in a bottle,” she says of this hydrating body wash in Santal Bloom, which features notes of jasmine, rose and sandalwood. “It is part of my nighttime routine, and sometimes I use it with Korean scrubbing mitts for added exfoliation.” She also pairs it with the matching Santal Bloom body lotion, which she says blends on so smoothly to make it more of a ritual than “work.”
A Deeply Moisturizing Mask For Thirsty Hair
“While I try not to shampoo every day, I usually do end up washing my hair, so I try to use a hair mask,” says Lim. “This one is really hydrating for my dry hair.” The shea butter-infused formula is also ideal for over-processed or color-treated hair.
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A Calming, Aromatic Facial Oil
Besides its aromatherapy factor, this antioxidant-rich elixir has added nostalgia for Lim. “I love my oils, but the one I always go back to is Darphin’s 8-Flower Nectar,” she says. “I was introduced to the brand as a child growing up in Korea because my mom would use it. I’ve stuck with it, and I love the aromatic scent of it. It makes me really calm in the evenings when I use it.”
A Classic Korean Wellness Tea
“Once the kids are down, I’ll usually drink some sort of tea,” says Lim. “My mom is always making me a ginger honey Korean tea; it’s amazing.” This one is crafted from a pure extract of seasonally harvested ginger grown in Seosan, South Korea. “And then from there I’ll read a book,” she says. “One of the biggest things I gained when my partner and I separated was having my reading time back—it always relaxes me.”
Sustainably Crafted, Travel-Friendly Containers
These are a staple in Lim’s carry-on. Available in seven pretty colors including periwinkle and terracotta, these TSA-friendly containers are crafted from a blend of recycled ocean-bound plastic and designed to hold everything from shampoo and conditioner to vitamins and jewelry. “I’ve been traveling nonstop the entire past three months with these instead of packing a whole tube of cleanser or full product,” says Lim. “I travel with all my pills; I take like 10 vitamins a day. I also keep my Pepsid in one; I have to have at least two of them before I start drinking or else I turn bright red.”
Her French Pharmacy Must-Have
Lim stocks up on this deodorant when she’s in Paris. “It’s the one deodorant that all the French girls use,” says Lim. “I never had to wear deodorant before, but do now with hormonal changes after having kids. And this one is really strong and lasts throughout the day. I could sweat all day and I’ll still smell lovely.”
An Effective Sleep Remedy For Long-Haul Flights
A frequent flier, Lim relies on a jet lag routine that’s centered around strategic sleep. “I take a lot of trips to Europe, and I have to sleep on the plane because once I land I have a full day of work. I’ve been taking these melatonin mixers—in water—and they actually help me sleep,” she says.
Lim hits the ground running as soon as she checks in to her hotel. “When I travel, especially for fashion month, if I don’t get the first day right, my whole month is thrown off and I just won’t be sleeping well,” she says. “I usually land in the late morning or early afternoon, and then I’ll be out for meetings and fittings. Right when I get back, I go for a good run, and then I’ll jump into the sauna—I’m in there for a good 15 to 30 minutes, and then I go to sleep. Usually when I wake up, all my bloating and any swelling is gone, and by the next day I’m fully adjusted.”
