by Alexandra Nicole Nuralam
Fashion Designer Salisa Cheewapansri on How She Wakes Up Skin with Her Morning Beauty Routine
Like many fashion designers and up-and-coming brands today, Salisa Cheewapansri started her eponymous fashion brand SALISA the less traditional way: through Instagram. Launched in 2013, Salisa started the label while studying at Parson’s School of Design in New York.
The brand made its debut in the US at LA Fashion Week SS20 and features pieces inspired by New York, with unique silhouettes, cuts and details. The SALISA woman is far from blasé—she’s stylish, confident, and keeps her foot on the pedal. Just like Salisa.
We chat with the Bangkok-based fashion designer about her beginnings in fashion and her morning beauty routine, ahead.
How did your love for fashion begin?
When I was younger, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. She has her own sewing machine so she would always fix her own clothes and make something new out of her old clothes. I was always with her but I didn’t know about making clothes back then. I think I just fell in love with fashion from those moments with her, without realising it.
How would you describe your personal style?
Minimal with a certain je ne sais quoi. I love neutrals and intricate little details that set an outfit or design apart.
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? How do you get your day going?
Every morning I do a series of stretches to wake up my body and also to calm my mind before I start my day. Of course, I check my phone to see any notifications I missed, my calendar and my daily to-do list.
What does your morning beauty routine look like?
I definitely take the most time for my skincare. It’s pretty extensive—about 7 to 10 steps for my night routine and about 5 to 7 steps in the morning! I really like washing my face with cold water to wake my skin up before my usual skincare routine: serums, eye cream, moisturiser, and sunscreen every day. I don’t wear makeup every day, only on days where I have to head out.
What is your favourite beauty ritual to indulge yourself?
I don’t do anything out of the box, but I like to think that I really spend the time focusing on every single step of my skincare routine. It’s essential to spend time with your skin. All these steps I do every day helps me understand my skin more. It’s also like giving myself a daily facial. I spend time massaging or using tools to help the products that I use really sink into my skin. I actually take more time doing my skincare routine than my actual shower (laughs)!
What is your go-to makeup look? How would you transition from a day to night makeup look?
My makeup look is quite natural. I like a glowing complexion with just a bit of blush and bushy eyebrows. I’m not someone who applies a lot of eye makeup, but I’ll add some glittery eyeshadow to my eyes and a bit more lip gloss than usual for a nighttime look.
What do you look for when picking beauty products?
I watch a lot of skincare videos on Youtube so I’m quite influenced by what’s trending on social media. I also like looking at reviews from the people I know and beauty bloggers. I’m also not opposed to trying out new products too, especially if the product features something new or an interesting ingredient.
Favourite beauty brands at the moment?
For skincare, I’m a big fan of Tatcha, Drunk Elephant and Huxley, to name a few. For makeup, you can’t go wrong with Tom Ford, Fenty Beauty, Hourglass, Patrick Ta and Charlotte Tilbury!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I still see myself working on my own brand, maybe branching out to other products and making my brand more well-known internationally. I also hope I’m travelling a lot more! Especially now more than ever, with the pandemic hampering travelling.
Salisa’s Beauty Picks
Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water, SGD40
Fenty Beauty Pro Kiss’r Luscious Lip Balm, SGD28
Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 20 PA+++, USD42
Clinique Even Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser, SGD36.50
Huxley Secret of Sahara Moist Foundation Own Attitude, SGD36
Supergoop Glowscreen Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 40 PA+++, SGD55
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