Interview with Gothamista on Skincare & Beauty Rituals

It is over two months since our masterclass with Renee, aka Gothamista in London. During the masterclass, we had a chance to talk to her about a number of topics: k-beauty, skincare, tips and tricks, and product recommendations.

Gothamista, the skincare guru from NYC, usually shares her knowledge via Instagram and YouTube. Her soothing voice, stories about the skincare treasure hunts and incredible knowledge in the area of skin rituals and ingredients stole hearts of people around the world. Her visit to London and the opportunity to work with Renee will be one of the most amazing and unforgettable moments for us at Skinsider and we hope our guests will think the same way about this event.

During the event, guests had an opportunity to ask Renee their burning questions. Now we asked some more especially for you all!

Please join us and Renee on one more unforgettable beauty journey.

Gothamista on her name

Karolina: How did you come up with your influencer’s name, Gothamista?

Gothamista: “Gotham” has been a nickname for NYC and I’ve been a City Girl my whole life never having lived outside of one. I am very much defined by this lifestyle and one day, my BFF called me a “Gothamista”. Shortly afterward, I started my Instagram account.

Gothamista on her skin philosophy

Karolina: What is your beauty/ skincare philosophy?

Gothamista: My beauty/skincare rituals are about pampering, comfort, indulgence, and wellness rather than a chore. It’s an experience rather than an errand whether I’m starting the day, winding down or doing damage control. It’s one of the ways I work towards better well-being.

Healthy skin will always come first where beauty is concerned because up close and personal, it’s not something one can fake. The appearance of flawlessness doesn’t matter to me, but healthy, happy skin is everything.

Karolina: If you could tell your followers to adopt one thing from the Korean routine, what would it be?

Gothamista: Probably the same thing that changed everything for me – Hydration. Layers of it.

Skin rituals

Karolina: How many steps do you have in your routine?

Gothamista: This is something that consistently changes, often from day-to-day and is largely dependent on many factors such as, whether or not I used strong active treatments the night before, the weather, my lifestyle. There are days my skin is thirsty and I need more hydrating layers, whilst on others, my skin is very hydrated and I need minimal steps. Same goes with moisturizers. Consistenly, I will always double cleanse at night, vitamin C serum during day, with sunscreen, retinoid at night. Everything else is on a need basis.

Gothamista on adding new products to your skin routine

Karolina: How do you go about testing new products?

Gothamista: I only test new products that I already think I’ll love and usually, what I love is very consistent. The kind of products I use are pretty predictable at this point, but it’s what my skin loves and since the ingredients tend to be quite similar, even new toners, serums, etc tend to be familiar to my skin. Actives are a whole different story, and those I approach with slowly and conservatively. I rarely stray from the concentrations I’m already familiar with such as 15% L-Ascorbic Acid or gentler AHA’s but when I do, I prepare beforehand by taking out all other actives from my routine for a couple of weeks. Preparing to use retinoids has required the most adjustment and is documented in a series of videos I filmed.

Check our first video from the masterclass with Renee and stay tuned for more content from the event.