For the month of June, Meghan Markle, Suits actress and founder of lifestyle website The Tig, has teamed up with Birchbox to curate a box of beauty travel essentials. See below for her Birchbox picks, go-to Toronto beauty spots and the products used to get the Rachel Zane look. 

You spend a lot of time filming in Toronto. What are your go-to beauty destinations when you’re in town?

For facials I go to Lorinda Zimmerman; massages at Miraj Hammam Spa at the Shangri-La Hotel. I love this foot massage place on Yorkville Avenue for reflexology and a solid (and rigorous) massage… it’s across from The Minto on the bottom floor. And then Gee Beauty is supposed to be amazing for all the creature comforts you want – truth be told, I spend so much time in hair and makeup for work that in my off time I indulge with maintenance and relaxation vs glam.

 

Do you have a favourite makeup or skincare tip you’ve learned from working with makeup artists?

Oh, the value of contour is pretty major – a teeny sculpting at the cheekbones and you can literally make your face look camera ready. We also always put a little highlight in the inner AND outer corner of my eye to make it look open and fresh.

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Meghan’s Birchbox pick: Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer ($45), at birchbox.ca

You seem to take a holistic approach to beauty on The Tig – you write about life-changing facials, but also about eating well and being good to yourself. What would your ideal beauty day look like? 

I would wake up and have a green juice and head straight to Catalyst Gym to see my amazing trainer, Craig McNamee. A quick stop at Revitasize across the street for an acai bowl (which are so common in my hometown of LA but harder to get your hands on here! I put a recipe for how to make them at home on The Tig!). I would take my dogs for a walk, and cook a healthy dinner in my backyard of seafood and veggies for my friends. And while I normally alternate the trainer and hot yoga at Moksha, on days I don’t make it to my mat, I always make some time to meditate; I was skeptical for years, but it truly does wonders!

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Meghan’s Birchbox pick: PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray ($27), at birchbox.ca

Wearing hydrating face sheet masks on a plane: So good for your skin, but so scary looking. Would you/do you wear them?

On a plane? Hahahaha – no! That’s the last picture I need swirling around on Twitter. Look, I love to keep it real, but I also think there are great alternatives for travel – La Mer Revitalizing Mask soaks right in and looks clear on the skin when rubbed in, so that’s a winner for travel! And frankly, the best thing you can do for your skin on a flight is drink loads of water. Inexpensive and effective. Trust me.

What are Rachel Zane’s go-to makeup products for daytime? Any overlap with your own?

There’s huge overlap: Chanel Foundation, Laura Mercier Illuminating Foundation Primer, Clarins Lip Gloss, Laura Mercier Contour Palette, YSL Baby Doll Mascara, Chanel Cassis Eyeliner – you’ll always find these as part of RZ’s uniform for makeup, and with the exception of the lip gloss (since I prefer bare lips) you’ll find all of these goodies in my makeup bag. The only addition for me is my absolute favorite Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist for that ultra glowy skin look I am not allowed to have for the show. I guess that “glow” doesn’t look quite as professional in high def 🙂

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Meghan’s Birchbox pick: Skyn Iceland Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels ($33), birchbox.ca