Kate Somerville Is a Skincare Legend—These Are the 12 Products She Swears By

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(Image credit: Kate Somerville)

Welcome to What I Buy From My Own Brand—a special series spotlighting our favorite CEOs and beauty bosses. Here, they'll provide context regarding what they look for and value while shopping (or creating!) top-notch beauty products in addition to providing a list of the formulas they purchase from their own brands. Up next, skincare legend Kate Somerville, paramedical esthetician for 25 years and founder of Kate Somerville Skincare and Clinic. Enjoy! 

My approach to beauty is that I want an effective yet easy-to-use and on-the-go routine. When I'm formulating new products for my line, it’s important to me that we’re creating clinical, legitimate skincare solutions that can be used from the comfort of home. Ease of use is important, but so is providing lasting and visible results. That is the core of the brand. My products are inspired by real treatments we provide in our Melrose Clinic. I believe everybody deserves beautiful skin, and it is my promise to get them there—from the clinic or from their own homes.

The first thing I do when I formulate new products is to identify what I’m trying to address. Is it sensitive skin, aging, overprocessed skin? We then go through a medley of different top ingredients that are clinically effective and have proven results. We want to ensure we’re balancing the actives with ingredients that calm and soothe so you get the ultimate result without the downtime.

As far as how my routine has changed over the years, I definitely use more retinol now—more AHAs. In makeup, I’ve moved away from heavier powder foundations to buildable and breathable liquid formulas. I need to hydrate my skin more, so the DermalQuench Liquid Lift ($95) is great to help retain moisture and key for hydration. And if I see more visible wrinkles and fine lines, I love the Wrinkle Warrior ($98).

Her Everyday Morning Routine

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Her Nightly Routine

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The Top 12 Products She Shops From Her Brand

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Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content forBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie andBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.