Lana Condor Told Me Her Best Beauty Hacks, From Hair Health to Molten Lava Rocks

Say hello to Unfiltered, a fresh, new beauty series where you'll get an exclusive glimpse into the dressed-down beauty routines of our favorite celebrities. They'll reveal their guilty-pleasure beauty practices, the five-minute routine product lineup they can't live without, the one good-skin tip they'll be forever thankful for, and so much more. To bring every conversation full circle, we ask each celebrity to send us a selection of self-shot, filter-free photos of their choosing to capture the essence of their Unfiltered beauty philosophy. 

Up next, we're getting to know The Fallout and You actress Lana Condor. As a fellow product junkie and beauty enthusiast, she's answering all of our rapid-fire questions and sharing her best-kept beauty secrets below. Enjoy!

If you had to leave the house in five minutes, what products would you use or bring?

Wait—are we talking a hypothetical "it's the end of the world, and I have five minutes" kind of situation or just a normal day-to-day leaving the house?

Hmm, let's go with the more dramatic end-of-the-world situation. What do you grab?

Well, if it's the end of the world, I'm definitely grabbing my dog! But if we're just talking beauty products, let me think… I'd need to protect myself from the elements, so sunscreen would be important. I've really been loving sunscreens that I can spray because it just makes everything easier, so I would do Neutrogena's Invisible Daily Defense Face Mist SPF 50 ($18). I would need something to keep my skin really hydrated, so I would also grab the Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream ($11). I mean, I don't know! I could be in the woods! Maybe I’m dry! I'd want to be prepared for anything! One last thing I would take would be the Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser ($12) because in a pinch… I think you could probably use it on your scalp or in your hair.

Okay, how about the complete opposite—on days where you’re not working or you’re just staying in, what does your skin routine look like both morning and night?

Both routines are pretty similar. If I have meetings or a lot of Zoom calls in the morning, I'll do a sheet mask beforehand just because it's super easy. And you know, my skincare routine always changes depending on the circumstances. Right now, I’m just trying to keep it really simple and easy because there is so much happening in the world. If I can just have something I know works for me and is effective and comforting, I’m just going to stick with it.

At the end of the day, I always use a makeup remover wipe, even if I didn't wear makeup, because I do feel like they take that extra layer of the day off. The Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes ($7) are so iconic. I feel like everyone I know has been using them since they were kids. I've used the ones that come in the blue packaging for what feels like my entire life at this point, but I recently discovered they have a gentle version for nighttime that comes in a purple package—the Night Calming Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes ($9). They do everything that the regular wipes do, but they're also very calming on your skin, so that’s been something I’ve been liking. Then, I'll cleanse my skin using the Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser ($12). I know you’re not typically supposed to use exfoliants every day, but it’s super gentle, and I feel like it really gets any flakes or dryness off and adds this polished look to the skin, which I love. Most of the time, I'll use a serum, and then, I’ll go in with moisturizer—I use the Hydro Boost Water Gel ($26). I’ve used this stuff for years—my boyfriend uses it, my brother uses it, my dad uses it. Wait… I change my answer to your first question. This is what I would grab if it was the end of the world and I only had five minutes! I love it. 

Let's get into hair. Your hair is amazing—I'm literally blinded by how glossy it is through the computer screen. What are your secrets?

Aw, thank you! You know, I think that this year, in particular, I’ve really stepped up my haircare. I haven’t always been great at it, but I have definitely reaped the consequences of my laziness when I haven’t. I went through a period where my hair was literally just falling out. I have dry hair to begin with, so when you add all of the heat and styling tools used in film and television, it just gets worse. So because I haven't been in front of the camera as much this year, I've finally been able to start to heal my hair. I’m taking a lot of biotin, which is nice, but exfoliating my scalp has been big, too—I love to use Neutrogena's Healthy Scalp Clarify Shine Shampoo With Pink Grapefruit ($12).

Another tip I swear by is to use conditioner longer than I'm probably supposed to, haha. I’ll shampoo and then I’ll put on my conditioner, and I just really like to let it sit for a while. I’ll shave my legs or something! I just feel like it’s more effective and like the ingredients are really getting in there. So I do that, and then, Neutrogena's Healthy Scalp Hydro Boost Deep Treatment Hair Mask ($9) is great and really helps with the shine. I’ve definitely noticed it’s made my hair look more luminous.

So aside from hair products, what would we find if we looked in your shower right now? Do you have any prized bodycare obsessions?

Oh, I love tub time. Epsom salts. I love Epsom salts. They��re really great for sore muscles, and I also have a magnesium powder that I put in my bath. It's really calming, and we’re just so stimulated these days that anything that can help bring the cortisol down is really nice.

Speaking of which, do you have any "guilty pleasure" beauty practices you like to indulge in?

My guilty-pleasure beauty practices… So this is definitely a guilty pleasure, and I don't think you'll see this coming! Okay, I actually have it right here. It sounds so weird… but I have these little rocks. They’re not crystals! They’re more than crystals. They’re found naturally in Brazil, and what you do is put one down, light it, and then set it on fire so that it turns in lava. It’s the craziest thing! It turns into lava and then you blow it out and then you waft it up and just breath it in, and it is soooo healing.

Okay, wait. I need more information. What does it smell like?! Does it have a smell?

Oh, it does. It definitely does. It’s this very earthy, kind of amber scent. It’s literally a rock. So think of the ground but a little nicer than asphalt! It has this really nice deep, musky smell, and it’s used to just calm yourself and to speak to yourself and to awaken your inner chi. All of that good stuff! I just love it. It’s so cool. I can’t pronounce it, but you need to check it out.

It's the first thing I'm googling after our Zoom. I feel like you may have just answered this, but what’s one thing about your beauty routine that would surprise people?

Haha, probably my lava rocks. I mean, I am pretty transparent when it comes to my beauty routine. So I think that would probably be the most surprising thing, for sure. 

Okay, so we can't not talk about To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Lara Jean is such a beloved character. Has she influenced your own beauty esthetic at all?

Oh, for sure! I think the biggest takeaway I’ve gotten from playing Lara Jean for these past few movies is being introduced to new Korean beauty brands and products that I never would have really known about. Particularly in the third movie, which I’m so excited about, we go to Korea, but we also use a lot of Korean beauty brands to create her everyday look—a lot of lip stains and cheek blushes—and I think that’s been the biggest influence. I obviously knew about the K-beauty world before that, but it was the biggest introduction where I was actually using so many different products and could really cherish them. I wasn’t able to do a lot of sightseeing when we were shooting in Korea, but I had one day where I was free to roam, and I bought so many K-beauty lip stains and eyelashes and all this stuff that I somehow managed to pack into my suitcase.

Do you have any To All the Boys-centric beauty tips you've picked up or learned while filming?

Clear glycerin soap to keep your eyebrows up! You just take a glycerin soap and run a spoolie over it. Then, you brush it up through your brows, and it’s just way more affordable than normal brow gel. And you probably already have it in your house! Also, less is more. I've really learned less is more when it comes to foundation and makeup. I just always used to think I had to really pack it on, but now, there's been this shift where I've become more diligent about my skincare routine instead. Oftentimes, I really don’t wear foundation. I might just do a little spot-correcting, or I’ll reach for some concealer.

Heading in another direction here, but I did some pre-interview stalking and saw that your birthday is actually one day before mine, May 11… What's the most Taurus thing about your beauty esthetic? 

I think this is a two-parter. I mean… I just like material things, you know? I just like things. I wish I didn’t! There is a lot of clutter, but I do really love collecting stuff. I’m just like, "Lana…" And Anthony, my boyfriend, is like, "Why does one person need so much and so many products?!" But you know, I just think that, as Tauruses, we like our earthly possessions!

Oh, 100%. We like to have our things, we like to know where our things are, we like to have quick and easy access to them…

Access to them. Yes, I think that’s honestly the biggest thing! For instance, I always have to have a snack at my bedside. I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing, and I don’t have to eat it! But I like to know it’s there. You just want to know. And the second part of my Taurus beauty esthetic would be that I’m stubborn. I like what I like, and I’m stubborn about it!

Last question! What's your Unfiltered beauty philosophy in seven words or less?

Drink. A. Crap. Ton. Of. Water.

Shop Lana's Unfiltered Beauty Edit