Saie Founder Laney Crowell Shares Her Top Beauty Products

Photo: Lianna Tarantin/Courtesy of Laney Crowell

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Laney Crowell started her business, Saie, in 2019 after nearly a decade of working in the beauty industry. She got her start at magazines like Ellen and StyleCaster and as the communications director of Estée Lauder’s digital team. She also had a popular blog called The Moment, where she mainly wrote about clean beauty, sustainability, and ingredient transparency. She built an online community of readers who, she soon learned, were passionate about those issues. Crowell called it Saie, inspired by her community saying (Saien-ing) what it wanted from its beauty products.

What Saie and other brands that launched around the same time (like Tower 28 and Merit) did was simple: They made clean beauty cool, from the high-performance formulas to the displayable packaging. Crowell’s beauty philosophy is reflected in her products. She has a skin-first approach to makeup and, as someone who used to struggle with acne, believes that clean ingredients — in skin care, makeup, food, supplements, etc. — lead to healthy skin.

I cleanse my face with the Medik8 foaming cleanser. I like how it wakes up my skin. And then I’ll go in with a moisturizer if I need one. I like the Medik8 peptide serums. Medik8 is a beautiful brand for people with sensitive skin like me. I also like the Dieux Instant Angel Moisturizer for daytime use if my skin is dry. I’m very intuitive with my skin, so if I need more hydration, I’ll use a little bit of a heavier moisturizer. I usually apply Saie Slip Tint, which is packed with hydration, so I try not to overmoisturize my skin. I let Slip Tint be one of my moisturizers. It also has SPF in it, so I like to start my day with that.

I brush through my brows with the Striiic Sheer Tinted Brow Gel. I finish with our Saie’s SuperSuede blush. It is our first baked powder. Our community has been relentlessly asking for powder blushes, but I really struggle with powder. It is usually visible on the skin, and I feel like it makes me look older. But we found this technology in Italy that creates super-luxurious baked formulas with a Swedish texture. The color looks almost diffused when you apply it. It doesn’t look like powder; it melts into the skin and feels like nothing — light as air.

Nighttime is when I really get into my multistep skin-care routine. I love to take my makeup off with the Kora Organics cleansing balm. I usually double-cleanse, so I follow that with the Kora Organics Turmeric Glow Foaming Cleanser or the Medik8 cleanser I use in the morning. And then I really love the new Summer Fridays Jet Lag eye serum. It is so good. After that, I use level one of the Medik8 Crystal Retinol, which is gentle and good for sensitive skin. I can use it every night. It makes a difference without any sort of irritation, redness, or flaking. Then I’ll follow that with a hydrating serum from Medik8.

I live in Sag Harbor, which is very cold right now. So I actually do a double body-moisturizing routine. I use the OSEA body oil, which is just absolutely beautiful. I saw it at Target the other day; I stocked up and got four bottles. I apply it all over. I then seal that in with the Josie Maran body butter. The container is super-big, it smells amazing, and it has beautiful ingredients. A couple of times a week, I also use the Josie Maran body scrub to exfoliate and help with cell turnover.

For my workouts, I alternate between doing heavy lifting with a trainer and streaming Pvolve classes at home. I take a ton of supplements — too many to name. But vitamin C and zinc are my non-negotiables for the morning. Before bed, I take magnesium and a calm supplement. I put CBD-oil-tincture drops underneath my tongue to help me sleep. And I always sleep with my Cloud Humidifier right next to my face, which helps keep my skin hydrated.

I always start my day with matcha. I love Rocky’s Ceremonial Blend. I make it myself, and I have a tea-ceremony routine that I love. I quit coffee about a year ago, which I think really helps my skin and my immune system. I have a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old, and last winter I was sick all the time. This winter, since their school semester has started, I have not been sick once. I noticed that my skin stays more hydrated now that I don’t drink coffee, too. I also sleep better.

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I wash my makeup brushes at least once a week. When I travel, I often just use my fingers, especially with the Saie skin tints. I also use a clean washcloth every time I dry my face.

I love lasers. I go to Dr. Marnie Nussbaum for her Clear and Brilliant laser-resurfacing treatment four times a year. And then I also do Ulthera once a year. Marnie wants me to try a CO2 laser, but I’m too scared. It is not for the faint of heart.