Briana King loved skateboarding until an accident left her with mobility problems. The model sought solace in her local skate park, figuring she could still hang out there even if she couldn’t participate. “The majority of my time there was spent yelling at my friends from the bench to move their hips, straighten their backs, and giving them other tips to help them improve their skating,” she says. Word spread and people started seeking her out for advice. So as she recovered, King began organizing local meetups. These eventually turned into DisplayOnly, where she offers lessons to skaters around the world who identify as LGBTQ+, girls, or “nontraditional.”
Now that she was spending more time outdoors, King had to reevaluate her relationship with skin care, and sunscreen in particular. “I went through a long phase of thinking that SPF was useless because I wouldn’t get a sunburn,” she says, which proved to be false when her skin started to burn and, eventually, peel and dry out. Of course, everyone recommended sunscreen, but, King admits, “I just wasn’t ready to try it until I was ready to try it.” Now, she says, her skin is better than ever: “No more peeling skin for me, and my fine lines have disappeared!”
The rest of her skin-care knowledge comes from the makeup artists she regularly works with on shoots and tours. “Too many times, I’ve had recommendations from people with the best skin and it does absolutely nothing for me, but makeup artists will be working on my skin for weeks at a time, so I trust their recommendations.” Mimi Quiquine is one of her biggest influences. “When I’m on set with her, she massages every single oil into my face and always makes sure my skin is fully moisturized and relaxed before applying a single stroke of makeup.” And Eliven Q was the first to put her on to Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, which taught her the importance of a well-moisturized face.
King also deals with eczema, which tends to flare up around her mouth and nose. After keeping a food diary, she realized she could manage it by cutting out dairy and, “oddly, deli meat.”
Read on for her skin-care essentials, including the $17 moisturizer that “saved” her skin, the sunscreen she calls a “life-changer,” and the eye cream she has used for five years.
The Cleanser
“This is the only cleanser that I’ve ever been completely satisfied with. The consistency is amazing; it lathers your entire face with just one tiny dot. It always removes all dirt and makeup after long days and leaves you feeling hydrated with no residue. If I was stranded on an island, this would be my one product (maybe after SPF, ha!). It has a fresh, flowery scent — I don’t use anything that smells any bit artificial.”
The Moisturizer
“[Food writer and TV host] Sophia Roe recommended this cream a couple of years ago. At the time, I was dealing with dry skin from not wearing any sort of SPF. This saved me and my peeling skin, and it’s been with me ever since. It really helped change the texture of my skin — I’ve been smoother than ever thanks to this moisturizer. It’s a very rich lotion that feels and acts like an oil but holds longer than any oil. It smells like Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas, if we knew what she smelled like — just fresh and healing.”
The Eye Cream
“This is the smoothest, creamiest eye cream. I am a lover of all things oily, and this eye cream just worked out for me. It’s the one product I haven’t left to try something else. I just love the consistency, and I don’t feel like I could get it from another eye cream, so I’m stuck with her and have been for a good five years now. The consistency is very similar to a whipped avocado and goes on like one, too. I’m surprised it doesn’t smell like avocado. I’d cover my entire face in this eye cream if I could. It’s brought so much moisture to my skin.”
The Face Oil
“This has just one ingredient, so that always makes me feel comfortable. It instantly brightens your skin — instant results are always lovely. I’ve been using it for eight years and always find my skin dull without it, so Kosmea will be a forever for me. Plus, the scent brings me back to my grandma’s rosebush.
I personally love oil before moisturizer. My skin works best with oil. Right after I wash my face, my damp skin absorbs the oil immediately, unlike a moisturizer. My favorite moisturizer needs an oil base to even function ‘properly’ for my skin routine.”
The Sunscreen
“SPF has been a life-changer in my skin care, and the stick makes it easy to apply all day long when I’m out skating. All of Sun Bum’s products smell like a tropical getaway and never like that crazy sunscreen scent we remember as kids. Plus, it doesn’t leave a white cast. They sponsored my tour a couple of years back, and I have been in love with them since.”
The Two-in-One Lip Balm and Mask
“The consistency is superthick. I originally used it for a night mask, but now I find myself using it all day long. My lips feel fully protected from any type of weather, and I make sure to keep two with me during the winter. It feels silly to say, but it tastes natural. It also has a very subtle scent, almost like a flower — a naturally sweet smell.”
