Julia Rabinowitsch, The Millennial Decorator

“You know how your iPhone cycles through photos for you? Recently, a picture came up of me as a five-year-old holding an American Girl doll with such a thrill on my face, and it reminded me that even at a young age, I was obsessed with the fashion world. After studying communications at the University of Southern California, I worked in hospitality for a year before going to FabFitFun—I got laid off in February of 2020. I had no job or sense of direction, but I needed a creative outlet, so I started The Millennial Decorator. At the time, it was just an Instagram account for me to showcase my home and how I was decorating my life, which was mainly through vintage finds. That turned into me doing vintage drops. It was only homeware at first, but one day, I realized I had amassed nine pairs of vintage shoes, including a pair from Celine and two pairs from Chanel. I asked everyone if they would be interested in them and they said yes. That first drop sold out pretty quickly. I was literally selling over DMs and that went on for about a year before I created an actual website.

My ‘Sink Series’ was a spur of the moment thing, too. I was shooting one of my drops in a hotel and had all of these products around the sink. I arranged them in different ways and posted them. Brands loved the concept and began approaching me to create content for them. I’ve worked with brands like Dieux, Merit, and Milani Cosmetics. I recently did an IRL Sink Series for the launch of Summer Fridays’ Dream Lip Oils that people loved. When I’m putting one together, I think of the story I’m telling: ‘Who is this girl? Where is she going? What shoes is she wearing? What does she like?’ That informs what products and accessories I include.

SKINCARE
I have very bad hormonal acne, and my morning skincare is designed to set up my face for success in hiding it. I don’t wash my face. Instead, I start off with The Skinny Confidential’s Hot Mess ice roller. It’s great for depuffing and simply the coldest roller I’ve tried. Sometimes I’ll use Peter Thomas Roth’s Cloud eye patches, which I keep in my fridge next to the butter. Then I put on Rhode’s Glazing Milk as a moisturizer, and I like to mix Sonsie’s Super Serum and Furtuna Skin’s Face and Eye Serum. On days that I remember, I put on sunscreen. I know I need to get better with that. Honestly, part of that struggle is that it’s taken me a long time to find one that doesn’t break me out. Supergoop!’s Unseen SPF 40 is great in that respect.

At night, I wash my face twice with La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane hydrating cleanser, which a dermatologist recommended. It’s very gentle. I heard that your home towels can break you out, even if they’re washed with bleach, so about a year and a half ago, I started drying my face with Clean Skin Club’s disposable towels. I keep it pretty minimal after that. Summer Fridays’ Jet Lag mask is really moisturizing and never makes me break out. The same goes for Sonsie’s Multi Moisture mask. The combination of Kate Somerville’s DeliKate cream and EradiKate gel has actually been really great for soothing my angry skin and clearing acne marks. I saw a pretty significant difference after using both of them nightly for about a week. I don’t know if that’s too much, but it worked. Chanel’s Retexturizing AHA peel, Chanel’s Pro Masque, and Chanel’s Le Lift Pro serum are great, too. If I want to spot treat, I mix Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay and apple cider vinegar—I’ve been doing that since I was 15. When I want to pamper myself, Furtuna Skin’s obsidian gua sha and Biphase oil are the perfect pair. And recently, I’ve been obsessed with Jo Malone’s vitamin E lip conditioner and Santa Maria Novella lip moisturizer before bed. But if my lips are chapped, there’s no better savior than C.O. Bigelow’s rose salve.

MAKEUP
I put NARS’ tinted moisturizer in the shade Alaska on with my hands—I like finger painting my face. If I want to look extra glowy, I add in a few drops of Westman Atelier’s Liquid Super Loaded Illuminator in Peau de Pêche. The combination makes me look ethereal. Then I go in with Hourglass’s Vanish Airbrush concealer in Cedar. It’s a lifesaver and truly the best concealer I’ve ever used. It covers up acne pretty well.

These days, I’m obsessed with Chanel’s lip and cheek balm in Lively Rosewood, which is the shade that Margot Robbie uses. A little bit goes a long way, and it actually stays on my face all day. If you use it on your lips, it gives you that beautiful, ’bitten lip’ look that’s trending. I just pat it in with my fingers—and sometimes on my eyes, too. On days I don’t use the Chanel balm, I like Merit’s Flush Balm in Stockholm, Saie’s Dew Bush in Baby, or Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks blush stick in Petal. The limit to blushes truly does not exist.

Chanel’s Transparent Multi-Use Glow Stick is my highlighter. It makes you glowy but not overly shiny. I like to apply it on my nose, brow bones, and cheeks. Sometimes I like it over my eyeshadow, which recently has just been my bronzer, Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Swept and Drift. If I’m going for some extra sparkle, I’ll use Victoria Beckham Beauty’s EyeWear stick in Ballet or Sephora’s Colorful Eyeshadow in Twinkle Twinkle. Sephora’s eyeshadows are seriously underrated.

On the days that I want to fill in my brows, I like Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Definer in Soft Brown, which also makes a great eyeliner, topped with Glossier’s Boy Brow, which I’ve been using since I was 17. Nothing holds my brows like Boy Brow, and best of all, it doesn’t leave behind any residue. Then I love Ilia’s Limitless Lash mascara.

When it comes to my lips, I love Chanel’s lip liner in Pivoine. Then I usually cycle between Saie’s Glossybounce in Kiss, Summer Fridays’ Dream Lip in Blush Dreams, and Rhode’s Peptide Lip Tint in Toast.

HAIR
I love my natural hair color because it reminds me of Charlotte York, but my grays were driving me mad—nobody told me that you can get grays at 25. At the same time, I was intensely petrified of starting any hair coloring journey because I didn’t want to ruin my strands. I finally got over that fear and went to Bianca Hillier at Andy Lacompte. She’s very talented. I told her to match my natural color exactly, no highlights or anything. And then I get it cut at Spoke and Weal.

I love Rōz’s shampoo and conditioner. They smell amazing, and they’re made by Mara Roszak, a hairstylist, so I truly trust that she knows what she’s doing. I’m a big fan of Crown Affair as well. I love their hair oil and No. 002 brush, but my holy grail is my La Bonne Brosse N.03 brush in Ivory. Talk about aesthetic beauty products. It’s the most beautiful brush I’ve ever seen. As far as styling goes, I’m recently obsessed with Djerf Avenue’s On The Go styling gel and Breezy styling mist. Sometimes I’ll just wear those as perfume because they smell so great.

The only thing I do daily is blow dry my bangs. The rest of my hair is wavy—I love my natural waves and I embrace them. My boyfriend got me a Dyson Airwrap two years ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how to use it. Like, how are girls achieving those looks? I have watched the tutorials—all of them—and I just can’t.

FRAGRANCE
My room is filled with Jo Malone candles. I’m obsessed with English Pear and Freesia and Lime Basil and Mandarin especially. And I go through Salt and Stone Saffron and Cedar candles so quickly. They smell like Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, but in the best, non-headache way.

I get questions about my personal scent all of the time. It’s Angel by Mugler. It’s a bit strong, but it reminds me of someone that I grew up with, and she always smelled heavenly, truly like an angel. It has calabrian bergamot, praline, and patchouli. My ex-boyfriend used to wear Dior’s Bois d’Argent for years, and I still love it. My new boyfriend—we’ve been together four years now—has given me bottles of it, too. I think he’s just happy he found me a gift I love. [Laughs] I like to use Crown Affair’s Signature Scent as a perfume because it reminds me of my mom. She used to wear Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue, and it’s similar. Byredo’s Mojave Ghost and Glossier’s You are also in the mix.

NAILS
If I want a manicure, I’ll go to Livingston Nail Bar and get one or two coats of OPI’s Bubble Bath. I’ve tried to embrace long and round nails, but they’re not for me. I’m a square girly through and through. I’m embracing the millennial of it all. But since I’m playing with shoes all day, I rarely have a manicure. Instead, my pre-bed pampering includes a five-minute hand routine using a cuticle scraper tool I got from Amazon—it’s pink and white and completely non-aesthetic but lives by my bedside—and Chanel’s hydrating and fortifying oil, which smells divine, like camellias. I finish off with Chanel’s hand cream or Sidia’s hand serum. You’ll never catch me going to bed with dry hands.”

—As told to Daise Bedolla

Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on April 23, 2024