What Phoebe Robinson Can’t Live Without

I’m obsessed with the Fenty beauty line. It’s like, finally women of color get good makeup. I really like a red lip as my go-to when I go out. It lasts and it looks cool, and you feel like this must be what Rihanna feels like when she goes out. I’m going to pick up my laundry and she’s going to the klerb, but I’m pretty sure we feel the same. I’ll buy three at a time because I use it so much. It’s a different, deeper red that really works for me, and it doesn’t smudge either.

First of all, I have to give it up to my parents. They turned me on to this stuff because I was always getting generic Target soap, and my parents were like, “L-o-l, get it together.” This is all they would use, and I love it because it’s lavender-scented, so you’re starting the day off like Jessica Alba. It leaves my skin clean and smooth because there’s just not a lot of junk in it. It’s like a massage and pedicure and a getaway every day. I truly only use it for my body because I’m suspicious when people use it for 20 different things.

I’m in my early 30s and people are like, “You gotta care about your skin now.” But I’m like, “I’m black,” and they’re like, “Girl you still gotta care.” I had a makeup artist who told me this was the absolute best cream. I put this on, and it goes so clear and smooth that I forget I’m wearing it. It’s not a lot of junk because my skin can be very sensitive and oily and combination and break out, and no matter what it wants to do, this doesn’t upset it. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but it will last three or four months.

I am five-seven and pear-shaped, and a lot of times you see supercute jeans, but they’re cut really straight, so they won’t go completely over my butt or thighs. These, though, have a lot of stretch and are higher-waisted, so I never have plumber’s crack, which was a big epidemic in the early aughts. It is not the cheapest thing in the world, but if there’s one thing that I will splurge on, it will be jeans. I will wear Converse sneakers, but give me my J Brand jeans.

I just wanna go on the record to say I talk about U2 so much, I should be their publicist. I should be added to the PR team. U2 is my favorite band of all time. I love them so much. And they just did the 30th-anniversary Joshua Tree tour last summer, and it’s my favorite album on earth. You can put it on when you’re on a road trip or puttering around the apartment or having a cute barbecue and want a break from Rihanna. You can put on some Irish white dudes. It fits everything.

Ooh. So I, especially in the winter, get very dry skin, and I find myself having to constantly lotion. I feel like with this, because it’s a combination of cocoa and shea butter and petroleum, does keep my skin moisturized longer than anything I’ve ever used. And a lot of times if you use body lotion for a long time, you feel greasy and gross, but that never happens with this. You don’t leave a filmy residue on everything you touch. It’s pretty affordable, too!

I’m a nail biter and have been my whole life. I know. It’s totally disgusting. I watch Dr. Oz sometimes, and there was an episode where he said, “Your nails are filthy!” So now I try not to bite my nails, and the best way to keep me from doing it is with these Tic Tacs. People who know I love orange Tic Tacs will think I buy a 99-cent box from CVS, and I’m like, “No, I don’t fuck with that.” I need the biggest box and I will down them in an hour. Why orange? It tastes great! I know it’s an artificial flavor, but who cares, y’all? People will sometimes give me mint, and I’m like, Who are you kidding?

I am truly obsessed with Oprah, and once she put in her favorite-things list this gratitude jar, and it was only $45, so I immediately thought, My price range! It’s a glass jar with the word gratitude on it, and it comes with little notes. Every night before bed, I write one thing I’m grateful for, and it can be something that happened that day, like “I paid my bills on time” or “I’m so grateful for my fans,” and at the end of the year, you look at all the things that happened in your life, and it reminds you that whatever your stresses are or whatever didn’t go your way, a lot of things did go your way. I loved it so much, I got one for my parents, and they’re nuts about it. I didn’t get them two. They have one to share. They’re married!

Splurge-item alert. I was turned on to these shoes by Ilana Glazer who has them in a different color. I saw her in them, and I told her they were cool, but I can’t get hers, and she just told me to get them in a different color because she’s cool like that. I’m a sneaker person, so I don’t always like to wear heels unless I’m going to an event, but these are just like a two-inch heel, so you get that height while still being comfortable. I also think they’re worth splurging on because they’re classic rather than trendy. I can wear them for the next 20 years, and they’ll be in style.

It’s so good. This is going to sound so pretentious of me, but I discovered it at Equinox. Because I’m always running around and on the go, having a green juice really helps. I want to preface this by saying that it doesn’t have fruit in it, so it won’t taste incredible. I want people to know that. It will taste like a well-manicured lawn — but the healthiest lawn. That’s not the best endorsement, but it’s pure vegetables, and if I’ve been eating unhealthily and drink this juice, my skin clears up so quickly.