Harris Faulkner Reveals the Secret to Her Always-Perfect Eye Look and the Skin Care Products That Keep Her Camera-Ready (2024)

"There are three must-haves in my skin care regimen that help my makeup look flawless."

• NewBeauty Editors and
• Carolyn Hsu

Scrolling through Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner’s Instagram page, it’s obvious that in addition to being an Emmy-award winning journalist, she’s also a beauty fiend. Interspersed between images of her behind the anchor desk and interviewing top politicians, are glimpses of her beauty life—hair in rollers, fresh nail art, and, of course, rocking the most captivating eyelashes in the biz. We recently caught up with Faulkner herself to learn a bit more about her beauty rituals and secrets.

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NewBeauty: What is beauty the process like when getting ready to go on air?
HF: Step One: I must glow before the show! That means a clean, healthy palette. I exfoliate every morning in the shower, drink plenty of water and apply high-definition primer to help my foundation and eye shadow lay and stay.

Viewers tell me when they meet me in person, that they recognize my eyes from TV. That is what the makeup artist and I work on first. We frame my face by designing my eye glam for the day. The color and style of my dress or wardrobe for the show help dictate my face and hair styling. And my eyelashes are in a league of their own…so I have been told!

NB: Speaking of eyes, you never seem to never shy away from a bold eye shadow look. What is your favorite color to play with?
HF:A deep smoky eye with navy and ivory is my favorite. People can never figure out why my smoky eye looks right day and night. It is because the dark indigo hues read less dramatic than black for our daytime show, Outnumbered.

NB: Is there one product you’d never go on air without?
HF:There are three must-haves in my skin care regimen that help my makeup look flawless:

–La Mer Moisturizing Cream(starting at $315)

–ESPA Purifying Tea Tree Gel($38)

–Kiehl’s Daily Revitalizing Concentrate ($72)

NB: You seem to wear your hair straight most of the time. How do you achieve that look, and what precautions do you take to prevent heat damage?
HF:The process of keeping it camera-ready is harsh over time. My hair is all-natural nowadays. I got away from chemical straighteners a few years ago. Relaxers and other chemicals that promise straightening and no frizz, dried out my hair and left it broken and weak.

Now, I use Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. And let the professionals in my life blow it out and flat iron it. We use high-end tools that protect my ends and keep them shiny.

NB: You have to wear a lot makeup during the week for your show. Do you take breaks and let your skin breathe on weekends?
HF:Most days I remove my makeup before I leave the building. I have my entire makeup-removal and skin treatment system duplicated in my office. That gives me a chance to have an early start on taking care of my skin. As soon as the show is over, and as long as I have no other appearances, I go makeup-free!

NB: You lived in Germany as a child and seem to travel around a lot. Are there any beauty products or tips that you picked up while traveling?
HF:My mom did some modeling while we lived abroad in Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark. She taught me a lot about timelessness in beauty. She didn’t do the blue eye shadow and red lips of her day (1960s and 70s). My mom had perfectly shaped eyebrows, a brown smoky eye, a little contouring and light application of color on her cheeks, and a matte lip. She would fill in her lips with a reddish-brown pencil and cover with matte, neutral lipstick. And she never left the house without a strip of lashes that were cut into a demi shape to fill in her lash line from the center of her eye to the outer tip.

Today, my variation on her classic look is a bit more color on the lips, BUT, “not too much,” she would tell me.

NB: Is there a beauty tip you’ve learned that you plan on passing on to your daughters?
HF:Keep it classy, simple and no competition between your eyes and lips. Bring the drama with one or the other—not at the same time. Pair a dramatic eye with a soft lip OR a clean, pale eye color on the lid with liner and a rich red lipstick. If you dress up your eyes and lips with color everywhere, you just look…confused!