In Bustle’s Pore Decisions, celebrities, influencers, and Bustle’s own readers recount their personal skin journeys: the good, the bad, and everything in between. Here, Paige DeSorbo talks about her love of pimple popping, her favorite beauty tool, and more.
Paige DeSorbo may be a Fashion Girl, but the Summer House star and Giggly Squad podcast co-host knows her beauty stuff. A lot of her knowledge can be credited to being chronically online. (For example, she recently admitted in an episode of Giggly Squad that she bought a fake TSA bin from Amazon solely so she could take an aesthetic photo for Instagram.)
Beauty-wise, she says she had a slugging phase, though right now she’s into the TikTok trend where people are putting hair ties around their ears. “It’s supposed to do lymphatic drainage for your face,” she tells Bustle. “I’m obsessed.”
DeSorbo’s also well-versed in the world of pimples — largely as someone who’s dealt with acne since she was a teen. But skin care brand Face Reality, with whom she’s recently partnered, has been game-changing for her complexion.
“From 16 on, I would get little bumps under my skin, and Face Reality just got rid of it. I started using [their products] in May and I don’t have them at all anymore,” she says.
Here, DeSorbo talks more about her skin care routine, the beauty videos she calls ASMR, and the clips her boyfriend Craig Conover *has* to send her.
What is your earliest skin care memory?
My earliest skin care memory is in middle school. Do you remember when everyone was using those pads that just burnt the sh*t out of your skin? That’s when I realized I have sensitive skin. It probably just ruined my skin barrier and was so harsh. I remember everyone using it in middle school, and I got little whiteheads and thought, “Oh, this will help with that.” But I really had no business using it, and I didn’t need anything for my skin at that age.
What is the most out-there thing you’ve ever done for your skin?
Do you remember when slugging was a thing? People were like, “Oh, why don’t you just put Vaseline all over your face?” I tried it and kind of loved it, actually. I probably did it once a week for two months. It was very hydrating but it was too much. I didn’t need to be putting all of that on my skin every night.
“Honestly, I feel like that’s why I like dating men. Because if they have a pimple on their back, that’s for me.”
You mentioned you’ve dealt with acne. Are you a popper?
I’m a popper. I’ll fall asleep to Dr. Pimple Popper — it’s ASMR to me. I love popping a pimple. Honestly, I feel like that’s why I like dating men. Because if they have a pimple on their back, that’s for me. I need to do it.
Do you have a technique?
Oh, I have tools. I just love it.
Do you do it on yourself and your friends and your boyfriend?
If you have a pimple, send me a video of you popping it — like, all my friends know. Craig has legitimately taken videos of him popping a pimple when I’m not around because he knows I’d be upset if he popped it and didn’t show it to me.
Besides extraction tools, what other beauty tools do you like to use?
My favorite beauty tool is my hands. Obviously, I love a jade roller and an ice roller, but I feel like nothing works as well as your fingers when doing lymphatic drainage. I don’t do it every day — maybe every other day. I am always trying to sculpt. Life is just about trying to sculpt.
Amen. What’s something you’ve struggled with in terms of your skin, and how did you most past it?
I am a victim of cystic acne, too. If I’m really stressed, I’ll get a massive, under-the-skin hard pimple. Being on tour with Giggly Squad, I’m on a plane practically every day, so my skin’s even drier, and I’m wearing makeup all the time. So I’m really wreaking havoc on my skin these past three months and I’ve gotten cystic pimples. I use the Face Reality Sulfur Spot Treatment, and the spots are practically gone the next morning.
“Life is just about trying to sculpt.”
What’s your favorite TikTok beauty trend?
I’m a mouth taper at night. I swear by it. I don’t necessarily think I sleep with my mouth open all night, but I do wake up way more rested when I tape my mouth, so I’m a believer. And it’s supposed to help your jawline, but who knows.
Is there a beauty trend you can’t get behind?
Some people are trying to bring back thin eyebrows. It’s not for me. I like a thicker eyebrow because you don’t have to worry about going and getting them done as often. So really it’s just a lazy-girl hack.
Are you someone who looks forward to your skin care routine, or is it more of a chore?
I love it. I like pampering in general. Someone just asked me during the Giggly Squad tour what I’m going to do once it’s over, and I said, “All I want to do is take a shower in my own shower.” That’s what I’m looking forward to.
Are you an everything shower girl?
Every Sunday night, I have to, or my week is not set.
What goes into it?
A full shave and exfoliant, a hair mask, a face mask, putting body lotion everywhere that it possibly can go.
How would you say your skin care routine has changed over the years?
I feel like I went through a phase where I had, like, 15 steps. I don’t think you ever need that many steps. And then I went through a phase where I didn’t even wash my face after going out — so I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum. Now I am in a very happy middle. If there are nights when I don’t wash my face, it’s not the end of the world, but I definitely do my skin care routine way more consistently than I did five years ago.
I feel like there’s a clip of me on Summer House waking up in the morning and being like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe I did my skin care. I’m such an adult.” Sleeping is my number one thing, so I always think, “When you wake up in the morning, you’re going to have such better sleep knowing you can rub your face and not immediately have to run to the bathroom to wash it.” If I’m going to get better sleep, I’m going to do it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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