Gracie Abrams’s Guide to Skin Icing and Treating Adult Acne

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Whether at home in Los Angeles or touring with Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams likes to self-soothe with skin care. But it hasn’t always been that way. 

“My skin-care journey has been a very interesting one,” says Abrams. Despite growing up without any skin issues, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter began experiencing cystic acne when her anxiety intensified before starting college. After recalibrating her routine to treat her flare-ups, she gained a new appreciation for skin care. “It’s something I can do that feels like a tangible way to be taking care of myself,” she explains. “It’s kind of like giving your brain a little moment of rest, and sometimes small distractions like this are really nice.”

Each morning, Abrams’s regimen begins not with a skin-care product but rather an ice cube, used as a face-massage tool to quell morning puffiness. “My mom would suggest putting ice behind my ears and on my wrists when I was little because I would get anxious and nauseous,” she says. “So ice has been my friend for a very long time.” After skin icing, she cleanses with a salicylic-acid-infused face wash, followed by a sequence of hydrators and a face-rolling session. 

While Abrams incorporates preventative treatments to address her adult acne, she doesn’t try to control her acne. Better yet, she embraces it. “Acne doesn’t bother me as much now as it used to,” says Abrams, who used to cake on heavy makeup in an attempt to veil her blemishes. “The truth is [that] no one ever notices it as much as you do.” For more natural, lit-from-within coverage, she preps skin with Tom Ford’s primer for illumination and Saie’s Slip Tint for sun protection—the latter of which, she notes, is a TikTok discovery that has changed her life. Next, Laneige’s sleeping mask nourishes her lips, while the Egyptian Magic cream moisturizes her body.

Inspired by her mother and the effortless beauty of her musical heroes Fiona Apple and Joni Mitchell, Abrams gravitates toward minimalist makeup. A few swipes of Westman Atelier’s stick foundation and NARS’s creamy concealer even out her complexion, while a dash of blush, contour, and Chanel’s highlighter balm supply definition and shine. Abrams’s gaze is enhanced simply with just a stroke of eyeliner and curled lashes. After painting on a mauvy pink lip, she brushes through her brows with Anastasia Beverly Hills’s styling wax and dots her face with faux freckles using the Freck pen. Finally, a spritz of Living Proof texture spray enhances her naturally tousled waves, while a cloud of Chanel and Le Labo fragrances helps her achieve her signature scent. And with that Abrams signs off with some feel-good wishes: “I hope you’re happy, healthy, safe, hydrated, loving your friends and family, [and] yourself.”

Below, shop Abrams’s beauty secrets. 

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Image Skincare Clear Cell Clarifying Salicylic Gel Cleanser

Image Skincare Hydrating Hydrogel Sheet Mask

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Eraclea Pure Hydration Serum

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Jan Marini Age Intervention Peptide Extreme Face Lotion

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AOS Hydra Boost Oil Free Moisturizer

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Tom Ford Illuminating Primer

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Saie Slip Tint

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Egyptian Magic

All-Purpose Skin Cream

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Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick

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NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick

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Tower 28 BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush

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Glossier Cloud Paint

Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick

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Covergirl Perfect Blend Eyeliner Pencil

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Surratt Beauty Relevée Lash Curler

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Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk Medium

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Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil

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Glossier Ultralip

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Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze

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Living Proof Full Dry Volume & Texture Spray

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Freck The Original Freckle

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Chanel Paris-Paris Les Eaux de Chanel Eau de Toilette Spray

Le Labo Eau de Parfum - Santal 33

Director: Gabrielle Reich
Director of Photography: Josh Herzog
Editor: Michael Suyeda
Associate Producer: Natalie Harris
Production Manager: Kit Fogarty
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Talent Bookers: Phoebe Feinberg and Sergio Kletnoy
Postproduction Supervisor: Marco Glinbizzi
Postproduction Coordinator: Jovan James
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Filmed at the Ludlow Hotel NYC