At Home With... Ian Michael Crumm

Subject: Ian Michael Crumm

Occupation: esthetician

Age: 30

Celebrity esthetician, influencer @ianmcrumm, and beauty editorial darling Ian Michael Crumm divides his time between his hometown of York, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Los Angeles, where he offers a signature facial concierge service in clients’ homes and hotel rooms. We caught up with him after he spent a week in LA prepping clients for red carpet appearances during Oscars week.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE RIGHT NOW?

I live in NYC, but LA is my second home. When I’m here I stay at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.

WHAT MAKES A "HOME AWAY FROM HOME" A HOME?

Ample lighting! I usually do facials in the hotel room so that’s key. And of course, it’s got to be a convenient location. The Four Seasons is very centrally located for actors, movie producers, and other professionals who need to get red carpet-ready or have their skin prepped for an event.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PLACES IN LA?

I love Sugarfish for sushi and Alfred Tea Room for Thai milk tea with boba. If I have any downtime, I’ll go check out the Sydney Evan showroom. For whatever reason I like to go jewelry shopping when I’m here! And of course it’s always cool to go get snacks at Erewhon Market and check out all the fun stuff in their beauty and wellness aisles.

DESCRIBE YOUR AT HOME BEAUTY REGIMEN.

Given the nature of being a content maker and being in esthetics in general, I do have a lot of products that I test and try so it can get fairly expansive. I have tested hundreds and hundreds of products and I even give things out to friends so I can get their feedback to help weed out the noise. Obviously I cleanse in the morning and really like the Ourself Daily Purifying Cleanser. Then I’ll follow with a vitamin c serum and a hydrating serum. I’m really into the HA+ Replenishing Serum and I use a lot—probably more than the recommended amount—because I love the sensorial feeling of hydrating products. And of course sunscreen like Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 because I am a huge proponent of sun safety. You know, 80-90% of skin aging is caused from UV exposure so it’s hugely important to apply daily. At night I like to play around with masks and apply a retinoid and of course more HA+ Replenishing Serum. My skin tends to be dry so I also like using Daily Renewal Cream Rich for my moisturizer.

And of course when I’m traveling I have to narrow it down. I’ll have a variety of products and devices that I will use on clients so obviously I can dip into that but for my own personal use, it really comes down to my holy grail products.

 

HOW DO YOU PREP YOUR CLIENTS' SKIN FOR RED CARPET?

I always begin with a double cleanse. The Ourself Daily Purifying Cleanser definitely takes everything off in one pass, but every step I do incorporates massage of some kind so the additional cleanse is just the start of a series of starting to stimulate the lymphatic system. Next, I use a proprietary fruit enzyme I created myself for gentle exfoliation. I never want to use any strong acids or products that might irritate the skin when someone is going to an event.

Following that I like to use the Pure Lift tool, which is a muscle stimulation device with multiple frequencies that serves to lift the skin. I primarily use it around the jawline to sculpt and it just really gets the blood flowing. Then I’ll get into serums and more massage. I started incorporating HA+ Replenishing Serum into my process when I prepped the models backstage at Altuzarra for New York Fashion Week and it just has great slip and hydrates and plumps. Next, I’ll have them wear the Celluma Pro LED mask to energize the skin but also, red light therapy is just great to calm inflammation and any redness that might be going on.

And finally, I’ll get into moisturizer like the Daily Renewal Cream or Daily Renewal Cream Rich depending on their skin type. At that point I use the gold cryo ice globes from Angela Caglia to depuff the eye area and temporarily tighten pores. The cool temperature constricts the capillaries and when the skin warms up again, new blood rushes to the area which brings extra oxygen and nutrients to the surface that creates an overall brightening and awake-looking effect. And I might use the Ourself Lip Filler to plump up the lip area and add a nice flush of color.

The entire facial experience is about giving the client not just glowing, sculpted skin but also a Zen kind of moment because big events are inherently stressful. Often, I do the treatment on the client’s own bed so they can hopefully have a quick nap before their hair and makeup people arrive.

WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS LOVE ABOUT THE OURSELF PRODUCTS?

I think it's a very simple and effective routine. When a client is prepping for an event, I never want to put too many products on them before they're getting their makeup done. With the Ourself products and especially HA+ Replenishing Serum, even though I love to pile it on, I never have to worry about the product pilling, which can happen with a lot of products if you apply too much or mix with certain serums. I don’t want to screw over the makeup artist!