Phoebe Robinson, the hilarious cohost of the popular podcast Two Dope Queens, is having a good time. With two books, a Netflix film, a second podcast, and more under her belt, she’s about to embark on a months-long tour for her new show, Sorry, Harriet Tubman. This charismatic and down-to-earth multihyphenate is everyone’s dream best friend, and with good reason. Not only is she as wonderful as they come, but her perpetually razor-sharp, sparkling observations have made it clear that she’s going to remain a cultural voice to be reckoned with in the years to come.
Speaking of razors, Robinson is debuting her very first beauty partnership—a milestone in any performer’s life, to be sure. Together with Schick Intuition F.A.B., the comedian is starring in a new content series called "Shave Thoughts." It’s all about the thoughts that are knocking around in Robinson's head while she showers, and it's just as hysterical as you'd expect. We caught up with her to chat about her new gig and shaving, and to have her answer all our Big Beauty Questions.
Glamour: What’s one beauty rule you swear by?
Phoebe Robinson: Moisturize. My skin gets very dry, so it's all about lotion, lotion, lotion. Right now I’m in an Aveeno sort of mood.
What’s one beauty rule you think is B.S.?
Plucking your eyebrows. If you have a unibrow, great. Rock that.
What’s one beauty trend you wish you'd never tried?
I’m not good with contouring. When I try to do it, I look like a clown. So I only let professionals contour me now. I can’t do it on myself.
You've got $20 and free roam of a drugstore. What do you buy?
Obviously, I'll stock up on my Schick Intuition F.A.B. Razor. It's bidirectional—you just put it on your skin and you don't have to lift it at all. It shaves both ways, which I’m very excited about because, when I shave my arms and legs, I get in there. I've got a little stomach hair I've gotta get rid of too. Otherwise, I'll get Chapstick for my lips and hand sanitizer, because people are kinda gross sometimes. And then can I get chips too?
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If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions in Hollywood, what would that be?
This whole plus-size thing. I think we should just get rid of the term and embrace all bodies. You don’t have to name it anything. We all have beautiful bodies; let’s all just show them off. Clothes should be made to fit everyone—the end.
Fill in the blank: "I love my hair..."
I love my hair when it’s fresh out of the shower and I've just deep-conditioned. The curls are very bouncy, that’s my favorite. Shea Moisture is so good.
What's your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?
I like to go in the shower, sing Diana Ross, and hit none of the notes. It makes me feel good! I feel like her.
What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
New York. You just walk down the street and see people wear all sorts of things—vintage, thrift, high-low fashion. It always makes me think, Ohhhh, I should do that.
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You’re stranded on a desert island. What are the three products you bring with you?
I’m gonna bring Fenty Beauty lipstick, my Intuition F.A.B. razors because I grow hair like crazy—I'll probably have to stop taking biotin. And then my third thing: Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely perfume. It’s very light. I love it.
What colors are you loving on your nails right now?
I always do a nude Chanel. I forget the name of it, but I always do a nude color. Every once in a while, I’ll do a bright color, but I like chill nails.
What's your go-to getting-ready music?
These days I’ve been doing a lot of early-’90s Mariah Carey, just throwing it back. I think because it’s summer. You just want to feel good.
How much time do you spend getting ready?
I try to spend no more than 30 minutes, including showering. I’m always running late. I could spend a full hour if I wanted to, but I’m like, “You gotta get in there, you gotta just wash up real quick, you gotta shave real quick, and then just do a quick face.” I do a toner, vitamin C serum, moisturizer, and then I'm out the door.
What's the last Instagram rabbit hole you went down?
When the Met Gala came out, I was like, “Oh, I love this outfit. I’m gonna look at that designer….” So I just spent a couple hours looking at every single designer and that was great.
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What's your favorite emoji?
My favorite one is the sly smile that’s like 😏 [makes a cheeky side-eye face] or however that looks—I love that. I’m always making a little sassy comment.
Who are the women who inspire you the most right now?
Michelle Obama is amazing. I really love Wanda Sykes. She has a new special that came out recently—she’s so brilliant. I also love Ali Wong. She’s one of my favorite stand-ups. We used to do shows together in New York when we were little baby comics, and she’s just changed the game. Those three are everything.
