AMY LIU | CEO and founder of Tower 28 Beauty

“I’m a pretty risk-averse person,” says Amy Liu, who worked as a beauty executive for 15 years before mustering the nerve to quit her job and start the gorgeous Tower 28 Beauty in her 40s. “I’d always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” says the LA-based mom of three. “A friend I’d known since business school gave me some tough love, reminding me that I wasn’t getting any younger and to shoot my shot already. Fast-forward: That same friend ended up being my first investor. Tell people your dreams so they can hold you accountable and also support you.”

Liu, who’s battled eczema her entire adult life, dreamed of clean essentials safe for her ultrasensitive skin that didn’t look filched from a dermatologist’s office. “I grew up in California—I wanted the line to look cool and beachy,” she says. (Tower 28 is the name of a lifeguard tower that sits between Santa Monica and Venice Beach.) And the makeup colors had to flatter every skin tone. “Growing up in White, blonde beach culture, I never felt represented,” she says.

With chunky lip crayons that deposit the perfect subtle tint, the flutteriest mascara of all time, sheer lip gloss, featherlight SPF-and-foundation in one, and more, she’s succeeded in more ways than one. Tower 28 puts energy—and dollars—toward inclusivity: It donates to the Stop Asian Hate movement and the Heart of Dinner, which combats food insecurity in New York City’s elderly Asian community, and it founded Clean Beauty Summer School, which supports small BIPOC-owned businesses.

1. Smoothest Tinted Lip Crayon

   
   

   Tower 28 Beauty
   JuiceBalm Vegan Tinted Lip Balm
   goop, $16

   SHOP NOW

   
   

2. Beautifully Defining Mascara

   
   

   Tower 28 Beauty
   MakeWaves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara
   goop, $20

   SHOP NOW

3. Antioxidant-Infused Lip Gloss

   
   

   Tower 28 Beauty
   ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly
   goop, $16

   SHOP NOW

   
   
   
   

AMY’s morning routine

Mornings before work are a balance between a bleary-eyed get-kids-to-school scramble and consciously paced alone time.

5 a.m.

6 a.m.

I take our cavapoo, Luigi, on a morning walk—I live in an area with a lot of hills and great hiking trails—and listen to a podcast. I’m a huge fan of The goop Podcast—I sent all my mom friends the episode on navigating the college admissions process. I also love Second Life, How I Built This, Glossy, and Smartless.

7 a.m.

The kids are up and the house is crazy. I make breakfast, pack lunch, and rush around trying to get them out the door. I start out calm and measured, but by the end I’m threatening to leave without them, ha. My husband and I have to divide and conquer: The three of them go to three different schools in different parts of town.

8 a.m.

8:20 a.m.

I love the blurring SPF cream from Saint Jane. It’s great for makeup prep and works as a primer. I smooth on our tinted sunscreen over that (my shade is PCH); the tint deposits a natural-looking, even sheen. It’s the only complexion product the National Eczema Association has ever given its Seal of Acceptance to.

1. 
   
   Saint Jane
   Luxury Sun Ritual Pore Smoothing SPF 30
   goop, $38

   SHOP NOW

   
   

2. 
   
   Tower 28 Beauty
   SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted
   Sunscreen Foundation
   goop, $32

   SHOP NOW

I’m a big fan of my BeachPlease blush in Magic Hour. I layer on a few coats of our new mascara; it has a special wand that makes it super easy to apply and helps define each lash while still keeping them supple.

1. goop Pick

   
   

   Westman Atelier
   Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
   goop, $48

   SHOP NOW

   
   

2. 
   
   Tower 28 Beauty
   MakeWaves Lengthening
   and Volumizing Mascara
   goop, $20

   SHOP NOW

9 a.m.

The majority of my team is here in LA, but we still have people who work remotely. In an effort to maintain communication and connection, we start every workday with a Zoom meeting we call Daily Standup. After that, it’s off to the races. Meetings about makeup, all day! I love my job—and my team.