Talking Shop is our series where we talk to interesting people about their most interesting buys.
As a dancer for over 30 years, Tiler Peck has figured out a hack or two that make her professional life easier: For example, she’s become an expert at sewing her pointe shoes with dental floss. By now, she also firmly knows what products actually make her look and feel performance-ready, as well as ones that are helpful for recovery. Below, I talked to Peck, a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and author of the forthcoming book, “XO Ballerina Big Sis”, about her go-to hairspray, moisturizer, protein bars and more.
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“This serum feels like an overnight lift, and it’s like a recovery for my face,” says Peck, who wears layers of makeup for performances. “I’ve been using it for about four months, and I go to bed with it on, wake up and my skin just has this glow.” The serum comes in a dropper bottle and is made with ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid and antioxidants that hydrate, firm and plump skin, according to the brand.
“I’ve been lucky with not so much acne, but my skin is very sensitive, so I need to use products that are hypoallergenic,” says Peck. “This face wash has been the most gentle on my skin, which can get pretty dry because of my stage makeup and how much I’m taking it on and off. Using this cleanser is the best way to keep my skin at its calmest.” The gel cleanser foams as you lather, and it’s made with hydrating hyaluronic acid, ceramides to protect the skin barrier and calming niacinamide, according to the brand.
“First of all, I love the way this lotion smells — it’s like there’s perfume in it,” says Peck. “But more importantly, my skin just soaks it up because it’s so moisturizing, and I always put it on under makeup. It’s really good for sensitive skin.” The moisturizer has a velvety feel and can make wrinkles look smoother, pores look smaller and skin look glowy, according to the brand.
As its name implies, this lip tint really is “super stay,” according to Peck. “That’s the aspect I love most about it. When I’m picking lipstick for a performance, I go for color first. But if it’s a long ballet, like ‘Swan Lake’ where you’re on stage for a long time and don’t get to come off to fix your makeup, you need something you can count on.” It has a blurred, matte look, doesn’t transfer during wear (making it ideal for costume changes, says Peck) and lasts for up to 12 hours, according to the brand.
“This has always been the trusty hairspray that gets me through my shows,” says Peck. “I know I can count on it and that it will hold, so it’s one less thing for me to worry about during a performance.” The hairspray also protects against frizz and humidity, according to the brand.
“I’ve never found a foundation that I like as much as this one,” says Peck, who wears the linen shade. “It doesn’t look like you’re wearing anything, but it completely covers you. It doesn’t have a matte feel, so you still have a little shine and glow. It’s just enough to give you confidence to feel like your skin is completely even.” Peck wears this foundation in her day-to-day life, not on stage or in rehearsals. “I typically don’t wear makeup when we’re rehearsing since we’re sweating, and I feel like it’s the one time to give myself a little break since our stage makeup is so intense,” she says. “This foundation is what I wear whenever I’m doing something that’s not on stage.”
“RxBars and Oikos Greek yogurt are my go-to snacks for getting protein in between rehearsals. I know that they’ll sustain me, and I have them once a day,” says Peck, whose ballet rehearsals are often about six hours long, plus classes beforehand. “RxBars don’t have any additives, so they’re just made with good ingredients, and the peanut butter flavor is my favorite.”
Peck often goes from ballet classes to rehearsals to performances, and at the end of a long day, she craves a sweet treat. “This licorice is very dangerous,” says Peck. “Every night I tell my fiance, ‘I think I need to get the licorice,’ even when I say I’m not going to.” She stumbled upon it at the grocery store and added it to her cart on a whim, even though she’s not typically a licorice person. “I don’t know what it is about this one, but it’s very good,” says Peck.
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I’m a reporter at NBC Select who writes our Talking Shop series, interviewing people like Dorinda Medley, Jing Gao and Sara and Erin Foster. To write this piece, I interviewed Tiler Peck, a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and author, about her favorite products to use on and off stage.
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