Courtney Trop of Always Judging on Fragrance, Makeup, and Impromptu Instagrams

By

Updated on 10/11/18 12:02PM EDT

Courtney Trop started her blog, Always Judging, on the first day of 2013 and has been a part of our daily routines ever since. Her Instagram page boasts 314,000 followers, and upon first glance, it's easy to see why. Trop's style is a lot of things—grunge, eclectic, trendy, colorful, and oft inspiring—but never staged. She offers an aesthetic that's both accessible and aspirational in equal measure, wearing custom pieces and designer couture at a smoothie shop or in her bedroom. She just feels cool and, for lack of a better word that's not a cliché, authentic. She's one of the only influencers I feel connected to because her style is personal more than it is trendy. She doesn't shy away from a killer beauty look, either. So it's no wonder DKNY decided to partner up with her for its newest fragrance launch, Stories Eau de Parfum Spray ($98), to offer up the message behind the photographs.

We had the chance to email back and forth with Trop and find out some of her favorite things, both fragrance and otherwise. She discussed makeup, air-dried hair, and self-care, as well as naked coffee breaks and lots of yoga. So yes, she's as cool as she seems on the internet. Below, find her most recent beauty and wellness musings.

Courtney Trop interview — @alwaysjudging

On the energy and fashion in L.A. vs. New York…

"I find the energy and style both inspiring when I go to NYC. I practice yoga at Modo yoga in the West Village and Brooklyn. I dress pretty much the same in both L.A. and New York unless it's winter. Then there's 50 layers and boots. In L.A., my fur coat is worn alongside a slip dress and sandals. People in L.A. are way slower paced and laid-back, and everyone is chilled out all the time. New York is go, go, go, go. I do feel people dress better in NYC, but the weather and energy in L.A. win."

On the fragrance notes she gravitates toward…

"[DKNY Stories] is modern and magnetic. I definitely gravitate toward the notes of pink guava and vanilla."

Always Judging interview — @alwaysjudging

On the anti-"perfect" Instagram image…

"I don’t really try at all—I feel when you think too much into it, or put too much effort, it looks set up. I take most of my favorite photos on the spot, unplanned. It’s funny, because brands always pull my photos for project mood boards before we work on something, and they always seem to pull the images that were the most impromptu. All the images that were randomly snapped last second, even some that were taken on Fujifilm disposables and scanned for Instagram, always end up coming up as inspiration."

On her go-to makeup and hair looks…

"For my hair, I shower at night to get the actual bed-head look. My hair hates being forced into anything, so I haven't really touched a blow-dryer since 2013 (unless a hairstylist is using one for a shoot). Air-drying is key! I wear my hair like this every day. I don’t really wear much makeup on a day-to-day basis, I think products sitting on your face is bad for your skin over time. I like a natural look and to not feel anything on my face. I normally wear cheek tint and highlighter and fill in my brows a tiny bit. I'm not a fan of mascara normally—I like my blonde lashes, I feel like they look weird and cool. If I'm going to an event, I normally wear a neon liner on the top lid with no mascara or nothing on the eye and a bright orange-red lip."

On her favorite makeup artist in the business…

"For makeup, I love Colby Smith. He makes me feel more beautiful than anyone has ever made me feel. Colby also always has fun, new ideas with cool neon eye makeup or other things like that."

On her daily morning routine…

"I wake up around 8 to 10 a.m., have coffee naked in my backyard, go to yoga, shower, and get ready to start my day. That usually happens around 1 p.m. with a smoothie from Moon Juice or Erewhon."