Jackie Aina Spills The Tea On Her Morning Routine, Helping Us All Walk In The Spirit Of Slayage
Many of us have come to love Jackie Aina over the years because of her fun personality, extra-ness, and skills when it comes to hair and makeup.
With 1.1 million followers on Instagram and 2.7 million subscribers on YouTube, in her sleep, she gives women the tools to glam up and be their own personal Beyoncé. This beauty guru gave ELLE Magazine a glimpse into her daily morning routine via video, where we get yet another glimpse into her tips and tricks, similar to videos she has been posting since 2009. Jackie explains:
"When I got to college, I started discovering color and pigment, that was when YouTube was popular, and I started doing my tutorials at a time where I kinda needed that inspiration and honestly, I never looked back since then."
Jackie is no stranger to serving the real tea on beauty products and uses her voice to advocate for more products to be produced for the likes of women of color, resulting in the expansion of shades in the popular Too Faced Cosmetics line. And though incredibly talented, at her core Jackie is just like each of us, wanting to slay but pressed for time and patience in the morning. This peek into her routine gives us guidance on how to squeeze in a smidgen of self-care and a lot of slaying in a little bit of time.
ELLE/YouTube
Jackie does not skimp on her skincare before makeup application. She makes sure to cleanse with Olay Daily Clean 4 - in - 1 Water Activated Cleansing Cloths, applies serum, and even squeezes in a quick mask before she goes in for an iconic beat.
"If you are a multi-tasker like me, what you can do is put on your sheet mask and then make your morning tea, your morning coffee, check your emails, that way you can really maximize your time in the morning."
ELLE/YouTube
Jackie understands that the condition of one's skin underneath all of the high-quality makeup that we love to invest in is what is most valuable. Besides never allowing herself to break the number one beauty rule in the book, she also knows a thing or two about relying on a good hyaluronic acid like Olay Deep Hydrating Eye Gel with Hyaluronic Acid to indulge her skincare needs:
"No matter how much I travel or how far I go, it is super important to never sleep in your makeup. I like to wash my face! I like to tone - I'm using a spray toner. Whoever makes travel sized stuff...like you really do have my heart. Ain't nobody has time to be carrying around some Costco bulk level stuff. I love hyaluronic acid. It really helps with the balance and moisture to your skin."
ELLE/YouTube
When it comes to a perfectly beat face, Jackie advises us to make sure to layer our products with each other to result in a longer lasting application, so that means never skipping your primer and investing in a clutch setting spray. In her video, she goes with a simple yet pigmented eye and her signature inner corner highlight from her favorite eye shadow palette, PAT MCGRATH LABS' Mothership V Eyeshadow Palette in Bronze Seduction. However, she admits her false lashes are what seals the deal:
"It takes a lot of practice in perfecting the lash application but once you get it down, you can conquer the world...I always feel like a brand new woman after I put on my lashes. "
ELLE/YouTube
Hopefully tomorrow morning you can prioritize to rise at least 30 minutes earlier with these tips and tricks and walk into your job like you own the place. Don't hurt nobody! Thanks Jackie!
Click here to watch the full video.
Featured image by ELLE/YouTube.
New Jersey native creating a life that she loves while living in gratitude. She loves using beauty, and fashion to create a balanced lifestyle while prioritizing wellness. A devoted fur mom, and a full-time lover of laughter. She is out for revenge against the darkness by being light, taking her own advice, traveling the world, and letting you know that you are so lit! Connect with her via IG @iamzaniah and please visit Zaniahsworld.com
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
The Champion's Path: How Cari Champion Is Redefining Roles For Black Women In Media
Cari Champion has had many dream jobs. All of them have helped inform what she does and does not want for herself moving forward. “I get more and more curious. My dreams evolve. My desires change,” she said. “And I feel sorry for people who can’t experience that because it’s a beautiful feeling, it’s a beautiful challenge, and it makes you everything that you are.”
When we speak in late April, the journalist and media personality is preparing for a visit to Atlanta for The Black Effect Podcast Festival. The trip would allow her to spend time in a city that she said taught her a lot about herself and working in the media industry.
Champion was still early in her career when she worked for Atlanta’s CBS affiliate news station, where she was fired, reinstated, and subsequently quit after being accused of accidentally cursing on air in 2008. (“I didn’t. They knew I didn’t. I said ‘mothersucka,’” she said of the hot mic incident.) Still, the Los Angeles native insists she only has the fondest memories of her time in the southern city.
“I grew up in West LA, then moved to Pasadena, and those kinds of familial, tight-knit Black groups just didn’t exist. LA is spread out in a lot of ways,” she said. “To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people. I had to have that entire experience.”
"To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people."
It’s been 16 years since Champion moved from Atlanta and her career, as well as her desire to center Black voices in her work, has soared. After working as an anchor and court-side reporter for The Tennis Channel, she spent nearly a decade working as a host and anchor on ESPN for shows such as First Take and SportsCenter.
By the time she began hosting Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports, on Vice TV with Jemele Hill in 2020, Champion had increasingly become determined to shun the notion that only sports reporters and athletes could credibly discuss sports. The Vice show featured guests such as LeBron James and Magic Johnson, but also Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Sen. Cory Booker.
At a time when America was reckoning with its racial history, Champion solidified herself as a trailblazer for Black women in sports media, as well as a crucial voice for cultural commentary. Today, she regularly appears on CNN discussing sports, culture, and politics.
Champion is now hosting the fourth season of the podcast Naked with Cari Champion on The Black Effect Podcast Festival, which is a partnership between iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God, a media personality and a friend. “We kind of grew up together in this game. And when we first started figuring out or getting attention on a different type of level than we were used to, we learned a lot together,” she said of Charlamagne. “He put this network together for people who are beginning [and] people who are old-heads in the business. He wanted to make sure that all of us had a voice.”
It’s been an adjustment for a traditional TV reporter to transition into podcasting, but Champion said she’s found the medium to be a “much more freeing world.” When she’s speaking to guests such as talk show host Tamron Hall, singer Muni Long, or retired athlete Sanya Richards-Ross, she can “get lost in a conversation” and embrace a more casual environment than the structure of a cable TV show would allow.
Behind the scenes, Champion’s still doing her part to make sure there continues to be a pipeline of Black and brown women in journalism and beyond, too.
In 2018, she launched the nonprofit Brown Girls Dream and enlisted her celebrity friends to help mentor young women in a way that she felt she was never able to receive in the early years of her own career. “When I was at ESPN, I used to get all these emails from different Black and brown girls in the business. They wanted to talk to me about how they could [have the opportunity to] do the same thing [as me],” Champion said. “It fills my heart to see somebody actually get an opportunity to talk to somebody who can guide them through their career.”
Current Brown Girls Dream mentors include journalists Jemele Hill and Nichelle Turner, marketing executive Bozoma Saint John, and more. “These women are just the dopest ever and they take time out to give back to brown girls,” Champion said. “It’s special.”
When she reflects on representation in sports media roles, the Naked host said she’s inspired by the women of color she sees on television today. “I think women of color are doing great. It’s become more and more common to be on air and be Black girl magic,” she said.
“I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is,” she added. “Because, when push comes to shove and we want to really tell a story, we sometimes have to acquiesce, and we can't tell the story the way we want to. The next level is that we actually do have editorial control.”
"I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is."
Ultimately, Champion is still dreaming and looking to make an impact. She said she wants to eventually launch her own Black news network. “I would love to have a huge platform that focused on the stories that I think Black and brown women care about,” Champion said. “There are so many stories that are being missed.”
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image Emma McIntyre / Staff/Getty Images