In About Face, xoNecole gets the 411 on IGers who give us #skincaregoals on a daily. Here they break down their beauty routines on the inside and out, as well as the highly coveted products that grace their shelves and their skin.
From the moment I heard Besidone Amoruwa speak at a digital conference, I was instantaneously mesmerized. Equal parts authoritative and relatable, Besidone effortlessly disseminated tips for monetizing your side hustle to young black business owners. And while I, along with thousands more, savored every morsel of information she shared, there was one topic that lived in my head rent-free days after the conference: her flawless skin.
As a Strategic Partner Manager, Besidone is an executive that facilitates relationships across beauty, lifestyle, and gaming verticals for Instagram's Emerging Talent Team. With such a strenuous job, making time for herself is a fundamental element to Besidone's success.
In this installment of xoNecole's About Face, the Instagram Partners executive talks family, connecting to your divine feminism, and aligning with your truth.
My holy grail skincare product is…
"My Amare I Lumi C serum - is the ULTIMATE keeper of my skin. It's my daily moisturizer and primer when I want to wear makeup. Making sure that my skin feels light and moisturized is my peace. I naturally have oily skin and I want to make sure that my skin only gets the nutrients it needs and leads out everything else."
I started taking my skincare seriously when...
"My younger sister became an aesthetician. She's always inspired me to do my own hair, makeup, and work on my skin because she would do it for me. So when she couldn't do it I had to learn (laughs). She inspired me to do the education and learn as much as I can for me NOT what society tells me."
"Making sure that my skin feels light and moisturized is my peace. I naturally have oily skin and I want to make sure that my skin only gets the nutrients it needs and leads out everything else."
The key to my morning routine is…
"Prayer. I have to wake up and seek peace first. Talk to God, write and listen. Feeding my inside spurs my whole well-being and spirit into positivity and alignment for my day. I love to read things that inspire me and teach me. Connecting to my divine feminine and the holy spirit within me grants me peace and perspective over myself and my day. I don't communicate on any technology until I have done this to be sure I am giving myself my 'me time' first."
My skin is the worst when…
"I'm eating dairy, fried food, or food with GMOs/hormones. I can just tell when a breakout is happening! I am not too strict on my diet but go through phases where I don't eat certain products and just stick to a variety of foods. I believe in balance but anyone who knows me knows: RUN me my chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with rainbow sprinkles any day!"
"Connecting to my divine feminine and the holy spirit within me grants me peace and perspective over myself and my day. I don't communicate on any technology until I have done this to be sure I am giving myself my 'me time' first."
The most important item to travel with is…
"My cleanser. Traveling brings about so much dirt and my face needs to feel clean. I traveled a lot before the pandemic and keeping my skin clean and fresh while I was on my adventures was my top priority. I don't want to feel overwhelmed by a routine or the climate so keeping it basic is super important for me."
My makeup routine in three words would be…
"Give them face. I always like to serve whenever I do my makeup. It's like a mood. How sassy do I want to look today? How much cat-eye should I give them? It's important to show my own personal sex appeal. I like to be me and look like me. I don't want to look like anyone else but me in my own dark skin."
"It's important to show my own personal sex appeal. I like to be me and look like me. I don't want to look like anyone else but me in my own dark skin."
My evening routine consists of...
"A hot shower and my candles. I need my hot shower then it's my toner, retinol with a final layer of hyaluronic acid. Winding down is my absolute favorite part of the day. It should be a crime on how much money I spend on candles really but they are all over my house with different calming scents. My home now is basically like a mini art studio."
In my opinion, the secret to perfect skin is…
"Well, there is no such thing as perfect skin but I believe in healthy skin and medical-grade products. No lie. It is so important to go beyond topical products! Beneath the skin lies so much. I learned just how important it is to learn your skin. Everyone's skin type is not the same and our bodies are so different so not everyone's routine is gonna work for you sis, nor will all the products."
I never leave the house without this…
"Paw Paw ointment, keeps my lips smooth. I love my large lips so keeping them plump and moisturized and important. My brows or my makeup may not be done but one thing my lips won't be is chapped, chile. That's a big no-no. My lips are one of my favorite areas of my face and I love how large and supple they are so I take extra good care of them with scrubs, ointment, and sometimes a nice gloss."
"My lips are one of my favorite areas of my face and I love how large and supple they are so I take extra good care of them with scrubs, ointment, and sometimes a nice gloss."
My most significant beauty lesson is…
"Beauty starts from within, and everything else comes out. If I love my insides, it will show on the outside. When you feel good you look good. It's taken a long time for me to love myself and understand what makes me light. Nurturing my relationship with myself has helped me 'stay in my light'. I like to live my life as a pro-lover."
The three fundamental products of my skincare routine is…
"Moisturizer, sunblock, and retinol. The anti-aging basics baby. I stay looking half my age and I am no longer mad about it. I fully embrace it, letting my skin do the talking. This sounds simple but it's not because I have to be consistent with the upkeep and genetics can only do so much."
"If I love my insides, it will show on the outside. When you feel good you look good. It's taken a long time for me to love myself and understand what makes me light. Nurturing my relationship with myself has helped me 'stay in my light'."
Besidone's Favorite Beauty Products:
Favorite Skincare Brand: Amare Aesthetics
Favorite Makeup Brand: Pat McGrath Labs
Favorite Skincare Product: Hyaluronic Acid Amare
Favorite Concealer: Tarte Creaseless Concealer
Favorite Foundation: Pat McGrath Labs
Favorite Serum: Amare I Lumi C Serum
Favorite Moisturizer: Skinceuticals Triple Lipid Restore
Favorite Mascara: Benefit Badgal Mascara
Featured image courtesy of Besidone Amoruwa
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Anyway, I personally think that the less shallow folks out here may contemplate calling things “quits” or they at least distance themselves a bit from their partner (and what I’m referring to is serious relationships) due to all of the stress and strain that oftentimes comes with the holidays whether it be financial, familial, due to their tight schedules or something else.
Listen, I would hate for you and your man to miss the fun and happiness of experiencing this time of year, all because you are so overwhelmed or irritated that you can’t really enjoy it. That’s why I have a few practical tips for how to avoid allowing the typical holiday season stress from INFECTING your relationship.
Manage Your Expectations
GiphyUnmanaged expectations. If there is a main reason why the holiday season tends to be so stress-filled for so many people, I’d bet good money that this is the cause. And when you’re in a long-term relationship, expectations can manifest themselves in all sorts of cryptic and/or unexpected ways. You might have relatives who assume that you are going to be with them for Thanksgiving or Christmas when you have other plans in mind. You might be thinking that you are going to spend one amount for presents while your man is thinking something totally different. When it comes to scheduling, your signals may be crossed.
And you know what? To all of these scenarios, this is where clear and consistent communication come in. Don’t assume anything. Don’t dictate anything either. From now until New Year’s, mutually decide to check in once a week, just to make sure that you are both on the same page as it relates to the holidays and what you both are thinking will come along with it. The less blindsided you both feel, the less stressed out you will be. Trust me on this.
Set (and Keep) a Budget
GiphyOkay, so I read that last year, 36 percent of Americans incurred some type of holiday-related debt. Hmph. Last year, there was still some sense of normalcy in this country, chile, so I can only imagine what finances are gonna look like over the next several weeks. That said, since I don’t know a lot of people who don’t find being broke stressful, make sure that you and your bae set a budget and then stick to it this year — no ifs, ands or buts.
Because really, y’all — it doesn’t make sense to deplete savings and/or max out credit cards for a few days of giggles only to be damn near losing your mind because you don’t know how to make ends meet come Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
And by the way, this tip doesn’t just speak to things like food and gifts; I also mean travel. If it doesn’t make a ton of sense (or cents) to be all over the place this year — DON’T BE.
Keep Matthew 5:37 at the Forefront
GiphyIf off the top of your head, you don’t know what Matthew 5:37 says, no worries, here ya go: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” That verse right there? Oh, it’s a boundaries lifesaver! I say that because do you see “maybe” or “I’ll think about it” in there? Nope. LOL. It says that you should tell people “yes” or “no” and leave it at that — and that complements Anne Lamott’s quote, “’No’ is a complete sentence” impeccably well. Yeah, you’ve got to remember that anything beyond a yes or no to a request is privileged information; you don’t owe anyone details or an explanation.
Besides, if you are really honest with yourself, when someone asks you something and you give a “Umm, let me think about it” kind of reply, more times than not, you already know what your answer is going to be — so why not let you both off of the hook? Give your response. Commit to that. And let everyone (including yourself) get on with their lives and schedules.
I promise you that when it comes to those holiday parties, you are pissing more folks off by not RSVP’ing or doing so and not showing up than just saying, “Thank you but not this year” off the rip.
Remember That Your Personal Space Is Privilege Not a Right
GiphyA friend of mine recently bought a new house and invited me over to come see it. He’s a single man with no children, so as I was taking in all of the space that he had, especially as I walked through his finished basement, I joked about relatives coming to live with him. “Hell no” and “absolutely not” were pretty much his immediate responses as he went on to say that some folks even had the nerve to be offended when he told them that he had no intentions on taking DNA in.
Ain’t it wild how people think that your stuff is their right? And yes, that brings me to my next point. Your home is your sanctuary space. If you want to host folks this year — cool. If not, ALSO COOL. Please don’t let folks (family included) guilt you into how they want you to act or even into what they would do if the shoe was on the other foot. You are not them — and as one of my favorite quotes states, “If two people were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary.” (A man by the name Larry Dixon said that.)
Hell, my friends? They know that I am good for sending them random things that they need or even want all throughout the year. Coming over to hang out at my pace, though. Uh-uh. Chalk it up to being a card-carrying member of the ambivert club yet I like keeping my living space personal — and I sleep like a baby, each and every night, for feeling that way.
Always remember that your space, your time, your resources, your energy and shoot, yourself period (including your relationship), are all things that are your own. You get to choose how, when and why you want to share them. The holiday season is certainly no exception.
Cultivate Some “You Two Only” Traditions
GiphyIt’s not uncommon for some couples to hit me up after the holiday season to “detox.” Sometimes it’s due to the financial drama (and sometimes trauma) that they experienced. Sometimes it’s because they allowed their relatives (especially in-laws) to get more into their personal business than they should’ve. More than anything, though, it tends to be because they didn’t get enough quality time together and so ended up feeling “disconnected.”
Please don’t let that happen. Listen, I’m not even a holidays kind of woman and yet, I will absolutely sit myself down with some hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy a Hallmark holiday film or two. Aside from the fact that most of them are lighthearted and sweet, I also like that they usually focus on couples loving on each other amidst all of the holiday beauty and ambiance — which is something that all couples should set aside some time to do.
Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe it’s a staycation. Or maybe it’s my personal favorite, A SEXCATION. Whether it’s for a few days, the weekend or even overnight — don’t you let the holidays go by without setting aside time for you and your man to celebrate one another. Don’t you dare (check out “Are You Ready To Have Some Very Merry 'Christmas Sex'?”).
GET. SOME. REST.
GiphyI once read that 8 out of 10 people get stressed out over the holidays and 3 out of 10 lose sleep during to it — and when you’re stress-filled and sleep-deprived, that can absolutely lead to hypersensitivity, making mountains out of molehills and even not being in the mood for sex.
Your relationship can’t afford to go through any of this, so definitely make sure to prioritize rest. I don’t care how unrealistic it might seem during this time, sleep should never be seen as a luxury; it will always and forever be a great necessity.
That said, try to get no less than six hours of shut-eye in (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”) and even ask your bae to take a nap with you sometimes (check out “Wanna Have Some Next-Level Sex? Take A Nap, Sis.”). Not only will sleep help to restore your mind, body and spirit but, when it’s with your partner, it’s an act of intimacy that can make you both feel super connected, even in the midst of what might feel like chaos.
___
Holiday season stress is real. Still, never give it the permission or power to throw your relationship off. Put you and your man first and let the holidays be what they are gonna be, chile.
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Featured image by Shutterstock
Using the same material from the interior of the Volvo EX90, Hudson crafted a wool-blend car coat and waistbelt that combine the vehicle’s Scandinavian design with his signature tailoring and intention. The exclusive collection launched on October 20, and each piece is made-to-order by Sergio Hudson Collections.
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In October, I traveled to Charleston with a group of journalists to get a firsthand look at Hudson and Volvo’s location. During a fitting, Hudson said his goal is to make “great work that can stand the test of time.”
“People can look back on and say, ‘I remember when Sergio did that collaboration with Volvo,’” he continued. “Thinking about aligning yourself with classic brands that speak to where you want to go. And I think that's what this collaboration kind of means to me and my business.”
Hudson pinpoints his mom as the biggest influence for his designs. This collaboration was no different.
“This particular coat reminded me of the swing coats that my mom used to wear in the early 90s. You know, diva girls in the early 90s had Sandra suits,” he said, referring to Jackée Harry’s character in 227. “My mom wore those and she would have these matching swing coats to go over them. And that's where the initial idea came. This would be around the same time that we had our Volvo. So she would put on her suit, her swing coat, get in that red Volvo, and go to church.”
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With this capsule and beyond, Hudson wants to see more staples rotating in and out of closets this fall. He advises fashionistas to build her closet out with essentials to mix and match that aren’t just stylish but also sustainable.
“It's just those special pieces,” he said. “You can wear the same shirt and pants every day and nobody will notice. But if you have a special boot, a special coat, a special bill, a special bag, that kind of speaks to everything that your style stands about, that is something you should focus on.”
These are the same kind of staple pieces that return to our Pinterest boards and TikTok feeds season after season. Fast fashion has never been Hudson’s aim. “I'm trying to create a special pieces that can stand the test of time,” he said in his warm, Southern accent. “I'm only creating those kind of pieces from here on out.”
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For Hudson, this collaboration is revolutionary. It’s his first time working with a car company and experimenting outside of his wheelhouse in this way.
“This is a Scandinavian brand, and, you know, it's 70 years old. I'm an African-American boy from South Carolina that has had a brand for 10 years. So I think bridging those two worlds and seeing the similarities was the beauty of this project,” he explained.
Though Hudson and his partner and CEO of Sergio Hudson Collections Inga Beckham have made massive strides in just 10 years, Hudson said the industry is far from where he wants to see it when it comes to Black representation. He pointed to how few Black designers were at this year’s Met Gala despite the theme being Black dandyism.
“The fact that I dressed 18 people speaks to how many of us weren't there,” he said. He implored more of industries, fashion and beyond, to collaborate with Black designers often.
“Allow mentorship. Allow funding. Allow great design to shine through,” he implored. “When it comes to being a designer of African descent, when you can't get the funding that your counterparts have, you can't compete. When you get opportunities like doing a collaboration with Volvo, or you get opportunities to be at the Met Gala, that's putting us on the equal playing field, but really the funding behind it is what we need to take it to that desk level.”
Featured image courtesy