

In About Face, xoNecole gets the 411 on IGers who give us #skincaregoals on the 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.
To keep it all the way 100 with you, I didn't come across DeJanae Evins in some roundabout way on the Explore page on my IG feed. Instead, she found me. She first graced our site as a contributor, penning articles about wellness, veganism, and weed when it called for it. In addition to dabbling in entrepreneurship and freelancing, DeJanae is also a certified cannabis educator at the helm of the platform Green Goddess Glow.
As someone who is knowledgeable the healing powers of cannabis and encourages others to indulge in "mindful cannabis and self-care practices," DeJanae finds herself very fulfilled by the work she does. "My favorite part about the work I do is encouraging culture-shifting conversations around the ways we define health and wellness, usually in ways that emphasize ancestral knowledge," she shared with xoNecole.
After giving her a follow on Instagram, it was easy to become enamored by her physical beauty as well. The 27-year-old LA-based entrepreneur in all her cocoa skin and cocoa butter kissed glory has skin that could be the envy of all the girls in the yard. Which is absolutely why I had to hit her up to learn more about the routines that helped her maintain and own her beauty from the outside in.
And here's what she had to say.
My morning routine looks like...
"A typical morning for me begins with warm water and lemon. Expressing gratitude, prayer and intention setting."
For my skincare routine in the AM...
"My morning skincare routine looks like a quick rinse using Dr. Bronner's Hemp Soap (Amazon, $12), followed by Dame Body's Manuka Honey Face Scrub. I try to use cannabis in my skincare regimen because its benefits are so far reaching! It's a great inflammatory and moisturizes without clogging the pores. Then I'll tone with Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel (Amazon, $9) or Dame Body's Witch Hazel Orange Blossom Toner. A lot of the time I'm using Dame Body's Orange Blossom Toner because, in addition to witch hazel distillate, there are citrus botanical extracts, including neroli essential oil, which comes from the bitter orange tree. It's a sweet fragrance and is rich in vitamins A, C and E.
"And I finish with a Dame Body's Raw Face Serum, which is full of African wild harvested and cold pressed oils like Tanzanian Tamanu, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Rwandan Maracuja oil and Namibian Marula oil. It also includes Raspberry and Egyptian Carrot oils that naturally provide an SPF 30, protecting against UVA and UVB rays, which is great because my skin usually breaks out from the chemicals in traditional sunscreens. Throughout the day, I'm refreshing with rose water or Dame Body's Orange Blossom Water imported from Lebanon and infused with Citrine crystals."
And for my skincare routine in the PM...
"At night, I melt off all my make up with Caudalie Cleansing Oil (Macys, $28) and OSEA Ocean Cleanser (Neiman Marcus, $48) before getting in the shower. I try to stay away from using product with animal bones or gelatin. And I love that OSEA has algae, or seaweed, in it which is a great alternative. I follow this up a Manuka Honey Face Scrub (Amazon, $13) that I put on while I wash my body and brush my teeth (because a girl loves to multi-task!). Then I rinse the scrub off, apply Dame Body's Witch Hazel Orange Blossom Toner and finish with the Raw Face Serum."
How the seasons affect my approach to skincare...
"I'd say my winter/fall products are more heavy, I do a lot more moisturizing in the colder months to avoid peeling and dry skin. I consult with skin care specialists like Sannae of Dame Body who keep me informed about the best methods to maintain clear and healthy skin in seasonal transitions."
My go-to makeup look consists of...
"My look is pretty consistent, unless it's a special occasion. In addition to the Raw Face Serum, I use The Body Shop's Hemp Heavy Duty Face Protector (Amazon, $13) when I'm not wearing makeup and Hangover Replenishing Face Primer which doubles as a moisturizer when I am applying makeup. My go-to foundation is Becca because I get so many compliments on my skin when I wear it. I use Sephora concealer, Laura Mercier finishing powder, a $7 Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette, and NYX's Dubai liquid matte lipstick. That's pretty much my day-to-day look."
How I approach beauty from the inside-out...
"The things I do that me that make me feel on the inside as good as you look on the outside are keeping a lot of living things around: plants and flowers. I try to make a habit of buying myself flowers weekly. I burn sweet smelling incense, usually jasmine or sandalwood. I sunbathe. I put my phone on Do No Disturb without apologizing for it later. I smoke weed often and take functional mushrooms like Lion's Mane daily. I also grow my own cannabis in my backyard. It's how I stay grounded and in tune with nature."
What self-care looks like to me...
"A few of my self-care must-haves include: alkaline water, daily sun exposure, a jade roller, [and] my Lioness vibrator. When I have the time to, and I'm not rushing to bed to get a decent amount of sleep, I unwind with a bath, I journal, I meditate and steep mugwort tea with a heaping helping of honey."
For more of DeJanae, follow her on Instagram.
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
'Leave Quicker': Keri Hilson Opens Up About Learning When To Walk Away In Love
What you might call Black love goals, Keri Hilson is kindly saying, “Nah.”
In a recent appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast, the We Need to Talk: Love singer opened up about a past relationship that once had the public rooting for her and former NBA star Serge Ibaka. According to Cam, the pair looked “immaculate” together. Keri agreed, admitting, “We looked good.” But her demeanor made it clear that everything that looks good isn't always a good look for you.
That was all but confirmed when Cam asked what the relationship taught her. Keri sighed deeply before replying, “Whew. Leave quicker.”
It was the kind of answer that doesn’t need to be packaged to be received, just raw truth from someone who’s done the work. “Ten months in, I should have [left],” she continued. “But I was believing. I was wanting to not believe [the signs].”
Keri revealed to Cam that despite their efforts to repair the relationship at the time, including couples counseling, individual therapy, and even sitting with Serge’s pastor, it just wasn’t meant to be. A large part of that, she said, was the seven-year age gap. “He was [in his] mid-twenties,” she said, attributing a lot of their misalignment to his youth and the temptations that came with fame, money, and status.
“There were happenings,” she shared, choosing her words carefully. “He deserved to live that… I want what you want. I don’t want anything different. So if I would’ve told him how to love me better, it would’ve denied him the experience of being ‘the man’ in the world.”
But she also made it clear that just because you understand someone’s path doesn’t mean you have to ride it out with them. Instead, you can practice compassionate detachment like our girl Keri. “You can have what you want, but you may not have me and that.”
When Cam jokingly questioned what if there was a reality where a man wanted to have both “you and a dab of that,” Keri didn’t hesitate with her stance: “No,” adding, “I can remove myself and [then you] have it. Enjoy it.” Sis said what she said.
Still, she shared that they dated for a couple of years and remain cool to this day. For Keri, being on good terms with an ex isn’t a sign of weakness; it's a reflection of where she is in her healing. In a time when blocking an ex is often seen as the ultimate sign of growth, Keri offers an alternate route: one where healing looks like resolution, not resentment. “I think because I have such a disgust for ugliness in my life. Like, I don't do well without peace between me and everyone in my life. Like, I really try to resolve issues,” she explained to Cam.
Adding, “I think that's what makes things difficult when you're like sweeping things under the rug or harboring ill feelings towards someone. When you're healed, when you've done your work, you can speak to anybody when you've healed from things. I think maybe that's the bottom line.”
Watch Keri's appearance on Funky Friday in full here.
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Featured image by Paras Griffin/Getty Images