Cassie Credits Alkaline Shower Filters & ‘Minding Her Business’ For Youthful Skin
Cassie Ventura--actress, singer, wife, mother, legend, and friend--has removed herself from the industry’s chaos in the best way. She packed her bags, married her bae, Alex Fine, who she shares two beautiful daughters with, and threw the deuces up at whatever was no longer serving her. Cassie and Alex, who wed in September 2019, welcomed daughters Frankie Stone in December 2019 and Sunny Cinco in March 2021.
Since, the beauty icon has kept a somewhat low profile, focusing on her family and a less indulgent lifestyle, even recently making a rare appearance opposite Chris Brown in his "Psychic" video. Despite opting for a quieter lifestyle, Cassie is always on board to chat about beauty, which thankfully, The Cut caught up with the singer to discuss all things from home life, advice she would give to herself, and her skincare routine. Keep reading for more.
Cassie on her morning routine:
Cassie has morning rituals that she sticks with, which include meditating and starting her morning with a cup of peppermint tea. “It calms my stomach, and it helps me recenter before the day starts. I’m also a huge water drinker. I have alkaline filters throughout our house. My favorite is the one in the shower, which has helped with the health of my skin and hair so much.”
Game changer?
Cassie also indulges in daily quiet time as a personal reboot. “Even if I only get three minutes to just be quiet, I believe in it. I think it’s important for my sanity.”
On motherhood:
“I actually repetitively remind myself to stay present. I never did that before,” she tells the mag. “I had a moment the other day where one of my daughters was on a rampage and I got really frustrated. My older daughter, Frankie, said, ‘Mommy, don’t forget to breathe.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ When you give them certain things, they give them back to you. It was wonderful to feel that from her. We sat, and she helped me breathe, and then I calmed down and I was fine.”
On advice to her younger self:
“Don’t worry so much because everything works itself out, and if you place yourself where you feel like you’re supposed to be, you’ll be fine. Doing things outside of your comfort zone is important, but doing things that aren’t right isn’t.”
On how she preserves her youthfulness:
“By minding [my] business. I don’t pass judgment on what people choose to do for themselves. I feel like there’s a lot to be said about people that live their lives and not everyone else’s.”
Cassie’s Skincare Routine:
Summer Fridays Super Amino Gel Cleanser, $35
Cassie always starts her morning with a double cleanse. She goes in with Summer Fridays’ restorative gel cleanser, an amino-acid blend that replenishes and protects the skin. “It’s really helped keep my skin clean without feeling overly dry,” she told The Cut.
Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser, From $12
The next cleanser is her favorite, Youth to the People’s superfood cleanser, a gel with nourishing ingredients such as spinach, kale, and green tea, which soothe the skin while fighting signs of aging. On days when she’s rushing and doesn’t have time to double cleanse, this is the one cleanser she uses.
Buttah Skin Aloe Rose Refreshing Face Mist, $19
Cassie is not huge on using toner but is looking to work it into her routine with the help of Buttah's founder. The balancing spray acts as a toner by hydrating the skin with aloe vera and rosewater.
Ustawi Vitamin C Antioxidant Serum, $45
Next up is Ustawi serum, which is one she refuses to skip. “The products are made for melanin skin, and I’m obsessed,” she says. The oil-and-water-gel serum brightens the complexion and restores the skin’s natural glow.
Mario Badescu Herbal Hydrating Serum, $30
Cassie likes using hyaluronic acid–based serums like this one from Mario Badescu. It’s super-hydrating and boosts the skin’s production of collagen for a healthy glow.
Starface Hydro-Stars Party Pack - 32-Count, $11
When the inevitable breakout happens, Cassie busts out Starface pimple patches, which are dermatologist tested and absorb fluid from pimples to expedite the skin’s healing process. “Pimples are the absolute worst, and we’re all trying to get rid of them, but it’s okay to embrace them too,” she says.
Ustawi Baobab Fruit Ultra-Nourishing Moisturizer, $37
The final step in keeping her skin looking luminous is applying the Ustawi Baobab Fruit Ultra-Nourishing Moisturizer. Baobab is a natural African fruit that detoxifies and nourishes the skin. It leaves the complexion cushiony-smooth and targets hyperpigmentation.
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Why Do Millennials & Gen-Zers Still Feel Like Teenagers? The Pandemic Might Be The Reason.
There’s nothing quite as humbling as navigating adulthood with no instruction manual. Since the turn of the decade, it seems like everything in our society that could go wrong has, inevitably, gone wrong. From the global pandemic, our crippling student debt problem, the loneliness crisis, layoffs, global warming, recession, and not to mention figuring out what to eat for dinner every night. This constant state of uncertainty has many of us wondering, when are the grown-ups coming to fix all of this?
But the catch is, we are the new grown-ups.
As if it happened without our permission, we became the new adults. We are the members of society who are paying taxes, having children, getting married, and keeping our communities afloat, one iced latte at a time. Still, there’s something about doing all these grown-up duties that feel unnaturally grown-up. Enter the #teenagegirlinher20s.
If there’s one hashtag to give you the state of the next cohort of adults, it’s this one. Of the videos that have garnered over 3.9M views, you’ll find a collection of users who are overwhelmed by life’s pressing existential responsibilities, clung to nostalgia, and reminiscent of the days when their mom and dad took care of their insurance plans.
@charlies444ngel no like i cant explain to her why i had to buy multiple tank air dupes from aritzia #teenagegirlinher20s #fyp
The concept of being a 20-something or 30-something teenager is linked to the sentiment of not feeling “grown up enough” to do grown-up things while feeling underprepared and even nihilistic about whether that preparation even matters.
It’s our generation’s version of when we ask our grandmothers how old they are and they simply reply with, “I still feel 45,” all while being every bit of 76 years old. In this, we share a warped concept of time while clinging to a desire for infantilization.
Granted, the pandemic did a number on our concept of time. Many of us who started the pandemic in our early or mid-20s missed out on three fundamental years of socialization, career development, and personal milestones that traditionally help to mark our growth.
Our time to figure out and plan our next steps through fumbling yet active participation was put on pause indefinitely and then resumed provisionally. This in turn has left many of us hanging in the balance of uncertainty as we try to make sense of the disconnect between our minds and bodies in this missing gap of time.
Because we’re all still figuring out what the ramifications of being locked away and frozen in time by a global pandemic will have on us as a society, there really is no “right” way of making up for lost time. Feeling unprepared for any new chapter of life is a natural rite of passage, pandemic or not. However, it’s important to not stay stuck in the last age or period of life that made sense to us because self-growth is the truest evidence of personal progress.
So whether you’re leaning on your inner child, teenager, or 20-something for guidance as you fill the gap between your real age and pandemic age, know that it’s okay to grieve the person you thought you would be and the milestones you thought you’d hit before you ever knew what a pandemic was. If there’s anything that the pandemic taught us, it’s that we have the power to reimagine a better world and life for ourselves. And if we tap into our inner teenager as a compass, we can piece together our next chapter with a fresh outlook.
Sure, we’ve lost a couple of years, but there are still some really amazing ones ahead.
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