Gabrielle Union's Evening Routine Includes A Guided Meditation For The Entire Family
The Wades have spent much of the pandemic perfecting that art of being one big blended family, their way. The head lady at the table, Gabrielle Union, has somehow managed to balance her career with being a good--and progressive--wife and mother. Union currently lives in Los Angeles, with her husband, former NBA star Dwyane Wade, their two-year-old daughter, Kaavia, and Union's sister, who is a live-in babysitter for Kaavia. Union is also the stepmother to three kids from Wade's previous relationships—Zaire, 18; Zaya, 13, and Xavier, 6. They've also raised Dahveon, 18, Wade's nephew, for the past 12 years.
How sis manages to wrangle this household down at the end of the day, we'll never understand, but she did tell us what happens. In a recent interview, she described how she likes to wind down her evenings, and it's household goals!
Operation Shut-It Down starts at 6pm.
Gabrielle Union toldSELF:
"We call it Operation Shut-It-Down. Sometimes, we call it Operation Shut-It-The-Fuck-Down."
"Operation Shut-It-Down starts around six o'clock when Kaav goes in for bath time.That's kind of when the noise levels drop; everyone's moving in to prepare for the end of the day. By 6:30, Kaav is out. We don't mess with her schedule at all, no matter what happens."
Gabrielle then plays a little R&B to wine down.
"I play my chill-out mix, which is a lot of '80s R&B. It's a lot of Phyllis Hyman, a lot of Anita Baker and Gregory Abbott, that kind of '80s R&B vibe. We might watch some TV and then the candles will start to get lit and we retreat to our separate corners in our bedroom for the nighttime. I light my palo santo, a little sage."
Up next is the beauty routine, because...skincare.
Gabrielle Union's very detailed skincare routine is up next, complete with products to set you up right:
"Then I start my evening beauty routine. I'm not sure if you're familiar with this company called The Things We Do, which I'm obsessed with. I wash my face with the Glow Scrub Cleanser. Then there's this product called Do Over, which, no lie, it is a game changer. It's a retinol, and it's everything. It doesn't leave me irritated, but I generally use it at night, not in the morning, a few times a week.
She plays a guided meditation throughout the house.
"Sometimes we'll put the guided meditations on throughout the house, or meditative music throughout the house.We sort of force everyone to do it with us. We do a guided meditation or just a meditation."
She continued:
"Just give yourself that time to center yourself. For me, instead of looking at social media, because obviously I need my phone to get my guided meditation, I just go straight to my guided meditation—in the bathroom—and just have that time. Before you check and see that the murder hornets are making their way to your hometown, give yourself that space."
Gabrielle encourages everyone in the house to put away their electronics before bed.
The Wades also prioritize therapy and putting away the electronics.
"It started with Zaya, because she would literally be up all night, like overnight, and be dragging during school, and it was just increasing her anxiety. Constantly looking at social media—between the FOMO and feeling like you're not doing a pandemic right, all of that—it was just increasing her anxiety. So we started just putting them away. Just putting our phones away has greatly changed the sleep routine for all of us. And then when you wake up, don't reach right for the phone."
Union also discussed her entire beauty routine, the importance of therapy, and more. Read the full interview here.
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Feature image via Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
- Dwyane Wade Daughter Zaya Support - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
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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.
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.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy