I'm not a skincare aficionado by any means, but as I enter my late twenties, I am becoming more and more aware of how important it is to develop a skincare routine with tiers and layers and to partake in that routine religiously. Skincare is genetics meet preparation, after all. Here on xoNecole, we talk everything from the right way to layer skincare products to the best hyperpigmentation products on the market. So as I look for more tips and tricks to add to my ritual in Operation Flawless Skin, there's no wonder actress Kat Graham is on my beauty radar.
Most known for her starring role in the CW hit The Vampire Diaries, the 29-year-old does a little of everything, from singing and dancing to modeling and acting. Recently, the starlet took The Cut behind the scenes of her getting ready for the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week, all the while filling us in on her biggest beauty and wellness secrets. Check them out below.
Kat Graham On Her Beauty & Wellness Routine During The Day
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
Juicing has been all the rage as of late. In addition to the many benefits juicing does for the body, it also has an amazing effect on the skin. For those who struggle with acne or other skin problems, detoxing the body through juicing might be just what the doctor ordered. Kat loves juicing and makes sure to get some aloe into her diet as well:
"When I have a big day where I might have a lot of press, I'll juice during the day. There's a lot of really great juices that really bring out your skin. I didn't juice all day today, I snuck in a few French fries, but I did drink a lot of aloe as well."
Just as important as taking care of your skin on the inside is taking care of your skin on the outside. Kat reiterates that eating well and drinking copious amounts of water day in and day out are fundamental to her approach to skincare:
"You've got to eat well. A lot of people think they're going to have great skin just through topicals, and sure, there are plenty of products that can get you to a really great place. But if you're not eating well, if you're not drinking enough water, if you're leading a stressful life, if you're smoking, if you're sponsoring your bad habits, your stress and anger will show and it will manifest into a pimple, or redness, or an extra wrinkle you don't want. How you treat your body and deal with the world is huge."
And don't let the melanin fool you, protecting the skin is still of the utmost importance to Kat. She said:
"I have to protect my skin even though I'm a black woman because I will still get a lot of sunspots and freckles if I don't take care of my skin. I like a lot of drugstore products, to be honest. I mean I like SK-II and Laura Mercier, as far as fancier things, but I really love argan oil on my hair or my cheekbones for an event."
Kat Graham On Her Nighttime Routine
Kat might have to be dolled up for her day job, but at night, she prefers to let her skin breathe ASAP and removing her makeup is the ultimate first step of her nighttime routine:
"It consists usually of taking off my makeup and then kind of locking in some moisturizer. I'm a pretty big fan of Neutrogena and Aveeno wipes, but I've noticed that sometimes I need a little bit more because a lot of the makeup I wear is long-lasting from being on set or at a photo shoot or an event. After the makeup remover wipes, I usually go and use the Dior Hydra Life makeup remover. It's insane, I don't know what's in it but it's pure magic to me. I thought I lost it once and haven't felt that kind of panic in a while."
Sleep is also a big necessity for her in terms of maintaining her state of mind and her flawless skin. And since she starts her days at the crack of dawn, the earlier, the better:
"If I had my way I'd be in bed by 9 p.m. I'm not a night person at all. After 9, I'm pretty useless. I'll honestly go to bed around 10:30 p.m. I get up at 5:30 a.m. every day, no matter what."
"I love a good charcoal face mask, and I'll do that the night before a big event. When I'm jet-lagged I use a little lavender oil under my nose and it makes me sleep like a baby."
To read her feature on The Cut in full, click here.
Featured image by Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
- Kat Graham: 'For good skin you have to take off your make-up at night' ›
- Kat Graham's Labor Day Beauty Tips - Essence ›
- Kat Graham: 'For good skin you have to take off your make-up at ... ›
- getting ready with 3/1/2019 How Kat Graham Keeps Her Skin ... ›
- Vampire Diaries' Kat Graham on the Beauty Tips That Keep Her ... ›
- Kat Graham Beauty Routine - Allure ›
- The Everyday Thing Kat Graham Does That Most Celebs Don't Do ... ›
- Kat Graham, Before and After - The Skincare Edit ›
- 9 Beauty Secrets I Learned from Kat Graham ›
- Kat Graham's Nighttime Skincare Routine | Go To Bed With Me ... ›
RELATED
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image courtesy
