This Content Creator Has The Luxury Skincare Routine Of Our Dreams
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.
Morgan Brown, better known on Instagram as @itsheymorgan, is a 22-year-old content creator taking the world by storm. "My favorite part about my work is that it didn't exist five years ago," she told xoNecole. "Although this is a challenging space, molding a career path that doesn't included a 1-2-3 step guide, I enjoy most the creative autonomy I have to create almost anything I want in my truest and most authentic voice, and self."
Whether it's through her IG-worthy travel journeys, her transparent af YouTube channel, or enviable excursions into being a skincare enthusiast, Morgan steadily proves she's a multifaceted creative to watch. And with an online following of over 52,000 and counting, she's found an untapped niche in providing beauty tips and tricks from a flawless and ever-glowing canvas. Her earliest memory of beauty was when she was five or six watching her mom's nighttime routine. "This would include removing her makeup, putting on eye cream, and tying her hair up in a silk scarf. This was the moment I learned: Never sleep in makeup, eye cream IS important, and if you want edges -- get you a silk scarf," she revealed.
In this installment of xoNecole's About Face, Morgan talks her daytime and nighttime routines, meditation, and the importance of being kissed by the sun.
My morning routine looks like...
"Mornings are so fun for me (I KNOW, actually weird). I enjoy them because it's the most intimate time and space I have with myself. So, typically a morning for me always start with prayer, a cup of coffee and the newest episode of 'ASK VIV'."
For my skincare routine in the AM...
"My daytime skin routine:
- Cleanse: Tatcha The Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser (Amazing for sensitive skin!)
- Serum: Joanna Vargas Revitalizing Serum (My go-to serum for months now. It leaves my skin super hydrated and glowy!)
- Moisturize: Seed Phytonutrients Hydrating Facial Lotion
- Face Oil: Lastly, I use Go-to Skincare Face Hero Oil (Super lightweight and soothing!)"
And for my skincare routine in the PM...
"At night? I would definitely say my routine is a bit more intense at night. I still include all the products in my daytime routine, with a few add-ons: Exfoliating with ELEMIS Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator (only 1-2x per week) and a good 'ol mask. i'm currently reaching for the Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask."
My go-to makeup look consists of...
"I am SUPER invested in my skin, so makeup isn't an everyday thing for me. However, there are days when an eyebrow, highlight and a bomb matte lip won't hurt."
How I approach beauty from the inside-out...
"Meditation, journaling and sitting in the sun."
What self-care looks like to me...
"Always, always, a good face mask, a warm cup of tea and silk PJ's."
How I do skincare when I travel...
"I am THAT girl when it comes to traveling with my entire skincare cabinet (Yes, entire). Traveling cannot stop this glow!"
For more of Morgan, follow her on Instagram.
Shop Morgan's Beauty Staples:
Featured image by Morgan Brown/Instagram
Originally published June 19, 2019
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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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
valentinrussanov/Getty Images
How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images