

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.
Natacha John, or Tacha, is a 24-year-old beauty and lifestyle content creator. The DMV native came on my radar after a viral photo of her made its way to my Explore page on Instagram. The rest is history.
Last month, she revealed to her followers that she was officially taking the leap into full-time entrepreneurship, having grown an impressive following of 40,000 followers and counting. As a creative who earns her living by literally doing her. "I get to be myself for a living," she tells xoNecole. "I get to share my interests, exercise my creativity, and connect with women. Those are definitely my favorites parts!"
In the process, she is also putting us on to her favorite beauty finds and it's nothing short of amazing. Although I live for her aesthetic and her thought-provoking questions, I am also an admirer of her glowing, radiant skin. That being said, I had to know what her beauty arsenal consisted of.
Below, Tacha shares with us the products she swears by and how she achieves beauty from the outside in.
My morning routine looks like...
"I'm still trying to establish a consistent morning routine but usually it starts off with taking care of my puppy and straightening up my apartment while I make a cup of tea. Then I'm usually checking emails and reviewing my to-do list for the day. Some mornings, I'll toss in journaling and meditation. Those two things always make me feel level-headed but I'll admit I'm bad at making consistent time for them."
For my skincare routine in the AM...
"I keep it ultra simple in the morning. I don't cleanse, I just rinse my face with water and sometimes, depending on my skins condition, I'll tone either using Goode Skin's two hundred dollar water micellar cleanser or Thayers Witch Hazel. Then I moisturize with a facial oil, like Aura Cacia Jojoba Oil, and top it off with my favorite SPF, La Roche-Posay's Anthelios Clear Skin Sunscreen."
And for my skincare routine in the PM...
"Things are more extensive in the evenings. I always start off by double cleansing. Face wash is the one thing in my routine that I'm constantly switching out but I'm currently enjoying the Farmacy's Clean Bee cleanser and Neutrogena's Hydro Boost cleanser. Once or twice a week, I'll add in exfoliation using Lush's Dark Angels [or their] Herbalism [herbal wash], or Goode Skin's SKINZYME. And follow up with First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery. That's become one of my favorite steps! The liquid recovery goes onto your skin like water and is so soothing and calming, I can't get enough. Then, I moisturize with an oil again. About 2 or 3 times a week I'll apply a face mask, I like Farmacy's Bright On mask."
How I approach skincare on-the-go...
"When I'm on-the-go, I have to have products that I know work for me so if my skin starts to act crazy, I'm ready! You'll usually catch me with a mask that's good for breakouts, either my Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment Mask or Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask. And something that's good for dry/dull skin like my Origins' Drink Up Intensive Overnight Hydrating Mask."
My go-to makeup look consists of...
"I'm a natural makeup kind of girl. On a day-to-day basis, I'll be bare-faced or maybe have on some concealer or tinted moisturizer, blush, and mascara. Lately, I've been reaching for my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer (in Almond), Glossier Cloud Paint, and my trusty L'Oreal Telescopic mascara. I like to keep things pretty low-maintenance but if I have to be in front of the camera or have an event to attend, I'll go all in."
How I approach beauty from the inside-out...
"Something as small as starting my day with a cup of hot lemon water and half an hour of uninterrupted alone time helps me to feel refreshed and ready to put forth my best self throughout the day. I get pulled in a lot of different directions and it's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're a one woman team, so taking that time to level myself out really helps me to feel more at peace."
What self-care looks like to me...
"To be completely transparent, I don't make a ton of time to unwind. It's something I'm really working on though! Usually I'm working well into the evening, and when I finally unplug, all I have time for is a hot shower before I crawl into bed. But I value that time and make the most with what I have. While I'm getting ready for bed, I usually play a good podcast or Audiobook and add a few drops of essential oil to my shower to make things extra relaxing."
For more of Tacha, follow her on Instagram.
Shop Tach's Beauty Staples:
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Featured image via Tacha/Instagram
Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
Ashley Versher is known for her work in the Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black series and more recently, she starred alongside Taraji P. Henson in the Netflix film Straw. But she is more than just her acting credits and stunning looks (her hair alone is everything). In an xoNecole exclusive, Ashley dishes on her first celebrity crush, how she spends her downtime, and her go-to haircare products because we need the deets.
Get to know Ashley below.
xoNecole: Where are you from?
Ashley Versher: San Francisco - BAY AREAAAAAA!!!!
xoN: What was your first major acting role?
AV: A 49ers Super Bowl commercial - I think I was 3.
Ashley Versher
Johnny Marlow
xoN: Have you ever had an embarrassing or funny audition story? If so, what happened?
AV: Yes! I was doing a self-tape once and I forgot to take off my bonnet. But the tape was so good I sent it in anyway.
xoN: Your hair is gorgeous. What has it been like navigating Hollywood with natural hair?
AV: Thank you so much! Navigating Hollywood with natural hair has definitely been a journey of self-discovery. Early on, I had to make a conscious decision about how I wanted to show up—not just in this industry, but for myself. Once I fully embraced my natural hair and committed to the journey, everything else began to align. It’s been nothing short of empowering.
Navigating Hollywood with natural hair has definitely been a journey of self-discovery. Early on, I had to make a conscious decision about how I wanted to show up—not just in this industry, but for myself.
xoN: What are your favorite go-to hair products?
AV: Ooooooo, right now I’m loving Camille Rose’s Jai Twisting Butter—it’s super moisturizing and gives me a fun, bouncy twist-out! I’ve also recently gotten into oils, and I’m especially loving sweet almond oil.
xoN: We know you as an actress, but what is another special talent you have that most people don't know about?
AV: I trained as a classical violinist for 13/14years.
xoN: Who is your hero?
AV: My mom. She’s incredible - full stop.
Ashley Versher
Johnny Marlow
xoN: How do you like to spend your down time?
AV: Ha! What’s that!? Jk jk, I love to travel, that’s honestly my favorite thing.
xoN: Who was your first celebrity crush?
AV: Prince.
xoN: What is your dream role?
AV: One day I will play a witch with Harry Potter-like powers!
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Feature image by Johnny Marlow