Taraji P. Henson hasn't aged a day since the release of Baby Boy in 2001 and since the release of her new coil-friendly haircare line, TPH, our good sis has been dropping all of her must-have beauty secrets and we are here for all of it. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Taraji gave us the details on her skincare routine and according to her, it requires water, Vitamin C, and a whole lot of moisturizer. She explained:
"I need my face to feel squeaky-clean, so I wash with this, then use Paul Scerri moisturizer. I swear [the moisturizer] was made for me. If they stop selling it, my face might turn to stone! I wash my face with Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. I really don't have a crazy ritual. People go, 'What do you do?' And don't get facials a lot; I just moisturize my skin. I use Olay's Micro-Sculpting Cream Moisturizer for moisturizer but I switch back and forth because sometimes my face will get tired of one product. A good Vitamin C serum is good."
While facials may not be a part of this fresh-faced beauty's regular routine, Taraji says that she is intentional AF about staying hydrated. The 49-year-old actress revealed that she became convinced of this simple skincare hack like most of us learn life lessons: via meme. She told Parade:
"I also drink lots of water. That's really the trick. Water is the key. I saw a meme that said, 'You're not old, you're just dehydrated.' And it had a wrinkly dehydrated face next to a plump face and that inspired me (laughs). I believe in that though. You have to drink water—you must drink water. I always carry water with me around set. My security and my assistant are always constantly reminding me and chasing me down with water bottles."
Along with spilling the tea on how she keeps her skin on 10 at all times, Taraji revealed how she keeps her self-care game all the way together. While she may play a cutthroat music industry mogul on TV, Taraji says that crafting and quiet time dominate her time-off.
"It's completely quiet time. No television, no radio, no phone. Just quiet. And I can be cleaning. I can be cooking. I just notice that when I quiet the noise in the background, I can quiet the noise in my mind. My brain can race, so I'm also training myself to focus on one thing at a time. And that forces me to stay present and in the moment and not get ahead of myself."
The actress, who says that any time alone is time well-spent, says that Tibetan bowl singing is also a newfound means of relaxation that she's incorporated into her self-care routine.
"I also meditate. I have this routine where I align all of my chakras and it includes oil and chanting and Tibetan bowls singing. I know how to make my Tibetan bowls sing. And the different sizes of a bowl represent different tones, which do different things for me. So that and baths and spas and saunas and massages."
To check out more of Taraji's must-have beauty products, scroll below!
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Motherhood is one thing, but Black motherhood is its own unique institution. From fears that only Black mothers can understand to the unspoken language that connects them, our series delve into the vulnerable conversations that are often not highlighted in mainstream media.
Laurencia Bright
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“They are products of their environment, of your parenting, of your personality, things like that. So check yourself,” Laurencia reminds us. Motherhood may come with a whole set of challenges and having to face yourself can be one of them. Laurencia opens up about how motherhood taught her to break generational cycles.
Joy Ferrell
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Joy, like most mothers, put their kids first. However, the mom of two is now learning that it's okay to put herself first. "It's okay to not fill your life up with your kids," she says. "It's okay to still be an individual and to actually actively and aggressively pursue being an individual versus a mom."
Michelle Ganey
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When it comes to Black mama rules, Michelle Ganey reflects on a classic one, "Do not embarrass me in public," she says. "I think one of my hardest struggles with kids is not caring about how they look when they leave the house and it feeling like its a direct reflection on me as a mother."
Watch the full The Mother Load series below:
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