Tracee Ellis Ross is simplistic beauty personified and we just got the details on how she keeps her glow on go at all times. As the queen of beauty hacks, Tracee had a few tips that will get your beauty routine together in no time, and according to her, beauty works from the inside-out. She had one piece of advice that will give you a boost of baddie on even the roughest days:
"When I'm having a really rough day, or a really bad moment, I have three tips: Change your underwear, wash your face, look at a tree."
Is there anything lipstick and a little sunshine can't fix? According to the actress, who says that she never wears makeup when she isn't working, the answer is no, hell no. A red lip can be the most dangerous product in a woman's beauty arsenal, and Tracee's go-to shade is one of our all-time favorites:
"M.A.C. Ruby Woo [lipstick] is always in the purse. I like to mix it with the Cherry pencil. It gives it a little brightness."
Along with channeling Rihanna by way of a sexy red lip, Tracee says that nature has been a major part of her beauty routine for years. For her, trees have been a symbol of wisdom that have helped her make some of the toughest decisions. She explained:
"I mean, really! You can have some fresh undies, wash your face—like a lot of people, midday, when they go to have their cup of coffee, they will put more makeup on. I take off. I don't wear makeup when I'm not working (we shoot five days a week, so I'm in makeup five days a week), but even if there's no makeup on your face, reapply your lipstick, and look at a tree."
While at home, trees are a rare sight for Tracee, she makes it a point to find some foliage wherever she is in the world. She told Coveteur:
"It's really tough in New York! But I've gotta tell you, the groundedness of a tree, the way they reach towards the sky, the fact that sometimes they bear fruit, that they move with the seasons, that they have a flexibility—all of these things teach me so much. And they usually have an old-school wisdom, because they've been here for a while. So often the message is 'Be quiet.'"
Along with reminding us that true beauty starts on the inside, the Black-ish star gave us the details on a few more of her must-have beauty products in the interview. I was today-years-old when I learned that Tracee's go-to moisturizer is nearly $500 a container and now I feel poor. To Tracee, her skin is a natural treasure that should be protected at all costs, even if that cost is half my rent:
"Retrouvé Intensive Replenishing Moisturizer; Biologique Recherche Biokiss; the rubber band that we have on PATTERN. There's a specific rubber band that I love for my hair that doesn't break—that's a real go-to for me."
The last must-have product on Tracee's list is a dry brush, which she says is an amazing replacement for coffee:
"A dry brush. Because I don't drink coffee, never have, but I wake up really early for work, if I'm really tired, I dry-brush. I like the one that literally looks like an old-school pot sponge. I work my way up, I do my armpits, I do my boobs, I do my stomach, I do the back of my arms, and I tell you, when you're done and then after you shower, you're like, 'Oh, I'm fine! I'm awake.'"
For details on Tracee's routine, scroll below!
Featured image by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
