The Sculpting Tools Tracee Ellis Ross Swears By To 'Lift' And 'Smooth' Her Skin
If there’s one thing that Tracee Ellis Ross is not afraid of, it’s showing her fans and admirers the beauty of aging and the beauty secrets that keep her in top shape — even when they involve unconventional tools.
In a now-viral TikTok video, the Black-ish actress revealed the beauty staples that she calls “torture tools” to sculpt and massage various parts of her body.
@traceeellisross y’all think this sh*t is a game?!? 😂😂 thank you @Olfa Perbal for these torture tools that seem to lift and smooth this 50 year old kit
“50 what?” Ross jokingly exclaimed to the camera while rolling her wooden gadgets along her legs. “50 what? Years old.”
The wooden tools, which clinked and clanged throughout the video, may seem bizarre from afar, but they’re key instruments used for a form of lymphatic drainage massages known as wood therapy.
Wood therapy is a non-invasive massage and body sculpting technique that involves the use of wooden tools to manipulate the body's tissues. These tools are typically made from various types of wood and are crafted into different shapes and sizes to target specific areas of the body.
During a wood therapy session, the therapist uses the wooden tools to perform a variety of massage and contouring movements on the skin. These movements are designed to stimulate the lymphatic system, improve blood circulation, reduce the appearance of cellulite, and promote relaxation.
The Paris-based massage spa Olfa Perbal Paris that provided Ross with the wood therapy tools indicated that “the pimple” tool used on her inner thighs and bottom “breaks up the fatty deposits after having absorbed them.” The rolling bell, on the other hand, is a “2-in-1 tool to absorb and smooth fatty deposits.”
“This is the one I like on my booty,” Ross said before moving along to begin a circular massage motion across her butt. “I want to lift it up, but I can’t do that right now because I don’t have undies on.”
If you’re looking for alternative tools to implement within your beauty routine, these Lymphatic Drainage Kit Body and Wooden Massager Body Sculpting Tools dupes are perfect for your at-home needs.
It may seem like it takes a lot of work to keep our bodies lean and contoured as we age, but if the process is as fun as Tracee makes it look, sign us up!
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Featured image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.
Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
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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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images