I was today-years-old when I learned that I've been showering too much. According to Healthline and a number of dermatologists, a daily shower is totally unnecessary and can wash away the good bacteria in our bodies that keep us healthy. While this fact is unlikely to change my bathing habits, Atlanta star, Zazie Beetz says cat baths should be incorporated into your routine ASAP. She told Into The Gloss:
"I actually think Americans shower too much. I like a cat wash—I do my face, my armpits, and my… intimates."
Notorious for her relentlessly natural hair and flawless skin, the German-born entertainer says that she's recently decided to transition into a skincare routine using only natural products. The actress, who began making her own natural skincare products as a teenager, says that the recent environmental crisis inspired her to switch to a beauty regimen that was more sustainable. But let's be clear, Zazie will always keep a container of Palmer's cocoa butter, which she says is the "cornerstone" of her beauty routine, on deck.
In addition to switching up your showering style, Zazie also had some other skin, hair, and body tips that help her achieve the half-Hollywood, half-hippie glow that you've been looking for:
Zazie Beetz on Skincare
The actress says that since she isn't a morning person, her beauty routine begins around noon, starting with a morning pee and washing her face with Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, later using the True Botanicals Cellular Repair Serum, a product that is also also a part of her nighttime beauty routine:
"At night, I'll mix that serum with the Vitamin C Booster. In the past two years, I've been noticing some sunspots and fine lines, and I find that the booster brightens my skin, almost like an exfoliant. After the vitamin C, I'll use True Botanicals' Pure Radiance Oil, which is really thick and decadent, and feels really yummy. Lotions often leave a residue, and I find oil to feel more like something my body would naturally create. It feels more comfortable on my skin, and I think it absorbs better."
While Zazie doesn't use a toner, her beauty routine is abundant with masks that do everything from exfoliating to brightening.
"I'm not a toner lady, but I use all kinds of masks—whatever I can get my hands on. I like the sheet masks from Sephora, and I love an exfoliating mask. I have had to wash things off that are too strong, but the one from True Botanicals is a gentle sting—a gentle reminder. I put that on at night, before bed, and leave it on. I also sometimes use Sugar Polish from Fresh. I think physical exfoliants are out of date, but it does provide immediate results."
Vitamin C and sunscreen are essential to every skincare routine, and although Zazie doesn't love to use sunscreen, she knows that it's necessary AF and opts for Sun Bum when she knows she'll experience heavy sun exposure.
Zazie Beetz on Hair
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Zazie says that she washes her gorgeous mane about once every three weeks, and while she used to have a very specific haircare routine, ain't nobody got time for that.
"In terms of shampoo, I sort of use whatever's lying around in the house. I'm not too precious about it. I used to be, but I'm not anymore. Then I condition with Shea Moisture usually, or one from Miss Jessie's. Shea Moisture's lovely because it's sulfate free, paraben free—Miss Jessie's has a bunch of additives. But… you know. Sometimes it works. I'll mix an oil from Koils by Nature into my conditioner, and then I detangle with a wide-tooth comb."
At night, the Deadpool 2 actress says that she spends about an hour braiding down her hair using oil, Miss Jessie's Buttercreme, or a Shea Moisture mask. She told Into The Gloss:
"You're supposed to wash it out, but I leave it in. Maybe I do 15 braids. I've never liked the way it feels to sleep on silk—it feels sort of grimy. I don't have the patience for a silk scarf, and I have a Slap cap, but a bonnet always falls off. I just sleep with my braids."
Zazie Beetz on Body & Fragrance
Where there is melanin, there is Palmer's Cocoa Butter, and Zazie says that her skin is no exception. Although the actress does not have a signature scent, Zazie says that she still puts her DIY skills to use, often mixing her own scrubs, lotions, and body butters.
"I'll use cocoa butter to moisturize. Nostalgic and functional—and it smells wonderful. Sometimes I use Sabon's body scrub, but most of the time I just make my own with brown sugar and an oil, or brown sugar and honey. That's quick and easy. I don't use any perfumes… they're so expensive. For years, I have been saying that I want a scent, because I love when you smell somebody and think, 'Ah, you smell like you.' But I kind of do have a scent—it's just from the products I use, and not from perfume."
Read the full article here!
Featured image by Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com.
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During the Los Angeles tour stop, which spanned three dates on May 21, May 23, with the finale on May 24, xoNecole had the opportunity to test out the glosses included in this soft launch, as SZA revealed in a statement that "this is just the start of other lip products, including plans to launch stains, liners, and creams all inspired by SZA's “infamous layered lip combinations.”
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So, what is included in the first Not Beauty launch?
The current Not Beauty products available are lip glosses that come in three shades: In the Flesh, Strawberry Jelly, and Quartz.
During my visit to the first LA Not Beauty pop-up activation, I not only had the chance to purchase all three glosses but also took a peek inside the blow-up log tent. Inside, fans got to experience SZA’s love for nature and her fascination with bugs, which are prominently featured in her performances for this tour. At one point, she even had human preying mantis prancing across the stage y'all.
There were blow-up photos of the beauty that is SZA for fans (myself included) to take photos, but in wooden-like tree trunks were a deeper dive into some of the ingredients featured in her products and their benefits.
For example, the glosses feature Hi-Shine Lip Jelly and Shea Butter as key ingredients and some of the listed benefits included are:
- Shea Butter - “A powerhouse ingredient, offering both functional and nourishing benefits.”
- Hi-Shine Lip Jelly (featured in the In the Flesh shade) - “Formula glides on with perfect adhesion to the lips without stickiness).
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What are in the products?
Featured in an orange package, with images of a bug and flower on the side, the back of the box reads: “It’s NOT BEAUTY, it just works. Developed by Solána “SZA” Rowe.
As someone who never leaves home without a good lip gloss, I loved how compact the wood panel packaging is. Perfect to slip into my purse, or in the case of the show at SoFi Stadium, into my pocket when I’m not carrying a bag.
Because I’m a sucker for a good black and brown lip liner and clear gloss combo, I decided to wear the Quartz flavor on night one of the Grand National Tour LA stop, and it did not disappoint. I’ll admit, it’s light weight feel made me nervous because it felt like there was nothing on my lips. However, when I checked my lips in my compact mirror several times throughout the night, I was shocked to find that my gloss was still intact. I only reapplied once out of the habit of looking cute and applying my gloss, but not necessity.
Here are some of the ingredients featured, but not limited to, in the Quartz flavor.
- Polyisoubutene
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea)Butter
- Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
- Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- Tocopherol
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Lip prep
I’m a simple girl who loves to stay true to her roots. So ahead of the show, I stopped by a local Inglewood Beauty Supply store and grabbed a Black and Brown shade lip pencil for just under $2 a piece.
Shading the outline of my lips with the black pencil first, I used the brown to lightly fill the inside of my lips before applying my Quartz Not Beauty shade gloss.
How to apply
There’s truly no right or wrong way to apply lip gloss (in my opinion), with this being a brush applicator sort of product, I simply untwisted the top and swiped the gloss around my top and bottom lip generously.
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Results
Again, my Not Beauty Quartz product stayed on my lips from the start of the show, which began with a fire DJ set from LA’s very own, Mustard, to the conclusion when Kendrick and SZA reunited on stage to send us home to their duet, “luther,” featured on the rapper's GNX album.
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This article is about crystals not Scripture, so when it comes to the latter, I’ll just briefly say that if you mosey on over to Exodus 28, you’ll see that a high priest breastplate is referenced; one that contains precious gems including topaz, sapphire, agate, onyx and jasper (and that’s just for starters!). Yeah, it really is important to not just throw judgments around like confetti — know of what you are actually speaking of first (because that’s what Matthew 7 is really all about).
I did think it was important to mention that for potential skeptics about why this article even exists. Because although there are Scriptural and evenscience-based individuals who roll their eyes at the power of what gemstones and crystals can (possibly) do, I’m pretty sure that some of you are not surprised that the holistic and Ayurveda worlds see it all very differently.In those realms, energy plays a big role in physical, emotional, and mental health, and crystals are believed to cultivate balance or intensify certain feelings or experiences through that said energy.
That said, when it comes to sex, specifically, there are certain stones (which are basically what crystals are;in fact, all gemstones are a type of crystal) that are believed to help make intimacy even more satisfying. If you’re curious about which ones are, I’ve got 10 for you below.
10 Crystals That May Enhance Your Intimate Life
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1. Garnet
Garnet is a rich shade of red that happens to be January’s gemstone. It’s considered to be one of the oldest gemstones around, one that Egyptians believed was a symbol of life and something that they oftentimes wore in their signet rings. As far as symbolism goes, garnet also represents love and vitality as well as energy, passion and even self-confidence — all of which are quite relevant when it comes to having an active and fulfilling sex life.
2. Amethyst
Queen Cleopatra and Leonardo da Vinci are just two powerful figures who were big fans of the purple gemstone amethyst. Interestingly enough, it is February’s birthstone — the month that Valentine’s Day falls under. Another interesting fact is many early Christians relied on this gem in order to increase their spirituality while many Greeks used to see it as a stone that provided protection. When it comes to intimacy, amethyst is also associated with love and devotion as well as feelings of calm and reduced anxiety — and since the less calm you feel, the easier it is to climax…well. #wink
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3. Orange Carnelian
Looking to experience more joy and happiness? Or maybe you want to strengthen your friendships. Or perhaps it’s time to increase your pleasure levels or to go into deeper levels of sensuality. For all of these things, orange carnelian is a top-tier pick. As I did a bit more research on this stone, it’s considered to be a royal one and something that can bring forth peace. One of my favorite things about orange carnelian is it comes in different hues of orange — the deeper the color, the more passion it exudes. Just an FYI.
4. Rose Quartz
If you want to take your romantic relationship to another level, rose quartz has a solid reputation for helping to make that happen for you. In fact, this pink crystal is oftentimes referred to as being the stone of unconditional love because it encourages the wearers of it to both give as well as put themselves in the position to receive love too. Since rose quartz is also tied to things like emotional healing, restored trust and harmony, if you’re looking to make a much deeper intimate connection with your partner, this just might be the stone for you.
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5. Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite is a red-rose colored stone that I personally hold dear. I say that because, as a survivor of sexual abuse, it is one that helps recovering individuals to work through sexual trauma (and trauma, in general). It is associated with love, compassion and strength as it helps you to process your emotions in a positive way, so that you are able to effectively release past pain and deal with any PTSD that you might have. You know, I know a wife who sexually struggled in her marriage for years because she had been sexually assaulted in college and never told her husband.
A stone of compassion is a precious one — including when it comes to dealing with sexual trauma and intimacy challenges and learning how to face them. Salute to this stone right here.
6. Citrine
Citrine is November’s birthstone and its rich yellow color explains why it represents things like abundance, prosperity, radiance and happiness. Aside from this, whether you’re seeking clarity, you’d like to be more creative or you’re interested in becoming more sensual, citrine encourages all of this. Sensuality is a dope word because it’s all about appealing to all five senses; especially during intimacy. To learn more about how to do that, check out “How To Incorporate All Five Senses To Have The Best Sex Ever.”
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7. Red Jasper
While doing my own research on what red jasper represents, what I liked the most is it’s something that encourages emotional stability which is always a wonderful thing to have. Although it is a fiery red color, it also contains grounding properties and it symbolizes strength, courage and, another word that can always make sex more pleasurable: stamina. Since stamina is what helps both men and women to last longer during sex, anything that is a “stamina hack” earns an automatic mention when it comes to sex-themed content — including this.
8. Clear Quartz
A fun fact about quartz is it’s one of the most common minerals on this planet. When it comes to clear quartz, specifically, I like the way that it looks because it’s either a cloudy white or something that you can see straight through. As far as its symbolism is concerned, if you want to reduce physical discomfort, remove distractions and focus more on heightened levels of yourself, this crystal represents all of that. Clear quartz also encourages healing, spiritual growth and balance. To me, it seems like if you want to cultivate a spiritual or meditative (check out “What Exactly Is 'Orgasmic Meditation'?”) experience with your partner, clear quartz is a stone to try.
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9. Shiva Lingam
I ain’t got no lies to tell you — when I first happened upon this particular stone, the first thing that came to my mind was an article that I penned for the site back in the day entitled, “Blow Your Man's Mind By Giving Him This Tantalizing Massage.” That’s because it explains what a lingam massage is and, as you can see, this crystal has that word all up in it. The history of lingam is a bit layered (you can read about it here); however, because it is considered by many to be a phallic symbol and that typically represents the penis — shiva lingam is a neutral-colored crystal that represents both sexuality as well as fertility. Shocking, right? #sarcasm
10. Pyrite
It doesn’t escape me that it’s kind of funny that I’m closing this out with a crystal that has the nickname “fool’s gold.” That’s due to its appearance. That said, it’s also a stone that has some interesting symbolism to it. Since it comes from a Greek word that means fire — of course, it’s a crystal of passion. Since it also taps into things like heightened energy, self-esteem, creativity, awakened senses and the removal of toxic thoughts — if any stone should be in your “let’s get it on” crystal collection, pyrite would be the one!
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Know what’s kinda wild? While I was on Etsy’s site looking for another moonstone, a sake popped up in my feed on what the merchant calls their “libido crystal set” — and six of the 10 stones that I’ve mentioned throughout this article are featured in the collection.
Yeah, I’ll take that as a confirmation that whether you purchase a piece of jewelry that has one (or more) of these stones or you buy a piece of crystal itself to place somewhere in your bedroom — just putting your own energy into wanting a better sex life is a powerful step in the right direction to achieving it.
And what science can’t refute is the benefits of positive thoughts and actions — crystals or not.
So, if precious stones are totally your thing — enjoy, sis. Enjoy!
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