First thing you do when you wake up/go to bed?
The first thing I do in the morning is check my phone- how Gen Z of me, I know. Once I am caught up on Tik Toks and emails, I check my To Do List for the day. Most of my day to day anxiety is triggered by a fear of not being productive. A To Do List seems simple, however it allows me to stay focused on specific tasks without getting overwhelmed by the volume of work that needs to get done. I include things like, “Wake Up” and “Make my Bed.” Including tasks that I know will get done helps me start my day with a productive mindset.
Any ritual health/beauty/wellness routine or products?
I am a huge fan of aroma therapy. When my personal space smells good, it provides me with an extra layer of comfort. I have recently been making my own room spray out of lavender oil and water. I burn Sage every night and Palo Santo every morning.
Overall, I have a deeply rooted belief that drinking water can pretty much cure anything. Skin problems, gut problems, insomnia… water will most likely either fix it or help significantly.
Favorite feature(s) on yourself and why?
I really love my hair. My mother is a Caribbean immigrant and my father is Caribbean-American. Hair is the heartbeat and lifeline of our culture. I have gone through so many hair transformations and each one allows me the opportunity to connect with black and brown women around the world. I cannot describe the pride and joy I feel when my curls, twists or braids are having a good hair day. It goes beyond the aesthetics of “looking good,” and taps into something emotional for me. My hair is my favorite feature because it reminds me of my mom, it starts conversations with other women and it encapsulates my personality.
How does your work, lifestyle, and background affect your routine?
I am a huge fan of structure. My routine is my safe place and sanctuary. I fight for my routine because it keeps me grounded and it gives me something to look forward to. And because of a pre-existing health condition, a huge part of my routine is self-care. My self-care goes beyond a face mask and a bubble bath. My self-care is emotional awareness, going to therapy every week, cooking food that my body agrees with and being patient with my physical, emotional and mental being. I am a people pleaser to my core however, my previous experience with my health has made me aware that exhausting myself and bending over backwards for other people is not a sustainable lifestyle. Health conditions can be difficult to live with however, I am grateful that mine encourages me to be hyper aware of what my body needs. There are often times when I start to feel symptomatic and I know exactly why and exactly what to do to help myself.
What do you do to stay healthy?
My emotional well-being dictates my physical well being. I can handle stress extremely well, until I can’t. We all have a stress threshold however, when I reach mine, my body physically shuts down. In the last six months I have had Strep Throat, The Flu (twice) and CO-VD 19. While these are illnesses that affect your physical well-being, I do find that when my emotional well-being is compromised, it leaves my body more vulnerable to sickness. I stay healthy by holding myself emotionally accountable. My friends and I like to joke that I am the ‘emotional’ one of the group however, I do not think I experience emotions more than the average person. However, I do feel as though I create space for my emotions more than the average person. This behavior often brands me as the emotional friend, but I honestly take pride in that title. I would much rather be brutally honest and practical with my emotions, than not. So what I am trying to say is, I indulge in a good cry more often than not.
Any cultural tips/tricks you've learned from family and/or friends?
Black skin and hair LOVES oil. The best tips I have heard is using Castor oil on your eyelashes and eyebrows, Argan oil in your hair and Rosehip oil on your skin.
How do you choose beauty products?
- One of the most exciting things about getting older and making your own money is having the ability to determine how you want your lifestyle to look. I remember my first job working at a bakery. A small amount of each pay check went towards building my beauty product arsenal. It was a thrilling experience being able to call the shots on the products that allowed me to practice self care. As of now, I choose my products based on social awareness and sustainability. I speak for a large portion of my generation when I say that we are not interested in supporting a company with no ethical or social initiatives. When I find a brand on Instagram, I expect them to feature a wide array of models (size, race, nationality, etc.) as well as express a devotion to sustainability practices. The very last thing I want to receive in the mail are two lip glosses wrapped in an excessive amount of plastic.
What is your cultural and/or ethnic background?
As previously mentioned, my mother is a Caribbean immigrant and father is Caribbean-American. Both of my parents are performing artists and Black/African culture plays a large part in our lives. My childhood took place in a theater, watching black and brown people unapologetically tell their stories on stage. These same artists are people that I consider my family. Having this representation at a very early age, allowed me to feel connected to black art in an extremely intimate way. While I enthusiastically identify with my Caribbean culture, I also identify largely with black art.
How do your culture/ethnicity and identity intersect and affect your beauty preferences (or grievances)?
Growing up as a dark skinned black woman, I often felt like the beauty industry was working against me and not for me. I felt excluded from participating in beauty practices due to the lack of consciousness and interest in African-American beauty. As a consumer of beauty, it can be difficult to live in a world that degrades women of color for their naturally dark skin tones but praises white women for their fake spray tans. It is a difficult reality to see artifacts of African-American culture be used against its own people. The beauty industry is slowly becoming a more inclusive space however, still possesses many contradictions.
If you were to create the perfect beauty/wellness product for yourself, what would it be?
I would love an at home hair dryer, similar to the one’s at beauty salons but something that can exist in a home. My hair takes hours to fully dry. I long for the days when when I can get my hair wet and two hours later I can go outside and avoid curl shrinkage. Handheld diffusers often make the mistake of only drying the top of my head but not the full head of hair.