I’m a content director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, where I spend most of my time developing advertising campaigns to fit into the modern world. In my industry there is a big diversity and inclusion initiative, moving past “starting a conversation” and into “action.” This includes casting diverse talent, using inclusive language, telling empathetic stories, and incorporating brand action to back up any claim. Lately, through widening our hiring pool, we have women of color decision-makers ensuring that advertising continues to evolve with the audience.
My office attire is very casual and on the rare occasion where I must dress up, minimal chic is the way I go. When trying to decide my office clothing budget, my mother once told me “You can’t buy taste.” Meaning good, tasteful clothing doesn’t have to be expensive (and just because it’s expensive, doesn’t make it tasteful). I take that to heart with my beauty routine as well.
I found my way into makeup/skincare later in life, which means I watched a bunch of makeup tutorials,“Get Ready with Me” videos from Glossier, and testimonials to try and find the right products to fit into my casual beauty routine. It’s never too late to add something to your routine and don’t be intimidated by brands insisting you MUST have a product for every little thing. Sometimes the basics are all you need to shine the brightest!
SKINCARE
If there’s one thing I wear EVERY DAY, it’s my Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer for my face. It’s a great primer for makeup without being oily or heavy and has sunscreen to protect from getting those pesky wrinkles. It’s great to wear on plane rides to ensure you look radiant once you land. It’s so easy-to-use and effective that I managed to get my boyfriend to use it daily too! I spend almost all day in front of my laptop which means I need a moisturizing lotion for my hands that’s effective without the sticky, slimy texture. My lotion of choice is Kopari Coconut Melt because; 1) It melts when it touches your skin 2) it can be applied ALL OVER and 3) it smells delicious! When the stars align and I manage to wake up on time and get to the gym in the morning, I need a hard-working face wash like St. Ives Apricot Facial Scrub to scrub off the grime of the city and make my face feel baby soft. Before bed, I wash my face with a Youth to the People Age Prevention Cleanser which noticeably firms up my skin without feeling too heavy.
HAIR
I’ve been shouting this hairspray from the rooftops that AG High & Dry Matte Volume Hairspray is THE BEST for casual texture curls that hold throughout the day without being crunchy, overly scented, or heavy in your hair.
MAKEUP
With combination/oily skin, I avoid heavy foundations and concealers. I’m very low maintenance when it comes to makeup, especially if I’m applying it on-the-go, traveling for work, or coming into the office from the gym. So I stick to a basic, nude eyeshadow palette with my FAVE cat eyeliner black liquid liner pen, L’Oréal’s SuperStar Liquid Eyeliner. The pen applicator makes it easy to apply it quickly with less mess and it also helps with those fine pointed cat eye lines.
While I’m applying my makeup I apply EOS Lip Balm in Vanilla Bean to moisturize my lips before adding a nude lipstick. Something about the EOS stick makes it so much smoother to apply than the EOS sphere. To finish, I prefer a nude lipstick that’s not too glossy or drying for my lips and not so colorless that it washes out my face. I oscillate between Mented’s Pretty in Pink which is my true nude and Peach Please if I’m looking for something to brighten my look!
