Anibal MestreIt's been a year since we last caught up with Emeraude Toubia, but just how we imagined, she's on the rise.
So what exactly has changed since last year for the 28-year-old star?
"The biggest difference is that I've been working nonstop. It's amazing because you're working, but at the same time, it's so hard because I'm away from my family, especially for someone that grew up surrounded by family, not having them around is super hard on me," she tells E! News. "But I do take the time, whenever I have a weekend off I visit my mom and my dad or fly them out to the cold in Canada."
Toubia has always emphasized just how important her parents and family are to her, and she shared a special moment with us that took place with her mother while on the set of Shadowhunters.
"The week before we wrapped, I flew my parents into Canada. I asked my mom, ‘Mom, what does it feel like…' Sorry, I get emotional just talking about it," the Freeform star tried to explain as she held back the tears. "But I asked her, ‘What does it feel to have a daughter that's older and you can talk to her?' You know when you have a little daughter to talk to her and take care of her, you're like her mentor, but it's like when she grows up…how does it feel? And she just hugged me and was like, ‘It's beautiful. It's beautiful to see you fulfill your dreams. I used to dream about you. I remember when you were in my belly and I would dream so many things for you. I dreamt for you to be happy and just seeing you do all of this is a dream come true not only for you but for me.'"
Toubia also finds the time to have a relationship with someone who also has a busy schedule of his own. The star is dating singer Prince Royce and recently the pair went on a dream vacation. And although she shared many of the inspo-worthy photos, she admits that she thinks it's all about balance when it comes to social media.
"Right now social media is a lot of pressure for the artist. You know? You kind of always have to be posting, and you kind of want to stay on top of it so that everyone on there can see all of the beautiful things that you're experiencing, but I try to put my phone away for at least a couple of hours a day," she says. "It's all so consuming. But I do have a platform, and I want to share all of the amazing things that I'm living with all of those around me."
If you follow the actress on Instagram, you'll see lots of love from some of Shadowhunters' biggest fans. As Toubia puts it, the show's fans are a lot like family.
"It's amazing. Our fans keep growing. It's a fan base that's worldwide; it's not just in the U.S. It's amazing to see how amazing these fans become friends and family because of this show," she explains. "I've said it before, but for them to cast me for a non-latino role is amazing. The way that the fans are involved is so amazing. They're so outspoken, and they want the world to this and that about the characters because they all mean so much to them. They've been following along since the books. They love the story and they just want what's best for the show."
With the show's ever-growing fan base, we wondered if going out of the house without being recognized had become a real thing for her.
"You know, I'm all about being super comfortable, I don't even like to wear makeup when I'm out, I only do on red carpets or shoots. So it's a responsibility that when people recognize you and you're like, ‘OMG, it's so amazing to meet you, but you want a picture, and I look like crap today,'" she explains jokingly. "So you kind of just have to take on the responsibility of grooming yourself a bit more before you go out on the street."
But there is one product that the star likes always to have on, "Since I'm half middle eastern, I have under eyes, and they never leave. So I use concealer. The NARS concealer is amazing."
Toubia, who's been the cover star for many magazines this year, explains that she uses exercise to prepare her for the many photo shoots.
"I've been doing a lot of hot yoga, power yoga is my favorite. I have a hard time sweating, so I feel like once I'm there it purifies and detoxifies me," she says. "It makes your skin vibrant and pretty. You're just sweating out all of the toxins. It's all about loving yourself, so I like doing that before a red carpet or a cover."
Aside from working out, Toubia revealed she has a new favorite go-to breakfast dish.
"So this is something that I just found out, pumpkin seeds have a lot of iron and they have a lot of protein," she says. "So I've been having greek yogurt with organic honey and pumpkin seeds. That's the first thing that I've been doing when I wake up."
The actress, who always embraces her roots, has a Lebanese father and Mexican mother. Filled with pride for her culture, she's partnered up with Orgullosa to break the stereotypes around Latinas.
"A lot of the media out there have a stereotype of what a Latina is and Latinas have different hair color, different skin types, different body shapes. But we are multidimensional, we're not one-size-fits-all. I really want to get that message out there so that everyone can know the true beauty of Latinas and what truly defines us is not our beauty or what we look like physically," she explains. "What defines us is our pride for our culture and our pride for our family. That's what makes us a Latina, not how we look physically."
Don't forget to catch Toubia on Shadowhunters which returns June 5 at 8/7c only on Freeform.