Arthur Mola/Invision/AP/ShutterstockLaura Harrier has learned a lot about beauty since coming on to the scene.
Now that her day-to-day includes appearing at A-list events, getting ready for the red carpet and taking stunning Instagram pics—have you seen her page?!—the BlacKkKlansman actress has more knowledge about hair and skin products than ever before. Sure, she's always had interest in beauty. However, now that she's surrounded by top beauty professionals that have taught her tricks and recommended products, she's opening up about her hair and skin journey.
"I like makeup, but I feel like I was always more into skin and hair stuff," she told Into the Gloss. "I was pretty lucky growing up, skin-wise. I think it was really mostly hair—growing up mixed and having a white mom who had no idea what to do with my hair. It was a struggle and I had to figure it out by myself—I was always trying to read and do research."
Unfortunately, when she first entered the media landscape as a model, her relationship with her hair got worse before it got better.
She continued, "When I started modeling, my hair died—literally all of it fell out—and I didn't know how to take care of it. [Certain on-set hairstylists] just do not know what they're doing with black girls' hair."
This is the reason that she was so particular about finding a glam squad. After doing research on Instagram, specifically looking for people that already had a solid portfolio, she asked celebrity makeup artist Nina Park, aesthetician Shani Darden and hairstylist Lacy Redway to make her glam. They said yes.
Now these women, who have each conquered the red carpet within their own right, double as her beauty mentors.
"I'm really excited about this BlacKkKlansman press tour because Lacy and I have a lot of good hair looks planned," she said in the interview. "We talked a lot about how the hair should celebrate blackness and black culture for the tour—we want to be really representative of a lot of different styles."
Clearly, her current excitement about her hair and her willingness to try new styles is a far cry from the anxiety she once had about getting her hair done behind-the-scenes. And, that growth is inspiring.
In addition to sharing her journey, the star opened up about the products that her star glam squad has introduced her to. So, if you're struggling and don't have a Hollywood pro to tell you what to use, keep scrolling for the star's must-haves!
"Olaplex is amazing—that really helped protect and re-grow it," she told Into the Gloss. "I deep condition all the time now, and I don't put heat on it at all unless I have to for work."
"I always have my face wash from iS Clinical."
"I also love the iS Clinical Active Serum. I've recently been struggling with acne, which is new for me."
"I use sunscreen every day, and it's the one Shani gives me—the oil-free sunscreen from Control Corrective."
"I got my exfoliating wipes from [Shani], and I have her retinol. I text Shani pictures of my zits all the time like, ‘Help meee!'"
"At night I wash again, and I alternate between the Active Serum and retinol every other day. I was doing the iS Clinical moisturizer, but since I was breaking out so much, [Shani] said the moisturizer was a bit too heavy for me."
"I use an almond oil from Whole Foods to moisturize my body. I was doing coconut oil for a while, but it was really greasy. I realized that I use a lot of chemicals on my face, and that kind of freaks me out because I wasn't doing any of that stuff for a long time. But when my skin went crazy, I had to do more. So I thought, I'll use something natural for the rest of my body, and maybe that balances out the chemicals I put on my face."
"I also really like Nuxe for my body—and in the summer I do the sparkly one on my legs. I don't know though—you can only get it in Europe, and that shit's expensive."
"I also like to stock up on Bioderma and cotton pads. French cotton pads are so much better—they scrub a little, which I like, and you can kind of scrub your lips a little."
"On the other hand, there's this Christophe Robin Balm with Prickly Pear Oil—it's for everything and it's the best. It smells amazing."
"I just love looking glowy and alive and highlighted—I never want to look like I'm wearing a lot. I love those creamy Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate palettes."
"For daytime I use the Glossier mascara because it's lighter..."
"...and for night I'll do the L'Oréal one—the one in the black and gold tube, Voluminous Million."
"I use Boy Brow in Black on my eyebrows every day."
"If I'm going out, there's this one Nars red lipstick that's awesome, and it's in more of a tube, like it's liquid-y, and lasts forever. It's an orange-y red."
"But also, Ruby Woo… for all the time."
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