Since Lauren London’s breakout role in the 2006 cult classic ATL, the actress captivated audiences with her stunning beauty and quickly became known as one of the baddest Black women in Hollywood. At 38 years old, the mother of two’s beauty is still unmatched and she recently shared her beauty secrets with Vogue.
Check out the You People star as she dishes on her favorite Black-owned beauty products, how she stays looking young, and why no one can touch her eyebrows.
Vogue/ YouTube
Skincare
Lauren is an advocate for washing your face, especially after a bad experience she had in high school. “I’ve always been serious about washing my face,” she says. “I feel like when I was in high school, I learned the really harsh lesson of going to bed without washing my face and I had a really bad breakout on my forehead.” The L.A. native uses the Black woman-owned brand Undefined Beauty R&R Cleanser.
Because Lauren has sensitive skin, she likes to use natural products on her face. One of her favorite products, which is also owned by a woman of color, is PurpL & Prosper Calm Complexion Serum. This serum has jojoba oil and licorice root that helps with skin sensitivities.
Vogue/ YouTube
“Growing up, I don’t remember any Black-owned skin[care] products around our household and I feel like now it's more available, it’s out there,” she says. “It’s skin[care] products that actually understand what’s going on with my skin.”
She also likes using Therabody TheraFace PRO, which she credits for smoothing out fine lines. “Red light is really good for the rejuvenation of your [skin] cells and fine lines ‘cause sis is not 22 anymore,” she explains.
Vogue/ YouTube
While the actress enjoys her skincare routine, she admits it’s not a regular thing. “I don’t always have time to do this routine, especially in the morning when I have to rush to take the kids to school,” she confesses. “If I have some time and I do want to take time with myself and be intentional about my face–this is also very therapeutic–I’ll do all [of] this. If I don’t have time, it’s giving face wash and a moisturizer.”
Makeup
When it comes to makeup, Lauren starts off with Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and follows that with Tom Ford Color Correcting pen and Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer. “I have really, really dark circles because I don’t get enough sleep,” she says. “I have two kids, so I use this Tom Ford Color Correcting pen under my eyes before I go in with concealer.”
She then uses Tatcha The Silk Powder and Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream.
Vogue/ YouTube
“Growing up, Rite Aid or CVS would be where I would buy my makeup and it was really hard finding a color that matched my skin complexion and I felt like you would have to mix and match and I’m not good at that,” the actress explains. “I think as time has changed and as makeup has become more inclusive, I hope everyone can find their shade.”
When it comes to her eyebrows, Lauren plays no games. She reveals that she doesn’t let anyone touch her brows. She says, “I like to keep my eyebrows kind of thick and anybody who knows me knows I don’t touch this.”
Vogue/ YouTube
She later continues, “When I get my makeup done professionally, I don’t let anyone do my brows. They can do anything else, my eyebrows are mine.”
In the Netflix film You People, Lauren got to work alongside legendary actress and ageless beauty Nia Long. Nia plays Lauren's mom in the film and she raves about meeting and working with one of her “beauty icons.”
Vogue/ YouTube
“So on this new movie You People, I actually got the honor to work with one of my beauty icons Nia Long,” she gushes. “She’s a professional. The way she carries herself as a Black woman on a set and she’s so pretty on pictures and much more beautiful in person. Her face card does not decline.”
After applying Fenty Beauty Liquid Killawatt Fluid Freestyle Highlighter, NARS Powder Blush, Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Instant Volumizing Mascara, and Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, Lauren sets her makeup with Tatcha The Luminous Dewy Skin Mist to complete the look.
Lauren London’s Guide to Flawless Brows & Concealing Dark Circles | Beauty Secrets | Vogue
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Feature image by Vogue/ YouTube
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
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Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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