This month we took a break from the heaviness that can be divorce and co-parenting and talked style. I dished on my personal/self-care routines, as well as my personal style. This week, I wanted to talk about beauty. But I have to admit, I don’t know much about it. At the age of 33, I’ve only just started an actual skincare routine. I wear makeup once every blue moon. And my hair is usually in two dutch braids. What was I supposed to say?! Then, it occurred to me - I know the PERFECT person. 

Allow me to introduce and girl crush real quick. So there’s this woman. She’s super, super cool. Literally. My dad has met her and describes her as the coolest person we’ll ever meet! I met her at this horrible job that I only kept for about 7 weeks. But I loved every minute of it because I got to meet and bond with her. She’s a woman of color, with a super cool job, effortless personal style, and an amazing lifestyle blog. Her name is Shelina, and SHE will talk beauty with us. 

LH: Tell me about your blog. When did it begin? And why? 

SW: I launched my blog on my 28th birthday - about a year and a half ago. I started the blog because  I was consistently asked about my travel destinations/recommendations, makeup recommendations, etc, so I decided to create a resource for people to reference. Plus I love discussing the places I’ve traveled, makeup brands that I use, and new fashion trends, so this also created a creative outlet for me. You can (and should!) check it out at https://www.shelinawhite.com/)

LH: What do you do for a living? And how does that fit in with your beauty and style? 

SW: I am a senior community support specialist at a tech company. Since I’ve been working from home due to the pandemic, my beauty and style have definitely changed in the past 4 months than when I was working in the office. I’ve gone through a few phases with my beauty routine during the pandemic. For a while, I didn’t wear makeup and do my hair much. However, I came to realize that not wearing makeup actually caused my skin to break out. Because of that, I began to wear makeup again every day since I feared my skin breaking out. Now, after a while of wearing makeup every day, I have switched to not wearing makeup about two days a week and wearing makeup five days to have a good balance. I feel as though my skin hasn’t broken out yet - which is great! Also, wearing makeup actually makes me feel more like myself than when I didn’t wear makeup at the beginning of the pandemic. As far as my style goes, I’ve leaned on a trendier lounge style. I don’t like wearing “normal” day-to-day clothes working from home, but I also don’t want to be in my pajamas all day. Having lounge clothes lets me have the sort of style where it causes me to change out of my pajamas, still be comfortable during the day, and if I need to get out of the apartment, I can do so without being embarrassed at what I’m wearing.

LH: What’s your typical day like? 

SW: Boring! I’m kidding. My typical workday mostly includes the three w’s -  working out, working, and walking. I try and work out 5 days a week, while also walking during my lunch breaks and after work. I feel as though I need to get more activity done, so I try to be as active as I can. I also try and cook when I can! If you’re talking about beauty, I wash and exfoliate my face when I shower. I also use an under eye cream and a face cream after. Then for my makeup, I use pretty much everything (haha!) - primer, foundation, concealer, setting powder, etc. For my hair, I wash it once a week. I use Olaplex at the moment but thinking about switching to Briogeo once I run out. Then I use a heat protector spray and straighten my hair. I purchased two products recently for my hair - Split End Treatment Syrum by The Mane Choice (black-owned) in hopes it’ll help fix my split ends, and Eco Style styling gel for my edges. 

LH: As a woman of color and vegan, how do you decide which brands to purchase? 

SW: It’s hard. Being vegan, I’ve come to realize how many beauty products aren’t vegan. But there are definitely a lot that are! I try to purchase vegan beauty products for the most part if I can, but it’s definitely research. When it comes to skincare, however, I really try and choose items that have clean ingredients and are vegan. Some beauty brands are hard when it comes to picking something that compliments my skin tone. For example, there were times where a brand may come out with a new blush or bronzer line however the colors are not tailored for my skin tone because they’re too light. 

LH: How have your beauty and style evolved over the years? 

SW: Fashion is always changing. I try and keep up with the trends I see that look good on me. As far as beauty, I’ve been purchasing cleaner products when I can now compared to last year. I also feel as though I keep up with new eyebrow products because I love doing my eyebrows! 

LH: How are your beauty and style routines influenced by your emotions? 

SW: The only emotion that influences me is being lazy!!! Sometimes instead of washing my face, I’ll just do a makeup remover wipe. Although they remove a lot of makeup, they don’t remove all your makeup from your face, thus washing your face is way more beneficial for you. 

LH: What trends are you loving? Which are you hating? 

SW: I love bold lip colors, like red but I also love Nude lips! I can’t think of a beauty trend I’m not liking - I know they’re out there though. 

LH: What beauty and style tips can you give to those of us that are interested but short on time? 

SW: When I’m super short on time or don’t want to do my makeup, I just do my eyebrows (which I feel make a HUGE difference). If I have an extra minute, then I’ll put on some mascara if I don’t have lash extensions on, and some blush. But I would definitely try with doing the brows at the very least. You’d be surprised what a good brow can do.

LH: Lightning Round. What’s your favorite:

Beauty product? I love a good highlighter

Go-to outfit? Bodysuit and skinny jeans! 

Travel destination? Bali or Mexico City

Meal? I eat everything in sight. I love Italian, Mexican cuisine, and sushi.

Store? Nordstrom

Quote? I don’t really have a favorite quote actually 

You know, Shelina’s not the first person to tell me to just do my brows. I always feel like if I’m going to do that, I might as well do it all! But I may give it a try. Thanks soooo much to Shelina for chatting with us. Feel free to follow her on IG, Pinterest, or Snapchat for all of her latest updates. I promise you won’t be disappointed.