“Makeup has always been the most inexpensive way to enhance my identity,” Jeannie Mai, beauty expert and talk show host of The Real tells me. “Even at the age of 36, I can still have confidence issues. That’s why it’s important for me to partner with companies like Unilever — they teach women to not only own their beauty, but to take it a step further and do good for the planet as well.”
The queen of reinventing herself (seriously, she’s probably sported 3,000 different looks since I first met her four years ago in NY!), shared some of her beauty tips with me below!:
Beauty and the Feast: How do you store your beauty products when you travel, and what do you make sure you take with you?
Jeannie Mai: I love compacts, so I create my own. Once my old makeup products – blush or foundation compacts – are done, I rinse out the residue on the inside, then I use them to use my new concealers and lip glosses. For example, I finished this one blush compact, so I put new lip glosses in it, stuck it in the fridge, and it cools to make a new lip palette. I condense all my products, so I have a small makeup pouch. You can also purchase ones made of recycled material.
Once I travel, the number one thing I make sure I pack besides my lip colors is my Simple Micellar Cleansing Water. It’s the shiz! Especially when you’re traveling you don’t always have time to go to a sink and wash your face. As long as I have that cleansing water, it allows me to wash my face, so to speak, wipe off all my makeup and it leaves my skin feeling moisturized too. You know how when you’re on the plane your skin feels really tight? This is the only stuff that once I’ve cleansed my face it actually feels really moisturized and rejuvenated so I don’t have to put on additional moisturizer when I don’t have time.
BATF: Do you have any beauty rituals on the plane?
Mai: I always put a lumbar pillow on my seat for my back or even a rolled up sweater on the lower part of my back. I promise you it will make a world of difference. And I love oils or aromas, I use lavender oil on my wrist and neckline once I board. It smells so fresh and relaxing.
BATF: What are some products you have in your bag right now?
Mai: I always have a Dove bar because it removes my makeup and doesn’t irritate my skin. Even expensive hotels might have nice products but it has so much fragrance in them that it irritates my skin. I have eczema so this works best for me. I also carry a little Tom Ford perfume with me. And I love carrying Too Faced palettes — there also made of recycled products. I always support brands that do their part.
BATF: What are some tips you learned on the set of The Real?
Mai: My makeup artist, Uzmee, is always playing with glitter. And you know when you use glitter or any kind of sparkle and you get that one speck that travels down your face and just sticks there — like, no matter how hard you try to flick it with your nail, it never comes off? Here’s your tip: take a little piece of Scotch tape and tape it right off. If you don’t want to ruin your makeup, take the piece of tape and stick it somewhere else on your skin and take it off so it’s not so sticky and then touch that glitter and you can remove it without having to like claw your face to death.
BATF: Finally, why is important to you to work with Unilever to raise awareness on recycling?
Mai: We have seven billion people in this world and one planet. The average American has about eight plastic bottles that can be recycled in their bathroom. We have to take it beyond just the kitchen — think about the bottles in the bathroom. Think about your body washes, your deodorants, your creams – all these things in plastic containers. It’s not just because it’s good for the planet, but these things can be remade into products that we buy today still: your makeup bags, your hairbrushes, even your kids backyard play sets. They’re all made from recycled plastics. If we all took it a step further, we can save 29 million tons of plastic that end up in landfills every year. It’s unbelievable how much waste we produce. Unilever wants to reward you for doing your part. Just take a picture of any plastic bottles in your bathroom and post it on Instagram or Twitter with hashtag #reimaginethat #sweeps, and Unilever can award you with a prize, which is pretty cool!
Thanks Jeannie Mai and Unilever for the interview!
More details on the Unilever Sweepstakes: Go to brightfuture.unilever.us to learn more about bathroom recycling and how to get involved! http://unileversweepsrules.com/reimagine/
- Ends June 9
- Daily prizes (42 in total) and a grand prize (1 for a $500 gift card)
- Users must include #ReimagineThat and #Sweeps and tag @UnileverUSA in order to qualify
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Photos: Casey Rodgers/AP Images for Unilever
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