BEAUTY WISDOM
“I’d get up at 7 a.m. and
my mom would already be
done up—she’s had the
same beehive since high
school. She did a mean
half-up [on me], and she’d
make hair ribbons and bows
to match the clothes she
sewed for me. She let
me pick out the prints at the
fabric shop and taught me
how to express identity and
moods through clothes
and hair. She never touched
alcohol or coffee because
I grew up Mormon, and she
and my aunts [still] all look
so good, it’s the craziest
thing. So I stopped drinking
alcohol because of vanity,
and my eyes look whiter, my
skin doesn’t feel as dry,
and I’m not breaking out.
I should have followed
that advice a long time ago.”
—JEN ATKIN, HAIRSTYLIST AND
FOUNDER OF OUAI HAIRCARE
“My mom never wore makeup, but my grandmothers did. It wasbeautiful to see that makeup doesn’t define you. It’s not anecessity; it’s a choice. That’s something I learned by watchingthe women in my life and how they chose to experimentwith makeup. For me, it’s a hobby—it eases my mind the sameway someone would enjoy painting.” —ZENDAYA COLEMAN, ACTRESS“My mother has always
been a firm believer in
DIYs. It taught me that
you don’t need to spend
a lot of money on beauty
products, and DIYs
are really important to
me because many
of them are rooted in
Middle Eastern culture.
I love that my heritage
has really helped define
my outlook on beauty.
Women of Middle
Eastern descent often
have dark circles under
their eyes, and my mom
swears by sweet almond
oil—applying a small
amount can help lighten
any discoloration in a
couple of weeks. My
mother used to do this
a lot, and she always
looked super fresh and
youthful.” —HUDA KATTAN,
FOUNDER OF HUDA BEAUTY“My mom always taught us to be confident and to believe in ourselves.
Self-confidence is the most beautiful trait in the world. This idea has
served me well in life as I try to make decisions based on trust in myself.”
—VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS CHAMPION AND FOUNDER OF ELEVEN BY VENUS WILLIAMS“When I was little, I found my mom’s makeup kit from the ’60s. I remember
it so well—the silvery-blue eye gloss, pale pink lip gloss, and Mary Quant
Crayons in all different colors. It was a treasure trove. These shiny, gloopy
liquids and waxy pencils were more magical than any crayons I could have
owned. I used to draw faces with them and smudge on blush and eye
shadow. As I got older, my mom realized I was quite good at doing
makeup. As a teen, I did her makeup all the time and watched her do long
face massages. She’d watch a movie and massage her face the whole
time. I made fun of her then, but she looks amazing now—she doesn’t
have wrinkles—so I think she had it right. I picked up face massage from
her, and even though I don’t have her kit anymore, I do have the largest
collection of vintage makeup in the world.” —LISA ELDRIDGE, MAKEUP ARTISTZendaya ColemanVenus Williams