Normani on Treating Acne-Prone Skin and Perfecting ’90s-Inspired Makeup

[chill music]

Hey, what's up guys?

I'm Normani and I am gonna walk you

through my skincare routine

and my elevated every day beauty look.

This is my favorite cleanser by Is Clinical.

I really do have combination skin

but have struggled with acne for the last 10 years

and it really has been a journey

between using these medical grade products

that you can get over the counter.

I also use Tazorac that my dermatologist put me on

and it's been a game changer.

Protect the edges at all costs.

I'm gonna put on a hydrating mask.

Oh, this is slippery.

I'm definitely the girl on the plane with the acne stickers.

I've definitely wore pimple cream in the airport.

I'm talking public.

I don't care.

I'm comfort over everything.

I always like to go over my mask with my roller.

So when I was living with my mom was actually like,

Always go in an upward motion.

I really love being able to spend time

with myself doing my skincare

because if you really think about it,

how many moments throughout the day do I have to myself?

My skincare routine and also my hair

are really important moments for me

and intimate moments that I share with myself.

Oh, I know you see that glow.

I'm going to apply my Pro Heal Serum.

This really helps brighten any dark hyperpigmentation

that I might have, especially with darker skin.

It's okay queens, the imperfections make us interesting.

This, it gives you the glow that you want.

This is really what does it.

I'm gonna go in with my barrier, the moisturizer.

I absolutely break out more when I sweat.

I do pilates a lot.

It's really important to wash your face immediately after

because what happens is you sweat,

your pores are open and that dirt and bacteria

is seeping and soaking into your skin.

Most important, sunscreen.

I've always worn sunscreen.

My mom and my dad used to take me

to Six Flags, Schlitterbahn.

We were really big on water parks and parks in general

so I was always outside.

Pretty much every single summer, we did parks.

We were a family that did parks.

We had season passes.

So I had to be in sunscreen.

I'm gonna do these eyedrops.

Now that my skin care is popping

and skin is ready and prepped,

I'm gonna get into the look.

So I'm gonna start off by brushing up my eyebrows.

I get my brows laminated.

It pretty much stretches the hair.

I like to use my Anastasia Brown Pencil

because it gives natural strokes.

My brows are probably my favorite feature.

My brows remind me and my dad, my daddy,

when I look in the mirror, I see my dad.

I love having a piece of him.

I'm going to go in with my soap brow.

Y'all, I'm putting this on my resume.

I'm that one that's like,

I can totally do my makeup for a carpet

after doing my makeup a few times.

We're gonna take just the end of a brush

and then just press in the product.

I'm gonna go hand with my color correct.

Always suffered with hyper pigmentation

so this is a step that's important for me.

I also grew up watching my mom do her hair and makeup

and I wanted to be just like her so I think that's where

that fascination and love for makeup

and hair come from.

My mommy and my daddy are my everything.

They're my purpose, my why, my family in general.

You know like those parents that think that

there's one product that could cure everything.

It was cocoa butter.

My mom's was cocoa butter

and she was like, That'll take all the dark marks away.

I was also one of three black kids in elementary school

so that was really hard for me.

I remember just going home and being like,

Mom, can you press my hair?

I wish my skin was lighter.

I wish I had colored eyes.

But my parents really encouraged me that my superpower

was my black girl melanin and my black girl magic.

I definitely feel like because my parents instilled in me

the things that make me unique in the fact

that I don't have to look like everybody else,

they really encouraged me

and I feel like I don't take it lightly at all.

I always say that I'm a vessel

and so for any little black girl or little girls in general

that doesn't feel like supported,

often we're not supported.

I have an obligation, even some of the younger version

of myself which is now the new generation,

to encourage them and uplift them

because they are going to be the future.

Fenty Translucent Powder.

[indistinct]

I was the first brand ambassador for Savage X Fenty.

What is life?

If somebody told me five years ago

that Ri would've been like, That's a bitch,

Actually, she did tell me that she was like,

I don't know whether I love you or I hate you.

That impacted me.

[Normani laughing]

I love her so much.

No, but, honestly, what she's doing with the brand

is everything that I aspire to do.

It's like, why did it take this long

for a brand to be as inclusive?

Everybody should be able to feel a part of

and feel like they have a place.

Okay, so I'm gonna let this set

and then I'm gonna move on to eyes.

So, what I'm gonna do is prime with foundation.

I'll use my Dior, right here.

Do you see this color?

Espresso.

Unmatched.

I'm gonna use my contour stick as my eyeshadow base.

So, what I'm doing is starting from the outer

and working my way in so I can create more space

and just create more snatched look snatched look.

I always use a brown liner

when I'm doing my more natural look.

You see, hold up,

I'm gonna revisit this side.

Let's go onto the other side.

I'm gonna go in with my Fenty Powder.

I'm gonna use the darkest one.

I feel like I always try to give nineties actress vibes

when it comes to my makeup.

I love Nia Long, even Toni Braxton,

just regal and brown

and let it be about skin, light contour.

I love a good nineties lip though.

I be on my Mary J. Blige.

[Normani laughing]

I'm gonna go in with my YSL Concealer.

I typically go a few shades later

just to create more dimension.

So, I'm gonna start off with the chicken leg.

Giving Popeyes.

[Normani laughing]

I like to put my concealer right under the wing

'cause it kind of creates a snatched effect

and I'm just gonna go around my lip line

'cause it makes my lipstick pop more.

I always have my esthetician look through the ingredients

on any makeup that I use since I'm so sensitive.

It's always really hard to figure out

and pinpoint exactly what I have reaction to

because all these products

have so many different ingredients in 'em.

So, she definitely checks before I use it.

I'm gonna go back in with my espresso and begin the contour.

I'm gonna bring in a brush, still gonna use my espresso,

it just helps me control more.

I'm gonna go back in with my concealer

and just clean up a little bit.

The first Met Gala, I went with Valentino.

Crazy, first Met and I went with Valentino, what?

I felt like Princess Tiana.

First year it was giving regal,

it was giving black queen vibes.

Yellow is a black girl's color, fighting me on it

and then the second year I felt like

it was giving more mature.

My stomach was out.

Try to force a conversation with my clothing.

I try to be as creative as possible

and I think that that's what fashion is,

music and fashion work hand in hand.

So, this is another concealer, same brand,

but I'm just gonna go here under my eye.

I went a couple shades lighter than what I used here

'cause I wanted brighten.

It's a cream blush.

There's such a misconception too,

especially with dark skinned women.

I don't know why, but I felt like the conversation was like,

No that's too bright.

Especially on deeper tone.

I love being able to play and have a vibrant color.

Where I get a lot of my beauty inspiration, from Pinterest

or honestly even watching these videos.

I'm telling y'all,

I've been waiting for this moment right here.

So, next we're gonna get into foundation.

I actually use two different shades by Dior.

The lighter one I use because that's my actual color

and then I use the darker one to warm me up.

But only use the foundation in the areas

that you haven't contour yet.

I feel like being a creative, even just musically,

it's inevitable for you not to be creative in other areas.

That's why I love fashion.

I love makeup.

I love hair.

I'm gonna set my foundation

with a little bit of powder foundation.

I'm gonna use both colors.

I'm gonna go back in with this kind of rusty orange color

to set the cream blush that I put on before.

Okay, I'm gonna go back in with my powder foundation

just to go over the blush just a little bit

to just let it marinate.

My YSL Mascara.

I have lash extensions

so I'm just gonna go in on the bottom.

I'm gonna go back in with the Fenty palette

and just put these two colors and my teared duct.

I like to mix 'em.

I remember when I was younger my mom would do my makeup

for all my dance competitions, all my pageants,

all my gymnastic meets.

Baby girl, there was nothing that she couldn't do

between her and my grandmother.

My grandma was on the sewing machine doing her thing,

making all my pageant dresses.

I've always been really, really shy and an introvert

and so when I was little between dance and gymnastics,

that was really my way of being able to express myself,

that was my best language.

I feel like if you wanted to get me at the core

that was really the best way in getting to know me.

God has such a sense of humor

because I was always so afraid,

out of everything that I did, pageants, acting,

whatever, everything, I was always so scared to sing

and people would always come over,

Sing for me, sing for me, sing the Alicia Keys song.

I love Alicia Keys.

I used to rock the braids.

That was my girl.

I was always so afraid to sing

and it's crazy that I do it as an occupation now.

That's one request that I always make.

I'm like, If you cover my beauty mark,

please bring it back out.

Just so like cute and thin

and then also you don't have to worry about the blemishes.

It's my word against yours.

This is a beauty mark.

So, we're gonna get into the lips.

This is what really completes a look for me.

I love nineties everything and I love to overline.

I'm gonna be using Raquel Beauty

and I like to mix them to create an ombre.

As my grandma would say,

Aw, suki, sukina.

This is Raquel Beauty.

Get into it, yeah.

So, I'm gonna go in with the matte lip

which is a little bit peachier

and I'm just gonna go in the center.

I like to stick with the matte

'cause I feel like that's really true to the nineties

and then also depending on what I have,

if I'm dancing, if I'm on stage performing,

I don't want a glossy lip with my hair getting stuck.

It's just annoying.

This is one of my favorite lip oils by Dior.

You can't go wrong in any shade

and I'm gonna use it on my eye.

I'm gonna go with this brown.

I really love this gloss on the lid

because it creates a really dewy summer vibe.

So I'm gonna go in with my glow.

I feel cute.

I'm about to go find somebody's hot son.

I'll see all later.