The In the Heights star shares her beauty secrets, from false eyelashes to how she prolongs the lifespan of her blowout.
Leslie Grace’s Guide to Low-Key Glam Makeup and Second-Day Blowouts
When In the Heights’s Nina Rosario, played by Leslie Grace, returns to her native Bronx from college at Stanford, one of her very first stops is the local neighborhood salon; she’s come to receive a makeover—“the skin deep kind, and the emotional kind,” Anthony Ramos’s Usnavi de la Vega narrates. As it turns out, the primp-and-polish setting was familiar territory for Grace, a 26-year-old New York City-born actress who grew up in her own mother’s salon in South Florida. There, she picked up countless tips and tricks, a number of which she’s carried with her throughout her career as a Grammy-nominated singer and, now, actress.
“I learned through osmosis how important it is to not only take time for yourself but [also] the importance and sacredness of sharing a moment where women are empowering how beautiful they are,” Grace says as she dives into her skin-care routine, which includes a deep cleanse bolstered by Foreo’s vibrating device, a handful of custom-blended serum combinations, and, importantly, Cetaphil sunscreen—a mainstay in her cosmetics arsenal since high school. “For someone like me who has freckles and gets splotches easily, I really take SPF serious, girl!” she notes.
Her favorite part of the morning comes next as brushes, bronzer, and brow pencils enter the frame. “Through growing up in a salon and seeing how other women did their makeup, I started to learn, ‘Oh, makeup and hair and clothes and all these things we use to express ourselves, they’re adornments for what you already have,’” Grace muses, adding that she now embraces a lighter-touch pore-perfecting approach that still allows her freckles to peek through. But she does like to amp it up at eye level by way of mascara, false lashes, and a combination of shadow shades, the darkest of which she deftly applies at the outer corners of her lids—a pro technique passed down to her from her titi, a makeup artist. A wash of iridescent powder, brushed over her cheekbones and lips, provides a photo-ready glow effect.
“Culturally, I feel like Dominican women are always trying to find the way that they can cut the corner and get the same look,” Grace explains before revealing her own secret weapon for prolonging the lifespan of her blowout: Dyson’s Airwrap Styler. “That’s something that I like to call ingenuity.”
LESSLESS wrap silk dress, $850
Below, shop Leslie Grace’s Beauty Secrets.
Filmed at Hotel Casa Del Mar
Juice Beauty STEM CELLULAR Cleansing Oil
$34JUICE BEAUTYFOREO LUNA 2
$169FOREOTatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder
$65TATCHADr. Dennis Gross Skincare Pro Facial Steamer
$149DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARESummer Fridays Jet Lag Mask
$48SUMMER FRIDAYSPhilosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Renewing Dew Concentrate
Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder
$39PHILOSOPHYSulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum
$89SULWHASOOElemis Dynamic Resurfacing Serum
$136ELEMISCetaphil Facial Moisturizer - SPF 50+
$18CETAPHIILTatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer
$52TATCHABECCA Cosmetics Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation
$22BECCA COSMETICSFENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer
$26FENTY BEAUTYFENTY BEAUTY Invisimatte Blotting Powder
$32FENTY BEAUTYAnastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer
$23ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLSBenefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Bronzer
$30BENEFIT COSMETICSPat McGrath Labs Mothership VI: Midnight Sun
$125PAT MCGRATH LABSWander Beauty Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara
$24WANDER BEAUTYLashify Control Kit
$145LASHIFYCharlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder
$45CHARLOTTE TILBURYHourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder
$40HOURGLASSLaneige Lip Sleeping Mask
$22LANEIGEHUDA BEAUTY Lip Contour 2.0 Automatic Matte Lip Pencil
$19HUDA BEAUTYCharlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick
$34CHARLOTTE TILBURYOlaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme
$28OLAPLEXDyson Airwrap Complete Styler-For Multiple Hair Types and Styles
$550DYSONOrgani Grow Hair Co. Mega Mangrow Moisture Milk
$19ORGANI GROW HAIR CO.UNEX Professional Argan Oil
$16UNEXThis story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Zoe Ruffner