Leslie Grace’s Guide to Low-Key Glam Makeup and Second-Day Blowouts

The In the Heights star shares her beauty secrets, from false eyelashes to how she prolongs the lifespan of her blowout.

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 BEAUTYShop Now

FOREO LUNA 2

$169FOREOShop Now

Tatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder

$65TATCHAShop Now

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Pro Facial Steamer

$149DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCAREShop Now

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

$48SUMMER FRIDAYSShop Now

Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Renewing Dew Concentrate

$45$32PHILOSOPHYShop Now

Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder

$39PHILOSOPHYShop Now

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum

$89SULWHASOOShop Now

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Serum

$136ELEMISShop Now

Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer - SPF 50+

$18CETAPHIILShop Now

Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer

$52TATCHAShop Now

BECCA Cosmetics Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation

$22BECCA COSMETICSShop Now

FENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer

$26FENTY BEAUTYShop Now

FENTY BEAUTY Invisimatte Blotting Powder

$32FENTY BEAUTYShop Now

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer

$23ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLSShop Now

Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Bronzer

$30BENEFIT COSMETICSShop Now

Pat McGrath Labs Mothership VI: Midnight Sun

$125PAT MCGRATH LABSShop Now

Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara

$24WANDER BEAUTYShop Now

Lashify Control Kit

$145LASHIFYShop Now

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder

$45CHARLOTTE TILBURYShop Now

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder

$40HOURGLASSShop Now

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

$22LANEIGEShop Now

HUDA BEAUTY Lip Contour 2.0 Automatic Matte Lip Pencil

$19HUDA BEAUTYShop Now

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick

$34CHARLOTTE TILBURYShop Now

Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme

$28OLAPLEXShop Now

Dyson Airwrap Complete Styler-For Multiple Hair Types and Styles

$550DYSONShop Now

Organi Grow Hair Co. Mega Mangrow Moisture Milk

$19ORGANI GROW HAIR CO.Shop Now

UNEX Professional Argan Oil

$16UNEXShop Now

This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Zoe Ruffner