After Viola Davis confessed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she uses Crisco to treat her bunions, she basically became a bonafide beauty Jedi. And in a new interview, she just solidified her all-knowing status, admitting to being “an expert” at putting on false lashes and that she took class in contouring while studying at Juilliard.
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Davis confesses to Redbook that she’s a real makeup junkie. “I’m addicted to skin care. I can’t even tell you how many products I own! I used to think there was no difference between day cream and night cream; now I use both, plus an eye cream,” she says. “After I finish a day of filming, I clean my skin on set with a hot towel and L’Oréal Paris Eye Makeup Remover. Then when I get home, I wash my face again. I love Shea Moisture African Black Soap.”
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She’s just as good at applying makeup as she is at removing. “I’m an expert at putting on false lashes,” she admits. “And when I was at Juilliard, I took a makeup class on how to contour. When I make the effort to do it, I’m pretty good at it, but sometimes the only effort I can drum up is to make a cocktail.”
She also explains that when she’s off the clock, she does what anyone else would — trips to Target! “I remove all signs of work — no makeup, no wig and I do what people do every day. I love going to the grocery store, or to Target or the mall. I’ll just walk around, but I never shop. I can’t spend $2,000 on a bag to me, that’s like spending $25 on a chocolate bar.”
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To share the love of good skincare practices to all, she partnered with the Vaseline Healing Project, which helps poverty-stricken areas with doctors, dermatological care and medical products. “I come from poverty, so I was amazed to learn that one of the biggest issues for people living in extreme poverty is skin infections, and how much petroleum jelly can help with that. I think what stops people from participating in charity service is that they think they have to do something big. My husband taught me, ‘You do what is at your hand to do.’ You can go online to vaseline.us/thehealingproject and, in two minutes, donate a relief kit to this cause.”
The partnership actually marks a full-circle moment for the actress. “It’s funny because as a child, the first word I learned to spell was Vaseline, because it was always around our house.”
Thoughts on her skincare routine? Share them in the comments below.
— Colleen Kratofil
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