Jhené Aiko Tells Us How She Gets Her Distractingly Good Skin

When Jhené Aiko shared her skin-care routine in early 2018, she damn near broke the internet. Her pore-less mug — documented via makeup-less selfies on the 'gram — has long been the fascination of fans and skin-care enthusiasts alike, so when she shared everything she uses down to the moisturizer, everyone was quick to take notes. Her laundry list of products and in-office treatments read like something out of a Reddit SkincareAddiction thread: a customized cocktail of collagen pills, pricy serums and Fraxel, an intense laser treatment that completely resurfaces the skin. But that was last year. These days Aiko says her routine is much simpler, heavy on vegetables, natural products, and custom skin-care concoctions she mixes up herself. Whatever she's doing, it's working, because when we meet to chat about her new gig as the face of Kat Von D Beauty's Total Portrait Foundation, I can't stop staring at her skin.

True Portrait only enhances it, the medium coverage formula giving her skin an ultra-perfect gleam. For Aiko, it was love at first swatch. The serum-y texture makes it easy to apply (she uses her fingers), and dries down to a matte finish. Plus, she doesn't have to mix and match to get her perfect shade, which is new for Aiko. "It looked like my shade in the bottle and when I put it on it was perfect," she shared, "I didn't even have to try the other samples that they sent me...It's hard to find something that matches without having to add to it," she continued.

Better yet it works with, not against, her skin-care routine, which she spilled the tea on, ahead.

What's your skin-care routine like?

My skin is sensitive, so I try to stick to the more natural products. I love chamomile, lavender, calendula, neem oil. I always have to customize it depending on the season or if I'm stressed out or if I'm hydrated or not. One of the main things for me is getting a lot of sleep and drinking a lot of water and keeping my stress levels down because it'll show up on my skin.

Does your skin-care routine change when you're on tour?

It changes all the time. I have to bring my whole bathroom on tour because it all depends. If it's humid or it's dry, or it's cold or it's hot, my skin responds to everything, which is why I like to mix up my own concoctions a lot. With more natural stuff, it's easier to do that.

Do you have one thing that saves your skin?

Honestly, taking naps. I'll wash my face, put on a serum, and take a 20-minute nap. I think it has to do with resting, but when I wake up, my skin feels supple, and there's a glow to it.

How do you find time for self-care? I know you have a busy schedule.

I just take every moment that I can to breathe consciously and be mindful of my breath. Turning off my phone, putting it on Do Not Disturb mode. We actually do have a lot of time to ourselves. I think when we're always on our phones, we can feel like there's a lot going on with answering emails or [being] on social media. But if you really took the time to just be in your bed and not on your phone, you'll notice there are a lot of moments that you can just have for yourself. That has helped a lot.

When did you first understand yourself to be beautiful?

When I had my daughter. I just saw how beautiful she was. When I first held her in my hands, I cried because she was so beautiful. Being a mom, my daughter could come home from school looking crazy, and she's always going to look beautiful to me. She made me realize, 'Oh I made you,' and she looks so much like me when I was younger. She's made me aware of how well I treat myself too. I have to lead by example and show her that I'm comfortable in my own skin. Through her, I see so much of myself. It's deeper than skin-deep. It's the whole person that makes someone beautiful and all the unique qualities, not just the appearance. She's helped me see the beauty in everyone everywhere.

What are some ways you've helped her feel beautiful?

I let her know that she's beautiful. She has really thick, curly hair, and I love it. I'm always telling her, "You have beautiful hair." A few years ago, she wanted it to be straightened, she mentioned some stuff about blonde hair, and I let her know, "You have such beautiful, strong hair. People would love to have your hair." Even when she's playing makeup, I'm like, "This is cute, you look good, but you don't need it."

My mom didn't let me touch my eyebrows. I was bushy as hell for a long, long time.

I was the youngest, so I was under the radar a lot. I could just do things. It was more so my older sisters who would say, "Who did that to you?" and I would be like, "Me!" I had a unibrow, so once I took a razor and just shaved down the middle. My eyebrows were super far apart. I thought that was how you did it.

Any beauty lessons you're teaching your daughter intentionally or unintentionally?

Water, vegetables, take your vitamin C. Wash your face. I make her wash her face when she gets home from school, and before she goes to sleep I have her wash her face. Sometimes I can tell she didn't really wash her face so I wash her face for her. She actually got her first facial a few weeks ago. Just hygiene. Wash your hands. I'm on her about all of that. She won't wash her hands and touch her face, and now she has a little breakout, and I'm like, "See?!"