By Jessica Defino via Allure Magazine

IF SHE LOOKS LIT FROM WITHIN, IT’S BECAUSE SHE IS. THE MUSICIAN BEGINS HER BEAUTY ROUTINE WITH HER SPIRIT. SHE MOISTURIZES FROM THERE.

I have always had a lot of challenges with my skin. I thought skin was supposed to get better after 18, 20, 22; you’re supposed to be clear of that skin shit. But here I was, almost 30, and I still had this really teenage-like skin issue and it was so frustrating. My skin started to get better when I had my first son. I remember I got very healthy, knowing that there was a being growing inside of me. I thought about water a lot more. I would say I was probably up to at least about a gallon of water a day. [With] my prenatal vitamins, you could just see an instant difference. On the diet side, I already didn’t eat meat or dairy because of my singing, but I was starting to be more conscious about food—more clean, more green.

Another thing I remember was I was so eager to clear the negative people. Any negative people or toxic energy, I was like, “They gotta go!” Between what I was actually taking into my body and what I was energetically taking into my body, I remember that it was a huge catalyst to starting to have better skin. That’s where this idea of “soul care” started to dawn on me and make sense. In so many ways our confidence truly does affect how we appear to others and to ourselves and how we walk in the world—what you bring with you, your spirit and your energy. We talk about skin care and hair care and nail care and body care and all the cares, but we never talk about soul care, and that’s what makes you the most beautiful.

I love how [crystals] fit in my journey of whatever frequency it is that I need to turn up. Sometimes it’s peace and calm, sometimes it’s clarity. I think we’ve all become fascinated with rollers for the face—I have, for sure—and the first offering [from my brand, Keys Soulcare, includes] this obsidian roller that is so gorgeous. The obsidian is the stone for strength. What I like to do is dip the roller in ice and use it, especially under the eyes. I also like to put it with this superlight Transformation Cream.

I usually need quite a strong cleanser, a little more clinical. One of the skin cleansers I use is the Osmosis Deep Clean Detox Cleanser. I love mists and sprays. I use the Sacred Rose Water mist. The scent has these beautiful roses. Roses are heart-opening. I’ll spray it on my face after I cleanse and it really feels good. I think that’s a really important part of things too. What feels good? Do what feels good. The lip ointment that [Keys Soulcare is] creating is the one I’m using all the time. Prior to that, I really loved Papaw Ointment. Anything else I’m like, “It’s not working!”

Because I have very curly hair it definitely needs a great moisturizer. When my hair is overworked, or it’s been in a lot of styles, or if I’ve used a lot of gel, or if it’s needing to be revived, maybe once a week I’ll do a hair mask. I’ll even sleep in it overnight and wash it out in the morning. I love a scalp massage, for sure. If I am getting a regular massage, I always beg for a scalp massage. For me, I will also use jojoba oil or argan oil and moisturize the middle part of my scalp, which is always quite dry.

[Keys Soulcare also makes] this unbelievable candle. It’s sage and oat milk. Together they have this soothing, clarifying peace. When I’m lighting a candle I always set an intention. In my head I’ll just say, Today, I’m going to feel more joy than I ever felt. If it’s in the evening, Tonight, I will relax completely and let everything go that’s worrying me. I really learned how to believe in things like that. That’s something I didn’t know for a long time because I was always trying to hold things in or protect myself or not give away too much. I didn’t realize in a lot of ways I was not being clear about what it was I needed. If I’ve had a hard day, or hard week, or I’m feeling extra judgmental or dealing with a lot, [I will set the intention], Today I’m going to have ultimate clarity about what I need. You can make an intention and ask for whatever you need to receive.

Mantras are an amazing part of my routine. “I accept myself as I am” is a big one because sometimes we feel very guilty. We feel guilty about how we look or what we just ate. There are all these guilt trips we go on and this is a reminder to myself that I accept myself as I am, right now, whatever that is. I don’t have to fix it and change it and switch it. In 2016, [when I started going makeup-free], it really dawned on me that I was subscribing to this thing that I didn’t want to and I didn’t even believe in. Here I am, you know, I’m “A Woman’s Worth,” I’m a “Superwoman,” I’m a “Girl on Fire,” and as far as I was concerned, I was a superfeminist. I didn’t even realize that I had been internalizing that unrealistic standard. It didn’t reflect who I am. It doesn’t reflect who any woman is, really.

What I realized it’s about—what it’s always been about—is being able to define for yourself how you feel in a particular moment, rather than feeling you have to fit in for the approval of anyone else. Period.

Alicia's Keys

1. Dr Pawpaw Tinted Multipurpose Soothing Balm

2. Osmosis MD Deep Clean Detox Cleanser

3.Sacred Rose Water Body Mist & Aromatherapy

4. Keys Soulcare Skin Transformation Cream

5.Keys Soulcare Obsidian Facial Roller