We’ve loved Nautori Naughton since her days singing in the girl group 3LW. These days the singer-turned-actress has a lead role in the hit show “Power,” where on a weekly basis she serves up chocolate beauty realness with some serious street cred. And, if you’re as much of a “Power” fanatic as we are here in the ESSENCE office, then you’re dying to see the season 3 premiere on June 6.
To tide you over until the season starts, we sat daown with Naughton to chat about her favorite beauty bargains, product obsessions and any makeup faux pas she’s experienced.
With a regular spot on primetime, it would be easy for Naughton to bask in her fame and forget her roots — but she’s still a girl from West Orange, New Jersey, at heart who frequents the hair shop she went to in her youth for her annual braided summer ‘do. She also loves drugstore beauty buys and a good “beat”-professional or done by her own hand. In short, she’s a beauty girl to her core. Check out highlights from our conversation below…
Her go to makeup look: Bold eyes with voluminous lashes.
“I am big on my eyes. I love lining [my eyes] and really accentuating them. You don’t have to do anything crazy. If you give your eyes a good line and a pop of mascara, it can bring out your entire face.”
Pro Tip: For voluminous lashes that add drama to her beauty look, she loves L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Butterfly Sculpt Mascara ($7.99, at target.com).
Her beauty tip for women of color: Don’t be afraid to experiment.
“I’m such a beauty girl –I just love to play. I love beautiful lip shades and gorgeous eyeshadows—I’m very into color. Don’t be afraid to experiment. I always tell people—especially women of color—don’t be afraid to use color on your lips. I love orange lipsticks and red lipstick with brown liner. I also learned that shading affect with lip liner — filling in your lips and also adding a pop of highlight to make them look multidimensional. Don’t be afraid to try one of those fun, funky colors that are daring. If you look at it and think it’s too bright just try it and you might be able to make it work.”
Her best beauty advice: Take care of your skin.
“Outside of makeup, I think having really clear skin is beautiful. I’m really big on exfoliating. I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover Wipes everyday after set. After that, I go home and exfoliate with my Clarisonic, which helps to really break up all of the dirt, make up, etc. Exfoliating really gives me a fresh feel, fresh look and rejuvenates my skin—those are things that I’m big on. It’s not just about makeup, it’s about feeling good in your makeup. You have to care about your skin. If you don’t take care of it trust me, it will start to show no matter how many pounds of makeup you put on yourself.”
Her biggest beauty faux pas: Going to sleep with a full face of makeup
“I never recommend sleeping in a full beat. It’s so important to go to sleep with clean skin.”
Pro Tip: If you’re feeling lazy one night, or simply too tired to make the trek to the bathroom, it’s okay to cheat every once in a while and cleanse with a wipe instead. Try Naughton’s favorite: Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover Wipes.