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She’s made learning about history, society, identity, and even politicsfun.
Courtesy Blair Imani
Full disclosure: I’ve known Imani for years.
Allure: You’ve always showed up very authentically on social media makeup or not, hijab or hat.
Blair Imani:Sometimes it’s really deliberate.
Courtesy Blair Imani
For example, on myvideo on Abraham Lincoln.
I wore a turban but turned the hijab into a beard!
I was just having fun, but that was a genius move.
Courtesy Blair Imani
Allure:How do you choose from your incredible collection of hijabs?
BI:I have too manyhijabs!
There’s two primary fabrics Jersey fabric, and the chiffon, silkier fabric.
Courtesy Blair Imani
For “Smarter in Seconds,” I alternate between solid colors to keep the range going.
I don’t know why but I think it looks good!
There’s a collection for day-to-day, and then there’s a collection for events and filming and camera.
I love wearing bright-colored shirts, which are usually from vintage collections.
Some of my favorite hijabs are fromLina Zibdeh.
I also love to wear bright red lipstick!
My favorite brand for my lips isFempower Beauty.
What is your relationship with your skin, and can you share your skin-care routine?
BI:Acneis a puzzle!
Mine is really related to my stress and hormones.
The best thing I did to cut down on stress was cutting caffeine out of my life.
I already have anxiety and panic disorder.
My body does not respond well to caffeine and I’m finally listening.
I recently learned that during my menstrual cycle, I have higher levels of testosterone.
So, the bang out ofcystic acneI have is because of the rising levels of testosterone.
It’s just what my body does when I’m menstruating.
At the end of the day, cystic acne isn’t a threat to my health.
I’ve gotten to a place during the pandemic where I’m just more chill about my acne.
I need to remind myself that I am beautiful regardless of my acne, because I am!
Ive been trying out a lot of different methods to care for my acne.
My go-to skin-care routine on a daily basis is from theFace Realityskin-care line.
In total there are seven steps to the routine.
I first take off my makeup with coconut oil.
After removing my makeup, I follow up withdouble washing.
When I need a mask I use the products from a local Pasadena aesthetician named Ella Bickart.
I’ve learned to scrub lightly when washing.
After doing the double wash, I use a toner from Face Reality.
Then, I do anice roller.
Its a metal roller that I store in the fridge and it really helps to calm my skin down.
I kind of thought it was nonsense, but it does calm [my] inflammation.
I end withFace Reality Mandelic Serumor theTulip Dew Drops from Bloomeffects.
This routine keeps my skin really hydrated.
Have you experienced the same, and if so, what has been helpful for you?
BI:I have a nutritionist,Gillian Young.
She’s really cool and works with sleep/night eating.
I have alcohol use disorder, and when I became sober, my eating became disordered.
As someone who is Muslim, Ramadan can be a really hard time.
What does life for Blair look like on the day-to-day level?
BI:I met my best friendRen Fernandez Kimin college in 2013.
Now we both live in LA and she recently officially became my paid assistant!
We were both extremely unemployed because of the pandemic.
So, when I went viral, I asked Ren if I could hire them and they said yes.
We are a dream team!
My week is really planned out.
Ren comes over on Mondays and we catch up on things from the week before.
We take breaks for lunch and drink lots of water.
Ren will actually refuse to continue working if I dont stop and eat.
Allure:What does it look like on the opposite side of your camera while you film?
BI:Behind my camera, it’s usually a mess of wardrobe changes.
On the couch behind where Im filming, there are like three outfits ready to go.
People love the colors, so I match the color of the caption to the color of my hijab.
Ren is usually behind the scenes to feed me lines.
Why is it important for you as an influencer to build together with a team?
Sometimes creators do it all themselves but that’s so stressful!
If I’m being paid, I want to confirm others are being paid.
It’s the way that I practiced something called Ujamaa or the Afrocentric socialist methodology of cooperative economics.
you’re able to’t cherish people unless youre also helping them take care of themselves.
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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
