With the #CacaoBeautySecret interview series, get to know our favorite influencers and community members in 16 short questions. Together, we take a closer look at their beauty routines to get inspired and unleash OUR beauty on OUR own terms. Tag us (@cacaoskincare) in a skincare selfie on instagram with the hashtag #CacaoBeautySecrets to share with us your favorite beauty secrets and a chance to be featured on our pages.
We’ve talked with Influencer and tik toker Myriam and she shared some of her favorite beauty tips. Now let’s get into it !
MEET MYRIAM:
2. What would be the title of your Autobiography ?
and the 3rd one is the three little shooting stars ✨"
For pimples, I have a recommendation:
- Don't touch them.
- moisturize and don't touch the acne"
"Acne has been my burden and ultimately it has allowed me today to grow and do something exciting and super cool. Also, the fact that I worked in the health sector, my personal experience with acne, where I know I'm not the only one, and being a child of the internet allowed me to launch myself on Tik Tok, it's fire, and I managed to do something clean because I chose to talk about skincare in this way. Everyone is good, there is no better or worse."
5. What does self care mean for you?
6. How would you define Beauty ?
" Beauty is rather something external and the problem is that it is subjective. That's what people and society tend to forget. With beauty, everyone will find someone or something beautiful because it is his taste and there are different tastes and nature is made of many things and thankfully it is like that. "
MYRIAM 'S BEAUTY SECRETS
7. What’s your skincare routine (day & night) ?
"Even if I talk about skincare 24/7, I use 3 or 4 products maximum, I do the strict minimum.
In the morning :
First, I use the Omega + Complex Cleansing Balm from Paula's Choice, as a makeup remover. I used to use Elemis which costs a little more but is great.
Then , I clean my face, right now ,I"m use the cleanser of Eucerin which is anti-blemish but it can be any cleanser as long as it does not strip my skin."
After that, I go on to my treatment which is delivered by prescription so it's not something you can buy, you have to go to the doctor. My doctor gave me Differin and Cutacnyl because I have acne-prone skin and since I have Dermatillomania, my skin is not clear. In these products, there are two active ingredients:
- Benzoyl peroxide, which works extremely well for acne and has been studied for that
and the second one
- Adapalene is a retinoid, very good for blackheads and to renew the skin quickly. By using both, we kill two birds with one stone: pimples, scars and uniformity of the skin. It dries a little but when you get used to it and the skin gets used to it, it's good.
I use this treatment once every two days, only in the evening.
And I also use a moisturizer, it is quite thick, it is the Cicavit by SVR, it is soothing and healing. "
At night :
"In the evening it's the same routine.
I have been following this routine for 6 or 7 months now and it works for me continuously. It suits me. Since I use a treatment from a doctor, which does a lot on its own, there is no point in adding more steps.
Especially when you have pathologies like acne or rosacea, although some products can help, you should not forget the doctor."
8. Do you prefer testing new beauty products always or having a fixed routine?
Yes and no. Because of my job, I receive a lot of products and I test them but not all the time on my face. I can test them on my body too. As I said at the beginning, I have Dermatillomania which makes me have pimples and scars on my arms too, especially in summer. So when I have anti-spot, anti-acne products, I put them on my arm. Even if the skin is a little different between the face and the body, I can still determine if I like a product or not. I also analyze the list of ingredients and I have people close to me test the products as well.
So I test myself on my face cleansers, make-up remover balms, and creams and for specific anti-aging and anti-stain, anti-acne actives, I am careful because of my treatment.
9. Do you prefer yourself with Makeup or without it?
I prefer myself without makeup when I look in the mirror but when I want to take a picture, I prefer myself with it. So I think I like myself both ways but it depends when. Without 70% and the rest make up.
10. What beauty product can’t you go without ?
"The first because it is essential for everyone: Sunscreen. It moisturizes and protects at the same time. After all, your skin already knows how to do everything by itself, you just need to protect it so that you don't develop problems like melanoma.
But if we want to talk about skincare it's the Azelaic Acid Booster from Paula's Choice. I've been emptying it out. It's great because Azelaic Acid is a gentle acid, it's not going to be irritating, it's going to target redness and spots so it's great for sensitive skin, first time users or to incorporate into a treatment routine."
11. Do you use beauty products from African Brands or brands by Afro-descendants? If not, why not? If yes, which ones?
" Yes and no. There is a brand that I checked that is linked to an African community it's MyTopicals. Impossible to get it in France without going through a carrier and it's the Faded cream for spots. It is excellent. In France, in skincare, I have no idea which brands are black owned or come from Africa or the African diaspora. It's a pity because there are a lot of interesting actives that are exported from Africa. In the oriental culture, there is Rhassoul but you can just say that the active comes from there but there is no info on specific brands."
12. Which beauty advice would you give yourself at thirteen years old?
"Not to focus too much on my acne. When I was 13, I didn't have a lot of acne, but that's all I could see, so I would touch it. That's how I developed Dermatillomania. And because of this focus and the spots, I had to do Roaccutane twice.
So I would tell myself to accept myself and that acne comes and goes. Not to touch my face or put foundation everywhere. For example, to pick up my brothers and sisters from school, not even three minutes away from my house, I had to wear makeup because I was touching my pimples and I had spots.
I started to accept myself recently I think, since 3-4 years. I realized that I see myself in the mirror but people are not close enough to see what I see and even if they are close it is not what they are looking at. They don't focus on it. This way of thinking has allowed me to stop using makeup to hide myself and to tell myself that there are others who have pimples too and that it's okay."
13. Can you share with us the best compliment you’ve ever been given and who it was from?
"I stuck it there, because it's a post-it. We had made a game to break the ice when I was still doing my Masters and we had to put 4 compliments, 4 nice things about the person in front of us and at the end we got to discover what was written about us. So the others wrote it and we found out at the end of the game. I kept it, I think because it really pleased me to be told that I was always smiling, it's silly, there's nothing special about it but I think it reflects my personality well. To be open and honest. This compliment stayed with me and i this post-it. "
14. What is your favorite part of your self-care routine ?
It's removing my makeup. I love using balms to remove makeup. It's my favorite kind of makeup remover, they take everything off and it's nice, it's gentle like a massage to your face.
15. The best way for you to decompress and relax?
With ASMR, small pleasant noises that help me de-stress. I really like the sounds of little drops, of humid sounding sound or little whispers. I even put them in my headphones to work, it helps me focus. When it's background noise, it relaxes me.
16. What is the best beauty secret you have ever received? Who gave it to you?
It's the sunscreen. No one gave me this advice but when I started working in a pharmaceutical laboratory that makes medications for cancers such as melanoma, which is skin cancer, I made the connection about the importance of sunscreen. It is the element that will allow you to stay looking youthful, when you expose yourself to too much sun, especially with fair skin, you get wrinkled, you have spots everywhere and there are risks of cancer. For me, this is the best advice to avoid damaging your skin.