If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. This week, rapper Tierra Whack released her latest EP titled Rap? and launched a limited run of shoes and clothing with Vans. Still, she found the time to chat with us about the sunscreen that doesn’t leave a white cast on her skin, the necklace that reminds her of her grandmother, and the card game she plays with her entire crew.
I’ve been using this since I was a kid. We would go to the corner store and buy Blistex in the morning before school because it would be so cold. We would get ashy, so we had to make sure we were greased down and moisturized. Blistex always saved me. I carry it with me everywhere. Now, I just buy the ten-packs or whatever bulk size they have on Amazon and drop one in each bag so I’m never without it.
My makeup artist schooled me on all this skin-care stuff, especially sunscreen. She showed me this one, and before I even tried the product, I was so happy the packaging was yellow. I was like, “Okay, this looks like something I’m going to like.” I’m very easy to please. My makeup artist told me this one was really good for Black girls because our skin is a different texture, and a lot of sunscreens leave that white cast. This doesn’t. It’s smooth, and I haven’t had any hyperpigmentation since I started using it.
I wear a lot of tights, and I buy pretty much all of them on Amazon. I just type in whatever I want: rainbow, patterned, solid-color tights. I am always looking for cool prints to go with my outfits because I find that just that one small piece can make an outfit really pop. If I’m wearing a kind of plain skirt, I’ll look for maybe some checkerboard tights, and it takes the look to a whole new level. And honestly, they’re great quality. My mom always asks me, “How do you get so lucky?” They never rip on me. They’re really affordable, and with Amazon Prime, it comes the next day sometimes, so it’s good if it’s a last-minute thing, too.
Between traveling and the lifestyle I live, I have to keep my immune system strong, so I never miss a day with my vitamins. I take turmeric, lion’s mane, elderberry, maca root, ashwagandha, and some other ones. I’ve got some brain- and nerve-support ones and others for joints and muscles. The ashwagandha is one of my favorites. It really helps my nerves, especially if I have a hectic day.
If I’m on set and have a break, I ask people to join in on a game of Uno. It brings us all together, and it’s more fun than us all sitting on our phones. My hairstylist, makeup artist, photographer, and videographer all join sometimes. I usually have two friends with me, too, who always play. My engineer Hank plays sometimes, too, but I don’t like playing with him that much because he always wins. I taught him how to play, too, which sucks. I’ve been playing Uno for years, so if I teach somebody how to play, then they dominate, it kills me inside. I use regular decks, but my favorite Uno deck is by the artist Nina Chanel. The design is beautiful, and she has this “No” card, where if somebody throws out a draw card at you, you can put down the “No” card and reject it, so the card gets sent back to them. That spices up the game a lot.
There’s just something about the lavender scent. It makes me feel like everything is going to be okay when I smell it. I keep this on me at all times because it’s a dirty world out there. Any time I touch something, I use this hand sanitizer. I used to use Dr. Bronner’s body wash a lot, but when I actually read the bottle. I was so confused how you could use it on so many things. That doesn’t sit with me. They’re still in my shower, but I slowed down with using it. Their hand sanitizer, though, will always stay with me.
Listen, I’m an Amazon maniac. I’m always up late at night adding stuff to my cart because I forgot to buy something or see something I like. With these masks, I saw them on Amazon and thought they looked much better than those hospital ones. Those are so tacky to me. The black is simple and clean and goes with everything. They’re very breathable and easy. I was buying the 50-pack for a while, but now I buy the 100-pack because you don’t realize how many masks you go through, especially if you’re on the go. My mom steals my masks, too, so I need a lot.
My grandmother used to have these paintings in her house of Nefertiti. As a kid, I didn’t know who she was, but I remember asking, and my grandmother told me about her. I did my own research, too, and it stuck with me. I got this necklace and started wearing it. A few weeks before my grandmother died, I spoke with her and had the Nefertiti chain on. She was like, “Wow, I would love one of those.” I was planning on getting her one, but she passed away before I could. I wear the necklace every day now, and it reminds me of my grandmother. I have two: One I found in some random little jewelry store I don’t remember the name of, and the other was made by this jeweler guy I met who told me he could make a nicer one than what I had. But you can get them all over. Mine is just the profile of her.
Yellow is one of my favorite colors. I find so many cool things from brands in bright colors for kids, and I’m always like, “Man, I wish this was my size.” It was a dream come true to make something so cool, so bright, and so fun. These remind me of my childhood. I can style them in so many ways. You can do an all-yellow look, or you can color-block with different colors. You can throw on some fun tights or socks with them. They’re not boring, and you can wear them in the snow.
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