Don’t let anyone tell you TikTok can’t get you places. Just look at Addison Rae, a one-time teenage competitive dancer who parlayed TikTok dancing into nearly 75 million followers, a leading role in the upcoming film He’s All That, a podcast, and the beauty brand Item Beauty—all in just over a year’s time.

Just as quick has been the Lafayette, Louisiana native’s transformation into a quintessential L.A. girl. (See: matcha-filled mornings; a newfound battle with desert-dry skin; and a tendency toward essential oils and meditation, of course.) But no matter how deep her love of avocados, the 20 year-old’s approach to self-care includes bedrock values instilled in her long before she became the second most followed account on TikTok.

Chief among them? Prioritizing connections with family and friends and forging personal growth through self-love. Ahead, see how she weaves long-standing California wellness trends with her Southern roots for a life lead in happiness and health. Plus, the new makeup boss gives us her picks for that L.A. glow—all in her own words.

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Source: Instagram

What Self-Care Really Means to Her

“Self-care is to me is accomplishing things that I really want to do and spending my time really wisely, so setting monthly and everyday intentions or goals for myself is a big thing. The other big part of self-care is about connections; Being very open and vulnerable with people is a great way to teach yourself how to love. Because the only way you can love yourself is if you give love to other people and the only way to receive it is to love yourself, too.

I just recently started writing down affirmations in the morning. It’s a great way to give myself a confidence boost because if I don’t love myself and believe something positive about myself, then how will anyone else? Recently, even just being in quarantine, there have been days where I was like, I wish I was doing more to care about my body and eating better. What’s one thing I can do to make myself feel better? So I take steps to make myself feel better and that can include telling myself, ‘You’re healthy. You’re alive. You’re great.'”

Source: Instagram

Her Major Moves

“A lot has changed in my life in the last year. I moved across the country from Louisiana to Los Angeles and that’s done a lot of different things to my body and skin. That move has made me focus on skincare and making my body feel well.

Lately, I’ll wake up in the morning and have matcha—it’s my favorite thing in the world right now. I’m sure I’ll grow tired of it because of how much I’m drinking, but I love an iced matcha latte with lavender in it. So I drink a lot of matcha, then I’ll take a shower. Obviously, I want to clean myself, but it’s more than that. It’s almost my ‘me’ time and it’s become a big part of my routine as my self-care moment.”

Source: Instagram

Her Must-Have Shower Products

“Once I’m in the shower, I’ll shampoo with something like Inphenom Shampoo ($26.49 at Amazon) and really lather it in. Then, I’ll do a hair mask, like the Ouai Treatment Mask ($38 at Sephora) once a week. I’ll let that sit in my hair while I shave my legs. After I get out of the shower, I’ll use a lotion that’s really hydrating all over my body. Right now, I’m using Ouai Body Crème ($38 at Ulta). Then I’ll let my hair air dry while I do my skincare. Air drying my hair has been a big part of my self-care in quarantine, just kind of letting my hair do its own thing until I’m ready to style it.”

Source: Instagram

The Skincare Tools Swiped from Zoey Deutch

After I wash my face, I spray it with my Item Beauty One Hit Prime, Set & Refresh Dewy-Finish Face Mist. ($18 at Item Beauty). When I moved to L.A., I had to adjust how often I was washing my face or how often I needed to use moisturizer. I also had to drink more water to stay hydrated. In the south, it’s very humid, so it’s very wet already and my skin kind of likes that wetness.

But in L.A., I need something that’s refreshing for my face that’s giving me extra lift and bounce. My One Hit Mist is perfect for that, but alongside that, I’ve had to adapt to being better about really cleaning my face and making sure there’s no dirt staying on there because it’s so dry. My skin is always looking for moisture; If I keep my makeup on for too long, I’ll notice a breakout the next day.

I also love using these cool Georgia Louise Cryo Freeze Tools ($125 at Violet Grey). I saw Zoey Deutch used them before putting on her makeup in her Vogue Beauty Secrets video. These freeze tools are really good to get blood flow to my face.”

Source: Instagram

Her Item Beauty Faves

“Keeping my face hydrated is a big thing for me and using products in the makeup world that will keep my skin nice and hydrated as well. So I’m really excited about a concealer that’s coming out soon from Item Beauty called Air Hug Concealer. It’s not too thick and it’s very much a hydrating formula, so it’s not going to dry you out.

I think so many of Item Beauty products are so good for that very natural feel and like your skin isn’t suffocating underneath the makeup. We also have a new shade coming out of our Item Beauty Lip Quip Moisturizing Lip Oil ($12 at Item Beauty.) It’s not just a lipstick color; It’s actually hydrating your lips and giving you that chance to not feel so dry.”

Source: Instagram

Her Pleasure Pursuits

“I’ve always been very aware of putting my time into things that I only really enjoy and love. The past year has given me a chance to look back and reflect on the things that matter the most to me and what things I should be focused on in the day.

I do a lot of Pilates and yoga for self-care. I feel like meditation it’s really nice to refresh myself every day. I got into that because I was a dancer. YouTube is a great resource for finding yoga, pilates, and other workouts. Even TikTok has fitness workouts. You can watch a 60-second breakdown of a HIIT workout, so I feel like anything I come across that I feel like could be good for me, I’ll do.”

from StyleCaster