From her iconic role as the adorable Diane Johnson on ABC’s Black-ish to becoming the youngest person to ever product a studio film, creating her own nail line, Mari, and now, in her latest endeavor, becoming a global ambassador for Clinique, at 19 years old, Marsai Martin has truly done it all.
At not even 20 years old, the Texas-native just recently became a global brand ambassador for Clinique and, true to her entrepreneurial spirit, her role with the company is more involved than simply being the face, as she is actively involved with social media production and more. Celebrating the launch of Clinique’s new Hi-Fi Full Volume Mascara ($27) last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Martin to discuss her new relationship with the brand and all things beauty, from the makeup hack she’s been using since she was 12 to her biggest beauty regret.
You have a ton of experience in the beauty industry already, but was there anything in particular from your personal beauty journey that inspired you to partner with Clinique?
“Oh there’s so many reasons, but if I could choose one thing it would have to be the fact that Clinique has been around for so long, and it’s still top tier in the skin and makeup industry. When it comes to brands that are timeless and classic, yet they are constantly innovating, those are the type of brands that I like to lean towards, and that’s why I was drawn to Clinique. My family has known about Clinique for so long, too—I remember seeing Clinique products in the drawer at home or on my grandma’s counter for year, so it was a mix of all of that, but just the fact that it is such a classic and it’s been in my life for so long, that was a very important to me.”
In terms of current beauty trends, are there any viral beauty moments you’re really loving?
“Whenever I get these questions, I feel like I’m an old lady because I feel like I never really know the trends, but I will say, even though it’s not a super new trend, I do have something that I consider to be like the best hack in the world. I know it’s simple, but you know the hack where you put tape under your eyes and then you take it off and it’s like a beautiful cut crease? I learned that when I was like 12 and I have kept that ever since. It never fails.”
What would you consider the biggest beauty mistake you’ve ever made?
“The biggest beauty mistake I’ve ever made is definitely when I messed up my brows by putting Nair on them. I literally got a chemical burn. Oh, and it was right before a premiere because I just wasn’t paying attention to the time, and that was the beginning of my natural skin-care journey. Now, I don’t use any chemicals because I was like, ‘that was messed up.’ I was very hurt.”
That sounds so painful! Speaking of your skin-care journey, what are your favorite skin-care products right now?
“My favorite skincare product is definitely Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm ($38) by Clinique. It’s such a beautiful cleansing balm and it’s something that can be wiped away so quickly, especially after a long day. I also love a good toner and different serums, because we’re just getting out of the summer, right, and we want to make sure those dark spots are gone, so those are all very important.”
