Beauty: Taraji P. Henson

WHO’S GUIDE TO THE LATEST COSMETIC CONFECTIONS AND TRENDS With Toni Hynes

The Empire actress shares her secrets to looking flawless in your 40s

Do you feel like you have to make an effort before leaving

the house? Because of this thing called fame, I can’t get caught looking crazy. So even if I’m running to the store, I’m going to make myself look pretty. At the very least I apply mascara and a lip balm, gloss or nude lipstick—you never know [who will ask], “Can I get a picture?” Do you take a lot of care with your hair? My hair is natural now and I love it. For Empire I use wigs. I keep my hair braided in lots of teeny cornrows, so the wigs fit on my head. When I take them out, I’ll sit under a steamer while I deep condition my hair. Do you like keeping your nails

natural? Onscreen, [while playing Cookie] I wear stick-on nails. When they yell “It’s a wrap,” I leave them there along with her wigs and I turn back into Taraji. Before bed I put oil on my cuticles. I have all different kinds in my bathroom.

What is your go-to look? I just love playing with makeup—but I don’t ever want [my look] to be too much. You’ve got to balance things out. I have really big, expressive eyes, so if I do a bold eye then I go softer on the lips. What makes you feel beautiful? Getting my eyebrows done. In college, before I realised that less is more, mine were a mess—kind of thick and bushy with a high arch, and I would pencil them in. When I look back at pictures, my eyebrows were really coming at you! How do you keep your makeup

natural? I’m all about dewy skin, but I don’t want to look like I spent an hour getting ready. I want to look like I woke up like this. So I use a highlighter on my cheekbones. You can also dust it on other places you want to accentuate, like your clavicle. That’s sexy.