Beauty Around the Clock: Tiffany Haddish

Welcome to Beauty Around the Clock, Marie Claire's weekly peek into the daily routines of some of the most game-changing women in their industries. Ever wonder how they get it all done in a day? Here's your answer.

There’s something refreshing about Tiffany Haddish. She’s not here to please anyone and is extremely unapologetic about it. Her jovial personality is reflected in her work, which spans a multitude of standup comedy specials, TV shows, books, movies, and more recently, a children’s book titled Layla, the Last Black Unicorn, which depicts an awkward main character who learns why her uniqueness is her biggest strength.

Similarly, Haddish gets her strength from doing things that are uniquely her. She enjoys gardening—including talking to her plants and, yes, sharing jokes with them too!—cooking, and is adamant about moving her body. She’s also the brand ambassador for Vitafusion, a perfect complement to her love for health. In fact, every move the actress makes aligns with her passion for putting positive energy into the universe, one laugh at a time. 

I recently sat with the 42-year-old and got a bird’s eye view of what it’s like to be the Tiffany Haddish. She didn’t disappoint. Between laughs and giggles, she shared how she maintains her beauty routine and who she wishes was her R.L. boyfriend.

Rise and Shine

When I wake up in the morning. I thank God. I pray. I'm usually so glad I woke up because everybody doesn't get to wake up, and I think that's a success. Everybody's like, "What's your biggest success?" I say, "Waking up every day."

My day usually starts early. I wake up about 6:00 or 7:00, so I'm in the thick of things about 8:00. It's full steam ahead. I like to stretch and stuff, too, before I start working. And then I try to find some time in the day to sweat. I have to sweat every day.

And then I wash my face and drink a bunch of alkaline water. I also light candles at the beginning of the day because they smell good. Sometimes, I’ll set an intention, write it down and throw it in the candle. Or, I’ll write down something really mean in my journal to get it off my chest. I know it's going to hurt somebody's feelings if they see it, so I tear that page out and I burn it in the candle.

Morning Maintenance

I like to use coconut oil to wash my face in the mornings, but I will also use Tatcha's rice powder. Or I'll use Lori Harvey's face cleanser. I change it up all the time. I keep surprising my body. And I'm not about harsh chemicals either. Although I will create a coconut oil and baking soda cleanser for my face and my elbows.

Also I found this soap on Amazon made of pure spearmint gum, turpentine, and olive oil and I use it wash my body and face with. My skin is so soft. People always say, "Wow, your skin's so soft." And it’s really because I take care of it.

I also don't touch breakouts or pimples; I just let them be. When I get a pimple, I usually continue with my regular routine. I actually had one burst this morning while I was in the shower and it oozed out all kinds of stuff. Sometimes I’ll grab one of the pimple stickers. Any brand will do. They work!

Power Start

Before I perform on stage, I say to myself, “Baby daddy, baby daddy, baby daddy, baby daddy, baby daddy, baby daddy.” The point is, I say what I don't want really fast, so I get what I want.

I don't want a baby daddy! And I don't want [to pay] child support! But saying this also helps me to stutter less. I really enunciate it, and move my mouth to say the words. When I say, “child support, child support, child support” it really opens everything up. Again, the intention of me doing that is to relax my face so that I can say whatever I need to say. 

Then I pray to God to give me his divine order and to allow the words that come out of my mouth to inspire people to laugh and feel joy.

Signature Look

I like to keep my makeup routine simple. I’ll wear eyelashes, a little eyeliner, and some chapstick or lip gloss. I like to keep my lips soft. I don't really like wearing foundation, but I will for special events.

Fitness Fix

I love doing squats. But, [the amount of squats] changes every day. If I know I'm going [to be busy], and not going to have a lot of time to really work out, I will say, "Every time you use the restroom, you have to do 25 squats." I’ll mess around and do 200 squats in a day because I drink so much water, I have to keep going to the restroom. So 25 squats here, 25 squats there. It adds up!

Self-Care Ritual

To relax, I just sit quietly, don't talk to anybody. When I come home, I'm pretty relaxed for the most part. I like to get in my garden, that usually takes away any negative energy I'm feeling, because I pull out all the weeds and talk mess to the plants. 

When somebody pisses me off, I'll say [to the plants], "Can you believe Carol said that? This is stupid!" I like gardening and planting things I can eat. In my backyard I have collard greens, kale, cilantro, celery, parsley, cabbage, watermelon, and lemon and orange trees. Also I just planted some seedlings for cucumbers. Oh, and I have mint that I'm constantly fighting with because it wants to take over everything.

Speaking of food, I don't eat a lot of meat anymore, but I will get a hankering for some brisket or beef barbecue ribs. And I love to make them in the oven or in my smoker. It makes me so happy. The oven recipe I got from my mom, but the smoker recipe is mine.

My barbecue ribs are so good. You know, the kind that slips off the bone? I'm getting hungry right now. My tummy just went, "What? We get ribs? We haven't had ribs in so long." I made some last month, right before my cycle. Usually before my cycle, I want to eat a lot of meat, but I've been good this month.

Hair Help

The best hair advice I can give is to hire someone to do your hair. But, seriously, sometimes I'll do my own hair, and it doesn't turn out so great. 

Currently my 4C hair is dyed and I put a little relaxer in it, so it's very, very fragile. So I'm always constantly putting leave-in conditioners and moisturizers in it. I really like Cantu Argan Oil Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream the best.

Signature Scent

Goop sent me a candle that says, 'This Is What Tiffany's Orgasms Smell Like.' And that candle has an amazing scent of peaches and plums. I never noticed my orgasms to have a smell, but if that's my scent, fantastic!

Beauty Icon

[I don't have an] icon, but Jesse Williams is my boyfriend. Okay fine, in reality, my boyfriend is someone no one knows, but Jessie Williams is my boyfriend in my head.

P.M. Routine

Before I go to bed at night, I like to journal. I also like to take my Vitafusion multi+ beauty and melatonin gummies because they usually help me sleep really well.  I don't really like taking a lot of pills because they are hard to swallow. But these taste good, even after you brush your teeth.

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