Fashion

10 Ways to Look and Feel As Beautiful as Lupita Nyong'o

For the first time in forever, it seems the entire world is in agreement about People's pick for 2014's most beautiful person because, well, is there even a question? 2014 will go down as the year that Lupita Nyong'o won over the hearts of everyone with her flawless beauty and infectious personality. While it seems futile to even try and be anywhere near as gorgeous as the Oscar winner, you can't blame a girl for trying, right? Should you choose to take on this conquest with me, here are 10 ways to look and feel more like Lupita Nyong'o, as advised by the goddess herself.

Don't Be Afraid to Give Your Face a Break from Makeup

As much as we depend on makeup to help cover our flaws on a daily basis, it’s important to let your skin breathe. Nyong’o told Essence magazine, “I don’t wear makeup when I’m not working on the red carpet. Except for a night out here and there… but I try to give my skin a break.”

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Use Natural Oils on Your Face

In an interview with Glamour, Lupita Nyong’o shared her secret to maintaining her perfect complexion: “I love using natural oils. I use avocado oil and Hawaiian kukui oil on my face.”

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Drink Lots of Water

While massaging oils onto your face is pretty simple, an even easier way to hydrate your skin like Nyong’o is to drink lots and lots of water. She told Racked, “Try to drink lots of water. I think your skin really needs to be nourished from the inside rather than outside.”

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Eat Well, But Don't Forget About Tacos

In addition to drinking lots of water, Nyong’o suggests having a healthy diet, too. In the same interview with Racked, she said “[Eating right] really goes a long way.” But that doesn’t mean it’s all kale and quinoa. Nyong’o shared her pre-red carpet meal with CNN and it might surprise you. ”To this day, I love eating steak tacos before going to the red carpets.” After all, the girl was born in Mexico.

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Keep Your Hairstyle Simple

People’s most beautiful person doesn’t have time to spend fussing with her ‘do, so when it comes to picking a hairstyle, the easier the better. She told Glamour why she decided to chop off all her hair, saying, “I just got fed up going to the salon every week. I’d had enough! On a whim, it was off. It’s low-maintenance.” She also told Racked, ”I don’t want to be in front of the mirror for two hours before I leave the house every day.”

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Get Massages

Being beautiful is hard work. Learn to relax and treat yourself with a massage every once in a while, especially when faced with stressful situations. Nyong’o swears by them, saying she “always, always” gets one before hitting the red carpet.

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Wear Lip Balm

You may remember when Ellen De Generes stole Lupita Nyong’o’s lip balm from her at the Oscars. Of course, immediately after it happened, the entire world wanted to know what product it was. To achieve Nyong’o’s perfect pout, use HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm from Clarins.

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Don't Be Afraid to Experiment with Color

If you’ve been following Lupita Nyong’o’s rise to fame, then you know she doesn’t shy away from being bold when it comes to her beauty. She told Glamour, “I love color. I’m enjoying trying all different shades.”

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Listen to Your Mother

We often ignore the compliments we receive from our moms because, well, they’re our moms. But Nyong’o says she still remembers the first time she was told she was beautiful and it was from her mother. She also credits her mother for telling her that beauty isn’t something you can buy or eat, but rather, something that she “just had to be.”

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Remember That Beauty Comes From Within

After receiving the Best Breakthrough Performance award at the 7th Annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, Nyong’o gave an incredible speech about what beauty means to her. She said, “You can’t rely on how you look to sustain you. What does sustain us… what is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul.”

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