Ciara Fills Us In on Her Skincare, Self-Care, and Style Secrets

Ciara is that girl. She's made waves in the music industry for two decades, delivering hits like "1, 2 Step" and "Goodies." And her successful singing career paved the way for her to launch her own record label, Beauty Marks Entertainment, in 2017. Outside of music, Ciara's life has been equally impactful—she's a serial entrepreneur and mother to three children (Future, Sienna, and Win).

In terms of entrepreneurship, the 37-year-old multihyphenate has launched several businesses (like her skincare brand OAM and fragrance line R&C Fragrance) and inked partnerships with some of her favorite brands. Most recently, she signed on to work with the deodorant and antiperspirant brand Degree.

When I connected with the songstress over the phone, it was on the heels of her appearance at SXSW to celebrate the launch of Degree's "Live Without Limits" campaign and Unlimited by Degree antiperspirant collection. "There's nothing better than having an authentic connection to the brand," Ciara says when asked about her relationship with Degree. "I think that we all need to be able to live life without limits and go after everything that's out there for us. I think the moment we do that and have the confidence and support we need, it's game-changing. So I'm going to always use my platform to celebrate that."

On that note, Ciara chatted with me further about how she cultivates confidence and peace, what's been inspiring her lately, and the beauty and wellness secrets she swears by.

The One Thing She's Learned Since Launching OAM Skin

"It's been really fun engaging with all the consumers of OAM. I've learned there are so many people like me who feel overwhelmed about what products to use. I also learned a lot of people use body wash on their faces, as I did. That was fascinating to me because I was able to get by with that, but I had to start taking long-term [skin health] into consideration, especially because I wear makeup on my face almost every other day for work. So now, I'm on a mission to make clinical skincare simple for all."

The One Thing She's Taught Her Husband About Skincare

"I tell him he needs to wash his face consistently. He has such great skin, but he's inconsistent. I tell him, 'Babe, it's so important to wash that face every day.' I'll do it for him sometimes too, which is really fun. He's definitely had some cool OAM skincare moments with me. But if I can just get him to be consistent with it, that's a win."

The One Beauty Hack She Wishes She Knew Earlier In Her Career

"Less is more. When you're younger, you think you need to do all this extra stuff, but less is more. You can keep it simple and still pop at the same time. My makeup artist Yolanda [Frederick] and I look back [at some of my looks], and we crack up and say, 'What were we thinking?'"

The One Thing She Wants To Teach Her Kids About Wellness

"Self-care is the best care. Health is wealth. When you love yourself, especially from the inside out, you build the confidence you need to conquer the world. You can be empowered by that no matter what anyone says to you, you create your own armor. I hope my kids understand that, and I'm going to do everything I possibly can to love them and celebrate their uniqueness every day."

The One Thing She Does When She's Stressed

"I'm a big believer in praying. I'm also a big believer in doing my best to keep it light when I can. I always say, What's the fastest I can get to joy? I want my soul to be full of joy as much as possible. I try to focus on positive thoughts and see the glass half full. Being able to have perspective and speak life in the moments of adversity and challenge is so important."

The One Thing That Gives Her Peace And Confidence

"Knowing I'm loved by God and my family gives me peace. What gives me confidence is being able to overcome adversity and persevere. My entertainment company is called Beauty Marks Entertainment because [I believe] all the scars you get from the obstacles you face in life are your beauty marks. Being able to embrace life's journey—even the bad times—and learn from it really builds grit and confidence."

The One Place She Pulls From for Fashion Inspiration

"My inspiration is all over the place because I think fashion is art. When I see really cool images of fashion on Instagram, I save them. I can be looking in a magazine, and I'll get inspired. I can see someone walking down the street, and I'll get inspired. I also have to give love to my grandma. She was always dressed to the nines. She had her own seamstress, and she would sew things too. My dad and mom were also very into fashion, so I guess I could say it's in my DNA."

The One Piece of Fashion Advice She'd Give

"I love when I see people expressing themselves in a very unique, bold way. It's important to have fun and not overthink [your outfit]. The more I stopped overthinking fashion, the better I got with it. The fashion world is your oyster."

The One Thing That's Inspired Her Music Lately

"I've been inspired by life, the feelings inside of me, and the opportunity to spread love. My newest song 'Da Girls' is a female empowerment song, and it's so important to me. My mission is to empower girls around the world. I want to celebrate our independence in this song. This song allowed me to celebrate so many parts of us. I also have Lady London and Lola Brooke on the record with me—those girls are on the rise, and it makes me so proud to see them shining and be a part of their journey. They brought so much amazingness to the record, and they helped me tell the story exactly how I wanted to."