Carlacia Grant’s Guide to Supermodel-Inspired Glam, From Shade Matching to Sun-Kissed Contour

“It takes a few years to really find a good routine and know what your skin likes, what [it] doesn’t like, [and] in what order to put stuff in,” says Outer Banks star Carlacia Grant. “You’ll become best friends with your skin once you try it, and you’ll be like, ‘Okay, bestie—do we like this today?’ and she’ll tell you.” 

So what exactly does the 32-year-old actor do to maintain her radiant complexion? In today’s edition of Vogue’s beauty secrets, Grant breaks down her beauty routine, from hydrating skin care to her shade-matching strategy. 

To start, Grant protects her hair with a wrap strip before beginning with a chunk of African Beauty rock soap and Thayers witch hazel toner. “I have really dry skin; anything that hydrates is perfect for moi,” she says. To quench her thirsty complexion, a sequence of hydrators—Neutrogena’s hyaluronic acid-infused gel cream, a sheet mask and plumping serum by Lancôme, Milk Makeup under-eye patches, and Tatcha’s weightless moisturizer —does the trick. A veil of Black Girl Sunscreen’s signature formula and a slick of lip balm complete her skin prep.

Now, Grant is ready to start her golden bronze makeup look. “A lot of the looks that I do [are] inspired by like Iman [and] Naomi Campbell,” she says. “I am obsessed with dark skin supermodels, and I study all of them.” In proper supermodel form, first is a sculpted contour courtesy of Fenty Beauty’s Match Stix swiped precisely along her forehead, nose, and cheeks. “Being a Black girl, I didn’t always have foundations available for people who look like me and like my complexion, so sometimes it’s so hard trying to find the right match,” she explains while mixing together two shades of Giorgio Armani foundation, which she proceeds to buff around her contour. “I’m Jamaican, Haitian, and Indian—you can see all those colors reflected in my skin which is kind of like how we have to mix so many colors.” Then, concealer and loose powder complete her coverage. 

For a sun-kissed glow, Grant relies on a combination of highlighter, powder bronzer, and a Pat McGrath Labs terracotta-hued blush, while a brow pencil perfects her arches and a half lash curler and mascara awakens her gaze. Lips, on the other hand, are accentuated by a warm liner, lipstick, and gloss trio. “What’s a good makeup routine without smelling good?” she poses before giving herself a final spritz of Kilian’s floral perfume. Point taken!