Blair Imani on Her Fave LGBTQ+ Orgs and Beauty Hacks

Skimm Her Life is a series in our weekly newsletter, Skimm Your Life, where smart women share their favorite products. 

We’ve got writer, mental health advocate, and historian Blair Imani here to Skimm Her Life. She’s one of our fave Insta follows and is known for her #SmarterInSeconds series, where she covers tough topics around race, politics, and identity. If you wanna support her you can check out her collection of lip sets with Fempower Beauty or order her latest book. Keep on reading for her recs…

Self-care product I can’t live without…A foam roller for my lower back. Absolute necessity.

Three items I always have in my bag…Fempower lipstick, Face Reality SPF 30 lotion, and an Olive & June nail file.

Best book I’ve read recently…“Embrace Yoga's Roots” by Susanna Barkataki. She has an excellent approach to informing people about the history and present of the ancient practice of yoga. With cultural appropriation of yoga being so rampant, Barkataki addresses these issues head-on with love, compassion, and understanding. 

Fave LGBTQ+ orgs to support…In order to accomplish truly intersectional advice it’s important to keep in mind that there’s no “one-stop shop” for LGBTQ+ advocacy. I support many different initiatives including the Tegan and Sara Foundation, the Okra Project, Rainbow Railroad, and the National Black Justice Coalition. And while organizations like these are crucial, it’s also important to participate in direct giving and all of the many ways we can directly support and hire LGBTQ+ people year round. 

Best beauty hack…I love to use lipstick for every part of my makeup: lips, eyeshadow, and blush. My favorite color to do this with is my Smarter Lip Sets in Ujamaa. 

Go-to product to take off my makeup…La Roche-Posay micellar water.

Fave book(s) highlighting LGBTQ-centric stories…“The Deviant’s War” by Eric Cervini and “Queer Love in Color” by Jamal Jordan.

Best public speaking advice…Remember who you are. Instead of memorizing, try thinking about your speech as a story you’re telling. It doesn’t have to be exact, but it should be engaging and compelling. Just remember that if there is someone in the audience rooting for you to do badly that’s on them, not you. And drink plenty of water.

Psst: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.