On gratitude, colored eyeliner and recycling

You may know her from the talk show, The Real, but I've known Jeannine Mai for years thanks to her styling skills. we caught up last week and she filled me in on her Gratitude diary, latest partnership with unilever, & favorite makeup look of all time. Did you know she used to be a mac makeup artist?

If you were to set a daily morning intention, what would it be?

Honestly, I have such a crazy schedule so every day I make it a point to find time for myself and regroup. Each morning, I count off the three things I'm appreciative of for that day. For example, “Im so glad i got to talk to my mom yesterday" and “ I'm looking forward to dinner later on with my husband.” Sometimes I write them down and actually have an archived book of gratitude from every year since I was 15. It’s rewarding because looking back, it’s all so simple. if you’re thankful for the things you have you'll have plenty.

Tell me about your recent project, Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine., with Unilever and Keep America Beautiful.

This is something I'm grateful for. Unilever's taking a cautious effort to care about the goods that they’re selling (Vaseline, AXE, half of our medicine cabinet) and asking people to recycle. The number one thing you can do is set aside an area for recyclable products. We all have a waste basket in our bathroom, but put a recycling bin there and it will fill up. I have a small bathroom so I just use an extra drawer in my vanity. If I could get everyone to do one thing it would be that.

Why is this initiative important to you?

I’m first generation Vietnamese and my family immigrated here a few years before I was born. The trash they disgaurd in Vietnam is all over the road and if we’re not careful in the US were going to look like that.

As a former makeup artist, what’s your number one beauty tip or trick?

I was a trainer for MAC cosmetics for years. Leaving makeup on your face is the worst thing you can do for your skin. Remove it. Most women don’t wash their face every night, but it can be as simple as using cleansing water or wipe, plus it takes two minutes and one step.

You experiment with makeup on ‘The Real,’ what’s been one of your favorite looks so far?

If you follow me on Instagram I post all my makeup pics. My favorite look is colored liner all they way around my eyes, because it really pops on TV. I prove you don’t need to be a teenager going to a rock concert to wear it. Im 36 and rock the heck out of it.