Beauty Boss Q&A with @Dayelasoul
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where do you live, and what do you do full time? Do you love what you do?
My name is Daye! I am a full time Influencer/Content Creator as well as a full time Case Manager for the government! Although each job is super demanding by themselves, I've managed to maintain both because I love the rewarding and fulfillment I have at the end of the day from each. As an influencer, it's rewarding and fulfilling to educate and empower others and as a Case Manager it is rewarding and fulfilling to be able to assist and provide opportunities for growth to those in need.
2. How do you maintain work/life balance?
Finding balance is key to maintaining such a busy life style without getting burned out! I'll admit that lack of balance is something that I've struggled with but these days I make sure to strategically dedicate time for work, play and most of all self-care! Self-care is the number one priority for me in this balancing act because when I feel taken care of physically, mentally, and emotionally that sets the tone for what I am able to give with my performance at my 9-5, my creativity towards creating content, as well as the energy I have for leisure activities such as a a girls or date night out! Making sure that I am taken care of allows me to enter everything with confidence and a fresh, positive frame of mind. For me, self-care can be something big like rewarding myself with a week-long getaway of no work on a warm beach or taking an extra 45 minutes at night to substitute my shower for a candlelit soak in the tub while I pamper my skin with the rich and luxurious lather of Dove's New Body Wash Mousse, while some R&B music is playing in the background.
3. How do you keep your skin glowing like that?
This glow comes from peace of mind, body and soul! I truly believe happiness provides the ultimate glow because it radiates from the inside out. Now, with that being said, I do have sensitive skin so on top of having peace of mind, I have to maintain myself internally and externally. I try to hydrate properly with lots of water and no sugary drinks, I eat fairly healthy, exercise regularly and make sure to stay up on my skin care routine. As far as products, I use a lot of fragrance free and hypoallergenic products like Dove's Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar for example, to keep my skin clean and fresh! I also like to incorporate natural remedies as well such as aloe vera juices and gels, which are yummy to drink and great to use on skin as well to nourishment and moisture!
4. What (or who) keeps you smiling outside of work?
Planning rewards for myself keeps me smiling outside of work! Rewards could be meeting savings goals then treating myself to a something on my shopping list, setting aside time for my friends and family after a long week of late nights and early mornings, scheduling vacations, you name it! With all that I have going on professionally and feeling like my work never actually stops, I make sure I have rewards set up at for all kinds of milestones, big or small to keep me motivated and going. Having these rewards set out in advance for myself keeps me happy and beaming outside of work!
5. What do you think about the Crown Act?
I am in full support of the Crown Act and I hope that my state is next on the list! This hits home for me because as a woman of color, with a big blue fro, lately I have been feeling personally attacked by changes in professional standards. At one point I felt like things were changing more progressively, because I've had all kinds of styles from waist length braids, multi-colored hair, and big voluminous curls with little repercussion but these days I do feel like I am constantly in a state of having to compromise how I want to express myself with my hair in order to not cause attention to myself in professional settings. I commend Dove for taking the initiative to raise awareness about an unnecessary stressor a lot of people who look like me go through.
6. What was your favorite part of CURLFEST New York?
My favorite part of CURLFEST New York is getting to meet my supporters in person, meeting people that I support, and the opportunity to meet new people with amazing energy! It's like everyday, all year long we are supporting different folks we follow on social media that we've never met but love them like they're best friend's in our head. The moments when we can finally meet up with that best-friend in our head is so amazing and the vibe a CURLFEST is the perfect setting for it to take place!
7. Did you know Curly Girl Collective was behind CURLFEST before you came to work? What do you think about our story?
I'm a researcher, so when I first heard of CURLFEST the first thing I did was look to see who was behind the event! I was super hype when I found out the event was ran by women of color and had to give my full support and get involved. I love the idea of debunking false narratives and changing narratives revolving around women of color and our hair!
8. What are you looking forward to most in your life as a beauty boss/influencer? What's next for you?
I am looking forward to transitioning into being full time influencer and exploring entrepreneurship! I'm not quite sure where this journey will take me but I am currently brain storming and exploring different avenues. I have an idea or two in mind I can't wait to develop!