This Influencer’s Biggest Beauty Regret Is One You Can Probably Relate To

Beauty entrepreneur Imani Vina knows more than a thing or two about how to keep your skin in tip-top shape. A quick browse of her social media channels can prove that Vina—who runs her own hair extension and makeup artistry businesses—goes the extra mile to provide beauty inspiration and insight to her followers. Below, we tapped Vina to share her skin care routine and expert beauty advice with us.

ON HER SKIN CARE ROUTINE:

“I like really simple regimens that don’t include a lot of products,” Vina says. In the morning, she reaches for a foaming liquid cleanser to wash away impurities, then hydrates her skin with a lightweight moisturizer formulated with SPF. Her evening routine is equally low maintenance, consisting of makeup remover wipes—her holy-grail skin care product for the past five years—followed by the double-cleansing method utilizing an oil cleanser and a foaming liquid cleanser to ensure her skin is clean, clean, clean. “I wear a lot of makeup,” Vina says. “I wear makeup five days a week for my job, so I need to make sure all traces of cosmetics are completely removed from my skin at night to reduce the risk of a breakout.”

ON HER BIGGEST BEAUTY REGRET: 

“I wish someone told me [at a young age] to stop popping my pimples and just leave them alone,” Vina says. “I’m still working on clearing up dark spots from high school.” Hear that ladies? Resist the urge to pick and poke at your blemishes! Instead, apply a spot treatment formulated with acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide onto the area.

ON HYDRATING DAILY:

Above all, Vina emphasizes the importance of properly hydrating the skin day in and day out. “No matter if your skin is oily, combination, or dry, you have to moisturize,” she says. For her clients worried about shiny-looking skin throughout the day, she recommends reaching for an oil-control primer in addition to moisturizing with a cream or lotion.