For someone who's grown up in the world of mega-star celebrities, Corinne Foxx's skin-care routine is wildly relatable. For one, the 27-year-old actor is a devout follower of Hyram Yarbro—the TikTok “skinfluencer” known as Skincare by Hyram—which is why Gen Z faves like CeraVe, The Ordinary, and Drunk Elephant top her list of must-haves. Secondly, she's still learning about the many complexities of skin-care ingredients and wants to become as well versed in them as she can.
“I'm in my late 20s, so I've been really active about my skin-care research,” she tells Glamour. “One thing that comes up almost in every single article is the importance of vitamin C and how it's good for combatting damage caused by pollution. I live in a city and so I incorporated that into my skin-care routine probably, like, three years ago. I'm pretty religious about it.” She says it's been particularly helpful with brightening her dark spots—especially in the winter when her skin is “looking tired.”
Every so often, though, she'll drop a mention in conversation that makes you remember, Oh, yeah, this is totally a Foxx family star. Like how her best skin-care advice came courtesy of 50-year-old actor Nia Long when the two of them were on set for 47 Meters Down. “She has aged probably better than anyone has ever aged,” says Foxx. “I mean she looks amazing. I was asking her about her skin-care routine, and she was like, I've been getting facials every month since I was your age. From that point, I started religiously getting a facial every month.”
Foxx took her advice and booked an appointment immediately. In her “normal life” (read: before the pandemic), she'd go in monthly for extractions, masks, and dermaplaning. “But now I haven't had a facial in over a year,” she says. “Instead I've been trying a few new products to see what works for me.”
So what exactly has met her (and Hyram's) strict criteria? Ahead of her new Netflix series, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!—a show she executive-produced that's loosely based on her relationship with her father, Jamie Foxx—we asked Foxx to drop her routine. Read on.
My Cleansers
I don't know if anyone follows Hyram—I'm sure everybody—but I try to use products that he recommends because I really trust him. I just got a new cleanser from Youth to the People that he featured in one of his YouTube videos. I really like it. I love the green tea and that it's got a lot of antioxidants. The only thing I'll say about it is that, in the wintertime, it can be a little drying. So sometimes I switch it with my CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, which is also Hyram-approved, if I'm feeling like my skin is getting too dried out.
My Toner
I love the Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner. I really wanted to find a way to incorporate coenzyme Q10 into my skin-care routine, because I know it's really good for aging and it's a hot ingredient right now. I especially love using it after a workout. I feel like it gets off all the sweat and grime that even maybe my cleanser isn't getting off. And also if my cleanser is drying out my skin, it really helps to balance it out. It also smells so good.
My Serums
One of my main concerns is my complexion, which is why vitamin C is so important. I use the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Serum in the morning. I really feel like it's such a great way for me to brighten my skin if I have any dark spots. I, of course, also bring it down to my neck and my décolletage. I've been using it for a while and I love it. It's a little expensive, but I feel like it's a good splurge.
At night, I go back and forth between using a retinol and The Ordinary Lactic Acid and HA serum. I'm not going to lie, I don't entirely know what it does—I think it exfoliates?—but I feel like it's doing something positive to my skin. [Editor's note: Lactic acid is an AHA and does, indeed, exfoliate.] Once again, it was a Hyram recommendation, so I just went with it. Whatever it does, it does it gently and leaves my dry skin softer and smoother.
My Retinol
I love retinol. I've been using it for maybe about two years now. I've switched around brands, and lately I'm really into the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream. I use it every other night, switching on and off with the lactic acid. I feel like now that I'm in my late 20s, I have to start doing a lot of preventive things. I don't have wrinkles yet, but I feel like using retinol is actively helping me prevent them.
You definitely have to build up to using it, though, which I did with my facialist. She taught me how to incorporate it into my routine. I started only using it a few times a week, then slowly added it in until I got to every other night. Since I'm not using it every single night, my skin gets a little bit of a break, so I don't have to do all the buffering. My facialist also told me to only use a dime-sized amount and start at the edge of my face, moving toward the center. That way, if there's any irritation, it's less likely to be as bad in the center of your face.
My Moisturizers
My moisturizer is also from Youth to the People. It's supercute. It has hyaluronic acid in it, which is good at pulling moisture into your skin. I learned that from Hyram again! It's pretty light, though, so if I want something a little bit heavier, I'll sub in CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream or Drunk Elephant's Protini Polypeptide Cream to really seal in hydration. But I also like to pair the Youth to the People cream with the brand's Glow Oil at night to help boost it a little.
Drunk Elepant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer
I normally use a moisturizer with a lighter feel during the day because I don't want to look greasy, but this is the perfect texture that feels incredibly moisturizing and light, without feeling heavy. It absorbs into my skin right away, and leaves my skin nice and plump. I also love that the packaging enables the perfect amount of moisturizer to be dispensed, without sticking my finger in the jar. —Caitlin Brody, entertainment director
My Eye Cream
I just ran out of my Biossance Squalane and Peptide Eye Gel and need to get more. I have really big eyes, and in the morning I'll sometimes look like I was in a wrestling match. I'll have these huge, huge bags. Which is why I love this gel. It's kind of cooling, especially in the morning, when I'm groggy and in need of a little pick-me-up.
My Ice Roller
Whenever I'm extra, extra puffy in the morning—or if I have to be on camera for anything—that's when the ice roller comes out. I feel like it helps with a little bit of contouring. And it definitely helps with cleaning those lymphatic systems to help bring down puffiness. My facialist Rochelle Rudolph recommended it to me.
My Sunscreen
I'd been switching back and forth between sunscreens because I just hadn't found one that I loved. Sometimes they're too sticky. Sometimes they're too shiny. So Dr. Jart's Every Sun Day Mineral Sunscreen is a new find that I'm very excited about. It's got SPF 50, which my dermatologist told me I should be using to minimize those little dark spots. I love it. It doesn't go on sticky. It doesn't create that cast I hate with sunscreen, especially if I have photo shoots. It goes on and blends really easily. And I love that it's a mineral sunscreen. I'm going to stick with it.
My Acne Stickers
I don't worry about blemishes all that often, but literally this week I had, like, two pimples pop up, which is very abnormal for me. I found these little stickers from Peace Out that everybody is obsessed with. They're fun to put on. And they really work! It's funny because I was wearing one once and my boyfriend came over, and I was like, Oh, you can't even tell this is on me. How cool is this? And he was like, “No, I can see that….” I thought I was being really sly because the color blended so with my skin. Whoops.
My Red Light Device
I got the Light Stim for Christmas, and I've really been into it, especially since I'm not getting facials these days. I sit on my couch and plug it in, and I'll hold it on my forehead and my face for about three minutes or so. It's supposed to promote collagen production and prevent signs of aging. I don't exactly know how much it works—I think it's one of those things you'll be able to tell after a long period of time—but it's really fun to do.
My Lip Balm
I've been using Aquaphor ever since I read an article that said Beyoncé uses it; although, I think she uses it under her eyes. I figured if it's good enough for Beyoncé, it's good enough for me. I have a tube in every single one of my bags. I also really love Kopari's Coconut Lip Balm. It feels super silky and not sticky at all.
See Corinne Foxx's new series, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!, on Netflix starting April 14.
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