When Gabrielle Union and I talk, she's just finished her coffee—which was delivered via an Amazon Prime delivery earlier that morning—and is impatiently waiting for the caffeine to kick in. “I was like, ‘Rip that shit open and get it grounded right now, 'cause momma is struggling,’" she says with a laugh.
Coffee is vital these days: Union's nearly two-year-old daughter, Kaavia James, with husband Dwayne Wade, is keeping her on her toes, both literally and figuratively. “Kaav is in a really fun space right now where she's parodying mommy's cuss words,” Union says sarcastically. “So I was like, ‘Let’s get her flash cards to challenge her vocabulary instead of copying me.'”
Her hectic morning is something any mom can relate to—so, yes, Union is just like us—but the actor, producer, and activist is also aware she has a tremendous platform to give back to communities that are hurting right now. “As a family, we've been doing a lot of charitable work," she says. Now, though, it's about how to expand that philanthropy. To that end, Union has teamed up with Amazon to deliver smiles this holiday season to fulfill hundreds of AmazonSmile Charity Lists. In doing so, she's able to help nonprofit organizations like Deborah's Place, which assists unhoused women in Chicago, and the Women's Center for Advancement in Omaha, Nebraska, a place for those experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault.
To participate, you can join Union when you do your own holiday shopping. “It's really easy,” she says. “[When you shop with AmazonSmile like] you shop as you normally would, a portion of what you’re buying goes to a charity of your choice.” So, with the holidays around the corner, we had Union tell us what she's currently buying from small business and those that are giving back. Read on for our latest installment of Your Fave's Faves with Gabrielle Union.
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Coffee from Blk & Bold. It's delicious. And then Daryling & Co. for the kids that arrived today. There’s beauty products, like lotions and stuff for kids, but momma is using that as well. There’s also these really fun flash cards and sippy cups, which she'll love.
We have a bunch of games, but our kids are not into it like we are! So it just ends up being me and my husband playing Monopoly. We’re like, “Kids, this is so fun!” and they’re like, “Not as fun as Fortnite, we’re OK.” [Laughs] Early in quarantine, we were doing a lot of puzzles and I discovered my husband does puzzles from the inside out and we ended up in counseling. We also play a lot of spades, but again, the kids aren’t as interested in playing spades. But D has his own spades app, so we do that.
I don’t know if I should admit this, but we steal the baby’s snacks. We like to say it’s for kids 0-100 so it includes us, but we literally have Bitsy’s in every room of the house. We eat them all the time. When people come over, they are like, “What are these cookies?” and we say, “Oh, they’re Bitsy's! Kaav’s snacks!” We go through a lot of them. D is a Vintner and has his own wine, so Wade Cellars Wine is always out. I’m partial to the Chenin Blanc, which is his newest white. He loves his rosé. Some people die for his red blends.
Pangaia. I don’t know how to pronounce it but I know how to buy it. [Laughs] They are so comfortable, and I get the matching ones for me and Kaav. I posted the ones in green, but we literally have one in every color. And then there’s this other company called Midwest Kids—since me and my husband are Midwest kids, we love them.
I’m obsessed with Sammy B. Not just her Instagram and her awesome travels and cool friends, but her pieces are literally the definition of casual cool. She’s an LA-based Black designer and so fire. I feel like I want to be her friend and hope I don’t creep her out. She’s so fly and her friends are so cool. I live vicariously through her Instagram.
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I’ve been waiting for the temperature in LA to drop because it’s been so hot here, and then one day I woke up and it was in the ‘60s. I dressed like I was about to go on an arctic adventure. So this coat that I’ve been stalking and ready to wear is the Tibi gray faux oversize luxe coat. I’m obsessed with it. When it hits 50 degrees, you’re going to see me this in this coat like nobody’s business!
I'm obsessed with my brown Miu Miu chunky sole boots. They are everything.
I’m actually listening to Mariah Carey’s book on Audible. It’s a weird detail, but her story about her feelings about parmesan cheese were so random and so specific. It’s one of those details where you're like, “I know Mariah Carey! I can relate to her. She has very strong feelings about parmesan cheese, and I would only know this from reading her memoir.” There’s obviously a lot of very titillating parts, but for whatever reason, the part that sticks out is her disdain for parmesan cheese. That's the last book I downloaded, but the last one I read was Such a Fun Age. It’s about raising kids, having help raising your kids, race relations, and it’s so, so, so good. And then I read The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett. I tend to read multiple books at a time and slide in some Audibles as well.
“Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid
Yes, technically this book came out in the final hours of 2019, but don’t worry about that; worry about the fact that if you don’t read it soon, you will have nothing to talk about at book clubs, dinner parties, playgroups, or friend drinks. Kiley Reid’s debut novel—about a young Black woman who is accused of kidnapping while babysitting for a rich white couple—is getting raves and making waves.
The one I wear the most is my Kaavia’s mom robe from Barefoot Dreams (called CozyChic!) that matches with D’s robe that his dad gave us when Kaav was born. I didn’t realize I would be spending so much time in that damn robe, so it’s been worn in for sure, but it’s still so soft and delicious. Here's what makes it so special: Our parents gave us a nice, wide berth to deal with our fertility journey, but when Kaav actually arrived all the things they wanted to give us and say, all of their hopes and dreams were kind of poured into these gifts. It just brought together our feelings about becoming Kaav’s parents, our feelings about our journey, our feelings about how much did we shield people from. It just became this full circle moment when we got these robes, which we don’t take off too often unless they’re being laundered. [Laughs] It’s the luxurious, personalized gifts that meant so much at the end of that long journey, and to have D's dad who [normally tucked] in his feelings and never really led with this heart, then really lead with his heart with these gifts…it was really special.
My Fenty Beauty Warmth Bronzer in Caramel Cutie. On the days I don’t have it in me to put on foundation or anything really, that bronzer is pure magic. When people are like, “What’s your anti-aging secret?” I say, “The bronzer!” I don’t know what the hell Rihanna put it in, but it gives me this glow that is like magic.
The skincare products I can’t live without are called The Things We Do, developed by Vanessa Lee. I’ve become obsessed with her entire line. She has this home microneedling kit along with the cleanser and this overnight lifting mask. All the things that products promise but you’re like, “Ma’am, none of this shit is delivering.” Everything delivers here. I recently added the currant oil when my other oil ran out, and I’m annoyed it took me so long to add that to my regimen. It’s not a widely-known line, but it’s ah-maz-ing.
I’m obsessed with Lelia + Mae's jewelry line. They made me this “K” for Kaavia pendant that I wore on the cover of TIME. There was a while where I was sleeping in it 24/7 and then caught on my husband’s ring. I thought I was going to die overnight, so I stopped sleeping in it. But I wear it most days, and sometimes I layer it with my Gabrielle nameplate.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14.
