It’s less than a week before Valentine’s Day, and Meagan Good is counting down the days. She’s currently living in New York and filming a new Amazon series from Tracy Oliver, the writer of Girls Trip, about a group of four friends who follow their dreams after graduating from college together. But as rewarding as the experience has been, her thoughts are on the weekend, when she’ll be reunited with her husband of nine years, DeVon Franklin.
“I’ve put together a special little surprise for him,” she tells Glamour. “He’s probably thinking that he’s going to have to put together Valentine’s Day because I’m working, but I’m already on top of it. I’m excited to surprise him.”
The two are used to being apart for months at a time because of work schedules, but Good says the pandemic has brought them closer. “This past year was the first time we were with each other all year long, and it’s just really nice. I already appreciated him so much, but I appreciate him even more now. And I just really miss him a lot.”
On the plus side, Good has plenty keeping her busy until she and Franklin are reunited. Her newest movie, Death Saved My Life, premieres on Lifetime this Saturday, February 13, in which she plays a woman who must fake her own death in order to escape her abusive husband. Although the ripped-from-the-headlines story tackles a very serious subject matter, Good says the film is ultimately empowering. “I don’t want to say it's a ‘fun’ Valentine’s Day movie, because my character is in a horrible situation and domestic violence isn’t openly talked about enough,” she says, “but it shows that there’s a whole new world that is waiting for you to walk into your power. I really wanted to do something that was empowering.”
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A similar mindset has served Good well over the years. In addition to her many acting credits, she recently created Good Girl Wraps, a multifunctional hair accessory great for keeping locs, twists, braids, and any natural hairstyle healthy and protected during the day. “There was a need, and people just ate ’em up,” she says of the lightweight satin wraps. “I’m a big fan of promoting and buying things I use for myself.”
Something else Good is a fan of? Opening up and getting real about her own journey to self-love. In our latest installment of Big Beauty Questions, she reveals why she had a hair transplant for her eyebrows, the lash serum that replaced her need for eyelash extensions, and more.
What’s one beauty trend you’re obsessed with right now?
A big brow. I come from a school of growing up in the ’90s, and I tweezed my brows out to oblivion. They never quite grew back, so I tattooed them when I was 25. Then at 30, I started microblading. But I realized the more you do it to maintain it, the more the lines start to blend together, and it kind of becomes a little bit of a block. I was on social media one day and I scrolled across Amber Rose’s page and she was talking about how she got a hair transplant in her eyebrows. So I looked up her doctor, did a consultation, and when I was about 35, I got my first transplant. They were perfect, but a few years later, I wanted them a little bit fuller because I wanted that big brow, so I went back to add a tiny bit in the front. It’s given 10 years back to my face.
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What’s one beauty rule you swear by?
I swear by not touching your face. Your hands are the dirtiest because you touch things all day long, and they carry a lot of bacteria. Even just rubbing your face can cause your skin to deposit bacteria and possibly break out. I’m very anal about that. I wash my pillowcases regularly, make sure my phone isn’t near my chin, things like that.
What’s the best beauty advice your mom has given you?
To get rest. She said that of all the products you can use, one of the best things you can do is make sure you are rested. As I get older, I realize it makes all the difference in the world. My mom would also tell me, “Wear a sports bra if you want your girls to stay sitting up. Give them the support that they need.”
Fill in the blank: I love my hair….
I love my hair because it makes me feel beautiful. Anytime I wear it naturally, it takes me right back to when I was a little girl and I’m like, “You know what, girl? You’ve done good.”
What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
I really love Jamaica. I love the beauty there, but I also love the energy. Everyone is calm and really present in life.
If you could only use three products for the rest of your life, what are they and why?
Vaseline for my lips. A good highlighter for my nose. I use Nudestix, which I love. And then Tatcha’s Luminous Dewy Mist.
What colors are you loving on your nails right now?
I haven’t been a big nail-color person in a while. I actually like a good buff, and on my toes I like a nude or pinkish-brown color. I keep it very natural now. I used to do Tiffany blue and neon yellow and black with polka dots, but not really anymore.
What’s your go-to perfume and why?
It’s called Bond No. 9 and the fragrance is High Line. It’s expensive, but I’ve been wearing it since I was 26. I get a big bottle. It doesn’t take a whole lot.
Screw, Marry, Kill: mascara, lipstick, highlighter?
I would definitely marry highlighter. I’m not a big lipstick wearer, so I’ll kill that. And I would screw mascara. I’ve been wearing lash extensions for, like, 13 years. But during quarantine I've been growing my own lashes out using LiLash, and they grew long as hell.
What music do you listen to when you’re getting ready?
Nineties rock or R&B. I love Rick Astley, Tara Kemp, Peter Gabriel…also one-hit-wonders like Nelson. Just really kind of random but I think great stuff.
How much time do you spend getting ready?
Not as much as I used to now that I have these wonderful brows. It used to take me a full hour to get my eyebrows right. I was very, very particular about it. As for makeup, it takes me about 20 minutes. I just do a tinted moisturizer, and maybe a concealer, like Nars Creamy Concealer in Ginger.
What products do you use to keep your hair healthy?
I try to not overwash it and go once every five days. If my hair starts to get a little too oily, I’ll take an open bristle brush and put baby powder in it so it gets fluffy again. Besides that, now that I have my goddess locs in, I use Dr. Kari Daily Spray, which helps keep your hair nourished and protected. For my sideburns, I use Curls Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Paste and a little baby brush that looks like a toothbrush to formulate how I want my baby hairs to look. I also like the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray when I want my hair to look a little bit fuller. I finish it off with L’Oréal Elnett hairspray.
Would you rather get a facial or massage?
Massage. I try to get one in every country I go to. I do like a good facial, but again, I’m so particular about my face, I don’t trust just anybody. The only woman who touches my face is my facialist, Silvana. She has a bunch of incredible, organic skin-care products as well. My sister’s skin literally transformed when she started working with her, so I was like, That’s the only person I trust to do a facial on me.
What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?
First thing in the morning, I make sure I don’t grab my phone. I sit up and say affirmations and remind myself who God says that I am, not who I feel like I might be at any given moment. I read my bible and say a prayer. When I get in my car, I listen to either some gospel or uplifting music, so the first thing that settles into my spirit is something positive.
If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, what would that be?
Stretch marks. Instead of saying they’re stretch marks, I call them my beauty marks, or my tiger stripes, because I am fierce. I choose to look at them as a sign of strength, growth, and self-love. Even if you don’t feel your best, when you speak about yourself in a positive way, you begin to know it and believe it.
Who are the women inspiring you the most right now?
Definitely my mom and my sister. Having kids was scary to me until I saw my sister do it. Now I can see that I want to be a mom. The way she tackles everything and has all these balls in the air without being completely overwhelmed is just so impressive to me. And then women in my industry—I’ve always been a huge fan of Halle Berry. Everything she’s had to overcome, perceptions she’s had to change, etc. She had her first child at 40, which is going to be me. She also is directing now and doing martial arts in her 50s. She’s just an inspiration to me.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14. This interview has been edited and condensed.
