Shortly after the Labor Day holiday, consummate performer Usher put on four back-to-back sold-out shows in Brooklyn, New York, as part of his Past, Present, Future World Tour. For two hours each night, he danced, sang, poured shots for fans (you simply had to be there), and partied with extra special musical guests, and the whole time, his skin glistened. It wasn’t just because he was sweating, though he did plenty of that. It’s also because the star, three decades into his career, still has immaculate skin at 45. How does he do it?
With the right skincare regimen and with help from his groomer, Lola Okanlawon.
I had the chance, along with a suite full of journalists and influencers, to hear from Okanlawon, a celebrity makeup artist, and board-certified dermatologist DiAnne Davis, MD, about the tricks to having an unbeatable skin care routine, and it’s all about the right products. In addition to dancing with Usher, our presence that evening was also to celebrate the launch of skincare brand Cerave‘s new Skin Renewing Vitamin C eye cream, which joins their popular Skin Renewing line. Usher uses it, and Davis says you certainly should, too.
“Their whole entire Skin Renewing line, it really helps to target some of those things you may start to see as you get a little older,” the cosmetic surgeon and skin care expert shared. “So maybe it’s that you lost a little bit of elasticity, or maybe your skin tone is not even, or maybe you notice a few fine lines and wrinkles here and there. That’s what this Skin Renewing line is all about.”
Key ingredients in the new eye cream include hyaluronic acid for hydration, ceramides to protect the skin and moisturize it, caffeine for under-eye puffiness, and five percent Vitamin C to help brighten the skin around the eyes without irritating it.
“What we really like is it helps to bring that radiance back in the skin,” she says.
Okanlawon stopped by before finishing up Usher’s look to start the concert, and she dished on her work with the star, who she’s been with for three years.
“I take care of all of his skin, from head to toe,” she told us, noting that they were both fans of Cerave, which she uses consistently to get him ready for the cameras and the big stage.
“It’s important to have our skin prep routine before he hits the stage. This man does not play about his skin or his body,” she shared. “It’s nice to have a man care about his skin and care about his appearance, buy products and ask me about them as well. ‘Hey, what about this? What about this?’”
The star MUA then delved into the practices and routine that keep him glowing. They include monthly facials (“It’s not a game”) and a very, very clean diet.
“Obviously, we start with a foaming cleanser because I do some stage makeup on him so that his hairline and certain things stay intact because he does sweat a lot,” she says. “If you haven’t seen Usher perform, it’s like a waterfall. So I put on certain makeup that essentially won’t come off with his sweat. The Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser is amazing because it breaks down the product, it gets the dirt, it gets the oils away, so we definitely start with that.”
Next up, the new Vitamin C eye cream. Okanlawon was given the product in advance of its release in September and has been using it regularly on the star’s eyes for the last few month. She says it’s a must-have part of any skin care ritual.
“Usher is a very fine, handsome man. But he’s still 45, so eye cream is very important, and the Vitamin C eye cream is amazing,” she says. “It’s preventative, so don’t wait until a certain age. Start wearing your eye cream.”
Afterward, they use the Vitamin C Serum and wrap up the pre-makeup practice by hydrating his body with Cerave’s Daily Moisturizing Lotion, which they apply together.
“We go into serums because serum is very important. The vitamin C helps brighten the skin,” she says. “His skin is very supple because he takes good care of it. It’s easy, he’s easy.”
Now, what Usher does night after night in front of packed crowds is far from easy, but with Okanlawon’s guidance and Cerave’s Skin Renewing line, he always looks marvelous while he does it.
Cerave’s Vitamin C Skin Renewing Vitamin C Eye Cream and Skin Renewing Line are available at Cerave.com.
