Skin Deep

Laverne Cox Is Chill About Her Beauty Regimen

The “Orange Is the New Black” star loves drugstore stuff and would recommend a wig for anyone.

By Bee Shapiro

The actress Laverne Cox is best known for her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” which is back for its sixth season on Friday. She is also the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy, and an L.G.B.T.Q. advocate. With a glam red-carpet persona, Ms. Cox, 46, knows her beauty stuff, including highlighting, baking, contouring and more, but she prefers “to keep it simple” on off days.

Skin Care

The first thing I do when I wake up is go over the five things I’m grateful for and the five things I’m manifesting for the day. After that, I keep it simple. I’m not as chichi as I appear. I wash my face with baby shampoo. It’s really weird, but if it’s gentle enough for a baby, then it’s good enough for me.

Jeannie Mai gifted me a facial at Tulura in New York. They have this great skin oil for summer and Vitamin Peptide Serum. They have one set for summer and another for winter. I freaking love it.

My eyes have always been puffy. I love Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer to wake it all up. I started doing that when I was shooting “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” At night I use their Eye Alert cream.

One of the beautiful things about being black is that aging is amazing. Black is beautiful. But we have to be careful, too. I just don’t go in the sun. It’s aging. But if I know I’m going to be out there, then I use Neutrogena with SPF.

Makeup

When I started wearing makeup in high school, it was about being more myself. It was me communicating to the world and being as integrated as possible — who I am on the inside being reflected outwardly. That’s what most people are trying to do whether you’re trans or not.

But makeup for me, for many years, was also my armor. The world was not safe for me without it. As I’ve developed into my womanhood, this beauty thing is now tied to my work. It’s important to distinguish between my work life and home life, so I don’t always wear a lot of it now.

If it’s just me doing makeup for everyday, I keep it super-basic. I wear mascara. I’ve been living for L’Oréal Lash Paradise — it’s so good — and a lip balm. I don’t like lipstick during the day. I’d rather kiss my boyfriend and not get it all over the place. I might do a powder too. I’ve been using L’Oréal True Match in 7 for years.

But if I’m going out to an event, it’s different. For me, it’s not about just buying more products and drinking the Kool-Aid. Instead, I use makeup to enhance myself, and it’s a spiritual process. It’s kind of meditative.

I do foundation. I’ve been using Dermacolor, which is a stage makeup I found when I was working at Lucky Cheng’s in New York. I was sweating a lot because I was performing, and makeup would come off. This just holds. I use a very thin layer, and I mix that with a Black Opal stick foundation in Heavenly Honey. I contour with Black Opal’s Hazelnut.

If I’m doing powder, I use the L’Oréal True Match or Mineralize Skinfinish by M.A.C. I learned years ago how to mix powders to add dimension to your face. So you have powders in different colors to warm or cool your skin.

It’s interesting how all this stuff from drag culture — the heavy contouring, baking and highlighting — has crossed over and is mainstream now. My makeup artist Deja Smith and I talk about it all the time. I didn’t have a L.G.B.T.Q. mother. I learned these methods mostly from drag queens and trans women.

I love the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel. Actually, what I use first is the L’Oréal Brow Stylist Kabuki Blender in Blonde and then the brow gel over that. I use a powder bronzer from M.A.C. That’s after all the contouring earlier. Then I use Dior blush in Coral Cruise and do highlighter. I’m a huge fan of the Milk Makeup holographic powder — it’s so sick. This is all layered, but each one with a light hand. I try not to do too much, or it gets muddied.

I also love Milk lipsticks and those from Bite. They’re gluten-free and vegan. I’m gluten intolerant, and because we eat our lipstick, I have to watch out for that.

Hair

I have my natural hair, and then I have my wig. My own hair grazes my shoulders, and that’s as long as it ever gets. I don’t relax or process my hair. Kendra Garvey at Kim Kimble Studio will usually wash and braid me. She will also do a deep condition.

But I love drugstore stuff. I get hydrating coconut oil from Marc Anthony. It’s really important to oil your scalp for hair growth, and I use that. I also have products from Kinky-Curly and co-wash from HAIRiette, which is a hair line by Tanya Wright, who is on “Orange Is the New Black.”

I recommend a wig for anybody — just in case for a bad hair day. I rarely style the wigs myself. I have a professional do it, and then you’re good. You have to be careful with your edges. I use Hicks for my edges and use that to blend into the wig. Just make sure that you’re not using glue or clips to secure the wig because they can rip out your edges. I use spirit gum and then remove them with 99 percent alcohol.

Fragrance

Lately I’ve gotten into Chanel No. 5 L’eau, and I’m obsessed with Proenza Schouler Arizona. It’s really kind of amazing and sexy without being overly so.

Other Services

I’ve been to Eileen Henry in L.A. for holistic medicine. I’ve had back issues, neck issues and knee issues. I’ve been going to her for acupuncture for a year and a half. We’ve done micro-currents as well. She also diagnosed my gluten intolerance.

Diet and Fitness

People ask me all the time about my skin, but it’s really about what you put in it. Meat, sugar and dairy are all really bad for my skin. I avoid gluten. I was vegan for four months last year, but then I did a food sensitivity blood work panel and found out I’m sensitive to soy. If you’re vegan and can’t eat soy, it gets real tricky. So I started eating fish again. I’m basically a gluten-free pescatarian, and then I go in and out of sugar and carbs.

I just moved into a condo, and we have a pool. It’s one of my main reasons for moving here, so I can swim. I try to dance when I can but not as consistently as I’d like. I just started lifting weights. For years I was terrified of lifting because I was afraid of getting bulky. I’m pretty weak right now. I’m doing lots of repetitions.