Fiancé? Check. Mother? Yes. Actress, model, and singer? Of course. Serayah McNeill—our May 2025 of the ESSENCE digital coverstar alongside Joey Bada$$—is a jack of all trades. Best known for her role as Tiana Brown-Lyon in Fox’s Empire, the multi-hyphenate also doubles as a beauty buff with a skincare bag full of secrets. And, lucky for us, they’re all well-documented.
Squeezing a bottle of honey, one might assume she’s sweetening her tea. Instead, she’s using it as a remedy for dry skin—rubbing it on and letting it sit for 10 minutes. “Honey is a natural humectant, attracting and retaining moisture in the skin,” she says in an Instagram post, following up with Innis Free’s Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Cream, Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentré, and Neutrogena Clear Face Serum Sunscreen.
During pregnancy, skincare has been at the top of McNeill’s priority list, too “One of the first things that I thought about when I found out I was pregnant was—stretch marks,” she says in another post. Using Skinomatics Body Oil, she’s been preparing to stretch, not only on her stomach, but her back and butt, which has proven to be quite effective given how smooth her skin looks. (See: her latest post cradling her belly with French tips).
From routine facials to skin hacks, skincare has undoubtedly been the core of her beauty secrets. But, beauty is more than just skin deep. As the ambassador of MYAVANA haircare, McNeill started taking her haircare just as seriously by doing a hair analysis, the brand’s way of surveying the health of your hair. Additionally, we can’t forget her ultra-glam moments, either. Think: a Hollywood curled ponytail at her baby shower and Boho braids for a night out with her fiancé. Safe to say, her beauty hacks are all worth trying yourself.
In honor of her birthday, scroll on for more of her best beauty hacks and moments.