Yuna’s Cool & Style-Centric Beauty Routine
If you don’t know Yuna, she’s an easy add to your chill-summer Spotify playlist or, at the very least, an IG follow. The Malaysian singer has a new project, “Y2”, and more than having the voice of a gentle and relaxed kind of pop star, Yuna has style and a unique POV on fashion, beauty, and creativity that blends both her Islamic faith into her modern L.A. lifestyle.
Here, Yuna walks us through a week in her life, bringing us into her studio, bathroom, kitchen, and even the Melrose Trading Post. The following was told to Megan Decker and edited for length and clarity.
SUNDAY
I wake up with the sound of Cody, our lovable and cuddly grey, domestic, long-haired cat meowing outside of our door. We adopted two cute kittens, now-teenage cats, Cody and sweet-girl Shiloh, our female orange tabby. I open the door and they run straight for the bed where my husband is sleeping. Then they run back to the door and straight to their bowls, as if they’re saying, ‘Hey, it’s time for breakfast and also your coffee, Mama!’
After filling up their bowls with their chicken-flakes wet food, I drink a full glass of water [because] that’s what your body absorbs first thing in the morning. Sometimes [I do] pressed juice with celery, spinach and lemon, if that’s in the fridge. But usually water first. Then I make myself some coffee. Whatever beverage I make in the morning, I usually add a few drops of Rae’s Skin Renew into them. Then it’s time to write in my journal and plan the week ahead. After that, I’d take a nice long shower with Hey Humans Sulfate-Free Body Wash in Rosewater Ginger — it smells so good! I love the fact that it’s sulfate-free, made of 99% plastic-free packaging, which is recyclable aluminum.
Sunday nights in L.A., there’s always something happening. Our friend Raveena just happens to play a show at the El Rey theatre, so we are going to see her perform. I don’t really like to put on a lot of makeup unless I really have to — for shows or photoshoots — so tonight I’m going to be super minimal. I use 100% Pure Cosmetics Luminous Primer, which is a silicone-free makeup primer, and Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation. I also put on some 100% Pure Cosmetics Black Tea Eyeliner (made from black tea!) and the 100% Pure Mascara, infused with black tea, berry, and cocoa pigments. Got on my favorite jeans, my favorite Chanel sweater, my platform boots, and I’m ready to go!
MONDAY
Mondays are usually pretty busy for me. It’s usually just management meetings on Zoom, but I still gotta look great. I use Naturium Fermented Rice Enzyme Cleanser to start the week with a fresh, exfoliated face. This will also clean up some residue from last night’s makeup. I love me some vitamin C, so I pair that with Naturium C Complex Serum to have that overall glow to my skin.
If I’m working from home, [I] don’t usually wear makeup. But for online meetings, I would apply Neutrogena’s Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30, so even if I step out to the store or to run errands, I still have sunscreen protection. After a long day, I like to take a shower again before bedtime with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure- Castile Bar Soap. I keep a few different scents handy so when I step into shower, I get to pick which bar soap I want to use. I love moisturizing my skin; it’s almost like a treat. I use Versed Dewpoint Moisturizing Gel Cream that has green-tea extract and aloe-leaf juice before heading to bed.
TUESDAY
Studio day! Again, woken up by cute, furry babies. After feeding them, I jump into shower. But today it’s special: it’s hair-care day.
I wear the hijab, as I observe modesty in my Islamic faith, so hair and scalp care is important to me. When my hair gets a little oily, I’ll jump in the shower straight away. That day is today. I love using Love Beauty and Planet Volume and Bounty Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner. I come out of the shower smelling so good.
Ask any hijabi, they’ll tell you the hardest part about wearing the hijab is waiting for your hair to dry before putting the scarf on. I invested in the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer. I have shoulder-length hair and [it] dries in no less than five minutes.
I tend to wear something comfy but cool on studio days. It’s important to look cute when you’re creating music, I think. My go-to style these days: jeans, a statement jacket, a black scarf, and my furry bucket hat. I put on my Nike Air Force 1s to complete the look. Since I’m heading out today, I add on Shiseido’s Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector SPF 42 Sunscreen to my regular skin-care regime.
WEDNESDAY
Woke up and did some stretching — a.k.a quick, 20-minute yoga — and drank two glasses of water. Cody and Shiloh sometimes will join me on my yoga mat. Before jumping into the shower I like to make myself a cup of coffee. I drink a lot of coffee, so I try to counter it with healthy countermeasures. For example, since coffee is acidic, I drink alkaline water, eat yogurt, and snack on almonds. Today I’m also dropping a few drops of chlorophyll into my orange juice; I love ChlorOxygen chlorophyll.
Because coffee stains my teeth, I make it a point to polish my teeth with My Magic Mud Activated Charcoal Tooth Powder, it’s the best. Then it’s shower time with Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Bar Soap — lavender scent this time! I still wear the face mask everywhere I go, when I’m out in public, so it’s important to clean my face as much as I can or else I’ll break out. I use a mild cleansing gel, Versed Wash It Out Gel Cleanser with ceramides and rosewater.
I’m meeting a friend today for lunch at Republique, so I’m just going to put on some Glossier Cloud Paint in Puff on my cheeks, Kosas Eyebrow Gel, and just a simple wing eyeliner using Fenty Beauty Flyliner Liquid Eyeliner.
THURSDAY
I woke up today craving Malaysian Indian breakfast. My husband and I decided to make some roti with chicken curry. Every time I make curry at home the delicious curry smell will linger around the house for a long time. It’s honestly not the worse thing because it makes us feel at home, like when our moms would make curry, but I’m just going to light up the Diptyque Baies Candle, making our neighbors go from, “That smells delicious” to “That smells heavenly.”
Today is a pretty chill day. After finalizing some of the mixes for my latest EP “Y3” and typing some emails, I noticed that my hands are really dry. Coming from a humid, tropical country, I forget that my body gets a little bit confused with the dry, American weather. I’m a huge fan of La Mer’s Hand Treatment. I got this maybe three years ago when I would travel from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to LAX once every three months. My hands would get very dry from the hours in the airplane. Just a small amount of La Mer’s cream goes a long way.
I just remembered I was invited to a screening tonight! It’s pretty special; it is for a show called Ms. Marvel and it’s about a 16-year-old Muslim-Pakistani girl who discovers she has superpowers, which makes her the first Muslim female superhero ever. This is a huge deal for someone like me. Representation is very important in the entertainment industry.
So the question now is: What do I wear? I took out a red-and-black, long-sleeve Marine Serre top and a recycled, vegan-leather, sleeveless, midi dress to pair with my favorite knee-high, faux-leather boots. For makeup, after prepping my skin with 100% Pure Luminous Primer, I used Pat McGrath Labs Long-Lasting Sublime Perfect Foundation in Light Medium 13. I love this foundation, I totally splurged on it and I find myself only using it for special occasions. For my face, [I] used the Bobbi Brown Bronzer and Blush Face Palette in Medium, Fenty eyeliner, and Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. To finish off my look, I powder my face with Glossier’s Wowder setting powder using a nice, bushy brush. It’s movie time!
After the movie, I had a late dinner with a new friend, Mariam. who also attended the screening. Mariam is a content creator from Sao Paulo who’s also a hijabi fashionista. She sat next to me at the theater and we just clicked the moment we started talking. After the screening and discovering we still needed more time to hang out, I suggested we would go get sushi for dinner at Katsuya on Hollywood Blvd. Super random, but this is why I love L.A., you’re always making new friends along the way.
When I got home, it was already midnight. I took off my makeup using SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil, which is by far, the best and most effective cleansing oil I’ve ever had. I only need a small amount of oil on a cotton pad, and I’ve had this same bottle for two years. After a quick shower, I change into my pajamas, apply the SK-II SkinPower Lotion, and head straight to bed.
FRIDAY
Gosh, is it already Friday? Time moves so fast these days! After feeding my furry babies, I sat down to write in my book to see if I managed to reach my goals this week. I did pretty well: drank seven big cups of water (and more) every day, took all my vitamins, drank all of my juices. One thing I haven’t checked off my to-do list is a little me time. Since I have nothing to do today except for replying emails and doing interviews, I decided to treat myself to a little at-home spa. My back has been a little bit sore from sitting at my desk for too long, so I decided to run myself a bath with Dr. Teal’s Lavender Epsom Salt. My back feels normal again, yay!
On alternate days when I wash my hair, I switch from bottled shampoo to shampoo bars to reduce using bottled products. I use Viori’s Terrace Garden Shampoo Bar; it smells absolutely amazing and it works just like any normal bottle shampoo. I also love their Terrace Garden Conditioner Bar; it makes my hair feels soft and smooth.
Today I’m going to focus on getting my skin moisturized again. I’m using La Mer’s The Concentrate for my skin, followed by Creme de la Mer. My whole body needs some moisture too, since the weather has been so dry. I found this amazing company called Public Goods that is dedicated to selling affordable and sustainable home goods, and I absolutely love their Lotion. It contains essential oils from cornmint, lemon, cedar, red cedar, eucalyptus, cedar leaf, patchouli, and lavender. I also love Public Goods Eucalyptus Essential Oil. I put a few drops into my diffuser and my bedroom smells heavenly.
On my day off I usually get a lot of inspiration. I’ll write, I’ll turn on my laptop and record an idea on my Ableton, I’ll paint. But today I got inspired to move furniture around. My husband comes home from his 7-mile run and realized that I had already moved our dinning table from the kitchen to the little french-window nook in the living room, all by myself. Hey, when inspiration hits, you can’t ignore it.
SATURDAY
It’s finally the weekend! My husband greets me in bed — he’s already up — with a cup of coffee, but I’m still pretty sleepy and in dire need of water. I down a cup of water that I have on my nightstand that I’ve prepared the night before with a little bit of lemon. Then I get up, make the bed (with our two cats still playing on it), and walk towards the dining area — which we had moved from the kitchen to our little french-window area. It’s so pretty. Why haven’t I thought of this before? What it needs now is a pretty bouquet of flowers on the table. Maybe I’ll go the Melrose Trading Post see what they have. I go into the bathroom to get ready for my weekend adventure.
I love coconut oil so I am so happy that SheaMoisture’s 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Foaming Cleanser exists. It’s amazing because it deeply and gently cleanses my skin, and moisturizes it at the same time. It’s a no-makeup day, so I’ll just use the Neutrogena Radiant Tinted Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 sunscreen on my face, and a little bit of Dior Addict Lip Glow on my lips. A lot, actually, because this lip balm is bomb.
After walking around the vintage market for clothes and furniture, Adam, my husband, successfully convinced me that I do not need anymore furniture in our apartment. We went to get a really nice meal at the Farmer’s Market the Grove, fish and chips — our favorite! As the sun is setting, we head back home just in time to feed our cats for dinnertime.
Normally on Saturday nights when we don’t have any plans, we’ll stay in and Adam would be on his PS5 playing a game and I will be watching. Or, we would pick a movie to watch together. Before going to bed, I feel like this would be a great time to pamper myself one last time this week with SK-II Pitera Facial Treatment Mask. I like to put it in the fridge for a few hours before putting it on my face. Since the mask is usually soaked generously with serum, after I’m done with my 30-minute mask time, I would carefully remove it and fold it back into the packet, clip it, and keep it until the next time I want to reuse it. This way, I don’t just throw it away after one use, and I get to use it till the last drop.
I’m so excited to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow is a new day and a new week. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. In the meantime, let me make my bed cozy by spraying a little bit of Jo Malone’s Lavender and Moonflower Pillow Spray onto the pillow and bed. Goodnight!
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