Lala Anthony Reveals the Beauty Products She Can’t Live Without

From Redbook

It's safe to say that Lala Anthony will always be MTV royalty, but the TV-personality-turned-actress has come a long way since her days of caramel-colored highlights and Total Request Live. The mother, producer, and mogul is thriving and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Since TRL went off the air in 2008, Lala has become a New York Times best-selling author, landed a role on Starz' hit series Power, and recently starred in Drake's In My Feelings video.

When we had a chance to sit down with Lala, we just had to ask how she balances motherhood, her career, and activism all at one time.

First of all, parenting always comes first.

Lala's highest priority is her 11-year-old son with pro-basketball player and estranged husband Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan. That means spending time with him and sharing his interests.

"I think you have to be in the know of what your kids like and stay cool or stay relevant to what they're doing," Lala told RedbookMag.com. "I mean, it's a part of just staying connected with your kids. It's important. I tell him he's my best friend and I mean that when I say it."

So when her son wanted to do the viral "Shiggy Challenge" in Orlando, she was all for it — and the video is what led Lala to starring in Drake's In My Feelings music video as his love interest, Keke.

Another part of being a best friend to her son includes supporting him in whatever passions he pursues, whether that's basketball or not. "I just let him live life and in living life I found things that he loves doing," she says.

At 11, she says he loves the game of basketball, but she doesn't want to put pressure on him to make it his career or his forever passion. "As long as he's in, then we're all in, and once he decides, 'eh I want to try something else,' then we're gonna rock with him on that too," she says.

She doesn't let her platform go to waste.

Lala's vocal about the causes she supports, which includes body positivity. That's how she ended up with her namesake clothing line in Lord & Taylor and Ashley Stewart, which ranges from sizes 0 to 24.

"I just want women of all sizes to feel sexy and confident and great — and clothes can do that for you. Jeans can do that for you. So I was adamant about making a pair of jeans that look good on all women of all sizes and I think we're accomplishing that," she says.

And she speaks out on political issues too.

Like relief aid for Hurricane Maria and the killing of Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz. "What's the point of having a platform or success if you're not using it for something great and Junior's family just really touched me," Lala says. "I wanted to get more involved. And I just formed a very special relationship with his family and his sister which means a lot to me."

But being actively engaged in politics can be stressful. We're talking mentally, emotionally, and physically. So what does she do to de-stress? "I don't sleep!" Lala says jokingly.

But she does have have a few go-to tricks.

Like relying on family and finding products that simplify her everyday routine — starting with Arm and Hammer baking soda. "I've just found so many cool ways to use the product and with me having sensitive skin, being able to use it as a face exfoliator where it doesn't break my face out," she says. The actress also uses it in the fridge to keep food fresh.

Arm and Hammer is one of Lala's three must-have beauty products. Her other two includes Neutrogena makeup wipes and her tried-and-true lip balm: "I'm huge on Carmex. I carry it around all the time. No one wants chapped lips or anything like that," she says.

So what's next for Lala?

She starts shooting the sixth season of Power in September, is currently working on turning her book, The Power Playbook: Rules for Independence, Money, and Success, into a movie with Queen Latifah's production company, and hopes to expand her clothing line into other categories, like shoes and accessories. "Everything I have, I just expect it to grow," she says. And we'll be watching.

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