How Nancy Twine Nails a 2-Minute Morning Routine

Welcome to Beauty Around the Clock, Marie Claire's weekly peek into the daily lives of some of the most game-changing women in their industries. Ever wonder how they get it all done in a day? Here's your answer.

Back in 2013, Nancy Twine (opens in new tab) boldly left her Wall Street job to pursue dreams of launching a natural hair care line. Turns out her love of beauty runs in her blood: It was time spent in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother as a little girl, crafting DIY hair and skincare recipes, that ultimately inspired Briogeo. Now, Twine holds the title of youngest black woman to have launched a line at Sephora. What does 24 hours in this CEO's life look like? Read up...

Rise and Shine

I feel my best with eight or nine hours of sleep—though I average about seven hours. I start every morning with a 10-minute meditation and a prayer of gratitude.

Morning Maintenance

Pre-COVID, I spent 10 minutes getting ready. Post-COVID: two minutes. I have a fairly simple skin care regimen. I don’t use a ton of products, but I’m very consistent with them. My face tends to be dry, so in the morning, I cocktail together IMAGE Skincare AGELESS Total Pure Hyaluronic6 Filler (opens in new tab) ($70), Barrier+ Lipid-Boost Jelly (opens in new tab) ($50), and Biossance 100% Sugarcane Squalane Oil (opens in new tab) ($32). I used to use a daily Vitamin C serum, but over time my skin grew sensitive and I began breaking out, so I removed it from my ritual. My nighttime routine is fairly similar, but I add extra squalane oil to the moisturize cocktail to keep hydrated throughout the night.

Hair Help

When I’m maintaining a blowout, I twist my hair up at night so that in the morning I can easily release the twists, run a comb through my hair and my blowout still looks fresh. When I’m wearing my hair naturally curly, it takes a bit longer because I’m either styling it from scratch with Briogeo’s Curl Charisma Coil Custard (opens in new tab) ($26) and Leave-In Creme (opens in new tab) ($20), or I’m refreshing my curls with a water bottle and adding a little Curl Charisma Frizz Control Gel (opens in new tab) ($20) to help redefine curls that may have gotten a bit tormented during sleep.

Shop Nancy Twine's Morning Beauty Picks

Signature Beauty Look

I typically wear my hair down in loose waves—I find that style to complement my face shape the way I like. For makeup, I like to keep it simple and natural: light coverage foundation (Kosas Tinted Oil (opens in new tab), $42) mascara (Thrive Causemetics (opens in new tab), $24), brow pomade (Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse (opens in new tab), $25) and a lip tint (Ilia Arabian Nights (opens in new tab), $28).

Shop Nancy Twine's Signature Beauty Look

Power Start

A kale, berry, and collagen smoothie and a tall glass of green tea.

Favorite Fitness Routine

I prefer to work out in the mornings. It gives me a boost of energy first thing, which I need! I love Barry’s (opens in new tab) and recently I’ve been working out at home with the Nike Fitness App (opens in new tab).

Zoom Beauty Hack

A ring light makes a huge difference in the quality of the video.

Self-Care Solutions

Weekly acupuncture, which keeps me mentally balanced and my immunity strong, therapy sessions, and limiting sugar, dairy, and gluten from my diet. Also, daily meditation and gratitude list keeping are an amazing way to keep your positive vibrations high. With the onset of COVID-19, my wellness intentions are the same, but having more time to myself allows me to really stick with my intended routine, no excuses.

Cheap-but-Chic Fave

Bioderma Micellar Water (opens in new tab) ($15)

Beauty Icon

Michelle Obama

Business Icon

Oprah Winfrey

Humble Business Beginnings

Growing up, I was inspired by moments with my mom, when we used to buy single ingredients from our health food store—like plant oils, waxes, butters, salts, and sugars—and transform them into our own custom beauty essentials. We made everything from haircare to skincare to body care. My mom was one of eight children and she grew up in rural West Virginia, concocting beauty essentials with her mom. What once was a family tradition became the inspiration for creating my own clean-ingredient hair care line.

Career Advice

If you feel lost, set an intention. If you feel stuck, set goals. If you want to win, take action.

Boldest Business Move

Leaving a stable, full-time career at Goldman Sachs to pursue my business idea of starting Briogeo.

Hidden Talent

Singing Madonna's "Like A Virgin" karaoke-style.

Backup Career

Career coach

Bedtime Beauty Rituals

I love wearing comfy PJs at night and always force myself to remove my makeup before bed. When my hair is blown-out, I twist it up with bobby pins at night to maintain the loose waves. If I’m wearing it naturally curly, I make sure to sleep on a satin pillow case to reduce friction between my curls and the fabric.

Nighttime Essential

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (opens in new tab) ($20)

P.M. Reflections

The last thing I do before bed is write five things I was grateful for during the day.

Lights Out

I like to get to bed by 10:30 p.m. so I can be up by 6:30 a.m. Realistically, I'm asleep by 11:30 p.m.

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