Girls in the Beauty Department

The 10 Beauty Rules Solange Lives By

Solange Knowles—musician, style icon, and, now, Kiehl's partner—has never been afraid of taking risks with her look. Her guidelines here! 1. Experiment with your hair. My mom owned a hair salon in Houston. She didn't have sitters, so she'd pick [my sister, Beyonce, and me] up from school, and we'd spend evenings there. We saw women cut their hair and get extensions the next day; the transformation was powerful. So when we were little, we both cut all our hair off, then we said, "Put it back!" She encouraged us to try things—that was huge. 2. Play with makeup. I go for it—with color, shapes.... It doesn't scare me, because I know it can come off. 3. Invest in inner beauty. Everychild should have access to education. When Kiehl's asked me to collaborate on a design for its Line-Reducing Concentrate, I was super excited—the company has a long history of giving back. Proceeds go to organizations important to me: Son of a Saint, which helps fatherless boys in New Orleans and beyond; 14+ Foundation, which builds schools in Africa; and donorschoose.org for education programs. 4. Celebrate your beauty icons. Diana Ross is a classic. She's defined beauty in such a

Solange Knowles—musician, style icon, and, now, Kiehl's partner—has never been afraid of taking risks with her look. Her guidelines here!

1. Experiment with your hair.

My mom owned a hair salon in Houston. She didn't have sitters, so she'd pick [my sister, Beyonce, and me] up from school, and we'd spend evenings there. We saw women cut their hair and get extensions the next day; the transformation was powerful. So when we were little, we both cut all our hair off, then we said, "Put it back!" She encouraged us to try things—that was huge.

2. Play with makeup.

I go for it—with color, shapes.... It doesn't scare me, because I know it can come off.

3. Invest in inner beauty.

Everychild should have access to education. When Kiehl's asked me to collaborate on a design for its Line-Reducing Concentrate, I was super excited—the company has a long history of giving back. Proceeds go to organizations important to me: Son of a Saint, which helps fatherless boys in New Orleans and beyond; 14+ Foundation, which builds schools in Africa; and donorschoose.org for education programs.

4. Celebrate your beauty icons.

Diana Ross is a classic. She's defined beauty in such a timeless, artful way.

5. When it comes to skin, do as Halle Berry does.

Halle Berry has said she's washed her face every night since she was 14. I heard that and thought, It's time to get my sh-t together! She's almost 50 and looks my age [29]. I'm trying to wash every night; I use Cetaphil and Epicuren.

__6. Find a sunscreen you'll wear—and wear it. __

I used to think, I'm black, I don't need SPF—which is completely untrue. My issue with sunscreen was that weird white mask, but I love Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Defense because it doesn't give me that.

7. Take a dance class for glow.

Learning hip-hop choreography makes me feel super radiant, though I really embarrassed myself at my last class. It was in New Orleans—the people here are respectful, so there's no evidence online!

8. Embrace humidity and "co-washing."

I stand outside the shower and let the steam make my hair bigger. Also, I never really shampoo; I co-wash [use only conditioner] instead.

9. Let your signature look evolve. I used to be all about a vibrant lip, but in the past year I've put more focus on eyes.

10. Be inspired by your friends. I look to my group of incredibly beautiful and talented friends for inspiration. We all identify beauty by our own terms. And at the end of the day, no one takes themselves too seriously.