Adrienne Bailon On Her Hispanic Heritage Month Collabs

While Adrienne Bailon Houghton will forever be a Cheetah Girl in my heart, she’s added a lot of other titles to her resume over the years, including host, businesswoman and mother. We recently caught up with the 41-year-old star about what her life looks like now and how she’s honoring her Latina culture during Hispanic Heritage Month.

What does a Saturday or Sunday at home look like for you?

“Saturdays and Sundays at home definitely look like the weekend reset, you know. For me, it’s all about family time. I think we all have such hectic schedules during the week, and everyone has their own things. Ever [her three-year-old son] has his own social schedule, from swim classes to gymnastics, and he’s about to start soccer, so we’ve got all of those things going on during the weekend, but it’s really about us being a family unit and at home together and kind of resetting the house from cleaning to laundry. Then at the end of the evenings it’s about cuddling up on the sofa together and watching TV or having a movie night on Saturday, that sort of thing, cooking together, all that good stuff.”

We recently had Eva Mendes on our cover, and she shared how important cleaning with her mom was growing up. I know that you feel similarly, so I’d love to hear more about that.

“I think it’s cultural, to be honest with you. That’s how we’re raised. There are certain things that definitely feel so nostalgic to weekend cleaning, like a purple bottle of Fabuloso lavender scented. That smell literally makes you be like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is home.’ Doing laundry with Suavitel, these things are so nostalgic. I recently posted my partnership with Walmart and these brands, and the comments were like ‘yes girl.’ People feel seen, and they’re like, ‘that’s exactly what growing up Latino feels like.’ This is what you do, and this is what your home smells like.

This is definitely part of our culture, and I think it’s so awesome that now that I have a son, I get to pass that down to him, and we get to celebrate that together. Listen, everything in a Latino family is a celebration. Okay? We’re going to turn the mundane chores into a straight-up fiesta. There’s going to be salsa music playing in the background. Everybody needs a house cleaning playlist. So just having that and getting the things done that you need to get done, but at the same time having so much fun doing it.

I’m teaching my son that having a clean home is also really great for my nervous system. I love coming home to an organized, clean and beautiful space. I love to romanticize my life. My home is my sanctuary. It is my resting place. So I just love the fact that I’m showing my son how to care for his home and keep things beautiful and organized, and at the same time, take care of himself. A clean home to me is a part of my self-care.”

It’s so special that you can pass that down to your son. Are there any beauty secrets your mom or other women in your family passed down to you?

“100 percent. I think skin care is probably the biggest thing. Growing up, I always heard women in my family say ‘ponte bella,’ which means, like, get gorgeous, get beautiful. And it’s really about taking care of yourself and taking the time to take care of yourself. Als, put that hair mask or face mask on while you’re cleaning the house. Kill two birds with one stone.”

What makeup and skin-care products do you love using?

“Oh my gosh, I have so many. Funny enough, my son loves to see me in a mask. I think he really wants to be a part of that as well. There’s nothing like putting your under-eye patches on straight out of the fridge. That’s definitely important for me to de-puff. I’m obsessed with lymphatic drainage currently. So like, after my 15-hour flight to Australia, the first thing I did was say ‘hi, Google. What’s the nearest place that I can get lymphatic drainage?’ Just to de-puff and get any of that fluid out. That, to me, is a go-to for sure.

Hydration, hydration. I will stay dewy, and I will look like a glazed donut at home at all times while doing these home rituals, like cleaning the house. I think one of my favorites is the Lancôme eye cream. I love Kiehl’s good old-fashioned moisturizer ($72); it’s one of my favorites.”

Are there any fall must-haves in your house?

“Gilmore Girls. Gilmore Girls is a fall must-have. We are already starting back at season one, episode one. September first, that happens. For my birthday last year, I did the whole Connecticut tour.”

I have to ask—what boyfriend do you like for Rory?

“I’m team Logan all the way.”

Tells us about anything exciting you have coming up

“I’m excited for Hispanic Heritage Month. I’m doing something really cool with Sephora and my clothing brand, LA VOÛTE, to celebrate iconic Latina style. I’m partnering with my girls, Babba Rivera and Denise Vasi, for Ceremonia and MAED at Sephora.

Iconic Latina style is a slick back bun with Ceremonia, a red lip with Maed and, of course, hoop earrings from LA VOÛTE, so we’ll be launching that September 16. When you go into the stores, you can ask for the ‘iconic Latina style,’ and with the purchase of either the Pequi Ceremonia Slick Back Gel ($26) or the iconic red lip from MAED ($36), you’ll get a free pair of LA VOÛTE hoop earrings.”