Mindy Kaling’s Secrets for Looking Like a Selfie-Perfect Celeb
#3 is my favorite…
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In Mindy Kaling’s book, “Why Not Me,” she shares the beauty tricks that consistently transform her from Gollum (her words) into a beautiful, picture-perfect celebrity.
And while some are silly — others are actually pretty solid (#3 is my favorite) — and are definitely worth checking out.
Don’t worry, none involve juice cleanses that’ll make you feel like you’re dying a slow, liquid-filled death or require a ridiculous workout regimen that not even Jillian Michaels could maintain.
Here are six secrets for looking like a selfie-perfect celeb a la Mindy Kaling.
1. Stop Settling for Your Real Hair
“The hair on your head is worthless.” This is the first thing Mindy says we all must realize.
The length, thickness, color… people on TV never sport their real hair, and, apparently, neither should we. That is, if we desire “gorgeous, ‘My Little Pony’-style hair.”
But just how does one go about obtaining this? Hair extensions. As Mindy says, “He or she with the most hair wins.”
You will know you’ve added enough extensions to your hair, Mindy explains, when the weight of it gives you a “splitting headache,” when it’s long enough to be considered a shirt when you’re topless, and when you can pull guests up to your second-floor window with it.
2. Spray It, Don’t Say It
Obviously, tan lines are a no-go on the red carpet, but they also don’t look all that attractive IRL either. Which is why Mindy says getting a spray tan is less about changing the color of your skin and more about evening it out.
Any time you’re going to show a lot of skin, Mindy suggests getting a spray tan the night before. You can have someone come to your home like she does, (note: she leaves her underwear on so the woman spraying her knows she’s “classy”), go to a salon (more affordable), or try a self-tanning lotion from the store. (Cheapest route.)
Regardless how you choose to get your tan on, Mindy entices that you’ll be a “scrumptious, golden-brown delight, like a McDonald’s hashbrown,” when it’s all said and done.
3. Get a Tailor, Swiftly
This beauty tip is my favorite of Mindy’s: Introduce a tailor into your life.
Why? Because a tailor can transform all of your clothes to make them seem new again by ensuring they fit your body perfectly.
And the best part, Mindy says, is that you’ll be one of “those people” who have a tailor — which makes you seem cool and menacing like Al Capone.
Don’t know how to find one? Do what any respectable person does these days and ask your friends on Facebook if they can recommend someone.
4. Give Your Skin the Blue-Light Special
Actresses can’t have acne (unless they’re hoping to land a Proactiv commercial) so Mindy Kaling uses the Tria Beauty Acne Clearing Blue Light device, which she notes looks like a fancy sex toy from Japan.
She admits this skin-clearing device hurts pretty badly, (it is light- and heat-based) but she said it’s amazingly effective at “destroying pimples” so she doesn’t care.
Random fact: She named hers WALL-E.
5. Be More Like a Vampire
Nosferatu, one of the most famous vampires of all time, (second only to Eric Northman) is also the beauty icon who most inspires Mindy.
This terrifying, yet charming, vampire taught her two of her favorite, timeless beauty tips:
- Avoid the sun at all costs.
- Always try to appear shrouded in shadows.
Since you’re not a vampire and lighting is the real key to always looking beautiful, stand next to a window when snapping a selfie or go outside to take advantage of natural lighting. (Just put on some sun block, mmkay?)
If natural lighting isn’t possible, use highlighter on your chin, cheeks, forehead, and nose to give yourself a beautiful glow no matter where you’re at.
6. Arm Yourself With a More Flattering Pose
This one you might already know, but a reminder couldn’t hurt — your arm must never lie flat against your body in a photo because no matter how toned it is, it’s probably going to look huge and flabby.
But, simply by putting your hand on your hip, your arm will instantly look thinner and draw attention to your waist.
Mindy said she adopted this pose so often that a blogger wrote about it and included a gallery of pictures where she had her hand on her hip in every shot. Did she care? Nope. Because she looked great in every one.
