Nia Long’s Greatest Love Story Is With Herself

Nia Long knows a good love story. The actress has been in plenty of iconic on-screen romances herself—who can forget her performances as Will Smith’s girlfriend Lisa Wilkes in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, or as Cuba Gooding Jr.’s longtime flame in Boyz n the Hood? As it turns out, she’s just as attuned to stories of self-love—a fact that’s apparent in her new Estée Lauder campaign, in which she chooses a night in with her favorite skin care products over a date night on the town.

The campaign, which was directed by music video legend Benny Boom, is Long’s first skin care campaign for Estée Lauder. “I used to be the young girl waiting at the bus stop to go to high school, and now [my face is] on a bus stop shelter,” she says. “It feels very surreal for me.”

Ahead, Long talks about spontaneous vacations, her favorite ’90s beauty looks, and the iconic characters she’s played over the years.

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What was it like to work with Benny Boom on this campaign?

Benny and I go way back from the ’90s. Benny is iconic, not just for his ’90s sexy music videos or the Tupac biopic, All Eyes On Me, but we first started working together on [the TV series] Empire. There’s nothing better than a director who comes on set and knows what he wants and takes charge of the moment. It makes actors feel safe. I threw his name in the hat when I knew we were going to shoot this, and I thought, Oh, if we got Benny, I would be so lucky.

How do you view beauty?

Right at this moment, beauty for me is taking a deep breath and having those moments to decompress. Feeling beautiful or leaning into self-love is about having a balanced life. Lately, I’ve been super busy, and at the last minute, I decided to take a trip with my son, who’s on spring break. I could use two days of peace.

I hope you’re somewhere fun.

I’m in Jamaica, my favorite island. It’s just my happy place. I actually just met Mr. Chris Blackwell [the founder of Island Records], which is wild, because when I was 18 years old, I came to Jamaica—I’ve been here many times—but I stayed at his hotel in Strawberry Hill, and I was looking at all the music and the reggae. To meet him on this trip was like, whoa.

How has your relationship with beauty evolved over time?

My grandmother was a beautician. When I was a young girl growing up in Brooklyn, we used to have hair parties every weekend to get ready for church. We may not have had the expensive, fancy products, but we used coconut oil and things that were affordable. I have a Caribbean background, so beauty was always a part of the conversation and the bonding between women that took place in my home. As I started to work in an industry where beauty is so important to what you do, and as I started to age, I thought, I need to take more time for my skin, understand it, and experiment with different products that work for me.

Do you have a ritual that makes you feel most like yourself?

I love a clean face with a red lip. But oftentimes, when I’m not working, I don’t put on any makeup. As long as my skin care routine is in order, I don’t feel the need to put on makeup.

Do you have a favorite ’90s beauty look?

Dark liner, dark lip. That’s what the girls were doing. In the ’90s, we were into the deep burgundy lip tones. The burgundy matte lips were super drying, but photographed beautifully. The short pixie cut—that was ’90s Nia Long.

What’s your wellness routine?

I love taking walks and hikes. I’m in the canyon, and there is a hike that is more peaceful than it is exhausting. I love it so much. It gives me time to think and reconnect. The other thing is eating healthy. I was raised a vegetarian, so eating healthy doesn’t feel like a chore, but like a natural thing to do. And I love to cook. My son is laughing at me because the other night, I tried to make a steak and it didn’t turn out very well. But other than that, I’m a great cook.

Of all the characters you’ve played, is there one that resonates with you the most?

I have a connection to all the women that I’ve played. They’ve all represented me in some way, at different stages in my own life and in my womanhood. There is a part of me that’s Brandi from Boyz n the Hood. There is a part of me that’s Ms. Peggy from Queens [in Roxanne Roxanne], who’s a single mom and grew up in the projects. And there’s a part of me that’s Mrs. Katherine Jackson, who’s a mom [from the upcoming biopic Michael, about Michael Jackson]. I have a connection to her, because I understand what it feels like to be in the public eye and the need to protect your children and your family.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.