Asya Branch was crowned Miss USA 2020 last week — and she worked hard to get there.
Before nabbing the crown, the contestant, who is the first black winner from her home state of Mississippi, doubled down on her beauty routine.
“My skin is typically my number-one priority; I think having a smooth canvas without makeup just helps all around. You will be able to go barefaced and feel truly confident,” she told Page Six Style, adding that she uses a retinol moisturizer along with rosewater spray as a primer and to set her makeup.
“I get a couple of blemishes here and there and I treat them, but I really just focus on always washing my makeup off, and keeping my skin cleansed and hydrated,” she added.
As for her hair? “I silk wrap it every night before bed and I like to keep it hydrated with oils,” she said. “I currently have a Brazilian Blowout which helps keep my hair smooth and sleek, especially in this southern humidity.”
She counts It’s A Ten Silk Express Miracle Silk Leave-In ($23.99) — which she said “made my hair so silky and soft and manageable” — and the brand’s shine-boosting Blow Dry Collection Kit ($51) among her must-haves.
Branch also said she “struggles” to keep her nails strong and healthy due to her anemia, but takes a multivitamin and uses gel polish in place of acrylics so they’ll stay in tip-top shape.
The pageant queen also eats a healthy diet of fruits and veggies including cucumbers, tomatoes and bananas, drinks a “ridiculous amount of water” and monitors her protein and carb intake. And when it comes to workouts, she calls herself a “crunch queen.”
“I do these crunches where my torso is pretty much twisted, with my legs to the side. It really helps tighten the obliques without getting them wider, which helps give the illusion of a cinched waist,” she said, adding that she does 100 repetitions in the morning and afternoon and lifts dumbbells and uses ankle weights at least four days a week to stay fit.
Branch calls herself “not a big spender,” but admitted she’s been eyeing a new laptop and a pair of Christian Louboutin heels as a way to celebrate her big win.
“I really have to make sure that I make the perfect purchase, because I probably will only buy one pair,” she said. “I’m picky about tan because I gotta compare it to my skin tone and make sure that it coordinates and make sure it looks right or not. But black is classic. You can’t go wrong with it.”
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And as the sixth sibling out of eight — four boys and four girls — she feels her “swag maybe went up a notch or two” after becoming Miss USA.
“I will definitely say [the win] helped my self-esteem and confidence. I may have a little more swag in my walk,” she quipped.
“I just describe my black girl magic as just being real. I think that everything I’ve been through has been real and has been relatable,” she concluded. “So I’ll be able to share that with the world. It’s inspiring to myself to break through these barriers; it’s real and it’s me.”
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