Savannah James On How She Curates LeBron's Skin-Care Routine

08.09.2023, 17:03 allure.com

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There are basketball wives — and then there is Savannah James. She is in a league of her own. As the heart of the James Gang, or in LeBron's words, "the real MVP," being a mother of three comes first, but this hasn't stopped millions from falling in love with her. Over the years, she has quietly earned herself a sizable following that awaits her every Instagram post, always complete with a striking beauty look.

When she recently gave Allure a look inside her beauty space, she called it “just a bathroom,” but the palatial glass shower, pink velvet bench, and sunburst chandelier told a slightly different story. What actually blew us away, though, was the next-level organization. (James had just celebrated her birthday two days before her Allure interview — yes, she is a Virgo.) Her makeup is labeled and categorized and filed perfectly in each drawer. Her mini skin-care fridge is freshly stocked with masks and chilled ice globes to massage away morning puffiness. There is a place for everything, even her wrist towels. (For the uninitiated who have been letting water drip down their forearms, picture terry cloth sweatbands — but they’re there to keep your pajamas dry when you wash your face at night.)

James’ birthday wasn’t the only family celebration that preceded our conversation, though. A week or so before our scheduled interview, LeBron lauded the skin-care line his wife has in the works with a video on Instagram. The Allure team would be lying if we said our hearts didn’t sink just a little — we were looking forward to a beauty chat with a celebrity who didn’t have their own line to promote. But as it turns out, Savannah had little interest in sharing any further details on those three moisturizers. And she was more than willing to give me all the tea on her current I-have-nothing-to-sell-here top shelf — starting with the no-frills Epsom salts she soaks in five to six times a week.

James’ “happy place” is the bathtub: “It is where I can go and let my mind clear.” Makeup-wise James is currently only reaching for concealer and lip gloss — she’s in a “less is more phase.” This is a lesson she is teaching her daughter Zhuri. “Whether you are done up to the gods or at home with a pimple patch and bonnet on, you're beautiful and it's enough,” she says. “You don't have to do any more than that if you don't choose to.”

Her skin-care routine is a choice she always says yes to, though. “I can't not do my skin care. It has to happen. It's non-negotiable,” James says. “I could come in at 3 a.m. and I'm going to wash my face and do my skin care and decompress before I get into bed.” This is a lesson she is teaching her husband. “I would love it if he would let me give him a facial more often, but he's usually like, ‘I don't feel like doing that. I want to go watch football’ or something.” And while he may be King James, she is certainly Queen James. “I buy him his entire skincare routine. He uses what I use, but I make sure to take his concerns into consideration. He's actually really diligent and he listens.”

Here, a peek at Savannah James’ current beauty lineup.

“Every two weeks, there are two bags showing up at my door. I use half a bag for a bath. The water is scorching hot! I appreciate the sweat that I get. It's a complete detox every single time. Sometimes, I'm like, ‘Okay, I don’t want my wig to melt off, so I gotta take it easy.’ But for the most part, it's skin-scorching hot.”

“Zhuri and I have to get in there and pull up our bootstraps when we have wash day. I love SheaMoisture. There's a really, really nice leave-in conditioner that’s good for hydration and making sure her hair is nice and detangled and manageable. And there's a hair oil that I really love for her scalp care called Sho. We have been using that particular product since she was a baby.”

“I like to mix [Kayali] Vanilla Royale with [Kayali] Musk. I love to spray my fragrances in my hair. I think that's a secret weapon that a lot of women don't do. For whatever reason, it catches and lingers a little bit more. And I got turned onto Louis Vuitton Fleur du Désert when I went to the fashion show in Paris. It is amazing. I wear that one by itself.”

“I love a good makeup remover. I’ve tried all of them, from cold creams to oil cleansers to micellar waters. And the one that has been a staple is Bioderma’s. It works like a charm. It takes everything off. Sometimes you have that mascara residue even after you wash your face… but I don't have that with this.”

“After I cleanse, I apply a hyaluronic acid serum to lock in the moisture. It’s a staple for me and I want to preserve what I have going on right now.”

“I was not one to wear [sunscreen] every day because I would always have a cast or it wouldn't mix with the rest of my skincare. My friend introduced me to Bioré’s Aqua Riche formula and it absorbs and gives you an amazing glow. It makes you look like you're radiating. When I was in Japan with my kids on spring break, I stocked up and bought four of them. I have to get [LeBron] on this sunscreen. He could do better with that.”

“I appreciate a good concealer. The one I have in rotation right now is Lancôme’s. It feels like skin — it conceals, but it doesn't look like you have anything on your face. I like to apply a tiny triangle under my eyes [with a Beautyblender] and lift it up at the [corners] of my eyes.”

“I love Laneige lip balm. I keep one in my bag and one in my skin drawer.”

“I'm a lover of cocoa brown lip liner. It gives that ‘90s vibe that I think is so beautiful.”

“I was on [Thirteen Lune] looking for new things to try and saw it. It's a shea butter body butter that smells amazing. When I get out of the bath or shower and dry off, I apply this right away.”

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