#1 Guilty pleasure: Chocolate
Biggest skincare concern: Dark Spots and Hyperpigmentation
Biggest motivator: Family
Current song on replay: Kehlani and Bryson Tiller- Always Forever
All-time favorite book: Twilight Books Series
Your girl crush: Beyonce
Q: Let’s talk about what you’re up to. Deshauna, you’re an American beauty pageant titleholder, motivational speaker, and captain in the United States Army Reserve. And you’re only 30. Tell us a bit about this journey and what motivated you to join the military and enter beauty pageants.
A: My journey was very interesting because I was discovered in Target at 19 years old by a pageant recruiter who thought I was beautiful and could easily win any pageant I competed in. At the time I had never competed in pageants before and didn’t have the best self esteem at the time about my appearance or my body. However, this pageant recruiter saw something in me that I struggled to see in myself. I took her advice and spent the next 7 years competing in my state pageant and losing every single one of them until I eventually won at 26 years old, Miss DC USA. I went on to compete at win Miss USA, then placed Top 9 at Miss Universe. After that I became I full time motivational speaker and now work as CEO of women veterans non-profit, Service Women’s Action Network. It has been a very long road to where I am today but I am grateful for this journey and the things I have been able to experience along the way.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle you faced along the way and how did you handle it?
A: My biggest obstacle was dealing with rejection during my pageant journey. I constantly lost pageants over the 7 year period and it really began to impact my self-esteem along the way. I had to completely repair myself after each loss and eventually worked on removing validation from the crown and walking into the competition feeling fully validated at the start.
Q: How did you set your goals and stay focused to get where you are? Any tips?
A: I write my goals down and don’t stop working until they are achieved. I have a list of goals that I made when I was 21 years old. To this day, I have accomplished every goal except 3 and I look forward to accomplishing those and creating a new list of aspirations.
Q: What have been your biggest life lessons so far?
A: My biggest lessons in life so far has been to love yourself, validate yourself, embrace yourself and congratulate yourself. I believe that self worth and value starts from within.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: What’s next for me is home-ownership! I am super excited to start the journey to owning my own home within the next 2 years! Very excited for that next step in life!
Q: And of course, we must ask. What’s your skincare routine?
A: My skincare routine is pretty simple but it changes around depending on the weather. Right now because it is getting cold, I like to keep as much moisture in face as possible. I actually don’t wear makeup often, unless I have events or speaking engagements. I wake up, put on sunscreen. At night I use the Beyou Face Cleanser then the Beyou Witch Hazel Toner and eye cream. I close the night with a moisturizer and pigment correcting serum if I have any dark spots.
Deshauna's Beyou Top Picks are the Caffeine Eye Cream and Witch Hazel Oil Control Toner.
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