Dull Skin No More: This Trans TikTok Star Shows Us How to Give Our Skin a Glow Up

Rica Salomon is radiant. The TikTok content creator and makeup artist who generously shares photos of herself on social media always looks picture-perfect: no dull skin, flawless makeup, not a hair out of place. But this didn’t happen overnight.

Seven years ago, Rica first made national headlines when she challenged her Catholic university to allow transgender students to appear in the gender with which they identify in the yearbook. Now, the proud trans woman who is also the founder of Tayo Movement, a clothing brand that promotes inclusivity and LGBTQIA+ awareness, admits that behind her inspiring poise, she went through her own bumpy journey before being comfortable with herself.

For Pride Month, she’s showing you how you can find your inner confidence, too, starting with your skincare.

Loving the skin she’s in, she confesses, hits differently when you’re a trans woman. “I know what it’s like to not be comfortable in your own skin – and that’s okay,” she says. “At the end of the day, we owe it to ourselves to be happy. So, if there’s something that’s causing you discomfort, change it! Fix it!”

Growing up, she went through acne and bacne, but though she still bears the pimple scars, she’s learned to overcome her insecurities by not letting them control her life.

For her skincare, this Tiktok beauty keeps it streamlined with a three-step process: cleanse, tone, moisturize. She considers the last one the most important step because her skin leans toward the dry side. She’s also diligent about applying sunblock.

If you're following a straightforward skincare regimen like Rica's, you can try POND’S Healthy Hydration Aloe Vera Hydrating Jelly Cleanser. This ethyl alcohol- and paraben-free product is formulated with aloe vera extra and Vitamin B3. As cleansing as well as it is moisturizing, this leaves your skin soft, hydrated, and glowing. For radiant, glass skin, follow it up with POND’S Healthy Hydration Aloe Vera Hydrating Jelly Moisturizer.

If you want to deep cleanse your skin, POND’S Acne Clear Facial Wash washes away germs and bacteria, causing your skin to clear up in a matter of three days. For toning, try POND’S Acne Clear Pore Conditioning Toner, formulated with salicylic acid and tea tree oil to clean skin and fight acne-causing bacteria. It also helps tighten pores, resulting in a finer, firmer, and smoother complexion.

Keeping dull skin at bay, however, takes more a little more work sometimes.

“There are days where I feel my skin needs a little extra, so that’s when I put more effort and use essences, serums, and face masks,” Rica explains. She also used to have facials once every two months, but she compensates instead by doing a complete skincare routine twice or thrice a week.

For moments when your skin needs something extra, step it up with POND’S Age Miracle Youthful Glow Double Action Serum. Its 30x skin renewal actives will give your skin an instant glow-up. It intensely hydrates and nourishes the skin, restoring it to provide you with an ageless appearance.

Rica is an advocate of a more minimalist skincare routine, but she emphasizes the importance of finding your own regimen. “My skin is special simply because it’s mine,” she begins. “The journey of what I had to go through to understand how my skin reacts to certain products, how my skin looks when it needs hydration, or needs exfoliating – these are all things that make it special. When we understand how our skin works, we also learn to appreciate it more.”

Find your own radiance with the POND’S Age Miracle Day Cream, which not only moisturizes skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles it also has SPF and PA to protect against the sun and Vitamin E to defend skin cells against foreign threats. 

If there’s anything though that Rica wants people to emulate from her skincare, it’s her not-so-secret tip to combating dull skin: “At the end of the day, your confidence and your mood plays a big role as to how your skin glows!”