The Keys' Soulcare Lounge Event Offered Up Affirmations & Major Inspiration

Last night, Alicia Keys was joined by friends and fans for a virtual Soulcare Lounge, co-hosted by Ulta Beauty (where her collection, Keys Soulcare, is exclusively available). "The Keys Soulcare Lounge Ulta Beauty Edition is a destination where we can all share, connect, embrace our radiance, empower each other, and where we can laugh,” Keys said of the event in a press release. “It’s just so beautiful to see how everything comes together. I couldn’t dream of a better partner for Keys Soulcare, and it means the world to me that Ulta Beauty has shown such genuine love and support! We are so good together!” The singer was joined by a series of special guests throughout the event, who offered up advice — as well as insight on their favorite products from the line.

Throughout the course of the hour-long event, two winners — Tatyana Simone and Sissy Mizell — of the #MyKeysToSoulcare contest, which called for submissions of personal affirmations, were featured and honored. Affirmations are crucial to Keys' life and how she practices her own soulcare. "Affirmations for me, are so powerful," Keys explained. "It's a secret for me that helps me to zoom in on what it is that I need [...] even when I don't feel strong enough to get it, or whatever it is that I need more of, I turn it into an affirmation." (Mizell was even treated to a live serenade of the singer's hit 'Girl on Fire.')

Keys was later joined by guest Tracee Ellis Ross, whose brand Pattern is also sold at Ulta Beauty, and who recently became a Diversity and Inclusion Advisor to the retailer. The duo spoke about everything from what Ross does to lift her spirits to her new role. Ross shed light on what she called her "deep well of a toolbox," and shared some of her strategies for getting through uncertain times.

"At the anchor and the core of [this toolbox] is listening to my heart and my body. My mind is very smart, but my body and my heart are so much wiser," Ross said. "I'll take a bath, [I'll go] for a walk [...] being in movement is really important — being conscious of where my feet are. I define meditation as doing what I'm doing while I'm doing it [meditation]." She then joked about how, as she doesn't have a dishwasher, washing dishes is one example of how she works on that in her own life. "I love to put some music on and just move freely," Ross said, noting that everyone is doing a lot of sitting these days, and it helps her get her hips moving.

Keys also asked Ross about her new role with Ulta Beauty, and Ross called the move, "a formalization of an ongoing relationship that I have had with them." Of course, being that Ulta Beauty sells Pattern, the store's focus on diversity and inclusion is particularly relevant to Ross. "Pattern is for the curly coily, and tight-textured community and centered around the celebration of Black beauty," she said. "I needed to know that the Black community, people with curly, coily, and tight textures, were not only welcomed in the Ulta stores, but felt comfortable and felt empowered to shop there."

Ross views the role as part of a larger mission to better society. "We know across all industries that, particularly in this country, we are on a trajectory in a journey towards righting wrongs and creating a more equal and just society," Ross explained. "We're not there yet, and retail is no exception. I am always happy to lend my my experience, my knowledge, my access, my relationships to any entity that is willing to call in growth and foundational change. And Ulta [...] they have that willingness."

After Ross departed the virtual stage, Keys was joined by hairstylist and founder of OUAI Jen Atkin, who also imparted some wisdom — particularly for women. "I really believe in leaving your ego at the door. I didn't build this brand on my own," Atkin said of her successful label. "One of my favorite things is in our meetings, I don't like to dictate, I like to give my honest opinion, but I like to ask everyone in the room what they think because, you know, I still have lots to learn and I love to to put myself in a position where I never stop learning. Because once you think that you know it all, you are just blocking yourself from so many amazing things that could be coming to you."

Keys closed the evening by saying that the "jewels" she personally received that night were a gift and the "beauty of this incredible Keys Soulcare community, mixing with the Ulta Beauty community — this is what happens when all of us connect. It's crazy. Man, I can't wait for the next one."

Shop some of the greatest Keys Soulcare products on Ulta Beauty below.

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