Dexter Actress Aimee Garcia on Her New Show, Beauty Secrets, and What It’s Like to Be a Latina on TV

Some fans know actress Aimee Garcia from Showtime’s Dexter (she played the lovable Jamie Batista, Dexter’s nanny), while others enjoyed her on George Lopez. (And super fanatics might remember her turn as a struggling dancer, alongside Gina Rodriguez, in the 2011 film Go for It!) Regardless of how familiar you are with her extensive resume, however, you can’t deny one thing—the woman is crazy charismatic. The self-described “Mexi-Rican from Chicago” will next be seen on Rush Hour, the CBS action comedy show based on the blockbuster franchise that premieres this April, where she plays detective Didi Diaz. It’s a fitting role for Garcia, who is clearly a bit of a beauty sleuth. Obviously, we had to invite her over to talk all things makeup, TV, and more. Listen in.

__GLAM BELLEZA LATINA:__Congrats on Rush Hour! Tell us about your role.

__AIMEE GARCIA:__She [her character Didi] is a babe detective! I love that she’s super professional. She’s funny. She’s smart. I also get to sprinkle in some Spanish because it’s my first language, and I want to make her as authentic as possible.

__GBL:__Latinas have made great strides on TV but there are still only a handful of us represented on the small screen. Do you feel the weight of that?

__AG:__Absolutely. I feel a big responsibility to represent what it means to be a Latina to a global audience. I’ll never forget when a group of young girls [Latinas] came up to me and said, ‘Oh my God, we love Veronica on the George Lopez show! She’s so funny and stylish, and we love that she’s a Latina millionaire.’ And I thought, Wow, the roles that I pick aren’t just to pay rent but they’re also to represent my community. It’s bigger than me.

__GBL:__How would you describe your beauty M.O.?

__AG:__I tend to be eye-heavy and lip-light because I love to eat and so I want to keep my lips nude. Also, I think that a red lip is too high-maintenance. For my character, I think it’d be weird if she had a bright red lip. She’s always drinking coffee too. It’s really water, by the way! Didi’s look is very similar to my own.

__GBL:__Walk us through your daily skin care routine.

__AG:__Well, I swear by avocado. It’s excellent for your hair and skin, so I eat one daily. I also love Thayers Original Witch Hazel Astringent, which I pick up at Whole Foods ($8, wholefoodsmarket.com). I use it after washing my face, and I even remove my makeup with it. I also get facials twice a year with the incredible Shani Darden, who I found through Jessica Alba. I trust Jessica—she’s built an empire on her face.

__GBL:__Once your skin is in order, what do you do for makeup?

__AG:__I like to have that no-makeup makeup look. I use Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre ($16, target.com), then Cover FX Mattifying Primer ($38, sephora.com), followed by Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($62, giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com)—in that order. And then throughout the day I get rid of any shine with blotting sheets. And from there, just a bit of Kiehl’s lip balm and a Dior lip stain. That combo is really low-maintenance. Like I mentioned, I always want to be ready for any avocado action.

__GBL:__We know you’re all about your eye makeup. What do you use?

__AG:__I love a really big eye look with lots of lashes. I use Armani Eyes to Kill ($32, giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com). It’s the only mascara I’ve found that makes lashes super full, lasts all day, and doesn’t smudge. I also don’t want my eyeliner to run, so I use Lise Watier Waterproof Eyeliner ($23, lisewatier.us) and neutral shadows from Laura Mercier ($25 each, lauramercier.com). And if I want a smoky eye, I’ll use Givenchy Magic Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Coffee ($26, neimanmarcus.com).

__GBL:__What other products do you swear by?

__AG:__Blush is really important! I used to apply my blush really high on my face, and I’ve learned that it should go lower than you think. And Latinas tend to have high cheekbones, so if you go lower it actually looks better. I usually do Nars Blush in Gilda or Orgasm ($30 each, narscosmetics.com) if I’m feeling sassy.

__GBL:__You must have some hair advice for us. What’s your typical routine?

__AG:__I wash my hair every third day. I think one of the worst, most drying things you can do is overwash your hair. Your natural oils are really good. I learned that rinsing with cold water keeps it shiny and gets rid of any static.

GBL: Do you style it with hot tools a lot?

__AG:__I do, but to be honest, I’ve started to embrace my natural Latin wave. I used to always blow it out, and then I thought, You know what? People die for that kind of wave. So now I try to wash it, douse it with cold water, do a Kiehl’s conditioning treatment and then let it air-dry. And once a week, I put olive oil in my hair. My hair loves it.

__GBL:__What do you do for exercise? You do some pretty cool martial arts moves on Rush Hour!

__AG:__I work out every day or at least I try to. I believe that exercise preserves youth more than anything else. Sometimes if I’m at home watching TV I do weight-lifting moves with cans during commercials. It really is that easy! Trust me, if you do that and throw in squats and a couple of push-ups during commercial breaks you will see a change in your body.

__GBL:__Will try that! Do you have any Latina idols?

__AG:__Oh, so many. Beauty to me is just about confidence, so there’s Rita Moreno, who is so inspiring and talented. You think of her as beautiful but you don’t think of her as high maintenance. And Jennifer Lopez. Her skin is incredible. She really puts the work in—she doesn’t drink or smoke, and she works out all the time. Zoe Saldana, I love. I feel like Zoe is such a classy babe. She’s like a Latina superhero. I so look up to her.

__GBL:__There seems to be a wonderful sisterhood among the new Latina actresses. I know that you’re friends with Gina Rodriguez, Genesis Rodriguez and Natalie Martinez. How much do you love going on this career journey with them?

__AG:__We met for lunch the other day, and I realized that although we’re all so different, they make me better. Natalie is so fearless. Genesis is this beautiful cover girl and Gina’s so wickedly talented. We’re actually trying to do something together.

__GBL:__Talk about a squad!

__AG:__I’ve already named our squad too: The Beauty, the Brawn, the Brain, and the Wild Card.

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