“Taking Care of Yourself Is an Inside Job” (2025)

Welcome to Take the Edge Off, a series that breaks down the beauty and self-care routines of influencers, CEOs, experts, and celebrities. Find out how they unwind and decompress while taking a closer look at the holy-grail essentials they’re currently raving about.

Master aesthetician Sarah Akram has been working in the beauty industry since the age of 14. While working as a shampoo girl in her local hair salon, she was introduced to the world of skincare with an expert-level treatment by a professional facialist renting space there who later became her mentor.

“I just remember thinking, Oh my gosh, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced,” she tells Bazaar. “I’d never done anything like that before. And I said to her, ‘You can do something like this as a job?’ With her mentor’s guidance, Akram pursued a career as a full-time skin expert, earning her license as a professional aesthetician at the age of 18, and she never looked back.

Word eventually spread of Akram’s talents through word of mouth and social media. Now, after performing more than 50,000 customized treatments as a master in her practice, Akram counts celebrities and public figures like Rachel Zegler and Sheryl Lee Ralph as regular clients. She also works her skincare magic through her eponymous Sarah Akram Skincare boutique in Alexandria, Virginia, while serving as one of Dior Beauty’s skincare experts and ambassadors. And in this writer’s personal experience, receiving even a single treatment from the buzzy expert is enough for Akram to wow you with her profound beauty prowess.

For a closer look at Akram’s product favorites (which of course include plenty of luxe Dior staples) and how she stays grounded as a busy mother of two, we caught up with the professional for a few of the key methods she uses to take the edge off.

What are you reading or listening to these days?

I like to listen to things. I don’t have a lot of time because I have an eight-month-old, and I also have a four-year-old daughter who just started school. So I don’t have a whole lot of time to sit down and read an actual book. I like to listen to podcasts.

I don’t like to listen to too many serious things because I don’t think that’s healthy for anyone, if I’m being honest, but I do like to listen to a podcast called Pivot with hosts Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. It’s a good podcast to listen to for keeping up with current events so you’re not feeling dumb when someone’s trying to have a conversation with you, like you don’t know what’s going on in the world. And then for fun—because you always have to sprinkle some fun in there too—I like to listen to Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast. She does some great interviews, and I really enjoy them. She gives some good advice. A big fan of hers as well.


What are some of your go-to bath or shower products?

I really like Saltair’s line of products. Their body scrubs and moisturizers I enjoy using and are just fantastic. Another body thing that I cannot live without is the Crème MSR-H Corps by Biologique Recherche. It is fantastic. And I don’t think a lot of people know, but they also make P50 for the body. Their P50 product is so famous for the face, but they also make a separate one for past the neck, and it’s incredible. It’s especially great for people who have any kind of keratosis and things like that. It’s also great for backne. I get these little bumps on my legs, and it’s been a godsend for that because I can never get the area to look beautifully smooth. The P50 has been amazing, and then the MSR-H is a nice tightening cream, so you get the body exfoliation and lift.

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Saltair KP Body Scrub 10% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Skin Scrub

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Biologique Recherche Crème MSR-H Corps

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Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 Corps

What beauty or self-care products do you use on a regular basis to help combat Zoom fatigue?

That’s interesting; I actually don’t stare at a screen. I prefer to meet people face-to-face. I know it’s not possible for us, but if you were in the area I’d probably be like, Oh, let’s just grab coffee! I don’t think I suffer from Zoom fatigue just because I’m not on it that much. I also create a lot of boundaries when it comes to screen time. People just send so many texts and all the things, and after a certain hour I just put my phone away. I just think we have to retrain ourselves to not be wed to our gadgets so much. At the end of the day, I think personal connection is so important, and we’re kind of losing that.

Do you have a favorite hand sanitizer, soap, or cream right now?

I love using Dior’s Le Baume. It’s incredible. You can use it on anything: on your lips, as a cuticle cream, a hand cream, or a moisturizer. It does so many things, so I always keep one in my purse. And they’re cool! You don’t have to worry about unscrewing the cap; you just flip it up. It has really cute packaging, and it’s one of my favorite products to travel with and carry.

Dior Le Baume

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What was the last beauty product you put on today?

Literally, the last beauty product I applied before I came downstairs to take this call with you was the Auteur Definitive Lifting Toner as a last step to lock in my makeup. I don’t have a lot on, just a tinted moisturizer and concealer, but I use that at the end to kind of set everything in because it provides a dewy finish and helps everything last longer. It’s an amazing product, and you can use it in so many different ways.

Auteur Definitive Lifting Toner

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Are you into bold makeup, no makeup, or no-makeup makeup right now?

I've definitely gone through different phases. I went through that era where I wanted all of it: the contour, the coverage, the lashes. But as I’ve gotten older—I don’t know if it’s that my taste has changed, but now I feel that less is more. I still like to have more of a glam look and do the contour and all those things, but just in a more subdued and softer kind of way. I’m not just saying this because I’m a Dior ambassador, but I’m genuinely obsessed with the brand’s makeup, which was introduced to me by Dior makeup artist Ricky Wilson. I love the concealer, and the Brow Styler has been a complete game-changer for me.

Dior Forever Skin Full-Coverage Correct Concealer

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Dior Diorshow Brow Styler

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Do you ever light a candle or stick of incense to decompress? If so, what are some of your favorites?

I light candles and incense and do all the things to decompress, but you know what’s my favorite thing to do to decompress? I honestly just like to watch TV. That’s my way of decompressing, to sit and watch a good Netflix show. In my businesses and boutique, I light candles, but my life at home is so chaotic with the kids and everything, it’s unrealistic for me to do those things in my home. So when I get in and the kids are in bed, I just like to watch maybe one show before I go to sleep. But sometimes that gets addictive, and then it’s one o’clock in the morning and you’ve watched half a series and you’re like, What am I doing?

What’s the last fitness class you streamed or attended in person?

I have to rock my baby to sleep for like 45 minutes, so I feel like that’s a workout. My weight loss post-pregnancy has just been chasing my daughter around and lifting my baby. I’m constantly carrying him everywhere. I try to do squats and do things like dance around the house while I’m holding him. I also try to be mindful of what I’m eating. That’s more of what I’ve been conscious of. I also try not to snack as much. I’m trying to make healthier choices, especially because now I am a mom of two, and I want to live longer for my children.

What’s one piece of self-care advice you’d give our readers?

I think that kind of ties into what I just said: Taking care of yourself is an inside job mostly. I know a lot of people are going and getting cosmetic things done, and I’m a facialist, so I’m always recommending this treatment or those products. And all those things are wonderful, but at the end of the day, I think it’s so important to take care of yourself. I really do believe that nutrition is so important, and to take care of your body, make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep and not stressing yourself out too much. Have tools or habits in place to mitigate that, and do something for yourself daily.

I also think it’s important to be appreciative and grateful for everything that you have. Gratitude is incredibly important. But I really do believe that it’s an inside job. It’s like the 80/20 rule, where 80 percent is inside and 20 percent is the exterior. Using those amazing creams and getting those fabulous facials, that’s icing on the top. But at the end of the day, you just have to take care of yourself.

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Tiffany Dodson

Associate Beauty Commerce Editor

Tiffany Dodson Davis is the associate beauty commerce editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Don't ask her to choose a favorite fragrance—it's like picking a favorite child. As one of the brand's resident shopping experts, she specializes in trend forecasting, testing the latest beauty and wellness launches, and curating bookmark-worthy commerce guides. Tiffany's work has previously been featured in SELF Magazine, Bustle, and Teen Vogue. She's also been tapped as a commerce and beauty expert for The Business of Fashion, NPR’s Life Kit podcast, and more.

“Taking Care of Yourself Is an Inside Job” (2025)

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