10% happier
i absolutely love to read but finding time makes for a rare occurrence, so when i do i usually head for john grisham or the late dominick dunne who is hands down my favorite writer....
kai conversations with...maya jade frank & tehya-rose frank
how do you embody kai’s
“breath*life*flow” lifestyle?
tehya: i love kai
because to me it’s the perfect lifestyle line. i really believe that beauty
come from within, my mom taught me when i was little that our body is our
temple and we should treat it as such, so i think that the majority of what we
put on and in our bodies should be things that come from the earth. of course
sometimes a good lipstick or the perfect nail polish color is inevitable, but
where i can help it, i like to keep my routine natural. kai, to me, is of
nature for humans, and the beautifully amazing scents don’t remind me of strong
perfume, they remind me of the best part of a yoga class, when it ends and the
teacher sprays that amazing scent around the room. it’s livable and breathable,
and i only have to apply it once a day to feel like i am on vacation and
remember to breathe.
maya: one of the mantras
our family lives by is: do the best you can do, put in your best effort and be
proud of that result. i embody kai's "breath life flow" philosophy
because although i may seem to do a lot between my acting and my work to me,
like kai, i work from what is true to me and create something beautiful.
what’s the best advice
you’ve ever received?
tehya: never say no to
an opportunity if it is something your think you will regret rejecting later
on. always keep your doors open. you never can learn enough and have enough
growing experiences, so trust that everything is going to work out the way that
it should if you work hard, stay passionate, and never stop learning. things
take time, so learn patience.
maya: “the worst word in
the world is time”; it will take time to which usually feels like forever
before your wounds heal, but after that time has passed you have become braver
and stronger than before.
do you have a mantra you
live by?
tehya: it might be kinda
cheesy, but: “watchfulness is gracefulness”. i believe that so much of my world
i’ve experienced by watching, absorbing and taking in. as a ballerina you learn
from watching, and yes obviously from doing you grow, but i don’t think people
take the time to watch things unfold anymore, there’s definitely a beauty in
that.
maya: carpe-diem: seize
the day! take a chance and be impulsive, even if it is out of your comfort
zone!
what’s your beauty secret?
or must have beauty product?
tehya: i’m more into
skincare than beauty products, so i really stick to my aloe vera for healing,
coconut oil for my hair, and i love love love my kai body glow. it’s perfect
for after a shower when you need extra moisture, it’s super hydrating and it
smells wonderful.
maya: sunscreen! i love
colorescience powder because i can use it to conceal oil and as sunscreen to
protect from this intense california sun.
maya jade frank
go-to lipstick color?
tehya: dolce vita by
nars. i used to love this lip gloss they made, i don’t remember the name, and i
bought about a dozen of them 10 years ago thinking they would last me forever,
they didn’t! so, i finally found dolce vita, and i’m going to buy 100 of them
so if they ever get discontinued i never run out!
maya: light pink/a step
up from your natural lip color. i love positint by benefit because it looks
natural and lasts the entire day!
what color nail polish
are you wearing right now?
tehya: mademoiselle by
essie. it never chips and if it does you can’t even notice because it’s clear!
maya: inside scoop by
essie because it is such a fun, vibrant color…plus it matches everything!
who is your role model?
tehya: my sister, she’s
such a hard worker, such a kind person, and cares so deeply. also my parents
for showing me that life isn’t any one way sometimes it takes every which way
to find your path, and my granny who is one strong lady.
maya: my sister, tehya
is my number one role model because she inspires me every day to be confident.
my celebrity role models are emma watson and tina fey. i love that emma is an
actress and an activist. she speaks her mind about what she believes
in. tina fey is able to incorporate her humor in everything she does, she
makes it seem easy to make people laugh and that is a very hard thing to
do.
how would you describe
your personal style?
tehya: t-shirt and jeans
over a bathing suit… i feel like that’s not a style though, but it’s what i
wear!
maya: my style is casual
and comfortable with a pop! i usually wear jeans and a t-shirt but i will add
an accessory or a piece to make it my own.
what do you love most
about where you live? any secret spots you love to go to?
tehya: most mornings the
dew collects on the windshield of your car and it reminds me just know how
lucky i am to be so close to the ocean and have the ability to spend the
majority of my days outside. as for favorite places… my sister maya and i have
a very unhealthy dependance on french fries so it’s less of a secret spot and
more of just in general los angeles has the best fries… the best burgers though
are only in nyc at five napkin burger so i guess that’s my secret spot on the
east coast, but it’s not really so secret…
maya: i have been lucky
to grow up in new york city and now la. i love that in both cities there is always
a place to go, people to see, or a dream to fulfill. in new york i absolutely
love times square, but i also love going to big gay ice cream in greenwich
village.. in la, i love bike riding around venice beach or just up the street
to abbott kinney, there is a calming thrill being able to ride all over town
with the wind blowing through your hair.
describe your perfect
day.
tehya: a casual day
where i do just enough to feel like i did something productive, but not too
much that i’m exhausted. go to the beach, go to work or class, write some
music, exercise in some way, cook dinner and eat on the roof with my friends.
watch a good movie outside on our projector until we all pass out. i feel like
my perfect day is the ideal summer day minus the big partying, i’m not a big
partier. also if i don’t accomplish things during the day, i feel sort of
useless and i really don’t like that feeling!
maya: my perfect day
begins with waking up after a fun night with my friends, making gluten free
pancakes from scratch (breakfast is my favorite meal of the day). i love being
active, riding my bike about town up to abbott kinney or to venice beach. i
also love to take a boxing class. the end of my perfect evening is sharing a
fresh salad pizza with my family or friends, and tuning into netflix cuddled up
with my dog, thurman.
tehya-rose frank
favorite date spot?
tehya: the beach. or
bowling, i’m super into bowling all of a sudden, i think it’s kind of a phase
i’m in. but i think for this question to be validated i should probably find
myself a boyfriend first…
maya: i don't really
date yet. but if i did i am sure i would enjoy anywhere with movies and
food!
ultimate getaway?
tehya: paia, a little
town in maui. no question. it’s my favorite place in the whole wide
world.
maya: my favorite
vacation spot, like my sister and kai, is hawaii. it literally is the only
place i could stay in the water all day. the fragrances from the kai products
remind me of everything hawaiian: the freshness of the food, the calmness
and scents of the sea.
favorite food?
tehya: okay so the
unhealthy part of me says phish food ice-cream from ben & jerrys, and the
more reasonable part of me says any fresh, in season, fruits or veggies.
maya: i am a definite
foodie. probably sushi and ice-cream. that is a weird combination but i love
them both on both coasts they are my constant. i love the lucky charms
ice cream from salt & straw.
guilty pleasure?
tehya: i don’t really
feel guilty about anything i do… i really can’t think of anything!
maya: a nutella-filled
ice cream cone from big gay ice cream.
kai obsession?
tehya: definitely the
body glow like i said before, but i’m also super into the new rose perfume oil.
i love how it all smells like essential oils rather than a super strong
perfume, and it’s buildable if you want a stronger scent or something
lighter.
maya: my kai obsession
is the kai body butter. not only do i absolutely love the scent and the whipped
texture it is so nourishing to the skin and feels like your body is literally
soaking in smooth, soft, butter.
morning person or night
owl?
tehya: can i say i’m
like a day person. i don’t go to sleep very late and will fully admit i’m not
the best morning person. i get a lot done in the midst of a day.
maya: night owl 100%. i
can stay up super late and not get tired,until the next morning that is, when i
will want to stay in bed!
currently craving?
tehya: ooo! i haven’t
stopped talking about this for the past month, my parents and sister are so
sick of hearing about it, but there’s this passion fruit and guava juice that
they have in maui and it’s my favorite thing ever. also, i really want a
donut.
maya: french fries.
malibu seafood has the perfect non-oily, crisp steak fries
ideal way to
relax/unwind?
tehya: do something
creative or with my body. i think every day calls for something new, but
there’s nothing better than being by the ocean, there’s something so healing
about saltwater. i know, it sounds cliché but i really believe that part of
nature has such an ability to have you realize how small you are and how great
the force of the earth around you is. accept the harder days and realize that
everything is going to be okay and work out beautifully, you just have to trust
in something greater than yourself.
maya: watching tv
snuggled with my dog is my go to way to relax. add a back massage and life is
complete :)
what book are you
reading currently?
tehya: i recently
finished “the immortal life of henrietta lacks” by rebecca skloot, it’s an
incredible true story, i definitely think it’s something everyone should read!
maya: i am reading
“i am nujood, age 10 and divorced” by delphine minoui and nujood ali. it is the
true story about a young girl’s journey; she goes against her family’s wishes
and religion, in order to do what is right.
what’s the most
adventurous thing you’ve done?
tehya: i’m not really
sure of anything specific, but i feel like if you try things outside of what’s
comfortable to you it becomes adventurous…right?! so, i guess a whole bunch of
things!
maya: on my family’s
recent trip to maui, hawaii we hiked near the road to hana and found the most
beautiful waterfalls: called twin falls…only i was not prepared for the small,
but terrifying, task that was in front of me. i had to cross this rapid river
(okay, fine, it was small, but the water was super fast!) and i was
wearing shorts, socks, and sneakers: in short, i was unprepared. the rocks were
slimy and very slippery, and there was nothing i could hold in order to be
sturdy. i felt like this was the end. i remember thinking to myself: “this is
how i am gonna go. by a mini rapid river in hawaii.” when i made it to the
other side there was this huge weight that was lifting off of my shoulders.
they reappeared two seconds later when tehya laughed and said “one down, one to
go!” i totally forgot that was the only way to get back home. i had to cross
the death river again.
