Welcome to the first installment of Beauty on the Streets!

In this weekly series, BATF will be doing 2-minute beauty and food profiles of people we stop, well…on the streets, or have had the good fortune of meeting otherwise. Without further ado, we’re kicking off our series with a lovely young NYC actress, Nabila:

Nabila Valentin

Name: Nabila Valentin

Age: 24

Job: Actress

Location: NYC

“I was born and raised in Lancaster, PA. Yes it’s where the Amish are from, and no, I’m definitely not Amish! I come from a unique background of Puerto Rican, French and Saudi Arabian.”

My style is: Retro-chic

People usually compliment my: Eyes and eye makeup

My favorite makeup tip: using Make Up Forever “Mist & Fix”makeup finishing spray as a final step. It gives your makeup a natural, glowing finish and makes it last longer.

Beauty product I can’t live without: MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW25

I love wearing my long hair: parted down the middle with soft waves. Very “hippy” natural like.

My favorite hair product is: coconut oil hair serum

I don’t understand people who don’t like: Spanish food!

My favorite restaurant by far is: Oliva, a tapas bar in the LES. They have great tapas, paella and delicious sangria. On top of have a live salsa band, it has a wonderful cozy ambiance.

What inspires me: Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism. The main message is world peace and happiness to all living beings. Before you strive to change the world, start with yourself and never give up the fight for peace. Buddhism encourages you to be the best you can possibly be and make all your dreams a reality. What’s more inspirational than that?!

If you would like to be featured for an upcoming profile, please email hello@beautyandthefeastblog.com with “Beauty on the Streets” in the subject. Note: women AND men are welcomed, we don’t discriminate