Marsai Martin Hopes to Inspire Others Through 'Surreal' Clinique Partnership: 'There's No Limit' (Exclusive)

Just in time for National Lipstick Day, July 29, the actress and Clinique's first partner producer chats with PEOPLE about the new beauty gig and the brand's iconic Black Honey lipstick

At just 18, Marsai Martin has already made a statement in Hollywood with a catalog of impactful projects. And now she's ready to do the same in the beauty world, too.

Today, the award-winning actress celebrates her new partnership with Clinique, in which she is both a brand ambassador and its first-ever partner producer.

“It's pretty surreal for me. I've known Clinique for so long — it's something that has been in my family for a minute," Martin tells PEOPLE exclusively.

As a part of her dual role, she will contribute to storytelling campaigns while being the face of the brand – and she's already excited about what's to come. “All of the things that we've been working on have been super innovative, exciting and exactly what I stand for – empowerment for everybody and loving ourselves inside and out.”

Last month, the Black-ish star and Clinique kicked off said content with an ongoing video series (filmed in April before the SAG-AFTRA strike) that uncovers the many sides of the actress, producer and entrepreneur — plus the items she can't live without.

So far, she's shared her go-to moisturizer and foundation. Next in her lineup: Clinique’s iconic Black Honey lipstick.

“It's something that is timeless,” she notes of the sheer color, which was created in the ‘70s. ”It’s something that everybody can wear. I can throw it on with anything. It's like the color black — you can wear it any time."

Another major bonus about the hue is that it’s an “easy wear,” meaning Martin can swipe it on for when she’s chilling at home or turning heads on a red carpet.

“It makes a statement without doing too much. I never wanna do too much. I like to have at least a pop of color that just changes the overall look, but still keeps it subtle and chill. It's like a perfect happy medium.”

Related: Marsai Martin on Her Love for Trying Out New Hair Trends: 'It's the Leo in Me'

While Martin doesn’t like to do "the most" with her lip color, she does have some next-level prep.

“It's gonna sound crazy, but when I brush my teeth, I make sure I brush my lips too,” Martin tells PEOPLE of the hack she picked up on the old social media platform Vine (yes, Vine!) when she was in her early teens.

Martin also never, ever skips liner. “It’s my favorite thing in the world. I always go in with a lip liner and then go in with a lipstick, so it's kind of giving a soft ombré vibe.”

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Martin became Hollywood's youngest executive producer at the age of 14 with her 2019 film Little starring Issa Rae and Regina Hall. (She also founded her company Genius Productions, alongside her parents, Joshua and Carol, in 2013.)

Though she oozes confidence on screen and on the red carpet, she says she understands the pressures of growing up in the digital age like anyone else.

“We're in a world of social media and us having to communicate with each other all of the time and sometimes that gets you into comparing. A lot of people will say don't compare, but I have never met anybody that doesn't – it's just a normal human thing that we do.”

Martin continues: “Especially being a young Black girl, we are often overlooked. We don't get the respect that we should get when it comes to our hard work and changing the narrative. At times you can feel it and you just have to remember what you bring to the table. At some point, you can't care what other people think. All we can do is live for ourselves because we are the only people that we know at the end of the day.”

Related: Why 'Black-ish' and 'Little' Star Marsai Martin Is Hollywood's Most Powerful Teenager at 14

Through her partnership with Clinique, Martin hopes to remind others: the world is your oyster.

"There is no limit to what you can reach and what you can strive for. Of course, when you are a teenager like me, you have all these ideas and see everybody doing everything [through social media]. I am so blessed to be a part of a generation like this because we are constantly raising the bar and pushing the boundaries of what we can do. Keep striving to do what you wanna do – it's your life."

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