Aja Naomi King "deserves" her skincare routine.

The 38-year-old actress initially felt guilty about taking any time to herself after she and husband Dan King welcomed son Kian into the world two years ago but has grown to realise she doesn't have to "sacrifice everything" so she values going through her daily beauty regime even more.

She told Britain's Cosmopolitan magazine: "Before I was a mum, I took for granted the time I would spend on myself and my skin. Becoming a mum you are filled with this overwhelming sense that you have to sacrifice everything about yourself in order to meet the needs of this tiny human that you're doing your best to keep alive.

"With the help of friends and family, they gently reminded me that I matter and to take the time for myself. My skin routine has become so precious, to take that 15 minutes and not feel guilty for taking that time to massage my face. I deserve it."

And if she had to choose between skincare or make-up, the 'How To Get Away With Murder' star will always opt for the former.

She explained: "I love make-up, but I really love taking care of my skin.

"To me, that's what makes the make-up look so great.

"Giving myself a little face massage in the morning is my self-care. I love putting my eye serum in the refrigerator so that it's nice and cool and then slowly rubbing that in – I'm having a great time."

When it comes to managing stress, Aja loves taking ice baths as she finds them to be "really grounding" because they give her time to reflect and process her thoughts.

She said: "I manage stress by taking ice baths. I do them a couple of times a week, I find them really grounding and help me to manage stress. They help me breathe and think 'You can figure this out'."