"Brought my own shells to the beach," Kerry Washington captioned a photo this weekend, of her on the beach in a bikini, the ocean behind her. Her hand points to a Venus Gold Necklace, while on her ears are Venus Organic Pearl Gold Earrings—each in the shape of shells. They are part of the #KERRYxAURATE collection—aka the Birth of Mother Collection—a collab between the Little Fires Everwhere star and the fine jewlery company. "Thanks @auratenewyork!!!" How does Washington stay so inspiring? Read on to see 5 ways Kerry Washington keeps it together and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bikini Photos!

Aurate is a female-owned business—founded by Sophie Kahn and Bouchra Ezzahraoui—and Washington is a backer. They first collaborated on something called The Lioness Collection. "I was inspired by the themes of what the lioness means, how lionesses operate, how the lionesses hunt together and nurture their cubs together," Washington said at the time, to TechCrunch. "There's no hierarchy among lionesses … They are fierce and ambitious but they also take care of each other." She added: "I love working with female founders." "Aurate is style and substance and Kerry is style and substance," Kahn told TechCrunch. "She's also an activist, she cares and has a voice. That's why it was such a perfect fit."

"The things my mother always stressed were to drink a lot of water and get a lot of rest, which I used to roll my eyes at," she told Oprah Magazine. "Now I think she's a genius. Health and wellness really are the sources of beauty."

"I've always understood the connection between science and skin," she told Elle back in 2015. "I've been seeing a dermatologist since I was six years old for eczema. I really believe in exfoliating and I also use a red light for dealing with bacteria. I have one that I travel with. I really love [Neutrogena's] Visibly Even line because it smoothes skin with soy and prevents new spots with SPF. I'm excited about the new foundation colors because we're expanding. You want to be able to find the fit for you and the science behind our foundation is so strong."

"For me the fun of it is to think about red carpet for creative expression. I work with the best hair stylists, the best makeup artists. It's like, 'let's create some art together.' I'm the canvas. I think really changing it up is most important," she told Elle.

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Washington and her Scandal co-star raised money for Black Voters Matter by hosting online yoga. "Tony Goldwyn and I might have played a President and a Fixer on TV…but we can't save the day. You can!" the caption read. "YOU have the power to be the hero of your community. YOU can create change. YOU can make sure that your representatives actually represent you and your views. I hope that today's yoga and chat help you feel empowered to do so. Sending you so much love and gratitude for joining and donating today," she continued.