Reese Witherspoon: Actress, Producer, Lifestyle Expert…Cryofacial Junkie?
Yup. It’s not surprising that the star and her friends are well-versed in the latest and greatest facial treatments—she's been in the public eye since she was a teenager, and has been getting skincare advice for just as long.
"When I was 18, a makeup artist on a movie I was doing told me to wear sunscreen twice a day. She said, ‘You're going to be on camera for the rest of your life, so you have to take care of your skin.'"
Clearly, she heeded the advice. Nearly three decades later, and just as fresh-faced, Witherspoon is busier than ever (the trailer for her upcoming Apple TV series, The Morning Show, just dropped), but she took the time to sit down with O to discuss her favorite $11 face wash, what she wants her 19-year-old daughter to understand about beauty, and why Hollywood is no longer a young woman’s game.
For a lot of women, beauty is a bonding experience. Is that true for you?
Absolutely. Every Tuesday I used to go with my grandma when she’d get her hair done by Mr. Ray in Nashville, and I would listen to the women gossip and talk about what made them feel beautiful. It was empowering. They would have these conversations and feel ready to face the world.
What are the products or treatments that your inner circle is buzzing about right now?
Facials. Microcurrent facials, cryofacials—they've been a big part of our conversations lately. I did a cryofacial [which uses below-freezing temperatures to help stimulate collagen production] with [New York City celebrity aesthetician] Georgia Louise, and it was amazing. My skin looked fabulous for seven days.
What's the best beauty tip anyone's ever shared with you?
Besides the sunscreen tip, I've learned, the more you sleep, the better you look. It might seem like fun to be out all night, but you'll look prettier if you stay home and go to bed.
For so long, beauty has been about making a woman look more alluring to a man. Does that notion need an update in our #MeToo era?
I like to think of makeup as a self-confidence tool that allows you to put yourself together in a way that you find aesthetically pleasing. I’ve never really worn makeup to attract people. I think beauty is self-expression. It's like painting. My daughter is an artist and makes beautiful paintings, and she has similar feelings about makeup.
Speaking of your daughter, what do you think the message of beauty should be for girls today?
For so many years, we've seen one standard of beauty reflected in the media, and I'm so glad my daughter's growing up in a moment when different women are expressing that they want to see themselves represented. And I think brands understand. Women are the ones buying the products, and we want to see all body types, all skin tones, and the entire spectrum of the female experience.
Do you have any favorite budget beauty finds in skincare or makeup?
Cetaphil face wash is very gentle and really great. I always travel with it. And the Revlon eyelash curler is fantastic.
Which beauty products best express who you are today?
I'm loving the new Elizabeth Arden White Tea collection of fragrances. The Vanilla Orchid is one of my favorites. It makes me feel very grown-up.
Do you think there's still an unfair amount of pressure put on women to appear a certain way as they age?
Look, when I started in this business, I was told that after 40 I wouldn’t be working very much. Now I’m 43 and working more than I ever have. So I think the standards are changing. People have more options [with streaming platforms] and can choose what they want to see. And they're saying 'Those are the types of women I want to see.' Data is democratizing.
Reese Witherspoon's Beauty Favorites
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Brian Underwood is beauty director at Women’s Health, where he oversees content strategy for the brand across all platforms, including digital, print, and social. Underwood previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine. During his tenure leading beauty content for the Oprah brand at Hearst, stories Underwood commissioned were awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation Media Award and a Fragrance Award for Editorial Excellence (his second). He was the launch Beauty Director of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, and has held additional editorial positions at Fitness, Organic Style, Good Housekeeping, Life & Style Weekly, and Woman’s Day and has written for Self, Shape, Seventeen, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and many more. Underwood previously served on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and as partnerships director of the Trans Beauty Clinic, a New York-based charitable organization that provided beauty services and workshops to the city’s trans community.
