Jennifer Aniston has had a hold over beauty trends for decades. We’re talking about the woman who convinced an entire generation to beg their stylists for choppy layers. She’s also been the face of Aveeno for 13 years, as well as a long-standing, very public admirer of its Daily Moisturizer. “I’m a creature of habit. It’s consistent and never fails me,” the 50-year-old actor tells Glamour of the $19 face cream, which she’s famously been using since her teens.
Now, with her recent arrival on Instagram and a new show sure to become an instant hit, the cult of JennAn is going just as strong in 2019 as it was in 1999. Ahead of the premiere of The Morning Show, which hits Apple TV+ today, and because she’s always game to talk skin care, we asked Aniston to answer our Big Beauty Questions, a rapid-fire Q&A on everything from the best hair advice to unrealistic beauty ideals. Find out the lip balm she can’t stop using, the drugstore finds she swears by, and which cliched phrase about aging she’s totally sick of.
What beauty rules do you swear by?
Hydration and sleep. Without sleep your body’s not restoring its cells and getting rest. And if you’re not hydrating, you shrivel up like an old prune. They’re so important.
What’s one beauty rule you think is BS?
Stay out of the sun. For me, 15 to 20 minutes a day in the sun is absolutely necessary and crucial.
How do you feel whenever you’ve been out in the sun?
Joyful and alive. This is our world, and the sun is ours.
Fill in the blank. I love my hair…
Straight. When I was a little girl, I had really long, straight hair to my bum—below my bum, actually. And then when my mom gave me the authority to do anything I wanted with my hair, mistakenly, I cut it all off. I could never grow it back. And then when I cut it short, I discovered it was curly.
How did that happen?
It was always so long and heavy, that it straightened my hair. But when it got shorter, I was like, “Oh no, what is happening?”
Did you have to re-learn how to do your hair?
I did. I had to learn how to get a blow-dryer and do all that. My mom always used to sweetly blow dry my hair.
You recently said in an interview that you don’t want gray hair. Do you think there’s still a taboo around women in Hollywood going gray?
No, I think it’s personal choice. I don’t think there’s any taboo. I mean, I think if we create one [then there will be], because that’s what people like to do—create a narrative and a headline—but I think if people want to go gray, look, go gray. It’s just I don’t want to.
You’re traveling constantly. What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
Paris. It’s absolutely stunning. I love everyone’s carefree, chic style. The women there usually wear their hair messy in a low bun, or they’ll be in a beautiful coat. And the architecture! The whole city is like a fairytale.
You’re stranded on a desert island. What are the three products you bring with you?
Aveeno sunscreen, a leave-in conditioner, and lip balm. I love Dr. Hauschka’s. And for conditioner, it’d want anything that’s nourishing. Shu Uemura has a good mask.
If there were one thing about beauty perceptions you could change, what would it be?
That beauty has a time clock. Beauty at any age is beautiful. I think we’re taking better care of ourselves these days. We’re learning more about our internal health, and that reflects itself on our outer health and beauty. I think the cliches of “oh my God, you look great for your age,” is kind of an old paradigm that doesn’t exist anymore.
You have $20 and free roam of a drugstore. What do you buy?
This is going back to my childhood, but I’d probably go to the magazine section, then over to the makeup and look through Revlon. I’d probably find some great blush. Then I’d go look at the nail polishes.
Is there a nail color you’re loving right now?
I go between pale natural pink to a deep Bordeaux in the winter.
Who are the women inspiring you the most right now?
That young woman Greta [Thunberg]. Just the strength and knowledge of that little person, and her fearlessness and fierceness to go and confront people that need to be confronted. She’s incredible. As for who else is inspiring me right now? Hmm. Women are inspiring me right now. F*ck, they all do.