Celebrities are like the unicorns of the beauty world – you see pictures of them but can’t quite believe anyone that flawless could exist. But, unlike unicorns, they actually do (sorry to burst your mythical creature bubble).
Time and time again we see them looking unbelievable on the red carpet and even though we’re all well aware they have big bank accounts, a team of professionals getting them glammed up and in shape, we can’t help but constantly wonder what else they’re doing to look so damn fine.
Thankfully the internet and more specifically, their personal social media channels, has helped us fill in the blanks about what it is they’re rubbing into their faces and pouring in their morning juice for glowing skin. So on with the celebrity makeup tips, beauty secrets and hairstyle tricks.
Beauty products celebrities swear by
Sure they get paid big bucks to spruik products but there are actually some beauty products celebs actually like.
For example, Aquaphor cream has the tick of approval from not one but four celebs: “It costs nothing and it’s amazing for dry skin, which I have,” Nicole Kidman told Allure. Charlize Theron agreed: “I realised it’s one of the best hand creams ever. Great on lips too,” she said to InStyle. Beyonce even admitted she smears it all over her face before bed: “I go to bed looking totally greasy.” Lucy Lui has chimed in too: “It keeps your skin looking fresh.”
These aren’t the only stars who’ve let us in on their favourite affordable beauty products -everyone from Nicole Kidman (who revealed the one product she always has in her handbag) to Harry Potter royalty Emma Watson (who’s all about cruelty-free products) has let the rest of us in on their essentials.
There’s even a heap of celebrities who are genuine fans of Australian beauty products, which proves our cosmetic brands can play up there with the big boys.
Even Amal Clooney’s go-to makeup artist, the famed Charlotte Tilbury, basically divulged her entire makeup routine on her website, crediting her own high-end products for Amal’s dewy complexion and enviable brows. Hey whatever she’s using/doing is definitely working so we’re not knocking.
^ Gorgeous before making Charlotte Tilbury her on-call MUA, even more stunning after.
However, even celebrity’s favourite luxury beauty products aren’t out of reach for the rest of us regular folk, you can try these dupes which are much kinder on your bank account, or these off-the-shelf-products as opposed to celeb’s expensive (and slightly bizarre) salon treatments. Because really, who wants to shell out hundreds of dollars for a bird poo facial when you can get something similar for less than $35? We’ll take the cheaper option thank you very much.
Celebrity hairstyles and tricks
The right hairstyle has the power to change your life (and boost your career), and stars know this all too well (just ask Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman who’ve both nailed the hairstyle transformation time and again).
So when it comes to hair-spiration, it’s no wonder we turn to celebs – whose hair transformations happen more frequently than their red carpet appearances. Whether it’s because of a break-up (we’re looking at you Katy Perry)…
…or just because they want to try something new like a fringe, or short hair, they’re brave to go the chop often inspires the rest of us to take the picture along to the hairdressers and do the same.
And that’s not the only hair tweak that helps change their look, with eyebrow transformations just as crucial (and inspiring for the rest of us) – we mean, come on, who knew you could come back from those skinny ’90s strips?!
^ J-Lo sure did.
Celebrity beauty regrets (yep, plastic surgery)
Just because they’re famous, don’t mean stars are immune to the odd beauty hiccup, admitting there are just some things they wouldn’t try again. Even Victoria Beckham is safe from the odd beauty fail admitting: “Sometimes I’ve been turned orange but that’s definitely a look from my past. Being overly tanned is very ageing.” Adding “Embrace your natural colour.”
Facial fillers and cosmetic ‘tweakments’ are also rife in Hollywood, with stars undergoing subtle surgery. But for some, the decision to go under the needle or knife was an error of judgement and one they’d rather forget.
Friends star Courteney Cox is just one star who suffers from a classic case of celebrity plastic surgery regret. She copped a lot of heat for her cosmetic enhancement choices and later admitted the error of her ways. “I have done things that I regret and luckily there are things that dissolve and go away. So that’s good because it’s not always been my best look,” she said on the TV show Running Wild with Bear Grylls. “Sometimes you find yourself trying and then you look at a picture of yourself and you go, ‘Oh God, I look horrible.'”
In fact, many celebrities have now turned their back on in-office help and instead are embracing ageing.
“Women don’t allow other women to age gracefully. And we don’t give ourselves permission to age gracefully,” Cameron Diaz said during an interview with Oprah on OWN. “We don’t honour the journey and who we are and how much we have to offer. It’s almost as if we have failed if we don’t remain 25 for the rest of our lives. Like we are failures. It is a personal failure. Like, our fault that at 40 years old that I don’t still look like I’m 25. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I apologise I wasn’t able to defy nature.'”
Ageing isn’t the only thing they’re embracing, with many posting pics on social media without makeup in order to reassure us all that they’re just human.
^ Forever keeping it real, Drew.
Thank you celebs, for helping us navigate through the sometimes unclear waters of the beauty world, we are forever in your debt.
