Always a trend-setter, Jennifer Aniston is basically a professional taste-maker.*
Aniston is one of those rare individuals that always looks so effortlessly put-together and chic. Possessed with the uncanny ability to captures the moment’s style zeitgeist, she sets the stage for what everyone else wants to look like before they know they want it.
The funny thing is: SO MUCH WORK goes into looking so effortless.
At almost 50-years old, Aniston sets the bar extremely high for looking amazing, and natural.
Genetics?
Maybe. Her Greek background definitely sets her up to age more gracefully than her paler, (literally) thinner-skinned peers.
But, after having seen numerous tabloid pictures of Aniston sun-bathing (the horror!) and smoking cigarettes (can you even?), it is very probable that Aniston looks as good as she does due to the excellent skincare regimen she adheres to.
Interested in getting the 2017 skincare version of the “Rachel”?
Read on for a sneak-peek of the actress’s favorite skin maintenance treatments^.
Tip #1: Focus more on texture than wrinkles
“I love Clear and Brilliant laser treatments,” says the actress, who believes restoring a youthful glow to your skin is more important than obliterating all signs of expression. The 30-minute, non-invasive resurfacing treatment (which costs roughly $300 a pop) “is a great refresher and there’s very little downtime.” Best of all, “it won’t make you look like a peeled tomato.” Aniston is also a big fan of Thermage (about $2,500), a non-invasive treatment that uses radiofrequency waves to stimulate collagen, resulting in smoother and tightened skin after just 1-hour session.
Tip #2: Wear less makeup
Coco Chanel once famously said, “Before leaving the house, a lady should look in the mirror and remove one accessory” and the same rule could be applied to makeup, according to Aniston. “Less is more,” says the star, who learned the value of “peeling away those layers” soon after moving to Hollywood. “I had a boyfriend who always said I looked better without makeup. It took me a while to feel comfortable enough to remove that armor, but I eventually realized he was right.” Aniston—who drinks three to four 23 ounce bottles water a day— cites “water, sleep and sunscreen” as her “top three anti-aging tips”.
Tip #3: Make Friends with sunscreen
“When I was younger, I would slather myself in baby oil and do everything in my power to get a burn. I was just completely uneducated,” says the former tanning addict. Nowadays, “with all the steps we’ve taken to get our skin healthy, it really doesn’t make sense to tan.” Though she still loves to occasionally lie out in the sun—“there’s nothing like that vitamin D boost!”—she always wears SPF-50.
Tip #4: Eat well, but don’t obsess
“Everything in moderation,” says Aniston, when asked about her food philosophy. Her diet is rich in organic veggies and lean protein. “Breakfast is usually avocado on Ezekiel toast or a smoothie,” she says. Though she tries to limit dairy and gluten, she isn’t always successful (and doesn’t lose any sleep over the occasional indulgence). “I can’t say the ‘no dairy’ thing lasted very long for me,” she admits with a laugh. “Trying to part me and cheese is a difficult task.” She also allows herself the occasional plate of pasta or Mexican food. “It’s not like I have celiac disease,” she says with refreshing honesty. “For me, not eating gluten is more of a vanity thing. A diet heavy in carbs is not that great in terms of weight.”
Tip #5: Shift your focus
When you are lying on your deathbed, are you really going to care about having perfectly taut cheeks or a forehead that’s as smooth as a baby’s tush? Aniston thinks not. Part of growing older and wiser is learning to find value in something altogether different. “When I think about real beauty looks like, I think about women like Gloria Steinem,” she says. “She just turned 82 and she is gorgeous. But her beauty has nothing to do with what she looks like.”
* MAJOR kudos to her glam-squad!
^ Full disclosure: Unfortunately these are not secrets that Jen revealed to us personally, and instead in a game of magazine “telephone” (of sorts), these are all skin care tid-bits she recently shared with InStyle Magazine.