Laura Dern has a new interview with InStyle promoting her partnership with True Botanicals, which is a very high end skincare line. As someone who only recently realized what a difference skincare can make, I’m all for celebrities endorsing skincare. I prefer cheaper alternatives, but I’m not their target market. Laura talks about her all-natural approach to skincare, how much she loves baths, and why she doesn’t use filters on Instagram. Some outlets are running with this, saying she’s against filters, but she really just says she doesn’t like them or know how to use them. Ditto. I think I look so weird with filters on my photos, even light filters, and so I don’t use them. She also talks in general terms about plastic surgery and what makes a woman sexy, which is wisdom and age.
How has your approach to skin care changed since being named a brand activist for True Botanicals?
I’m not a purist, but I try to keep it clean and natural. I always thought I was very health-conscious about my beauty routine, keeping it simple with a few seemingly organic products. But pollutants add up. Now I won’t use anything that’s not safe for my daughter to use. I don’t want to poison myself. Women haven’t asked questions in the past; we just trusted labels. As we become more educated, it’s wonderful to learn what’s good for us — even if we still have a few vices.
What advice did you give [your BLL costars]?
The one tip I bring to all of my friendships is that baths are the ultimate game changer. If I’m at a hotel and have eight minutes before I have to run somewhere, I’m in a warm bath with lavender. It’s my meditation and can totally change my energy.
You’ve said in the past that you’re not interested in getting work done. How do you think the conversation around plastic surgery has changed in recent years?
Medicine and cosmetic health are advancing, and with more ways to take care of ourselves, I would guess that traditional plastic surgery will soon be a thing of the past. I don’t think there’s any avoiding the pressure to look a certain way, no matter our profession. But we’re fighting hard to change culture and create a real paradigm shift around ageism, racism, and all the things that make us feel less, whether it’s the color of our skin or the wrinkles or blemishes on it.
You’re very unfiltered — and often makeup-free — on Instagram. Why is it important for you to keep things real?
Probably because I don’t know how to work all this stuff; if I got a tutorial, I might never come back! No. To have other women or my daughter see me disguising what I look like would be unfortunate. The beauty of getting to be an actor is to transform or reveal parts of yourself. In one film you look radically young or glamorous, and in another you look old or like a hot mess. With social media, people are “branding” themselves, and it’s easy to reinvent. But it shouldn’t all be “Look how amazing my life is: It’s always easy, and the sun’s always shining.” There’s a lot to do in the world, and the more transparent and authentic we are, the more we’re going to get done.
How has your definition of beauty evolved?
Self-confidence, ambition, age, wisdom — those are all things I find super sexy in women. I find no one more beautiful than my beloved friend Isabella Rossellini, and I’ve found her so much more stunning with age than when I first met her.
I don’t agree with her that traditional plastic surgery will become a thing of the past, but there are definitely more advances in non-invasive procedures, skincare and treatments. (Tretinoin ftw.) You can tell she’s not messing with her face like so many other women in her industry. I like what she said about beauty being self confidence. I feel more beautiful now that I’m older and so much of that is because I don’t care as much what people think about me.
As for baths, I try to shower or bathe before I go to bed but I am so fussy about my hair that it’s hard to relax into a bath. They were talking about this on a recent Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, how some people feel like showering improves their mood immediately like they’re washing off troubles. It’s so much work for me to do my hair that I don’t think of it like that and it’s more of a chore. I always rinse off after working out though or I feel gross. Some people say it helps them sleep better if they take a bath before bed. I doubt I could take a bath in the middle of the day like this but maybe I just need a good shower cap.
This is Laura with her Marriage Story director, Noah Baumbach.
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Photos credit: Getty and via Instagram
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