Blake Lively Dishes on Her Beauty Secrets

The actress dishes on domestic life, power pantsuits, and the secrets to that envy-inducing head of hair.

Blake Lively
(Image credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Designers compete to dress her killer curves, yet Blake Lively is happiest at home. "I love cooking! But I never follow recipes. I'll make a mint chocolate chip ice cream with a vanilla base and add fresh mint leaves and dark-chocolate chips," says Mrs. Ryan Reynolds. This refined palate makes the A-lister, the face of Gucci's Première fragrance, especially picky when it comes to scents. "I actually spent time in the south of France and visited perfumeries," reveals Lively, who collects recipes while globe-trotting. "When I travel, I like to take a cooking class. You get to learn what the culture is really like."

1. CRÈME DE LA MER MOISTURIZING CREAM, $275: It's extravagant and feels so luxurious on your skin.

2. MASON PEARSON HANDY BOAR & NYLON HAIR BRUSH, $120: I use this for teasing. Just one or two strokes under the top layer gives my hair a sexy, full look.

3. GOLDWELL DUALSENSES COLOR DETANGLING CONDITIONER, $16: Rona O'Connor [of Lukaro Salon in Beverly Hills] has been my hair colorist since Gossip Girl. Rona's such an artist—she'll just put up my hair in a bun, then take it out and it looks great. She introduced me to this conditioner.

4. GUCCI PREMIèRE EAU DE PARFUM, $105: I'm always looking for scents that are both masculine and feminine. I used to mix perfume with cologne, but with Première, the wood notes give it masculinity, the citrus is fruity, and the floral is that feminine vibe.

5. KÉRASTASE BAIN ELIXIR ULTIME SHAMPOO, $42: Divine. I have every single one of their shampoos and rotate which one I use—it's best if you don't oversaturate your hair with one product.

6. LE LABO SANTAL 26 SCENTED GLASS CANDLE, $70: These are my favorite candles because you can personalize the labels, so they make good gifts.

7. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN HUGUETTE BOOTIE, $1,095: I'm a big shoe person. You can wear jeans and a T-shirt, then put on a pair of heels and feel like a totally different person. I love Christian Louboutin.

8YVES SAINT LAURENT ROUGE PUR COUTURE VERNIS À LÈVRES GLOSSY STAIN IN NO. 8 ORANGE DE CHINE, $34: YSL makes the most beautiful neon lipsticks and glosses. I tend to go for hot pink or an orangey, fiery red.

9DARK CHOCOLATE AND PECANS: I've made chocolate peanut butter ice cream with fresh peanut butter from Whole Foods, dark chocolate, and caramelized pecans. I don't think any combo could not work out. I love all ice cream.

10. WELLA PROFESSIONALS BRILLIANCE TREATMENT HAIR MASK, $12: It smells delicious!

11. URBAN DECAY 24/7 GLIDE-ON EYE PENCIL IN LSD, $19: This eyeliner has a little metallic tone that I use on the inside of my eyes. I like a very natural eye makeup look, but when I wear black eyeliner, I like to add a little dark navy pencil on the inner rim—it makes my blue eyes look electric.