Beauty Around the Clock: Brooke Shields

Welcome to Beauty Around the Clock, Marie Claire's weekly peek into the daily lives of some of the most game-changing women in their industries. Ever wonder how they get it all done in a day? Here's your answer.

I say this without an iota of exaggeration: Brooke Shields has one of the most recognizable beauty looks. Despite being a beauty girl through and through, her routine is unexpectedly low-maintenance. She’s adopted somewhat of an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it approach to skincare, sticking with tried and true products “exclusively” from True Botanicals. She’s unbelievably minimal in her makeup routine—with the expectation of mascara; that deserves *extra* love. Her hair is rarely, if ever, styled when she’s not on set. 

It’s all about the least possible work for the maximum result. But the key there is using products that work as efficiently and effectively as humanly possible and adopting re-centering, solitary rituals that keep her inner and outer self feeling—and looking—the best. 

Here, The Blue Lagoon actress walks us through every little, itty-bitty detail of her day. From her unwelcomed wake up call (she’s BFFs with the snooze button) to her “game-changing” evening cleanser that closes out her routine, here are the habits, products, and rituals that keep her zen in the height of peak busyness. 

Rise & Shine

I set my alarms a little bit earlier than I need to because I like hitting the snooze button. It makes my husband crazy because I’ve been known to hit it more than once. I need that extra time. I can't just jump out of bed. I used to when I was a kid. I would give myself the least possible amount of time. Now, I sort of enjoy having a little bit of time. 

For the longest time I thought I was a morning person, because I love being up in the morning and I love it when it's quiet. But I realized that I don't like getting up. I like being up. So now I’m like, Oh, I might not be a morning person. It was a revelation to me. 

Morning Maintenance 

I do my skincare before I work out. I cleanse—currently I've been cleansing mostly with the Nourishing Cleanser from True Botanicals. In the morning I don’t need as much of a deep cleanse. If I’m going to spin or pilates, I put on a serum with some added vitamin C to it. If I’m going straight to an exercise class, I try not to put much else on my skin. I love the idea of my pores opening up and taking in the serum. I know it would do that anyway, but sometimes I just don’t want to put too much moisturizing cream on my skin—especially if I’m going to a Soul Cycle class and coming right back. 

After my class I have to shower, and then I’ll wash my face again. Sometimes I’ll do a vitamin C serum again, but I typically go right to my everyday skin tint. Even though it might be winter, I still know my skin needs UV protection. This is tinted, so it’s almost like putting a little bit of foundation on. 

Power Start 

I’m not a breakfast person, I’m a coffee person. I either drink PG Tips or I down a couple of espressos. I may make a protein shake, but I sort of hit the ground running. I am almost intermittent fasting, which I don’t do intentionally. My day just starts so quickly and before I know it, it's four o'clock. I'll end up just grabbing some almonds or something like that and then wait till dinner. That’s my bigger meal—I try not to eat it too late.  

I know I don’t eat enough in the morning and I know I should—it starts my metabolism. What I'm starting to do is drink celery juice. I’ll just take Whole Foods celery, make a batch for two days, and just drink a whole glass of it. When you get really good, non-pesticide celery, it’s not bitter at all. It’s actually sweet. I notice that I get energy from it and I'm full because it’s all greens. It’s good to start my metabolism a little bit rather than having nothing in my system except caffeine. 

Signature Look 

I like to cover whatever brown spots or blemishes. I end up putting a ton of mascara on and then I dab a color tint on my lips, my cheeks, and sometimes my eyes. Add a little gloss, and that’s enough for me. I really like Vapour. They do a whole series of colors that are intense, but not harsh. They somehow just give you a little deepening of your natural color. I don’t know how they do it, but they do. I also love Thrive Causemetics Tubular Mascara. I just discovered it and I’m so happy. 

Self-Care Ritual 

I have to spend time alone. It can be anything: It can be exercise, it can be calling a girlfriend. It's gotta be something where I'm not thinking about work. Sometimes I’ll even sit down and needlepoint for however long. I’m currently making a backgammon board and it’s taking me quite some time. It’s been very detailed and I made the mistake of picking a pattern that has small little checkers. I'll always have a puzzle going, too. There's something about having that single focus, hand-eye coordination, repetitive task. I've noticed that I come out of it as if I've meditated. 

Signature Scent 

My signature scent is from Diptyque and it’s called L'Ombre Dans L'Eau, Shadow in the Water. I better have said that pretty, I majored in French—at least I should have good pronunciation. But, it also comes in a solid form so I can always take it with me when I travel. 

Cheap-But-Chic

Lumify eye drops—I will never not buy them when I go into the store. It's the funniest thing. I have 'em in every purse, every makeup kit, everything. It’s the only thing that’s non-addictive and makes my eyes really white.

Beauty Icon

My beauty icon was always Rene Russo. I became obsessed with her from third to sixth grade, which was when she was still living in Manhattan. I just thought she was  so beautiful. She was just always somebody that I thought held herself with such grace, you know? 

Back-Up Career 

I would've been a writer. I mean, I have written and I'm continuing to write, but there's something that I find very enjoyable about the solitary aspect of it, the journey, and the feeling of completion. The other thing I would do—that’s so foreign to my business—is working closely with animals. I used to work at the San Diego Zoo. Unfortunately, now I’m allergic to everything. But, there’s something about non-humans that I really appreciate. 

Hair Help 

I wash my hair with Virtue shampoo. I have to get my roots done every three to four weeks. I sort of brush through my hair and then if I don't have to work, I don't put any iron or heat on it. Because I work so much, my hair is constantly getting over-worked. In order to keep it healthy, I try not to do too much when I don’t have to. Sometimes I’ll put in hair oil. True Botanicals just came out with one and I’ve found that it works as a mask as well. I’ll put it all over my hair, then braid my hair—it’s like a long-term treatment.

P.M. Routine 

I think the Turmeric Cleansing Balm has been the biggest game-changer for me because you don't need really hot water to take it off. It's anti-inflammatory, It has a really great texture (and doesn’t need a soap to remove it), but my skin still feels moisturized after. I don't do the vitamin C at night; I do the vitamin A little ampules. I'll put that on my face and then I'll use the Extreme Cream. I'll follow it with my favorite thing, Moisture Lock. It’s an overnight mask and I’ve seen such a difference. That’s encouraging to me and it takes maybe 20 seconds longer.  

Lights Out 

I am the kind of person that could stay up at all hours. I mean, I don't necessarily wanna be out partying, but I wanna be reading or doing a project or watching a movie or starting a show. There's something about that period of time where I know nobody can call me. Nobody can really need something from me. It's when my daughters are asleep and the day's over, you know what I mean? I revel in that time. And then I just pray to God that I can fall asleep without having to be knocked over the head with a horse tranquilizer. 

Shop Brooke's Beauty Routine