Michelle Monaghan Feels the Sexiest After an Underrated K-Beauty Ritual and $128 Body Moisturizer

Beauty routines are integral to getting In The Mood—not for any other person, but for you. Here, get a glimpse into the products, habits, and mantras that help powerhouse women slip into the sexiest version of themselves.

Right now, Michelle Monaghan is synonymous with Jaclyn Lemon to anyone with a pulse and affinity for 'White Lotus.' Circa 2008, she was Hanna in one of my all-time favorite rom-coms, Made of Honor (something I was quick to tell her the second I met her). She’s played Julia Meade in Mission: Impossible, Jessica Morgan in The Family Plan, and Maggie Hart in True Detective. But as of this week, Monaghan is adding a role to her resume that you won’t find on her IMDB page. She’s secured her first beauty partnership (ever!!) as a brand ambassador for U Beauty.

The partnership has been in the works for a beat (two years in the making, to be exact) and made crystal clear sense for everyone involved. Fun fact: Monaghan has been using U Beauty’s hero product, The Resurfacing Compound, since its 2019 launch. The five-star exfoliator, plus a few other key beauty products, make up Monaghan’s recipe for feeling and looking like the best version of herself.

Read ahead to get the full breakdown on the skincare, makeup products, habits, and rituals that fuel Monaghan’s feminine power. From the not-so-sexy K-Beauty staple that provides her with the softest skin ever to the makeup application hack that she credits for disguising under-eye fine lines, she shares every little habit that gets her In the Mood, ahead.

I get in a good headspace with my morning meditation. I do 20 minutes every morning when I first wake up. If I'm with my husband, we’ll meditate together, which is something I love and cherish. We sit up in bed—early enough before the kids wake up—so that we have that alone time, which sets the tone for the rest of my day. I’ve been doing it for around 10 years now. It gets hard because my children were little and waking up at odd hours of the night, but now that they’re 16 and 11, it’s really become my me-time. But if I’m working like crazy and getting up at five in the morning, sleep becomes king and I’m bypassing my meditation.

I honestly wish I could say that my shower was sensual. That's not to say that it hasn't been. We have a steam shower, and my husband and I will go in for a bit of steam, and then we will make it sensual. But typically, I am very quick in the shower. There are a number of products in there because we all share the same shower. There are a couple of detangling brushes in there. When we want to create a spa-like experience, it requires a lot of work to take everything out and put the essential oils in. But it’s worth it when it’s done.

I have these Korean dry brush gloves that are super strong. They’re next level. There is a Korean spa in LA that I frequent quite often—as much as I can when I'm in town—and you just lay on a table and they scrub the dead skin cells off. It’s very utilitarian. But I’ll take those puppies home, and when I get in the shower, I do the same darn thing. I try and do it once a week. My skin is so soft afterward. I’ll apply what I think is the sleeper hit of U Beauty after: The Super Body Hydrator. Then my skin is glowing with this natural, gorgeous sheen. It makes me feel very sexy.

I really, really, really love a fresh, clean scent. I have this French spearmint one that I really love. Tom Ford made one that he discontinued. It was called Lavender Palm. He released it when he opened up his flagship store on Rodeo Drive. When he discontinued it, it just broke my heart.

I'm a minimalist when it comes to makeup, much like my skincare routine. I like things that are multifunctional and simple. My date night makeup doesn’t really differentiate from my daytime routine. I might add Clé de Peau concealer around my nose, my chin, any red spots. I actually don’t use concealer under my eyes, though. I feel like I've never been a huge fan of it. When I do it, I feel like it looks weird. It starts to cake and draws more attention to my lines. I do a little highlighter and use Boy Brow. I like a little RMS Lip 2 Cheek situation. I love the U Beauty Universal Lip Plasma—so good. It gives a little plump and makes my lips glisten a bit. I’ll use whatever mascara is lying around. I think I have a very French approach.

If you can get me to brush my hair, we are winning. I like the natural texture of my hair, which has a wave to it. I like to take good care of my hair and keep it conditioned, but in terms of styling my hair I’m very much a minimalist. I use this Olaplex bond smoother sometimes in the shower. I’ll throw that in and air dry or go to sleep with it, and gives me a lived-in texture when it’s dry. I also like to rock a bun a lot of the time—probably more than I should.

I love a French manicure. I think a French manicure is very sexy, feminine, and classic. I love it. So the goal is always to grow my nails long enough so that I can rock the tips.

I mean if I had a big night out like Jaclyn in last week's episode—I’m just passing out; girl had a night. That’s not to say that I haven’t had nights like that, but I’m pretty good about washing my face in the shower and going to bed. I love the Mantle Cleanser, and there's this Foreo cleansing device that I just discovered and am obsessed with. I just discovered it recently because I've been wearing a lot of makeup nonstop from filming, and I just felt like, oh my gosh, my skin really needs it. I hadn't had a chance to get a facial for months and needed a good cleanse. I love the Resurfacing Compound, the moisturizer, and the Return Eye Concentrate. That’s it.

It's been such a nice journey to get older. No one likes to see their body age or feel aches and pains, but I feel more empowered. I feel more in my skin than I ever have. I have such a sense of agency at this point in my life, having led a career that I'm really, really proud of and having a successful family life. All of those things are challenging at different times. I’m in a lovely space right now where I can reflect, take stock, and be like, you've done it, girl. It is hard finding your career and discovering the things that you're passionate about. I feel like I've been able to navigate that fairly gracefully, I'm grateful for it.

Don’t overpluck your eyebrows. I fell victim to skinny brows in the ‘90s and, well, never again. They frame your face in such a significant way. My daughter has very, very thick, beautiful brows. She has her autonomy, and she does what makes her feel comfortable, but I always say don’t over-pluck them because, eventually, they might not want to come back.

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