We were sent this video from Harper’s Bazaar, and I only glanced at it at first, thinking “why is it notable that Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t wearing makeup?” As it turns out, it’s part of the Bazaar series “Go To Bed With Me,” where celebrities show Bazaar their nighttime routines, with nightly skincare and such. You can see the Bazaar piece here, and I’m embedding the video below. I quickly figured out why Gwyneth agreed to be seen without makeup: this entire video is an advertisement for her Goop skincare line. My only enjoyment here was creeping on Gwyneth’s home interiors. Her bathroom is kind of awesome, quite honestly.
Apparently, the price tag for all of these Goop products is $600. It’s not like she’s using $600 worth of product every single night, but if she is using all of that stuff every night, she’s going through it at a steady clip. And… it’s so unnecessary. CB loves to talk about skincare and makeup stuff, and I always feel like such a skincare heathen – I just wash my face with soap and water and use a drugstore nightcream and eyecream. If I found a good product to help me reduce my dark eye circles, I would use it… but not if it’s crazy-expensive. I also just use Pantene shampoo and I don’t really know why people would need to exfoliate their scalp. So, basically, I’m the wrong person to discuss this stuff because I’m cheap, lazy and I honestly like the efficacy and smell of drugstore products. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But hey, at least we got to creep on Gwyneth’s Hamptons bathroom.
Screencaps courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar.
I need to exfoliate my scalp or I get dandruff. Dark hair, dry skin. Also, don’t use Pantene! It leaves so much build up on the hair. I used to use it too and when I stopped, my hair changed completely.
Agree on the Pantene, it leaves my hair waxy and coated. And not in a good way!
Can we all list our favorite shampoo and conditioner?!?! 🙂
I have been getting a lot of pressure from friends who sell it to use Monet….I think it’s to expensive and I can’t commit. Lol I have heard mixed reviews also. I mean how can one product work for everyone?? Idk. I also only wash my hair once every 5-7 days. Yes, I shower all the time! Ugh so sick of that ‘ew you don’t shower?!’ I put a bun in and put a plastic shower cap on! Ha! I use dry shampoo on the last day before I wash it because the day after dry shampoo looks bad with my hair. Maybe I don’t use the right dry shampoo? I use any paraben and sulfate free shampoos and conditioner. I also almost never use heat on my hair. I stay at home with my kids so it’s ‘mom bun’ 99% of the time or the babies pull it al day long.
Heythere!, dear God do not use Monat!! That stuff causes horrible hair loss. Seriously, do some research on it. There are support groups for people who have been affected by it. Tge FDA also refuses to approve their main ingredient. Their whole sales thing is a big pyramid scheme. You’re better off using Pantene which is also horrific for your hair.
@ HeyThere! — I use Kerastase. It is very expensive but I have dry, curly hair and use only small amount every 3-4 days so it lasts a very long time. Others days I just condition lightly and rinse out.
@Heythere! As mentioned below, I use the sulfate/silicone-free line by L’Oreal. It’s a drugstore/supermarket line so fairly affordable ($9 CAD) and since I sometime wait about 5 days between washes (usually 3, but it varies), for me at least, I know it works even without dry shampoo.
The worst thing I ever tried was Tresemmé; it left my hair feeling greasy and gross hours after I washed my hair
Trader Joe’s Spa line. Smells amazing (well, maybe the conditioner doesn’t smell “amazing” but it’s okay and the shampoo does!), works great, rinses well, doesn’t seem to build up, hasn’t damaged my hair.
I too suffer from horrible scalp. I need to wash it almost daily or it gets bad.
I LOVE Shampure from aveda. I have psoriasis and have to be very careful about what I use and it is fantastic.
I alternate some well known good quality product like Kerastase to some unknown good quality product like Cien Professional from a noted European discount store. It works for me and for my terribly thin hair. Edit to admit that lately I do use some L’Oreal conditioner exclusively because I love the perfume of it.
One of the saddest days ever was when Pantene discontinued their Silver Expressions line. I want daily shampoo to make my hair sparkle, not a weekly treatment that makes the texture all weird.
I might have one bottle left that I’m saving… forever? For my funeral?
I use the Japanese Pantene.
Amazon or do you regularly travel to/live in Japan?
Yes, Pantene is not good. I used it for a long time, and it left so much build-up I had to wash my hair every day. Which led to…buying a lot of Pantene.
I try new shampoos and stuff all the time – I love Living Proof, but it’s very pricey. I try to get the environmentally friendly ones too.
I’m guessing people who get a lot of buildup have to exfoliate their scalps? I just use cleansing conditioner and friction from my fingers to get the dirt/product out of my hair (I have coarse, tight Afro-Latina curls so my hair is wildly different from Goop’s) skincare though? For sure buying it at the drugstore. There’s lots of great products available.
I just read somewhere that the majority of hair issues come from buildup and lack of attention to your scalp. Makes sense to me, so I can get behind exfoliation.
Honestly Vosene ($2 anti-dandruff shampoo) is the best scalp exfoliant I’ve found. It has salicylic acid in it, and chemical exfoliant always works better than manual.
I’ve tried very expensive “scalp exfoliants” which used manual exfoliation. Took me a week to finally get all the particles out of my hair! I wouldn’t recommend manual exfoliant for the scalp to anyone, and certainly not anyone with more than a very small amount of hair (closely shaved or cropped, or bald).
totally agree, the ones with particles are the stupidest most unpleasant hair experience EVER.
I clean my scalp and hair with baking soda and I treat my previously severe dandruff with apple cider vinegar.
Ooh don’t use Pantene! Try to use a product that’s paraben and Sulfate-free. Much better for your hair.
Same here. I use a lot the 100% Pure line of shampoos or I make my own when I feel like it. My hair and scalp have never been healthier since I stopped using chemical dyes (I only use henna now) and shampoos.
I like her showing off the “natural her”, though. She just looks average, as they all do without the photoshop, airbrushing and pro makeup. 🙂
I find vinegar and baking soda work very well.
My real enjoyment from these photos is how ordinary and unsmug looking she looks.
honestly I’ve never understood why people go on and on about her beauty. She is pretty, but in the way someone walking on the street in your local town is pretty. Not movie star oh my God she’s so gorgeous pretty.
To be fair, most movie stars aren’t “movie-star gorgeous ” either. Lots of smoke and mirrors! 😁
Though I completely get what you are saying. She’s not really impressive.
I don’t think anyone would notice Gwyneth if she was short. Her height is her strength.
I felt positively evil for thinking “whatever she’s using, she’s paying too much for it.”
Thought the same thing, felt petty, and then thought that all of the gullible rich ladies who buy into her shtick totally deserve it. I mean the poster girl for the products is not convincing at all. Then I felt petty again. Then I remembered that Gwinnie here has been trying to convince people that she and her team have any medical expertise to make the health claims they make about their products. Then I cackled.
I thought the same but don’t feel guilty about it. $600 in products?!.Ridiculous! I know many women her age (including myself)/who look younger and have better skin than Goopy. She and her over priced crap can eff right off!.Shady ass shiester.
She’s not a supermodel, but an actress. So her looks shouldn’t be that important or at all, but we were taught differently.
Milla – I agree. It’s really depressing how accepted it is here to attack Paltrow on her looks given that she’s primarily an actress. I think some of it is because she is in the health and beauty industry now. She has confidence in her looks, and is selling an aesthetic to her rich customers…but even her lifestyle branding is more “self care” than bombshell.
Uh…unless you’re a CHARACTER actor (legit one), most actors and actresses find success predicated on their attractiveness. Especially those who go after romantic leading roles. So, it’s perfectly fair to criticize the supposition of their exalted attractiveness.
How many times have you watched a movie because the actors were ugly? Now, how many times did you watch one because you found someone attractive?
@Brian Brown – most British TV and movie actresses and actors aren’t bombshells. They’re just really, really good at what they do and they’re supremely entertaining to watch. I guess you might call them “ugly,” I just like their work.
I really cannot stand this person, she’s the living embodiment of the word “insufferable.” I actually *suffered* watching a minute of this, and could not get any further. Everything about her viscerally offends me: her whole demeanor shrieks of her smug privilege. Her rather low IQ seems to be at odds with her bizarrely bloated ego and clear sense of entitlement, but then, she’s too clueless to realize just how stupid she betrays herself to be…I don’t trust any of her spurious, exorbitant products, and even if I could afford them, I’d as soon write her daily fawning “fan mail” as buy any of them. They aren’t even what she actually relies on for her skincare—that would be laser treatments, professional facials, and Botox. I remember Cindy Crawford’s beauty line which, of course, she swore was the only thing she used–all the while having very obvious Botox, fillers, and plastic surgery. These wealthy, fading celebrities who are willing to pretend they use only the overpriced products they promote, in order to make even more money than they already have, are just disgusting to me.
am I the only one who thought she looked like a bloated Eve Plumb in the first pic?
My hairdresser yelled at me recently when I told her I use Pantene. “Use literally ANYTHING but Pantene”, she said. She said it is terrible for your hair.
My amazing dermatologist told me the only face care item to spend more on was sunscreen. Good sunscreen and genetics determine how you age. I buy my face wash and lotion at Costco. When my son had acne there was a neutrogena face wash she had him use but other than that, the entire household uses the same stuff.
Okay, you people have sold me. Within the first 5 comments there have been 3 of you saying Pantene is awful….which is what I use. Guess I need to switch to something else.
I changed up my shampoo recently to something from Amazon that doesn’t have sulfates in it and my hair is so improved. It’s a few dollars more than regular grocery store stuff but the improvement is real and noticeable
I started using sulfate free shampoo and conditioner because of my curly hair and the improvement was amazing! Natural product are so much better!
L’Oreal has a line of sulfate/silicone-free products that’s easily available in drugstores and supermarkets and is relatively cheap. It works well and doesn’t lead to build-ups.
Bonus point, they’re also vegan (and gluten-free though I heavily side-eyes my conditionner bottle when I saw that, unless I’ve been using these products wrong for the past 30 years, there’s no reason for gluten-free shampoo!)
@ Arpeggi – I use the L’Oreal line of sulfate/silicone products for the last couple of months and I really like them a great deal. My hair does feel better.
To get my hair super clean, take out the build-up , I go old-school and use a Super Big Gulp cup and fill a small portion of the cup with vinegar, the rest with water and at the end pour it on my hair to run it through. It works great!
Note: I have very fine hair, that does tend to get oily with too much product use.
Also, if you have hard water, this too can effect the hair with build up — products not working as well, etc. I use vinegar for that reason too (because it cleans off hard water deposits well.) But you can also buy products that help with hard water build up.
My budget only allows for drugstore brand, so I’ll definitely try the L’Oreal line.
@L84Tea — You should try it. I love it! I think I get them both for about $12-$13 at either a drug store or Target. 🙂
@L84tea Seriously, you should try it. I have super thick, curly-ish hair and summers here are super humid and I fear buildups and “triangle-shaped hair and the L’Oreal products work well (I wash my hair about once every 3/days but it can vary).
There’s absolutely no reason to spend lots of money to get decent hair products; water is the main ingredient after all. I still get stopped on the street by girls asking me what perfume I’m wearing and they’re surprised when I say it’s only shampoo and my hair dresser is always saying that my hair is of good quality, so I guess it’s doing a good job
I use shampoo for babies..less crap in them and the hair smells good! 🙂
I never had a problem with Pantene, but I stopped using it after my very stern Polish hairstylist ticked her finger at me and told me “no, no, no.” She said the silicone was bad news, and your hair feels nice, but really it’s just coated with the stuff. I’m of the mind, eh, if it works for me it works for me, but she shamed to so severely I stopped using it. But really, I think if you’re happy with your results, just keep using it!
Right? I mean if someone likes Pantene and have good hair using it, I guess the product is good for her! Then we can talk about chemicals and stuff, and I’m pretty sure Pantene will stop using paraben and silicon very soon, as almost every other big brands.
And wow, Gwyneth really love to exfoliate! She’s like a snake making a new skin every night. My grandmother would say she certainly has sins she wants to wash away from her skin!
It’s so hard to find something that works. Life is too short.
If I exfoliated like Gwyneth, my face would be a constant scab.
Pantene makes my hair fall out by the bucket loads and gives me itch red scalp. A lot people are sensitive to Pantene. Also as a curly girl, I’m doing the curly girl method and wish I had tried it soon. Us wavies and curls, most drugstore hair products are awful for the hair.
Gwyneth loves to say that she doesn‘t know how to apply makeup and went to many events without makeup.
To the ladies with knowledge: i use Dove shampoos for years, they are the only shampoos that work for me. Are they bad though? Reading here that Pantene is not good.
Use what works for you. Don’t worry about this alarmist ideology that all synthetic chemicals are bad for you. If your hair is happy, that’s what’s up.
I have used Pantene with no problem, but have problems with Dove and Garnier build-up. I always figured Pantene must be awfully good if the salon owners were threatened by it. L’oreal sulfate free products are very good as well. Everyone’s hair (and water) is different.
If you want to try a good non-sulfate shampoo, I can recommend Costco’s Kirkland brand in a purple bottle…my daughter and I have been using it for years now. I saw somewhere that it may be the same as the Pureology brand which is way more expensive (I think Costco has a deal to repackage certain high end brands under their house brand?) I don’t use conditioner…but a tablespoon or so of good apple cider vinegar in a mug of water is a great last rinse to restore the PH balance or your hair and remove build-up. A few drops of 100% Argan oil on damp hair is good for frizzies.
I’ve used Biotique Honey Gel and Morning Nectar for washing/moisturizing my face…cheaper if you buy in India. It’s all working so far. Skin and hair keep changing though…
Silicones are basically “hair plastic” and it leads to damaged/dried hair eventually. Even bad hair shedding/loss if your hair is really sensitive to them. They are OK to use here and there, especially when you are using heat, but products like Pantene and yes Dove are full of them.
All those expensive products yet her hair is stringy and straw-like and her skin shows signs of sun damage.
Best thing to spend your money on is sunblock.
And time travel? Because Gwen can’t reverse the sundamage now.
On a b!tchy note she looks rough without makeup – her skin isn’t great.
Am with others who say do not use Pantene – bad for the hair and can cause dandruff and it creates a buildup of crap that can affect how dyes take to your hair.
As for skincare – I cleanse, tone and exfoliate (using a very fine powder) almost everyday. I use a few drops of oil as a moisturiser at night and use a honey based gel during the day. Once or twice a week I use Sudocrem as either a face mask or moisturiser. I’ve recently got into aromatherapy and have been mixing up my own body and facial oils. For my face am using Jojoba and ginger oil, it has helped with bloating and brightened my skin up. Might mix it with Myrrh or Frankincense. which are good for anti-aging.
Noted regarding Pantene. I hadn’t used it since the early 90s but ran into my local DG and grabbed some last week, the “moisturizing” kind. Yesterday I said to my husband that strangely, my hair seemed even drier than normal considering. I guess I’m going to have to grab something else today.
Gwenyth’s upper lip is completely frozen. That video was disturbing.
I get really really dry patches around my temples. It’s super annoying – so I get why people would need to exfoliate their scalp. I’m pretty sure mine is some form of dermatitis or eczema or something – but it hasn’t annoyed me to the point where I’ve bothered to ask the dr.
I also have fine hair that gets oily – and I use dry shampoo somewhat regularly. I saw a walnut exfoliating scrub for scalp on Sephora, I almost ordered, but it was new at the time so I was waiting for reviews. I might have to look into it. I hate the feeling of buildup on my hair.
Pantene really isn’t great for your hair. It adds a coating on the hair shaft – which makes it look and feel nice. But it’s just coating it and hiding the problem. I had used it for a bit as a teenager, and when I stopped got what I thought was crazy dandruff – when it was just the product leaving my hair.
If you want an affordable shampoo – try Verb. It’s been great. I use the ghost shampoo and conditioner set, and bought a primer the other day. My hair feels amazing – and it’s color safe. It hasn’t stripped the blue out of mine, though I do use a pigment depositing conditioner every week or two. But my hair feels great, my scalp feels as good as it ever does. They have hydrating ones, curl ones – they have a ton of products and they’re all gentle. I can’t say enough good things about it.
Try a shampoo with ketaconazole – works for cradle cap as well.
You can get affordable organic/paraben free shampoo if you shop around online – I used to work with a girl who made her own with aromatherapy oils etc.. and she had fabulous hair. I’m fortunate enough to live near Camden Market in London and can get a lot of hand made natural products cheaply – these local markets are a great place to get these types of things if you have one near you.
My hairdresser tells me not to use conditioners as they are just as bad as some shampoo’s – she said oil treatments once or twice a week are much better on the hair. I only use conditioner on the ends and have also been know to use it on dry hair before using my straightening irons.
I use this Australian brand a lot and swear by their hair products: http://www.aesop.com – a bit pricey but they are worth it. I use some of their skin products as well.
If you have oily hair – maybe try a product that has charcoal in it, its good for the scalp and helps absorb oils.
Seconded about shopping around for paraben/sulfate free products. Some high street brands are, and are inexpensive.
I use Windle & Moodie, which is pricey – but you need very little so it lasts for absolutely ages. I find that I need less conditioner as well because my hair is in better condition, and don’t now need to wash my hair every day.
Get aveno eczema therapy and rub a TINY bit on those patches. It goes a long way! I’ve used super hardcore prescription stuff for eczema and nothing has beat drugstore Aveno.
+1 Verb is amazing. I finally bought the jumbo pump bottles of their Ghost Shampoo and Ghost Conditioner. Uncannily inexpensive, too.
Is she going to bed with wet hair?!
Why not? I do it all the time, it helps my curls keep their shape
It destroys my curls 🙁 I could never.
Different hair types… Though Goop fries her hair straight anyway
Pineapple your hair! Google Pineapple for curls. It helps keep in your curl.
I go to bed with wet hair all the time and I’ve done that since elementary school (so er about 20+ years). I have no patience for blowdrying my hair which just makes it frizzy. It’s not bad for my hair and also everyone whose ever told me it will “cause me to get sick and catch a cold”–not true either. You don’t catch a cold because you have wet hair.
@Amelie There is some scientific proof behind the claim re colds/wet hair. Because it lowers your body temperature as heat is lost through the extremities, the immune system is a little more vulnerable to airborne viruses and bacteria. But not by a truly significant amount.
Hahaha! The wet hair + cold = cold myth has been annoying me so much, it’s one of the reasons why I became a microbiologist! Cold can increase your chances of getting sick but mostly because the mucosa in your airways dries a bit. And yeah, fighting to keep warm can affect your immune system but to such a tiny degree it’s not significant. I was the teenager who’d go out to school with wet hair, no hat at -20C and never got sick! But I got a cool degree and job as a result 🙂
I’ve always liked that she’s comfortable being on camera and being photographed with no makeup. Not ‘no makeup makeup’ but totally bare-faced.
Also, hate to say it, but that Vinter’s Daughter facial oil is really amazing. Probably the only really expensive skincare I’ve tried that I thought was worth every cent.
I agree the Vitner’s Daughter Active Botanical serum is one of the best facial oils I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried a lot from high end brands like Sunday Riley Luna & Juno, Rodin Olio Lusso, La Mer Renewal Oil, Verso Super Facial Oil, Omorovicza Miracle Facial Oil to department store brands like Clarins, Darphin, Declor all the way to cheapies like Kiehl’s and The Ordinary.
It really is worth every penny and I’m not a huge fan of putting botanicals directly on my face!
That was my take-away as well. She’s at least willing to show the difference between real life and the all of the help and bells and whistles of dressing for the red carpet.
I tend to suffer from psoriasis on the back of my neck from product build up so to counteract this I use the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt once a week.
It’s honestly one of the most luxurious products I’ve ever used and you only need the tiniest amount to lather up like a dream and give your scalp the most glorious massage. It also smells divine, like sugar and lemons.
I use Oribe Hair products exclusively for all my other hair needs but I can highly recommend the Christophe Robin Salt Scrub and it’s great value for money as the tub has lasted me well over a year and I’m still only halfway through it.
Christophe Robin also has some wonderfully rich color correcting hair masks for people who dye their hair. I get highlights and the one for blondes removes the brassiness for 4 washes while conditioning your hair. Great stuff!
Does it work well with psoriasis, and help clear it up somewhat? I have it behind my ears, so putting my hair in ponytails is pretty much a no-go.
I use some tar products on the skin which helps a bit but smells awful, and I’m definitely wanting to try some other things.
When I was a teenager and first developed psoriasis my Dermatologist told me that salt water (swimming in the sea) was one of the best things you could do for psoriasis, so that’s why I didn’t hesitate to try a sea salt scrub on my scalp.
When my flare ups have been really bad in the past I have used a cream by Ego called ‘DermAid Soft 0.5% cream’ which contains hydrocortisone 0.5% w/w and this fixes up the often painful, itchy and ugly red scales that can happen beind the back of the neck and ears etc. Just make sure you never ever put hydrocortisone on your face.
I too use coal tar products but only on my body.
I hope this helps as ponytails rock!
Thanks @Elizabeth I’ll check those out <3
I’m loving all these comments! I started paying more attention to skincare this year. I have always been a makeup addict, but at 33 I realized my skin wasn’t getting any better. An important turning point for me was using an eye cream regularly. My concealer was always creasing and looking weird and I thought I was using the wrong products. But no, I needed hydration in my under eye area. Now all my concealers work just fine (Nobody needs more than one concealer, I just spent some time and money trying to find the right one).
I always used drugstore products until about five years ago when I realized my hair looks a million times better with salon products. It really does make a difference. I do still use mostly drugstore skincare and makeup, although I also love Origins and am always happy when my mom and sister gift me with their stuff.
The best treatment for my skin has always been drinking a s%^t ton of water.
Kaiser, PLEASE tell me what works for dark circles. I beg you.
Ya seconding this – grateful for any suggestions for under eye circles and crows feet. This getting old thing is no joke!
Hey guys, I just started using Clinique Repairwear Anti-Gravity Eye Lift Cream, and it’s helped A LOT with my dark circles. I have really sensitive, pale skin and everything bothers it, but so far so good with this stuff. I got it hoping it would help with sagging and fine lines, which it is slightly doing, but so far the main benefit is that my dark circles are much lighter. In fact, just this morning I woke up and looked in the mirror and thought how rested my eyes looked despite an awful night’s sleep. Give it a shot!
Thanks tealily- will give it a try!
Nothing will do much, sorry loves.
It’s typically due to loss of volume or deep tear troughs. If it’s deems cool compresses and caffeine may work slightly.
The only real fix is injectibles for most people 🙁
Hyper pigmentation in the tear trough can be combated using Kojic Acid, and Arbutin. Stay away from Hydroquinone.
PRP injections using a canula into the areas below the lower lid and above the periorbital bone can also reduce pigment and increase collagen production without the side effects of filler. Often people think they have a loss of volume that is really just an increase in skin laxity in the eye area.
Hope that helps!
Nothing topical and if something says its going to work its lies & only temporary. Sometimes eye message can help, Milk thistle helps with drainage, having adequate vitamins & minerals, taking care of your allergies help but no surface level product will help with dark circles.
Sorry isabelle,
You are fundamentally incorrect. The following products are all used topically, have peer reviewed clinical studies on their efficacy combatting hyperpigmentation and are widely prescribed or available in medical grade skin care in the Dermatology clinic where I work…
Hydroquinone (controversial product) , Mequinol, Retinoids, Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid, Arbutin, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), NAG, and L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).
However if you are discussing the eye area your options diminish greatly.
What I’ve realized (through age – 54!) is how important it is to invest in your body……rather than clothes and things to fill a home, stuff, stuff and more stuff!
Instead, what you eat, what you put on your skin is where the money should go.
Your body is the one true constant you’ll have until the end.
Amen! I agree…that and travel. Fill your life with experiences with those you love! Stop looking in the mirror at every flaw. Stop filling your house with junk that no one will want when you die…harsh but true. I’m only (almost) 48 and still have young kids at home and I look at every purchase now with much scruntiny. Not going to spend my life taking care of and cleaning more stuff. Simple is best. JMO.
Preach
You’re bringing me back down to earth — I’m 33 and I just bought and am renovating my dream house. I feel myself going a little overboard on the material aspect of it, but it’s my dream house partly because it’s close to great outdoor recreation and farms. The house is in the ‘burbs, and I’m going to have to keep a mantra of keeping it simple, because my new neighbors, while lovely, *love* their toys and cars. *I am not the Joneses, I am not the Joneses*
No thanks. I’ll spend my last dime on home furnishings and obsess over them until I get carted off to the old folks home.
Talk to me. I’m putting my first garden and trying to restrain,self from going nuts with the peonies (Betsy! They’re only a few weeks bloom!), tulips, phlox, irises…
I feel like American women’s recent obsession with skincare needs an examination. I mean, we were always a little obsessed, but I feel like it’s gotten worse with the introduction of 10-step K-beauty routines. It just seems like everyone I know (myself included) is gobbing on 5-6 products every morning and every night, and some of that stuff isn’t cheap. I mean, I’m down for washing your face, moisturizing, and SPF, but I do think it’s gotten a bit absurd.
What’s odd is it’s being sold to women under the guise of self-care. Like, spend $600 on your skincare routine because you deserve it. It’s like, trying to be sell female insecurity and blatant capitalism as self-care and feminism. Um, no.
The beauty industry is dedicated to making you feel awful about everything about yourself. So you continue to feed their beast. My mom and grandmom’s had nice skin and didn’t use fancy stuff. I am fortunate to have inherited nice skin and I have learned from mistakes that keeping it simple works for me…also, not spending my life looking in the mirror helps too. I feel for women who are obsessed with their looks and aging…
Basically the only thing, and two products have been proven to actually change your skin, and that is Retin-A (not Retinol). Oh and use sunblock. Everything else is basically a gimmick.
It had been becoming more popular for years, but it got sharply more popular in 2016. One imagines the stresses of that year and the ones after it have pushed a lot of people to do something, anything to feel better.
In retrospect the only skin care I’ve been slavish about is sunblock /sunscreen. After getting sunburnt on my shoulders at the age of 14 (I was living in the Caribbean then), I started slapping on the coppertone every since. Never mind that I was medium-dark skinned and sunblock would turn my skin blue, I still stuck to it. I’m a lot older now, but I do get compliments on my skin from my face to my chest, and that’s due to sunscreen. I spend a fair £££s on that, whereas everything else, I’m just letting it fall by the way. I don’t spend as much mone as I used to with regards to facial products.
For my hair, because its afro, Garnier honey hair products work for me, and for oil, it’s just the body shop’s coconut pomade, and that’s less than a fiver.
I have crazy sensitive skin and the only thing that works for me is switching between moisturizers every couple of days. I am allergic to soap so I mostly just use water and really scrub. Sometimes if I’ve got a lot of makeup on I’ll use a makeup wipe and rinse a lot afterwards. I can’t imagine doing a huge routine like this every night. How exhausting.
I just turned 42 last week and people say I look like I’m in my early 30s. My skin is a pain in the ass but at least I look really young.
I’m a real re-actor too, and have tossed a lot of cleansers, body washes, moisturizers because they gave me red bumps, streaks, itching. Have had the best luck with Paula’s choice products, but to remove makeup nothing has been better than philosophy’s Purity.
I love Paula’s choice. I used to use the BHA lotion, but I think it made me photo sensitive, even with my daily use of sunscreen. I’m super fair too. I live in S. CA and trying to avoid the sun is hard. Her products never irritated though. She is super conscious of not putting fragrances and harsh ingredients in her products which I appreciated!
Honk for Paula. I love her calm redness sunscreen so much that I look forward to putting it on. Would love to hear CB’s routine since she’s into skincare.
I’ve never heard of Paula’s line but I’ll definitely google for it, thank you! I’m so tired of people saying oh, but my Argonne/Rodan and fields/ whatever crap line. It all reacts horribly on my skin and I’ve tried it all.
I can’t recommend the Sensibio line by the French pharmacy brand Bioderma for sensitive skin highly enough. If you can get one get “Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water” for cleansing it removes even waterproof mascara without much rubbing. You can get it on Amazon.
My skin reacts out of the blue, too. I can’t wash my face in the shower – the (tepid!) water on my face for an extended period of time plus the humidity makes it really red and blotchy. I love, love, love the Chanel 10 cream (thank you Macy’s friends and family sale…) and even that occasionally makes me patchy and my skin burn.
After my third was born, I washed with unscented cleanser and slapped on a thick coating of Cicaplast.
Plus she lasers, peels, plumps and botoxes the hell out of her face. Except for when she uses too much fillers, her skin admittedly looks pretty good.
Not really for all of that work.
I think she has major filters on the camera because we’ve all seen her skin in photos and it doesn’t look that healthy and lineless. Or, she got some Botox before filming.
I still tend to have oily skin though I’m abt to turn 45, I only use cere ve cleanser and no 7. day cream for normal/oily skin. It has spf 15 in it. Does anyone have any recommendations for an oil free sunscreen? I normally just use neutrogena (when I remember to put it on). I wouldn’t mind using goop products, but there’s no way I could afford them.
Aveeno has an oil free facial sunscreen that I like (and I mentioned before, I’ve got super sensitive skin, and I tried it because their body wash is one of few I can use).
Neutrogena’s sunscreen is quality and if it works for you, stick with it, imho. Neutrogena also makes an anti-residue shampoo so instead of “exfoliating” your scalp, try the shampoo, max. maybe 2x per week. Last comment on Neutragena (really! 😉 if you have scalp/neck psoriasis, try their t-gel shampoo. Very gentle and effective for this condition.
Neutrogena still uses the coral killing oxybenzone!
I use Neutrogenas oil free spf 110 sunscreen and I love it. I put it on after my moisturizer. I love using Boscia products for skincare. It all feels light on my skin and doesn’t feel greasy or make my skin more oily. I use their tsubaki oil moisturizer that is part cream and part gel and it has done wonders for my skin.
I love Neutrogena’s sunblocks. I have a 55 and 30 that I use religiously. I looked into one of those boxes at the dermatologists when I was 26, and I have used sunscreen on my face everyday since! It was a game changer. I believe it is why my skin is so nice at almost 48!
You should switch to a spf30 at least!
Thanks everyone for your recommendations! I suppose I’ll stick with my Neutrogena sunblock then, I just need to be more diligent about applying it everyday. I may try the aveeno as well.
Try the EltaMD UV Physical. A mineral sunscreen/physical block works much better than a chemical sunscreen for broad sprectrum protection from UVA & UVB rays. Remember the 2 rule, apply twice a day when inside and out and every 2 hours when you’re outside.
How many scrubs do you need?? Will you have any skin left??
lol:-) . so true..
My dermatologist said a lot of women over-exfoliate. She said one to three times a week is all people actually need, and they can vary the strength of the exfoliant based on their skin. But 3 exfoliants each day?! YIKES!!
Has goop never heard of Lush’s Sea Salt shampoo, chock full of salt for exfoliation? Her shampoo isn’t revolutionary because Lush has had theirs for years and she just copied it.
That is how Gwyneth rolls, she co-opts and has done so for years. She always thinks she’s the pioneer -claiming all the credit- when someone else has been doing it for longer or who has brought it before.
I got my butt in gear on skin care this year And I can’t say enough about the combination of an electric skin brush that I bought from Amazon for $40 plus strivectin lotion and eye cream from Marshall’s for $30. Then I put us a moisturizer on top from the drugstore and I swear my skin looks 10 years younger. This is coming from someone who lives in a hot climate and runs in the Sun all the time so it’s been a Godsend and not very expensive.
You could not pay me enough to use one of those brushes on my face! If Caroline Hurons says it’s too much, I believe her.
I’ve mentioned this before, but switching to a 90% Korean skincare routine was truly life changing. My skin looks so good now, and it isn’t super expensive.
And FYI, L’Oreal makes an affordable scalp scrub if that’s something your interested in.
Ditto. They seem to be so much more conscious of irritants, but that said some brands still contain too much fragrance for me.
I think most people would benefit from an oil double cleanse versus the common over drying washes, but that’s also my personal bias because it changed my skin so much.
I have sensative skin and the best thing that works for me is white dove on the face, witch hazel astringent a couple of times a week, and cetaphil lotion for sensitive skin daily. Using too many products stirs up rashes and sensitivities. Also, I use Kenra hair products. When my hair is feeling dry from blow dryers and flat iron’s I use Kenra hair masque which I think is totally amazing!
I’m sensitive and Dove unscented really is the best(can’t beat the price!!)! I do switch to Olay Foaming Facial Wash for sensitve skin during the drier months…I’m in CA, so it varies.
I’ve used Dove for sensitive skin for decades, ditto Cetaphil. As for hair care, I’ve started using L’Oreal’s Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz shampoo and conditioner and it’s really good at de-frizzing curly thick hair. As for skin care, I’ve been using Neutrogena products for ages including their sunscreen for faces only and I look a good 20 years younger than my 65 years.
I will be turning 50 years old this October, the oldest I have ever been guessed is 32 and I’ve never had laser, injections or even a facial in my life.
Sunscreen is the absolute must for me, I never leave without having applied it.
I wear barely no make up, except a tiny bit of brown eye pencil that I gently smudge with an organic Q-tip and mascara.
I use Rocky Mountain Lavender Liquid Soap for my face and body, it’s wonderful and not drying at all.
I apply Organic Coconut Oil all over my body after shower and once every two weeks as a hair treatment. I massage it into my hair, wrap my head in a towel and wash it out after two hours.
In the morning I love YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE skin care products from SEPHORA, their eye cream and moisturizer are amazing and their SUPERFOOD MASK is out of this world.
It’s well priced, a little goes a long way and it’s very, very effective.
At night I use my Organic Argan Oil for eyes and lips and I mix it with Organic Jojoba Oil for my face.
I drink 4 L of clean water a day, do not smoke or drink alcohol and eat a very healthy, close to the Earth diet.
Paltrow has a very nice bone structure and she is tall, I think she has plenty of laser treatments for the sun damage.
Coconut oil causes pimples for a lot of people, its comegenic, wouldn’t recommend it for the zit prone. I’m mistaken to be a lot younger as well, with 20 something guys always asking me out but I just assume people don’t know what age you are once you get near 45. That 45-60 zone is what I call, “I have no idea what age you are so guessing younger so I don’t look like a fool age”.
@ isabelle : I don’t use Coconut oil on my face, only my body after shower and I’ve never had any pimples.
I swear by Youth to the People, great products without the huge price tag.
I love doing a coconut oil mask on my hair, but if a speck of it touches my face, instant pimple.
Where is the goop-branded flat iron?
I think she has really nice skin. As someone who suffered through horrendous acne as a teen amd has a few acne scars as a result, I am always envious of people with clear, scar-free skin. I have been good about staying out of the sun so I don’t really have sun damage but I am planning on having a bit of laser resurfacing done to get rid of some of the acne scars. I am almost 40 and want to enjoy clear, scar-free skin for the second half of my life 😊
@ Laura :
I can relate to your skin issues, one of the best things I did was start using : Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Mask and Youth to the People Superfood Mask.
I rotate the two masks during the week, they are both great without drying my skin out.
I make everything myself including sunscreen. In a pinch I will find something to use in the organic shop because I’m a nerd and I like to pretend I’m making potions hahaha Don’t judge me it’s the little things that keep you going 😁✌️
I like you, we should be friends! I make almost everything for our family, right down to bentonite clay and turmeric toothpaste.
Hey hey!! 😁 I love it!!!!
I’m 48 on Friday, and I honestly have better skin than Goopy….and I use Dove unscented most of the time. Olay sensitve wash in the drier months. DML lotion at night. Neutrogena sunblock every day no matter what. Minimal makeup…healthy eating…green smoothie every day!
I have to say in my thirties and early 40’s I tried so many expensive products. They either made no difference, irritated my skin or make me photo sensitive. For me the simpler, the better my skin acts. Of course, I have to throw a plug in for genetics. My mom has great skin and looks younger than her 69 years too!
For hair I do a Brazilian blow out once a year…maybe twice and use B & B sulfate free products and swear by Vo5 hot oil treatments once a week for my color treated blonde, fine hair!
How come we never discuss how different Gwyneth’s current face is from when she first started out?? The difference to me is boggling, it goes beyond aging.
I have enjoyed learning about Youth for the People, I’m always on the lookout for vegan skincare.
@ Renee2 – Youth to the People is a great line, my skin has improved about 80% with their Superfood Mask, I leave it on for 1 hour and my skin looks at least a decade younger, so bright, plump and healthy, it’s a green smoothie for the face.
Also their serum is phenomenal, very effective, their eye cream changed my life and my all time favorite moisturizer is from this line, it’s whipped, very light when applying it, but so amazing on.
Thanks for the heads up Barcelona!! I will try the eye creme – I’ve been using Derma E products and all of their stuff that I’ve tried I’ve been really happy with except for their eye creme. I’ve had no luck with eye creme yet so hopefully I’ll see the same results that people here have.
I finally found a skin care line that works for me! Tatcha! I use the gentle/sensitive system every three days, and use sunscreen daily. I also use Dove shampoo and wash my (short) hair every other day. Pretty simple. Works great for me.
$600.00 dollars to look 45 years old, like she uses products that cost $6.00.
Now I just feel sorry for her.
$600 for her is like 6 cents for us.
I’ve always had problem skin but the best skincare I found was really no commercial skincare. I use a Norwex body cloth and a homemade oil cleansing combo with Elemi essential oil from Plant Therapy. If I have on makeup then oil, wipe it off, Castille soap, rinse, and a bit of rosewater facial toner. I use Kiss My Face SPF 50 sunscreen on my face and head every day. For my facial scarring I use a microneedling device and the rosewater toner once a week. For my body it’s good ol’ Palmers Cocoa Butter stretchmark lotion. And water. Drink your water.
Since my head is shaved I just use castille soap with coconut milk and a drop of Vitamin E oil mixed in. That’s what my girls use for their shiny long locks. The only time that varies is if we’ve been swimming. Then they use Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three for chlorine. We always put in The Conditioner with added tea tree oil and then braid or bun because lice is gross and I’m not dealing with it.
The best actual skincare I used before I dumped it all was from Pacifica. Vegan, cruelty free, and a little goes a loooooong way. I still love their deodorant wipes down here in the Keys. Summer is brutal even when you’re doing absolutely nothing.
Since you’re discussing beauty products, anything for dark circles under the eyes?
I was using Shea Moisture hair products for shampoo/conditioner on my hair but I dunno, recently I wasn’t happy with the way my hair was looking. I feel like they may have changed the formula so I now only use their hair serum when I get out of the shower. I switched to Dove shampoo/conditioner and use Dove soap. Hopefully no one is going to tell me Dove is terrible for your hair.
As for skin care, I use Cetaphil cleanser to wash my face at night and I use Cetaphil lotion on my body after showers and on my face. It was recommended as a non comedogenic mild cleanser by my dermatologist and it’s what I’ve used ever since. I’ve also used Vanicream as a lotion. I am nervous about trying anything else. I have super sensitive skin and I have noticed I will start to break out mildly when I use other facial products. I used to have persistent, recurring acne that only went away when I finally broke down and did Accutane so most of what you guys suggest I probably can’t use.
Should I be using anything else? People are always asking me if I exfoliate and I always wonder if I really need to. Maybe I should invest in an eye cream but not sure what else I should be doing? I occasionally get facials at Heyday (a facial NYC based chain), that’s about it.
I use cetaphil cleanser sometimes too instead of dove soap. Both were recommended to me by a dermatologist years ago and I feel they work better than anything else I’ve used.
I’m 47 years old. I wash my face with water only twice a day (per my dermatologist’s instructions). I use a good moisturizing SPF 30 moisturizer in the morning, then a Curology serum formulated for my skin at night.
That’s it. Keep it simple, ladies.
Water alone can’t remove sunscreen unless you really rub your skin which isn’t good.
I see that I’m not alone in loving Youth to the People products.
Their stuff is so great without fancy packaging and marketing.
The Age Prevention Moisture Cream is my all time favorite, it really moisturizes without the heaviness and greasiness and the eye cream is truly amazing.
Once a week I use the Superfood Mask and it makes my skin look much brighter and healthier than it is.
Lovely line without that heavy perfume smell.
Who knew that our Gwynnie was so dull?? I swear, I nearly went into a coma whilst watching that infomercial. And, in the gentlest way possible, her routine doesn’t seem to be doing much for her skin tone. That much exfoliation must make already dry skin like a Pyramid surface.
Her skin looks hard and dry even in the best photos.
Lines like The Ordinary are revolutionizing skin care – demonstrating there’s no need to spend a great deal of money on high quality products. The best things for your face are sunscreen during the day at Retin A (or retinoid) at night. You can add Vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide and other serums if you’re a junkie like me. Lots of great suggestions on haircare, skincare in these comments!
I still use Prell shampoo. When that stuff goes kaput I don’t what I will do. I have super oily hair and that is the only thing that works
Her skin doesn’t look good though. I’m about her age, live below the poverty line, have very pale skin, and my skin is a thousand times fresher and younger looking. Olay Complete with spf.
Goopy skin is dull and her hair looks like straw, so excuse me if I don’t by her beauty bullshit. Jade Vag Eggs, anyone?
Holy cow ! That top picture of Gwyneth?? I can’t even believe that is her !
Girl looks way different with no makeup !
And I always thought she went pretty natural on the make up ….umm ..nah uh .
Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Shampoo to really cleanse my haiR once or twice a week
Mizani Conditioner, Caviar Conditioner or Redken Conditioners which are semi expensive deeply moisturizing conditioners. I dont skimp out on Conditioner because I have course hair 🙂
Ps my parents are both hair stylists 🙂
I also use high quality skin care products. I truly believe they are higher quality than walgreens/cvs brands. Its important to find products that suit your skin type and have the correct ingredients. I love Hydropeptide moisturizers, comfort zone facial oil, face wash with salycic acid by Glowbiotics to penetrate my pores, cleansing wipes with glycolic acid and i use retinol cream (Nimni Cream).
By Hydropeptide
Yes. The more you shampoo, the more you need conditioner, etc. etc. Especially after menopause, I stopped shampooing daily and went to twice a week. Now my hair is not so dry and it’s not limp from conditioners. Daily sunscreen here, too. My face likes Neutrogena.
For the eyes, it’s getting enough sleep, haha, not happening here. Also Neutrogena makes a nice body moisturizer with sesame oil. Hard to find but I really like it.
Save the $600 on cosmetic stuff for your kid’s college fund or your retirement. Seriously.
Yes I stopped daily shampooing of my hair and it helps a lot!
Sunscreen- yea every day of the year and i try and reapply everytime i go outside for more than a few minutes!
Her skincare routine doesn’t sit well with me. She’s pale and seemingly has dry skin but is using scratchy scrubs and rubbing at her skin really roughly. It’s no wonder her skin isn’t great. She’d do better treating her skin more gently. My entire basic skin care regime is Avene and some The Ordinary products depending on what my skin needs dependent on the weather.
Bumble and bumble all the way
Late to the party, but I’m 59 and just stopped needing glasses after 51 years of being nearsighted (cataract surgery and brand-new 20/20 vision) and was shocked at the horrible dark circles under my eyes! My youngest daughter says it’s part heredity, part aging and that water, sleep and – I kid you not – Preparation H – will help. I haven’t tried the latter yet because I had some Bobbi Brown eye cream hanging around from a sample pack that contained their walnut and orange exfoliating mask, which I love). But my “beauty” routine is pretty much wash-n-wear. I love Dr. Hauschka’s cleansing cream (a grade school friend worked there and turned me on to their line, and it’s expensive but it’s my decadence) or just good soap and water, and moisturizer when it’s winter and dry outside.
As for hair, I was having a terrible hair life (fine hair and not a ton of it) until two things happened: 1. It started to turn silver (yay!, so much prettier than my former generic brown) and 2. Someone turned me on to co-wash. I use Asiam coconut co-wash and it totally transformed the thinner stuff into something great. And it’s about $8 a jar at Sally Beauty Supply.
PS The aforementioned daughter graduated from Aveda’s esthetician program, so even though she’s moved on to other adventures, she’s got some chops in the skin care department.
I love to dry brush my body before shower every night.
It’s wonderful for my circulation.
My routine is simple, water + organic soap in a very quick shower morning and night,
I wash my hair twice a week on Wednesday after work I have my 1 hour hot yoga class and 1 hour with weights and Saturday after the same workout routine, plus cleaning the house.
The rest of the week my only workout is taking my puppy for one hour walk, so I don’t need to wash my hair.
I use organic coconut oil after shower as a “lotion” for my body and once a month as a hair mask.
At night I love my KOSMEA Organic Rose Hip Oil, Youth to the People eye cream and organic lip balm from the health food store.
I apply sunscreen every day before leaving the house, eye cream and lip balm.
Make up wise I only wear mascara for the office and I add light pink lip gloss for big events.
Tons of water, clean simple food and lots of sleep.
It’s not that she’s not gorgeous- she’s attractive. But she looks sooooo tired!! Her eyes are so sunken for age. There ain’t nothing you can really do about that, but her eyes are aging fast😮