marieclaire.com.au (^) | 165
PHOTOGRAPHY BY EDWARD URRUTIA; GETTY IMAGES.
“THE MOST
IMPORTANT
THING I’VE
LEARNT FROM
MY MUM
IS HAVING
A JOYFUL
ATTITUDE”
door red; a symbol now synonymous with the brand.
Arden’s list of accomplishments is long, but to cher-
rypick, there was the royal warrant, which announced
Elizabeth Arden as an official beauty supplier to the
Queen (a title still held by the brand to this day); Arden
was also the second woman to grace the cover of Time
Magazine (the first being the Queen); in 1933 the
beauty entrepreneur would become the first woman
to have her own radio program; and, in 1977, she was
posthumously inducted into the US Business Hall
of Fame.
Arden’s vision was to create skincare that benefit-
ed rather than masked, and there are no surprises
when you meet Witherspoon in real life either. The
actress has the poised presence of a true movie star,
yet the warmth you feel emanating from the big screen
seems just as genuine face to face.
“My mother was always saying, ‘Find something
to be happy about every single day,’” says Witherspoon
when asked what real beauty means to her. “Beauty is
an attitude, it’s a positivity, a joy from within.”
If you did want to get Witherspoon’s luminous
skin, you would do well to invest in Arden’s highly
anticipated Vitamin C Ceramide Capsules. They are
the next instalment in the brand’s hugely popular
Advanced Ceramide Capsules (or “caps” to its devo-
tees), which launched with a bang in 1990, not just for
their groundbreaking single-dose format, but because
the bio-engineered, skin-identical ceramides added
instant hydration and helped restore the skin’s barrier.
Witherspoon is a regular user of both the
Advanced Ceramide Capsules and Retinol Ceramide
Capsules ($150 for 60 capsules), which launched last
year. “I’ve been using the retinol capsules [at night] for
a year and they really even out my skin tone,” she says.
The new Vitamin C Ceramide Capsules are prov-
ing the perfect adjunct to a night-time retinol ritual.
Because, while retinol is scientifically proven to make
skin essentially behave like younger skin, vitamin C
deals with brightness and environmental protection.
“Vitamin C is great for hyperpigmentation and
the prevention of underlying sun damage,” explains
Dr Dendy Engelman, a New York-based consulting
dermatologist for Elizabeth Arden, who
marie claire also spoke to in LA.
It’s also a great wingman to your
SPF. “Vitamin C acts like a safety net to
catch any additional sun damage that
can occur,” says Engelman.
The ingredient can be irritating to some skin
types, but Elizabeth Arden has solved the issue by
including vitamin E and avocado oil. “The oils help the
vitamin C absorb more readily and penetrate more
deeply,” says Engelman.
The benefit of being in capsule form is not only
knowing how much to apply, but also being able to
keep this highly unstable ingredient stable and active.
This streamlining of the daily routine is something
that resonates for Witherspoon.
“You have to get it down to the bare minimum,”
she says. “I’ve got it down to a 10-step routine.” That
includes diligent skin washing (“I wash my face in
the morning and I wash my face at night,” she says),
moisturiser (“living in California it gets so dry, so I
have to keep reapplying moisturiser”), the ceramide
capsules and sunscreen.
“I can’t stress enough how important sunscreen
is,” she says. “After having kids, I started getting little
brown spots, so I have to pile on the sunscreen.”
She says she has been diligently using the brand’s
newly released Eight Hour Great 8 Daily Defense
Moisturizer. “I’m really excited about it because it
doesn’t go white on your skin,” Witherspoon says.
That’s not to say she doesn’t have her vices. “I
drag myself out of bed [and] drink coffee,” she says.
Witherspoon is so fresh-faced it’s comforting to know
that even she needs to get her game face on.
“There’s something beautiful about putting
yourself together for the day,” she says. “Getting your
hair done, putting your make-up [and] outfit on; it
makes you feel prepared for the day, but it’s also caring
for yourself and presenting your best self.”
MUST-HAVES
Reese’s Elizabeth
Arden beauty picks:
1 Ceramide Cream Blush
in Nectar, $52. 2 Vitamin
C Ceramide Capsules
Radiance Renewal Serum,
$150 for 60 capsules.
3 Great 8 Eight Hour
Daily Defense Moisturizer
with sunscreen, $50.
4 Beautiful Color
Moisturizing Lipstick
in Red Door Red, $42.
5 White Tea Vanilla
Orchid EDT 100ml, $75.
marie claire’s
beauty director
Sally Hunwick with
Reese Witherspoon.
1
2
34 5
BEAUTY
sharon
(sharon)
#1