“I'm bougie!” Dakota Fanning tells us when we ask her which drug store products she secretly loves. Then she laughs. Because, while she might not have a favourite £2 lip balm, Fanning is anything but high maintenance. Quite the opposite, in fact – her beauty routine is decidedly low-key, and her approach refreshingly simple. Here, The Perfect Couple and Ripley actress talks to Bazaar about confusing hair, and the best beauty advice she's ever been given.
On her beauty philosophy...
"My beauty philosophy has always been to enhance what I already have, and not try to change it. With make-up especially, I don't want to wear too much and cover myself up; I want to make the most of what I've been given. And that's pretty much stayed consistent throughout my life. It's funny, because [when it comes to make-up] the two most important women in my life – my mother and my grandmother – are very different. My grandmother will barely come downstairs without make-up on, while my mum doesn't wear any. I'm somewhere in the middle"
On her signature make-up look...
"A little concealer, a little blush, a swipe of mascara and I’ll curl my lashes. I keep it pretty simple – I usually do my make-up in about five minutes. I don't keep a lot in my purse, but the Clé de Peau Concealer is something I never go anywhere without. It's funny – because I started acting when I was so little, I've been using that concealer since I was young. While make-up artists wouldn't use proper make-up on me, they might use a bit of this concealer under the eyes or something. And since then I've always stuck with it. It’s like one of those things that once you know, you know; I can fix a lot on the go with it."
On her one diva demand...
"When I’m travelling for work, the only thing on my list is that wherever I’m staying must have a bathtub. I take a bath every night, sometimes even twice a day (I only take a shower if I'm washing my hair). It's not necessarily long or luxurious (sometimes it is) but I feel like the day is unfinished if I don't have that. The life that I live is, some of the time, inconsistent. You're travelling, you're all over the place in unfamiliar settings, you're alone, and the one thing that stays consistent is being able to get in the bath. It doesn't even have to be a nice bathtub, or have anything [products] in it. It's like a grounding thing for me. I just want the water, and every once in a while I'll put in some salts."
Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer
Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler
Clé de Peau Beauté Cream Blush
Olverum Bath Salts
On the best piece of beauty advice she's ever been given...
"Karl Lagerfeld told me to never let anyone touch my eyebrows, and that’s the one piece of advice I've always stuck to… and I have stuck to that pretty hardcore, actually! So aside from a really stray eyebrow that needs to go, I've never changed the shape or done anything to them."
On her skincare routine...
"While I keep my skincare routine simple, the one thing I always do is make sure to take my make-up off, even if I'm tired or jet lagged. My skin is typically on the drier side, plus I live in LA and it's quite dry here, so for me it's all about hydration and bringing back moisture that I’ve lost. After cleansing, Clé de Peau La Crème is something I consistently use. That and Clé de Peau Le Sérum. The formulas are so good, so scientific; you really feel that they're working. I also have one of those red light masks that you put on for 10 minutes. I do that at home and freak my dog out!"
Clé de Peau Beauté La Crème
Necessaire The Body Wash Eucalyptus
Epicuren Discovery Tropical Lave
Clé de Peau Beauté Le Sérum
On hair…
"I am into hair, but I cannot do my own – I've never taken the time to like learn how to do it. My hair is a confusing texture (it’s actually a bunch of different textures) not in a bad way; it's in a good way. But most people haven't seen it [in its natural state] before, and when they do they're like, ‘That's great, did you do your hair like that?’ and I'm like, 'No, that's just how it dries'. I actually saw on TikTok a thing called 'Irish hair' – it's straight in the front, wavy on top and then really curly underneath – and I was like, Oh my God, that's me (I am part Irish). I’d never been able to figure out like what [my hair] is and now I know. I leave it natural a lot of the time but [when I’ve had it done] I do think, if you're having a good hair day, there's no better feeling."
On exercise…
"Since everyone's been talking about strength training – how important it is especially for women – I started doing it with a trainer 3 times a week, and I’m really loving it, really, really loving it!
"I'm also a big walker. I love it and could walk forever. When I'm working in a new place I hardly ever take a taxi; I prefer to walk and get my bearings that way. I also have one of those walking pads at home – like a treadmill with no handle – but I haven't set it up yet. It's very heavy and I need someone to help me with it!"
On treatments…
"I love lymphatic drainage massages of any type. I love massages in general; to me, even a bad massage is great. Every place that I travel to, I always get a massage and they're always a little bit different. I enjoy trying each place's technique."
On when she feels most beautiful...
"I probably feel most beautiful during the summer when my freckles make their appearance. I quite enjoy that. Being a little freckled, having a good hair and a good skin day – I think that's when I feel most like myself and, yeah, most beautiful."
Dakota Fanning is an ambassador for Clé de Peau Beauté
