From the moment she had her breakthrough with her Oscar-nominated performance in True Grit, Hailee Steinfeld has been a beauty and style icon. The multi-talented star has kept herself busy in the decade-and-a-half since with projects like Dickinson, the Pitch Perfect and Spider-Verse franchises, and her music releases, all while making countless best-dressed lists and serving standout hair and makeup moments in collaboration with some of the best stylists and MUAs in the industry.
On the horizon, Steinfeld has the release of a new season of Arcane on Netflix, an untitled Ryan Coogler film alongside Michael B. Jordan, and plenty of editions of her new newsletter, Beau Society—so it's safe to say she's staying busy. While navigating her jam-packed lifestyle, Steinfeld has also learned a lot about how to care for her skin, which has helped keep her glowing and grounded throughout the years. Ahead, we asked the star all about her skincare and beauty regimens, including her go-to products, the advice her mom was always right about, and how her routine has evolved over time.
About Her Skin
It feels like I’ve been into skincare forever, but I'd say within the last 10 years or so, maybe since when I turned 20, I became really excited about the idea of educating myself and falling in love with the process of taking care of my skin. It's been a journey trying to figure my skin out because there's a lot of inconsistency with my skin, which I think is due to a lot of travel, a lot of makeup, and work and stress.
More recently, the biggest thing I’ve been trying to enhance and further educate myself on is collagen preservation. Learning that I lose 1% of my collagen every year, starting in my twenties—I’m 27—was something to process. I’m so excited that Neutrogena created the Collagen Bank Moisturizer—it’s become a staple in my routine and I’m so grateful for it. Within just the last several weeks, I have seen a difference in my skin having used the product, both with SPF and without. From the collagen itself, I’ve noticed the plumpness in my skin and the glow that I have. I feel like I’m at a point where I’m the most aware I’ve ever been of my skin and my skincare, and that’s made a really big difference for me.
The Best Tip Her Mom Taught Her
My mom is my constant reminder to protect my skin from the sun. We were going through old photos recently, and our family used to take an annual summer lake trip. My brother and I loved to be in the water and in the sun and outside in nature, whether it was on the water or on a hike. We were in the sun quite a bit, but if you look at these photos, we were always covered. My mom always made sure that we were protected from the sun, and I'm so grateful for that. Mind you, at the time, I remember totally resisting the long-sleeve rash guards and the hats and the sunscreen and the umbrellas everywhere and all of that, but I'm so grateful for it now. And my mom does such an incredible job of doing that herself as well. I don't know that there's a day that's gone by or a time she's left the house without her SPF. And I'm so grateful for the reiterated importance of that.
How Her Dermatologist Transformed Her Skin
Christie Kidd has changed my outlook on skincare in general and what it means to take care of your skin—it's so important to start by knowing what it is you're putting on your skin and in your body. She has a face cleanser that I have been using for the longest time. I love when a product becomes a staple because I love to keep a clean and concise number of go-to products to stay consistent with. I think consistency within the products has been key to me in my skincare routine. But her face cleanser has been a game-changer for me.
I also love going to [Kidd] for a hydrafacial every now and then. I have found that less is more with my skin, so I don’t do too much. I’ll do a hydrafacial when I’m in town and I can go in and see Christie, and it just feels like a really great way to cleanse the skin, clear out my pores, and hydrate and get all the good stuff in there that lasts me a good while if I am doing what I know I’m supposed to be doing in the interim with taking care of my skin.
Her Morning and Night Routines
My morning and nighttime skincare routines differ by one product, and that’s SPF. In the morning, I cleanse, I use a great moisturizer, and I end with SPF. At night, I cleanse—maybe double cleanse—and I use a great moisturizer, and sometimes a toner. And that’s that. I keep it nice and simple.
The Skincare Step She Never Skips
SPF. I’ve gotten a lot better about it, even in the fall and winter months. You’re still exposed to those rays that are stronger than we know, so even if it’s not sunny out or you’re not directly in the sun, continuing to keep SPF as part of your routine is important.
How Her Routine Has Changed Over Time
It took time to get to the point of feeling like my skincare routine has finally been consistent. It's definitely changed with my age and with my schedule. To the point of it changing with my age, I've now learned and realized the importance of banking my collagen. I'm so grateful that I have [a product like Neutrogena Collagen Bank moisturizer] in my life now, and had we had it seven years ago, I would have been grateful for it then, too. But we're here now, and I feel like this product and Neutrogena have met me where I'm at with what I need the most. So that's worked its way into being a staple in my skincare routine. I feel really good about the few things that I'm using right now. I think my skin is feeling good about it, too.
The Best Skincare Advice She's Received
From my mom, to stay out of the sun. From a dermatologist, I would say that to be gentle with my skin is some of the greatest advice I've ever gotten because I have a lot of makeup on [a lot of the time], and I've got to get it off. I'll be scrubbing it, and I have to remind myself—don't over-exfoliate, don't overdo it, treat your skin kindly and gently even when applying makeup, and be gentle on your skin. That’s a huge thing.
Her Skincare Pet Peeve
When products pill. You know what I mean? It’s the worst when it’s a product that you want to love so much and you’re just like, “I can’t, it’s simply peeling off my face.”
The Products She Always Keeps in Her Bag
I bet you would never guess this, but I always keep an SPF in my bag to reapply. I use the same one I do in the morning—as long as I can wash my hands before I do it, I really feel like it's the best way of really getting it all over and into my skin the quickest.
Beauty product-wise, I always keep an eyebrow brush on me. I've been using Patrick Ta's eyebrow gel, which has allowed me to not panic if I’ve left the house without a spoolie, but I love to have a good eyebrow brush or gel and a little concealer on me in my bag.
Her Favorite Beauty Product She's Tried Recently
This is actually so random, but one of my friends told me about this incredible Pat McGrath highlighter a long time ago, when I feel like people were really leaning into highlighter. I mean, I still lean into highlighter because I love it. But when it was having a moment and I went to order it, it was sold out everywhere, and I couldn't get it. It popped up again recently online somewhere, and I ordered it and then it was backordered, but long story short, I finally got it, years later. I love it. It's so beautiful, and I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.
