If you came of age in the early-aughts, we wouldn't be surprised if one of your style (and life in general) icons was Elle Woods. Reese Witherspoon [1]'s Legally Blonde character made her big screen debut in 2001, and come 2020, the beloved franchise will be a trilogy [2].
While you eagerly await Legally Blonde 3 — which is bound to be rich with just as many one-liners and life lessons as the first — let's take a look back at the best beauty tips we learned from Woods, who somehow managed to ace her Harvard Law classes while spitting some undeniable style truths. What, like it's hard?
Clinique's Happy Fragrance Is the Best Pick-Me-Up
During the film's opening credits, Woods is getting ready for an important date with her boyfriend Warner. She suspects he might pop the question, and the camera pans over her favourite makeup products. One in particular stands out — Clinique Happy [4] (£60), a citrusy fragrance that's since become a staple on many vanities. The crisp, refreshing scent is the perfect manifestation of Woods's eternal optimism, which is why it makes perfect sense that she also gifted a bottle to her incarcerated sorority sister, Brooke Taylor.
Never Shy Away From a Good Sale
Woods didn't have time for the shady shopgirl who tried to trick her into paying full-price for a discounted item. "It's impossible to use half-loop top stitching on low-viscosity rayon, it would snag the fabric," she said. "And you didn't just get it in: I saw it in the June Vogue a year ago. So if you're trying to sell it to me for full price, you picked the wrong girl."
Sometimes a Mani Is More Than Just a Mani
After Woods moves across the country to attend Harvard, she's feeling lonely. Her solution? Head to a salon, where she meets her first best friend Paulette, a manicurist who moonlights as Woods's sometimes-therapist. Without this iconic duo, the we would not have the bend and snap [5] — and that's no world we want to live in.
"Whoever Said Orange Is the New Pink Was Seriously Disturbed"
Tangerine eye shadow trends [6] may come and go — often relegated to unrealistic Instagram looks rather than IRL makeup — but all-pink everything [7] stays in style.
Exercise Gives You Endorphins . . .
"And endorphins make you happy! Happy people just don't kill their husbands," Woods said in defence of Taylor. It's also a great mantra that gets you to the gym on those mornings when you just don't want to work out — which, in turn, increases the blood flow in your
skin [8], giving you a nice glow.
The First Cardinal Rule of Perm Maintenance
In the film's pivotal final scene, Woods cross-examines the decedent's daughter, Chutney. Her alibi is that she was in the shower while her father was killed. Chutney admitted to getting a perm earlier in the day, to which Woods delivers the iconic line, "The first cardinal rule of perm maintenance is that you are forbidden to wet your hair for at least 24 hours after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate." Mic (and great advice) dropped.