Jennifer Aniston [1] has lived more lives on screen than a bodega cat. Rachel Green, Rosie Dickson, Alex Levy — the list of dynamic characters is sweeping, as is her ensuing beauty know-how [2]. (Guess that's what happens when you've got three decades worth of acting experience and access to every hairstylist [3], makeup artist [4], and Aveeno body moisturiser on the planet, huh?)
Like anything else in life, though, the secret, she told us, is balance. Balance between getting regular facials but not stressing over what you look like [5]. Balance between living your life in the public eye while simultaneously maintaining your privacy [6]. It's the reason she's famously stayed off Instagram — but even she's the first to admit it's not a forever thing: "I'm sure it's something I won't be able to resist forever," she laughed. "Let's face it, it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere. And who wants to be left behind? But there's a way to use it responsibly."
That kind of wisdom is what she's imparting ahead — from the exact shade of lipstick Rachel would have kept in her makeup bag on Friends to the beauty advice she'd give her 20-something-year-old self (when the rain starts to pour).
Jennifer Aniston's Beauty Advice to Her 20-Something Self
Thirty years ago, the internet was only just getting its start and social media was not yet a "thing." But Aniston was just like any other 20-something these days, learning a heap of beauty lessons along the way. Something she wished she could tell herself back then: "Don't take your gorgeous skin for granted," she said. "When we're young, no one teaches us. My mum did not slather me in sunscreen [7] — in fact, she might've handed me baby oil and said, 'Bake it up. Tan is everything.' She'd get the cheeks really rosy red, which is not cute looking back, but that was their generation. Now I think all ages are aware of skin health. We sure weren't back in the '90s."
What Rachel Green Would Keep in Her Makeup Bag on Friends
Aniston's character Rachel Green on Friends was the reason people flocked to the hair salon for "The Rachel" haircut, but her makeup was equally noteworthy. As for what she'd keep stashed in her bag if she had a choice? Easy, she said: "MAC Paramount, particularly that colour of lipstick. And Aveeno, of course, because after all it was the '90s."
MAC Lipstick in Paramount
MAC Lipstick in Paramount [8] (£17.50)
The Character's Beauty Routine Jennifer Identifies With the Most
When it comes to characters, like we said, she's played a lot, but there's one as of late with a laid-back beauty routine she'd identify closely to her own: "Alex, who you can see on The Morning Show coming out. She can play it up for the big screen but has her offscreen look too."
One of her favourites to play? Her character from Dumplin'. "She puts a lot of time into that head of hair."
The Surprising Concealer Jennifer Aniston Has Used Since the '90s
Remember the days of infomercials? (That was before the world of ad-free Netflix existed.) So does Aniston. "Those infomercials in the early '90s got me. I bought the Victoria Jackson The "No Makeup" Makeup Foundation Duo [9] (unfortunately unavailable in the UK). Isn't that weird? That's a product I still use today."
[Editor's note: she uses it as undereye concealer.]
The 1 Beauty Product Jennifer Aniston Has Used the Longest
Despite using the Victoria Jackson concealer since the '90s, that's not the products she's used the longest; instead, it's the Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion [10] (£8). "My mum first introduced me. It was in my bathroom and she said, 'You've got to put moisturiser on your body.' I totally fell in love. It was just one of those things, you used it just because it was there and your mom told you to use it. I'm a creature of habit, so then when I went out on my own, I went to the same exact store and bought it."
A Note on Instagram
While Aniston appreciates Instagram for its ability to connect people, she's also privy to the damage it can do. "I've heard from people who research this sort of thing that the amount of depressions and mental illness has been on the rise, and the big culprit is social media," she said. "Unfortunately, because it's abused, it's done is the exact opposite of bring people together and has completely polarised people. And sadly so, the comparing and despair, and the trying to live up to an image that's Photoshopped. Photoshop has been in magazines, but those were supermodels and something fun for us to look up. Now, you are the person in the pictures."
She continued, "Kids are sort of growing up building their self-esteem and their confidence and their ability to connect with people through a cell phone and through these false channels, I just worry it's going to pay a price, and we'll see what that is."