Emma Roberts Agreed to Dish Her Entire Skincare Routine

Oct 01, 2023

One of Emma Roberts’ favourite childhood photos is a shot of her taken at two years-old after raiding her mother’s makeup bag. In it, her little face is scrawled all over in bright fuchsia lipstick. “That picture, to me, is just so me,” she says. “Being two years-old and putting lipstick all over your face like it’s art because, you know, in a way it is and it’s just funny that we have all these beauty rules, but when you’re a kid, it’s just play.”

That carefree spirit is one Roberts tries to maintain in her current day beauty regimen. For her, it’s not about following strict dictates, but rather about simply making herself feel good. “With the job that I have, I’m always around people and now, I have a son, so [self-care to me is ] just having some quiet time to sit with my thoughts and do a face routine. Just kind of shut out the noise for a minute.”

Here, the actor walks us through her skincare and wellness rituals and extols the wonders of face masks, epsom salt baths and many a nifty beauty tool.

“My skincare routine differs whether I’m working or not working. When I’m working, it’s more about managing breakouts from heat or makeup. I took a picture of my products because I was like, ‘I need to not mess this up!’ So I use Biologique Recherche for face wash, which I love. I think their products are really great. And then, if I’m feeling like a breakout is happening, I use the Marie Véronique Treatment Serum. And then, I love the Chantecaille Pure Rosewater and Dermabasics sunscreen. I’ll also put some Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum under that just for moisture. That’s kind of it in the morning, I would say, sunscreen being the most important for me, especially post-baby. I’ve been dealing with some melasma from the sun and having a baby. Also, because I’m flying all the time, my lips are always dry, so I use the U Beauty Plasma Lip Compound—I really love that stuff.

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If I’m doing something special, I’ll use the new and improved Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover [Roberts is an ambassador for the brand], which gets rid of all the peach fuzz. There’s no irritation, no downtime, so it’s something I can really do whenever, whether I’m working or not, which is nice because I feel like I can’t get certain facials when I’m working because I’ll break out or I can’t do certain things. So, I’ll use that and then just kind of keep makeup super simple. I also love doing a sheet mask after I do that because I feel like then the sheet mask absorbs much deeper. I love the ones from SK II. I’m also always ready to try new things and see what new items are out there. I love seeing what everyone else is using and doing.”

“So, in the evening, sometimes I’ll use the Biologique Recherche cleanser, but then I’ll use a grainier one. I like the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser to kind of just go a little deeper. And then, I’ve been using Dr. Diamond’s Metacine InstaFacial Emulsion and InstaFacial Plasma and that’s been really helping with the melasma. A makeup artist even said to me, ‘Your melasma is getting better!’ I’ve been really sticking to my routine for the last month. I notice the more you stick to the routine, the more everything works. I also use the Biologique Recherche Creme Masque Vernix. I feel like it’s so healing. When you sleep, I feel like that’s when your skin is really turning over and resting, so I like to use something heavier at night that I know is going to make me wake up looking refreshed. And then, once a week, I really like the Kora Organics Turmeric Brightening and Exfoliating Mask. You literally wake up and look a little brighter. And my mother will be so mad if I forget to mention eye cream, because she’s been telling me to use one since I was 15. I use the La Mer one. I’ve entered the La Mer eye cream stage of my thirties [laughs].”

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“I love the Finishing Touch Flawless Ice Roller. That’s amazing because I feel like anything cold and soothing is just so nice in the morning, especially when I was pregnant since you can’t use a lot of products, so I got deeper into the beauty tool game. I do the ice roller first thing in the morning and it just feels so nice and also makes your skin look a little more woken up, if you will. And then, I also love the new and improved Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover for Eyebrows because I’m a huge brow girl. I’m obsessed with my brows. Brow gel is one of my staples in my makeup bag. I love the Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover for Eyebrows because it’s just so easy to do little touch-ups. I don’t have to drive to a salon and drive home. I can just do it while my son is playing in the other room. That’s nice because having a kid, you can’t just spend your whole day trying to maintain your beauty regimen. You’ve got to do everything at home. I’m pretty easy: the Flawless brows with a little Anastasia brow gel and I call it a day.”

“I recently discovered the HydraFacial and I really love that. I think it’s one that I really see results with. Nowadays, I’m so much more into cleaning the skin and really understanding more of the science behind [a treatment] instead of just wanting to quote, ‘look good.’ So, I like the HydraFacial because you really feel like you’re cleaning your skin and doing something proactive instead of just being pampered.”

“I love massages. That’s really my guilty pleasure. It was my guilty pleasure when I was pregnant and it has been since. I haven’t had one in a long time and I’ve been like, ‘I need one!’ And then, I love the Osea body oil. It’s so good and it’s really clean. I used that when I was pregnant and I also used the Hatch Belly Oil. I’ve always loved body oil, but I got way more into it during pregnancy and then post-pregnancy because obviously everything changed, so I became so obsessed with body oils.”

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“I love a bath. I always have and for me, it’s all about the epsom salts—I love that— and essential oils: lavender or sometimes rose or I’ve been getting into orange, which is really brightening and happy. I always take in the book that I’m reading and just leave my phone in the other room. I like that you can really disconnect and just reflect and read and have a moment. So after I work or put my son to bed, it’s like, ‘I’m going into the bathroom and taking a bath and no one come in!’ I even have a book light that I’ll clip onto the faucet, so I can turn off all the lights and then just have the little book light because I hate having the oppressive bright lights in there. Right now, the book I’ve been bringing in is called Time’s Mouth, which I cannot recommend enough. It just came out and I cannot put it down.”

“I love, I love Joan. I feel like I read her at a point in my life where she made such an impact. I was 19 years-old, living in New York alone for the first time and I just felt like I had discovered her myself. And then, of course, everyone was like, ‘She’s very famous!’ But for a moment, it felt like she was just mine. And so, it was really like me and Joan in New York when I was 19 and I thought she was like the best-kept secret. And then ,I open a magazine and see her rocking the Céline sunglasses in that iconic ad and I was like, ‘Wait, everyone knows my Joan?’ [Laughs] She was an amazing writer and such a fascinating person. I lover her so much.”

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“love when I can get some pilates and yoga in. I feel like that’s a good way to work out without too much pressure. I do circuit training sometimes, but it’s so hard! And then, I’m obsessed with sound baths on Spotify. I follow this one called The Spirited Soul and I’ll put in my noise-canceling headphones and whether it’s a five-minute one, a 15-minute one, or sometimes I’ll do a 40 minute one, I feel like it really resets my brain and my day. It’s kind of my way of meditating, because I always need a little bit of noise.”

“I get such dry lips sometimes from working and wearing lipstick all day, and then traveling on the plane really dehydrates me. So, if I don’t have a lip scrub, which is always the thing that I forget to bring, I put on a ton of Aquaphor and get a really strong toothbrush and then buff my lips. That was a really good tip I learned in an emergency travel situation. And then, I would say—it sounds so boring but—sleep and drink water. I’m in my thirties and sleep and water are two of my favourite things!”

Whenever Roberts is craving a deep clean, this is the face wash she reaches for. The natural formula banks on beta-hydroxy acids and apricot microspheres to uncover smoother, more radiant skin. And though it’s definitely effective, it’s actually gentle enough to use daily.

A quick morning face massage with an ice roller is great way to depuff skin and get blood flowing. No wonder it’s Roberts’ go-to trick for making herself look more awake.

This two-in-one formula from model Miranda Kerr’s line can be used as a scrub or a detoxifying mask. It harnesses the power of turmeric extract, mineral powder and Aspen bark to refine skin’s texture and boost its glow.

The actor swears by this lip treatment to keep chapping at bay. Its dual patent-pending SIREN Capsule Technology helps regulate cell activity and increase hydration, while peptides and ceramides create a pillowy effect by restoring lipid levels, stimulating collagen and promoting hyaluronic acid synthesis. After a single application, lips look smooth and juicy.

To make this body treat, hand-harvested Undaria algae is steeped in barrels of oils for up to six months. The result is an antioxidant- and mineral-rich elixir that softens, nourishes and firms from head to toe. It’s super moisturizing yet never greasy, and provides lovely aromatherapy benefits to boot.

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