Emma Roberts Can’t Live Without This Hydrating Serum and $20 Face Moisturizer
All skin is good skin, which is why good skin care is more of a journey than a destination. We all love one-time tips, but at Byrdie, we’re more interested in how our skin has evolved over time. The products we’ve used for a decade that make up our glowing cocktail of ingredients, the steps we never skip, and all the advice in between. That’s where the action really kicks in. In What I Put On My Face, we bring you rituals, advice, and failed experiments (we’ve all been there) straight from celebrities, founders, and influencers.
If you were a child of the early 2000s, Emma Roberts holds a special place in your heart. The niece of Julia Roberts, Roberts joined the family business as a child star on the series Unfabelhaft, which helped her land numerous teen roles in movies like Nancy Drew and Aquamarine. Of course, over time, her roles have become more mature and complex, and today she’s known for showing her dark side on American Horror Story.
In addition to being an actress (she’s recently starred in some great romantic comedies) and mother to two-year-old son Roz Robert Hedlund, the Holliday actress also runs a popular bookstore called Belletrist Club. She recently joined beauty brand Flawless as an ambassador, which sells a range of hair removal devices, skincare products and even nail machines.
When asked what drew her to the brand, Roberts revealed: “I’ve always been fascinated by beauty, whether it’s beauty tools, makeup or facial products. I fell in love with the tools from Flawless and loved that they were all dermatologist-recommended. This meant I could easily do [my beauty routine] at home – it was a real game changer.”
She’s particularly “obsessed” with Flawless’s Ice Roller ($10) and loves the brand’s brow products. “As someone who sometimes over-worries about my brows,” she says, “the Flawless Brow Contouring ($20) is one of my favorite tools.”
Of course, we wanted to take a closer look at what skin-care products are currently on Roberts’ list. The future is what Emma Roberts is going through.
On their skin
“Since having my son, I’ve discovered that I have melasma. It happened a lot during my pregnancy, and then more often in the summer. So that’s the only thing I have to deal with. This is what I do.”
Products aside, another thing is that I’m super obsessive about sun protection.
“I always wear it and can’t leave the house without sunscreen and a hat. Otherwise my main concern is that I’m glowing. I think it comes from the face, but it also comes from the heart.” I mean, let’s be honest: I think the smartest people are the happiest. That’s why I love that self-care today is more than just skin deep—it’s a 360-degree category.”
Moments when skincare was right for her
“My earliest [beauty] memory is of my mom getting ready in the bathroom, and me watching her pretend getting ready. I’d always look through her makeup bag to see what she was using. There’s actually a picture of me with it
lipstick. In this picture, I’m putting lipstick on my face like I’m a Picasso painting because I reached into her makeup bag. Luckily, she had a camera nearby. So it’s always been something I wanted to do. ”
Your morning and night routines
“They’re definitely different. My night routine is probably the longest because in the morning all I worry about is getting ready to get up with my son or go to work, or both. So in the morning I’ll use micellar water.”
Apply sunscreen.
“I really take the time to wash my face at night. I use cleansing products from Biologique Recherche and Tata Harper. I’m always switching them up because one of them doesn’t exfoliate, but the other does. And then, as I said, I got pregnant. Melasma started to break out during my pregnancy, and it came back again this summer. So I talked to Dr. Diamonds Metacine ($550) and got started. It’s a two-step treatment of plasma and lotion, which sounds intense but is actually very light. After about a month of use, I noticed a big difference. “I like to have rose water sprayed around. I don’t know if it does anything, but it makes me happy. As I said, happiness is an important part of your daily self-care routine. That’s why I always have rose water around me. I also use Biologique as a face cream. I use La Mer eye cream ($270) – now that I’m in my 30s, I’m in my La Mer eye cream phase. “When I do a mask, I really like the SK-II mask ($100). But I have to do it at night before bed because I once did it in the morning and my son was scared to see them, “I’m wearing a mask. So it’s a separate activity after the baby goes to sleep. Skincare steps she will never forget: Sun protection is very important to me. I just bought a new product from Dermabasics ($49) that is chemical-free, mineral-free, and waterproof. I really had to do some research this summer because I realized I needed to apply more sunscreen than usual. I really like this one – I just started using it and it’s my daily companion.
“I love my rose water. I use Chantecaille ($80), which comes in a really pretty bottle and makes me happy—I even take it to the beach.”
How their routines have evolved over time
“I’ve made so many mistakes. In fact, I renewed my driver’s license and now have to look at three licenses to compare the one I had when I was 15, the one I had when I was 21, and the new one now. It’s hilarious how different my eyebrows look in each photo. We all go through weird beauty trends. At least most people don’t have as much photo evidence of blemishes online as I do—some of them are from when I was twelve, so it’s a little embarrassing. But it’s also fun. I have a feeling any photo of a pretty girl making a faux pas will make for a funny birthday invitation one day.”
Products That Made the Biggest Difference
“Aside from melasma, my skincare routine is all about hydration. Barbara Sturm piqued my interest in the Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($110). I really like it because I feel like you don’t have to use it day or night—you can use it anytime, anywhere. I like to use it after the new and improved Finishing Touch Flawless Face ($20). I start with the Finishing Touch Flawless Face” to get rid of all the fuzz on my face, then use a hyaluronic acid serum. I feel like it works better in that order.”
Your best skin-care tip
“Sure, products can be great, tools can be great, and makeup can be super fun. But ultimately, I think good skin needs sleep and moisture, for better or for worse. I think so too.” I’m trying to be more mindful of sleep and water these days.”
Your most-used product
“I think anything goes with the lips. I find that my lips get really dry when I’m working, wearing lipstick all day, or flying. I love U Beauty Lip Plasma ($68), which is super hydrating and rich. When I’m on the road,
I have the Little Doctor by my side. I keep the Barbara Sturm Lip Balm ($55) in my bag, and it always works.”
Her longest-lasting product
“I’ve been using Osea Body Oil ($84) for so long—I never really change it. For example, I always buy a new one because it’s clean, simple, and super hydrating. I really love the brand. ”
Your latest skincare obsession
“I’m really into Kora Organics – the Miranda Kerr line. I’ve known them for a long time but I recently discovered some of their new products and I think they’re all great. I love the packaging too – there’s nothing wrong with liking the packaging sometimes! ”
