To the casual observer, it would appear that Hailee Steinfeld really does have it all: multiple platinum records, an Oscar nomination, and an on-screen career that many actors twice her age would give a lot to achieve. But behind the scenes, the 27-year-old is still desperately chasing one major goal: perfecting her DIY face beat.
As one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Steinfeld has “been lucky enough to work with some of the best makeup artists and dermatologists,” she tells PS. But while those pros have given her some sensational red carpet glam, recreating the looks at home is no easy feat.
“One of my favorite things to do just in life is to pick people’s brains when it comes to beauty and skin care,” the “Pitch Perfect 2” stars admits. “The best part is sitting in a mirror and watching them do it to me. I get to take [it all] away. . . or I try. If only.”
Steinfeld’s current goal is one that has been evading her for almost four years now: recreating a look that celebrity beauty pro Patrick Ta gave her in a YouTube video back in November 2020.
“I did this video with Patrick for his YouTube channel where he did my makeup and I have watched that video back [so many times],” she says. “I have all those same makeup products. There were a few things I was missing, so I got them. And I have tried so hard to recreate the look on myself.”
While she has yet to master Ta’s talents, the actress is no novice when it comes to beauty. Having started acting at the tender age of 10, Steinfeld has had 17 years of professional beauty education, spending hours in the makeup chairs of some of the world’s foremost talents. But Steinfeld’s earliest memory with beauty actually comes from home in her mother’s bathroom.
“My introduction to skin care in my early teens was [from] my mom,” she says. “I can see the line of Neutrogena products on her counter that she would use. She’s always taken such great care of her skin.”
As it turns out, Neutrogena would also go on to play a very significant role in Steinfeld’s beauty regimen later on in life in what can only be described as a “full-circle” career moment. Not only is she now teaching others the importance of implementing a consistent skin-care routine – she’s also doing so while working with (you guessed it!) Neutrogena.
As the face of the brand’s new Collagen Bank Moisturizers ($22), Steinfeld wants to show how to use skin care as self care – and encourage all of us to embrace aging, rather than fear it.
“Aging is something that people dread. But it shouldn’t be – it’s inevitable and it’s a gift,” she says. “To educate ourselves on what our skin needs? What a privilege. What a great thing to know that our skin loses one percent of its collagen every year starting in our twenties.”
Steinfeld is a walking poster child for fresh-faced, natural beauty, but she concedes that it’s taken some fine-tuning to get her regimen to a place where it feels good.
“The overall takeaway that I have gotten from [the makeup artists and dermatologists I’ve worked with] is to fall in love with the process of taking care of your skin,” she says. “It’s just so key to understand what it is that’s happening to your skin and to embrace that. For me, the highlight of those few minutes every morning and night has become what I’m choosing to put on my skin. It’s so easy to fall in love with a product for its packaging. It looks great on your bathroom counter, but you don’t know what’s in it and you don’t know what it’s doing.”
With Neutrogena’s Collagen Bank collection, Steinfeld says she’s been able to become her own skin-care expert.
“It tells you what’s happening with your skin. This product has taught me so much about my skin and about something I was shocked I didn’t know before.”
The products have also given Steinfeld the confidence to scale back her makeup essentials, instead relying on the “glow and plumpness” that the moisturizers give her. But on the days when bare skin isn’t an option, what essentials does she turn to?
“Patrick Ta’s Eyebrow Gel ($27) is a staple. Also a little bit of concealer, because it makes me feel good when I have to cover up the circles every now and then. And then I’m really into the Rhode Pocket Blushes ($24). They are so good.”
Charlie Lankston is a freelance beauty, fashion, and lifestyle writer and media strategist based in New York City, having relocated to the US in 2014 from her home in London. Charlie spent 10 years working at DailyMail.com, where she oversaw the website’s style, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle content. Charlie also appears as an on-air royal and celebrity correspondent.
