When it comes to aging with grace, Brooke Shields is practically the gold standard.
From a superficial standpoint, of course, it's hard not to admire her glowing skin and classic beauty every time we see a new photo of her pop up on our social media pages. But more importantly, after a lifetime of working as an actress and model, the 58-year-old has cultivated a refreshing outlook around aging that you don't often see in her industry. It's one that embraces aging and all that comes with it, and helps to create open and honest conversations around it — which she does, through her podcast "Now What?" and her online platform and lifestyle brand "Beginning Is Now."
That being said, if she did have the chance to go back, she says the one thing she wishes she could tell her younger self about aging would be to, "enjoy what you have now," she tells Shop TODAY over the phone.
"We're all a product of our upbringing and society but I definitely think I would have been like, really appreciate yourself," Shields says. "Not because it's all going to go downhill, but because you deserve to be able to appreciate it. You don't want to get to an older age and realize you've never really celebrated yourself. It's sad. I think people then start chasing their youth. I'm not chasing my youth. I like to look my best, but it's a futile thing to want to turn back the clock and make yourself crazy. So why not, as best you can, where you are, appreciate that every wrinkle I have around my eyes is because I smiled a lot?"
As she's gotten older, Shields, who has been partnered with the skin care brand True Botanicals since 2021, says that the way that she takes care of her skin — and her reasoning for doing it — has changed as well. She says she now takes a "simple approach to beauty," one that doesn't require too many steps.
“I now look at beauty as self-care, rather than vanity," Shields says. "Which, I used to associate beauty routines with inaccessible luxury and vanity. My mom would say, ‘soap, water and moisturize. Get it clean, don’t make it complicated for yourself.’ But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve enjoyed the process and the ritual of taking care of my skin. And it’s not now just for aging or wrinkles. I mean, that’s a good byproduct of your skin looking healthier, but now I enjoy the process, it's sort of my time for myself.”
And while she has her routine of go-to products (we're sharing more on those below), she also recognizes the role that overall health plays in how her skin looks.
"Sometimes, it's just about getting enough sleep and drinking enough water — but not too much water — and that ends up making my skin look better ... if I'm doing everything that's unhealthy, not sleeping and drinking too much alcohol, it's going to show up first in my skin. I think that people don't think of their skin as the largest organ of their body, but it is. And we have to treat it like that."
Beyond beauty, Shields has a lot to look forward to. The mom of two announced earlier this year that she would be releasing a book about the power of aging and is starring in the upcoming film "Mother of the Bride." But when it comes to the year ahead, you won't find her making standard resolutions.
"I don't make New Year's resolutions, because I think that's setting me to fail. I don't say, 'I'm going to stop doing this, stop doing that.' I usually say, 'I promise myself I'm going to, at least once, do something out of my comfort zone or I'm going to try to learn something.' Because it's essentially setting yourself up for failure. And the giving up of things just feels like I'm punishing myself and then it just makes me want it more."
As a part of our Shopping Diaries series, we had Shields walk us through some of her current must-haves, from the drugstore beauty finds she swears by to the surprising product she uses to fill in her eyebrows.
Shopping Diaries: Brooke Shields
True Botanicals Calm Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm
Shields says she uses True Botanicals' Cleansing Balm "every night." "It leaves my skin smooth without being greasy or too dry," she adds.
The formula is designed to effectively remove makeup, sunscreen and dirt, while nourishing your skin.
True Botanicals Natural Chebula Active Serum
"I love the serum because it gets absorbed very easily, it doesn't stay on the top of my skin and it primes the skin for when you put on the [True Botanicals] Extreme Cream."
The formula features chebula, a fruit and powerful antioxidant that the brand says helps to target signs of aging, including fine lines and wrinkles, uneven texture and more.
Lumify Redness Reliever Eye Drops
"My eyes are always bloodshot, with or without sleep," Shields says. That's why she always keeps the Lumify redness-relieving eye drops in her bag. "It brightens my eyes in seconds," she says.
Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit
Along with the above eye drops, Shields says that the Sally Hansen wax strips are one of her go-to drugstore finds. "I'll always pick one up ... if I don't have time to get a bikini wax or if I'm looking at my top lip and I'm like uh oh, when did that happen?"
Grande Cosmetics GrandeLashMD Enhancing Serum
Of course, we couldn't talk to Shields about her beauty routine without asking about how she maintains her famous brows. And her answer was pretty simple. "I actually only use GrandeLashMD, the growth serum ... I'm starting to see some positive results. I just have to fill them in now, because the gray is starting to come and they're thinning."
Prismacolor Ebony Pencil
So what does she use to fill them in? (The answer might surprise you.) "A graphite pencil," she says. "Because I can make it really sharp, and if it's the right softness, it will come up on my skin and it looks like the flick of a brush. The times that I've tried to dye them or do anything else to bring them back, I end up looking rather freakish. I find a lot of pencils way too soft."
A makeup artist in Los Angeles introduced her to this hack. (And she previously shared on Instagram that the Prismacolor Ebony Pencil is the one she uses.) "And it's not lead, so you're not putting lead on your face."
Jones Road The Face Pencil
As for her everyday makeup routine, Shields says it consists of "two to three products max." "I usually start, if there's something I need to cover up, I'll use in spots a Jones Road nice, light coverage [product] to even out my skin. But I very rarely put on full foundation."
Vapour Beauty Tinted Lux Conditioner
Just like us, Shields can appreciate a good, multifunctional tinted beauty product. "Vapour makes one. I have this mulberry color and I dab that on my cheeks, the center of my lips and a little bit over my eyes."
Diptyque Classic Candle
On the gifting front, with Christmas quickly approaching, we had to know what Shields' go-to gift is when she's in a pinch. "If I don't really know someone, but I want it to be good, I'll find a really beautiful Diptyque candle," she says. "People seem to really like those."
She says that the L’Ombre Dans L’eau is one scent that she particularly likes — and she also uses it as a perfume. (The candle scent is not currently available, but the above pick is a bestseller from the brand.)
