There’s something to be said for true girl-next-door beauty—the kind that involves such imperceptible yet impactful employment of products that it looks like you did absolutely nothing at all. Actress Jessica Rothe is especially adept at such trompe l’oeils, able to seamlessly transition from fresh out of bed to fresh-faced with a few deft techniques. The key lies in maintaining a radiant complexion, as she proves on a recent morning at her hotel in Santa Monica, walking through the multistep process that keeps her skin clear. Oncoming breakouts are quieted with “tiny little acne patches” and are banished for good via Glamglow’s Supermud Clearing Treatment. “Lifesaver,” she says, massaging it onto her face. Better yet, waiting for the mask to “[do] its magic” gives her time to catch up on a good book, in her case, the Heidi McLaughlin novel that inspired her forthcoming film, Forever My Girl.
“When we were filming Forever My Girl, I didn’t get to wear a lot of makeup,” says the Colorado-born actress. So, when she’s free to “do me,” she turns up the volume ever so slightly by mixing her self-proclaimed secret weapon, the gold-flecked skin-enhancing Gleam Body Radiance by Melanie Mills Hollywood over her moisturizer for a truly luminous finish. Color is added in the most modern way: a single product for cheeks, lips, and eyes. In this case, it’s Benefit’s Benetint from-within flush of pink brushed onto the apples of her cheeks and across her lips before dabbing the remains on her eyelids with her fingers. A wiggle of mascara across the top lashes lengthens and extends each tiny hair for a wide-eyed gaze. A swipe of lip gloss (Dior Addict Ultra Gloss) and a fluff of her long blonde layers later, and she looks precisely like herself. What could be more alluring?