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Drew Barrymore has long been a beauty icon for those of us with sunnier dispositions. It’s her smile, her laugh, her laid-back style, and her natural warmth that make us love her—qualities that have been captured on screen in cult classics from 1999’s Never Been Kissed to 2009’s Whip It, which marked her directorial debut.
This month, the actress celebrates another first with the launch of a new book, Find it in Everything (Little, Brown). Photographed by Barrymore over a period of fifteen years, the collection of images documents her fascination with all things heart-shaped, from the curled loop of a shoestring to the fleeting foam-shaped apparition on top of her cappuccino.
“I definitely feel like lucky pennies, or someone handing you a flower, or spotting a heart somewhere, they’re all things that evoke an everything-is-going-to-be-OK feeling,” she explained last week while at home in Los Angeles with her daughter, Olive.
Also worth celebrating is Barrymore’s one-year-old makeup line, Flower, which offers high-tech foundations and lushly pigmented lipsticks at a shockingly smart price. Here, Vogue speaks to the actress about her love of a perfect coral lip, her pregnancy beauty secrets, and her post-Globes pizza run.
So congrats on your second pregnancy! I was wondering if being pregnant has changed your beauty routine?
Thank you! I don’t wear a lot of makeup in the daytime, but ever since I’ve been pregnant—and the same thing happened with my first pregnancy—I’ve had really bad melasma. My skin is patchy and red, and it’s definitely frustrating because I prefer not to wear makeup. It just looks like pizza face right now. I have this concealer in my line called Skincognito. It’s a foundation stick, and it’s this perfect amount of crazy coverage: you can do it for dark circles, you can do it for spots, but it is also very daytime-friendly. I don’t go anywhere without it. Lately, I’ve also been using our pressed foundation powder, and it feels so light. That’s what I’m rocking right now.
Any other daily essentials?
I find washing my face two to three times a day is essential. It’s about keeping my skin incredibly clean. People have been so kind to say to me, “Oh you have nice skin,” and I am always so appreciative of that and I say, “Oh that’s so nice, you are crazy, because I have pizza face, but thanks so much!” [Laughs] I think the key for anyone having better skin or the best version of their skin is a lot of face washing—in ways that don’t dry it out. You find your face wash, you find your toner, you find your brightening serum, you find your moisturizer, and you do it twice a day at a minimum.
Which ones do you like to use?
I’m always trying everything. I love to experiment. I have been in love with brightening serums lately—they’re the only thing when you’re pregnant that you can do. You can’t do microdermabrasion, you can’t bleach, and you can’t do anything. A brightening serum under my moisturizer has made a giant difference.
That’s good to know.
Yeah, this woman Christine Chin makes a great one but it’s just so expensive—it drives me mad. And you can quote me on that. But do you know what my favorite new product is? Tatcha makes a spray [Luminous Dewy Skin Mist] that totally reinvigorates your makeup. It’s incredible. If you’re stuck at work for several hours a day—and I tend to get stuck at work for several, several, several hours a day—this spray is a game-changer.
I will buy it!
It’s awesome. Misting is such a revelation to me. If you want to spend less money and get a similar result, I have to say that a bottle of Evian is fantastic. A little of that, plus those oil-blotting papers are so phenomenal—MAC makes a great one. It’s all about refreshing your face instead of piling on more makeup. I have a cosmetics company. I live for makeup. But I still believe you should let your skin breathe as much as possible.
Since you now have your own makeup company, Flower, are there colors you’re into as the seasons change?
The orange lip has had three different moments in the last year including one that is happening again as we speak. We have this great color called Ginger Lily that is really a beautiful orange color. And we just came out with a new crayon stick called Coral Floral; it’s the best pop of orange-red color, because as much as we love orange on the runway, we have to find a wearable orange in real life. I’m also obsessed with trying to create pale pinks that are flattering and won’t make you look dead. That’s my life mission. [Laughs] I’ve always loved to rock a nude lip, but I’ve looked at pictures of myself and there have been moments when I was like, “Oh no! It looks like I’m missing half a face!”
Can we talk hair? Your hair looked so great at Golden Globes.
Thank you. John D did my hair. It doesn’t look like that in real life. I’m letting it go. The only thing I’m doing is the J. F. Lazartigue Shea butter mask. You can put avocado in there, too. You can get really creative. I love a nice pure Shea mask. I throw my hair in braids, and let it go for twelve hours. I see a difference. I don’t see my split ends as much. If I do a shorter mask it looks conditioned and softer, but it can still look dry again immediately. I have a lot of split ends, so I’m always trying to tame those puppies.
Who isn’t?
Right? It’s like, I see my hair and I think, Oh good, my hair is longer, I should probably trim four inches off because it’s damaged at the ends, but I’m always holding on for dear life!
And who was the rest of your team with the Golden Globes?
Deb Ferrulo, who has been involved in Flower Beauty since the beginning, did my makeup. John D. did hair. Debbie Leavitt did my nails and then Elizabeth Stewart was kind enough to find my dress. She was dressing all the most important women, and I was like, “Just throw me a dress, call it a day.” And she found the most perfect dress—I couldn’t have been happier, it was so demure. Olivia Wilde was the sexiest pregnant woman I have ever seen. Kerry Washington was pure fashion. And I was beautiful and demure. I couldn’t have been happier.
You looked great! And everyone loved you for getting pizza afterwards!
I devoured two giant slices in a row! And I piled those toppings on! Throughout the ceremony, I kept leaning into my husband’s ear and every 30 minutes or so, I’d just whisper: “Pizza!”
