Sarah Michelle Gellar looks as beautiful as ever at 41 years old with absolutely flawless skin. But it’s not because she has a luxe, complicated multi-step strategy, instead she believes in a super simple and affordable daily routine. The former Buffy star talked to Us all about her skin care habits, including one step she practices religiously.
“From an early age I’ve understood you have to take care of your skin,” she told Us. “You know, don’t go to sleep with makeup on, cleanse and moisturizer before bed.” This knowledge came from both her mother, whose beauty cabinet she’d always admired, and her experience being seen on a large screen.
So what does she do to ensure her skin stays at its best? She says it’s a combination of topical products and what she puts in her body, like lots of water. She skips professional facials, opting to care of her skin at home, pampering herself with a mask if she has a night off. But her most religious skin care practice is washing her face.
“The second I get home I wash my face. First with a wipe to take off makeup then a cleanser,” she said. It’s not just an end-of-the-day habit, though. She also washes her face before and after she gets on and off an airplane as well as on sets. “When I’m filming I wash my face at lunch time. I’ll leave my eye makeup on and let my face breath,” she said. “And when I get my makeup redone it looks fresher.”
She also wears sunscreen everyday, opting for a daily moisturizer with SPF in it. One of her favorites is Olay Complete Lotion Moisturizer. “Makeup sits on top really well which to me is the most important,” she explained. “I hate those moisturizers that gets blotchy the second makeup goes over top of it.”
Now she’s joining forces with the brand, starring in Olay’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial, “Killer Skin.” The ad pays tribute to Gellar’s past roles in horror film like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2.
The campy commercial is one of few that star a woman during the Super Bowl. Even though nearly half the NFL demographic is women only a quarter of the big game’s ads actually star women. “Seeing commercials that were only aimed at men was frustrating,” she told Us. “Not that there shouldn’t be, but it should be equal representation.”
So while doing her part for female equality, the Cruel Intensions actress also got to check something off her bucket list. “Being a part of a Super Bowl commercial was always a part of my bucket list so when they offered it to me I was so excited.”
