The '90s Hairstyle Drew Barrymore's Still Obsessing Over

Drew Barrymore excitedly greets me on Zoom with a big smile — the one you've seen in all her movies. She's barely two minutes beyond our scheduled call time but tells me her 2021 goal is to no longer be late. Besides her personal goals for the new year, though, Barrymore's Flower Beauty hair tools collection has inspired her to reflect on her approach to beauty.

The makeup brand's expansion into styling tools — which launched in late September — feature travel-sized blow dryers, hot styling brushes, and flat irons, and all adhere to Flowers' accessibility standard: Everything in the line ranges from $30 to $80. Affordability is a major part of Barrymore's take to beauty, and her foray into the hair tool category wasn't going to change that. "I know there is a way to make things for less money that are really wonderful and amazing," she tells me. "I so believe in an all-ages, all-economics party, and everyone's invited."

But just because the price tags are low doesn't mean Barrymore sacrificed on design ("I'm a design junky," she jokingly admits). That's immediately obvious when you see a Flower Beauty hair tool: The bold teal of the styling comb and the periwinkle blue blow dryer don't look like the average hair device. They're display-worth vanity pieces, which is something Barrymore prioritized — even down to the vibrantly-hued cords. In fact, those cords nearly delayed her launch. "I was obsessed [with the colorful cords] because I think there are plenty of hair tools out there," she tells me. "Nobody needs more... why should these be different?" So she made them different.

While the bold and rainbow-colored Flower Beauty hair tools certainly make the styling experience more fun, Barrymore admits that her own beauty routine has little to do with the way things look. When asked what her self-care ritual is, her first response is "to never say self-care." Instead, her focus is internal.

"[I'm] working on myself to be a better person," Barrymore tells me. "I'm not worried about looking in the mirror and liking what I see. I'm concerned about what's going on on the inside. And is that a toxic place to be or not? That's my self-care."

"I'm not worried about looking in the mirror and liking what I see. I'm concerned about what's going on on the inside."

For Barrymore, hair isn't just something you do every day — it's a representation of who you are. In her several decades-long career, the actor has had a multitude of hair changes both on and off screen. And when she's at events or on a red carpet, she uses her hair as sort of costume. "I've always loved the red carpet for a chance to play a character," she says. "I don't want to see and be seen. The idea of going out to an event is painful to me. But if you get to be on a red carpet, then let's go crazy."

Barrymore hasn't always had a team to help her glam up, either. Her favorite red carpet beauty look is actually one that she did herself. "I was at Cannes once going for Poison Ivy with short black hair," says Barrymore. "No one dressed me. I brought my own suitcase and stayed in a sh*tty hotel. It was awesome. I'll never forget it." This adventurous, playful approach to hair and makeup is something she wishes everyone would do more of.

"I wish we all knew to embrace ourselves a little more, [like] when we have bad bangs or do something wacky," she says. "It's because you are uncomfortable with change, and maybe you don't like it in that moment, but trust me, looking back, you're going to love that you did that."