Beauty Detail
The $6 Shower Essential That Julianne Hough Loves
The star talks Broadway, wellness secrets, and the story of how Law & Order’s Mariska Hargitay helped her discover her signature fragrance.
In Bustle’s Beauty Detail, we dive into the beauty bags of our favorite talents for intel on the rituals that keep them glowing and the MVPs (most valuable products) they can't live without. Here, Julianne Hough tells Bustle about her must-have beauty products and wellness secrets for Broadway and beyond.
Julianne Hough is a true artist and performer — and on the heels of her Broadway debut starring in POTUS, it’s clear that she is undoubtedly at-home and in her element when outwardly expressing emotions through movement, and releasing her infectious energy on stage.
But in giving so much of herself for NYC audiences most nights of the week, she leans into ever-adapting wellness rituals to ensure she checks in with herself by morning, and unwinds to fully recharge by night.
Dressed in a zen-inducing sage pant suit with billowing blonde waves framing her bright blue eyes, Hough is a vision of light, radiance, and vitality. As the face of BIC Soleil Escape’s newest Tickle Your Senses campaign, she shares how aligned the brand’s highly-sensorial new razor is with her skin-centric, balanced, and indulgent self-care routine: “Skin is my number one priority in all of my wellness rituals. Everything that I do is all about a holistic approach and sensory experience, because your senses are so important and that’s what you create your memories with. It’s so important to me to indulge in the pleasures, in the sensuality, and in the experience of what it feels like to take care of yourself. We rush throughout life and sometimes don’t savor the moments. Something like [shaving] that can feel like a have to, now feels like a get to.”
Agreeing that there’s nothing quite as satisfying as slipping into clean sheets with freshly-shaven legs, she goes on to describe the many ways in which she enjoys connecting with her body throughout the day: “On the physical side, skin is my go-to for everything. Whether that’s hydrating with water, what I’m putting in my body, what I’m putting on my body — it’s all the same for me. I am a big believer in [the idea] that you need to sweat to release those toxins. Whether that’s pilates or dance or yoga or cycling — I love variety, so it not only helps with my physical self, but it also helps clear my mind.”
Hough knows a strong body is only complemented by a strong mind. “I’m a morning person for sure, which has been challenging with Broadway because I don’t get offstage until 10 o’clock at night, and usually [I like to be] in bed by 10. Having to come home, unwind, and dial that energy down to get into bed — it’s different, but I still find myself getting up in the morning,” she tells me. “I usually wake up with anxiety [thinking] of all the things I need to do — so I’ll write my morning pages so I can have a ‘brain dump’ of all the chatter that happens, and all of a sudden I have all of this space in my head and I can come from a place of creativity. Energetically and emotionally, that’s one of my biggest [rituals]. I usually find [that I enjoy] energizing things in the morning, and then the regulating [habits] at night — like breathwork, meditation, drinking really soothing teas, or taking a bath and just [rinsing off the day].”
Though it felt as if I could chat about her self-care habits to no end (perhaps with some rosé in hand from her own wine brand, Fresh Vine Wine, created in tandem with actor Nina Dobrev), Hough spills the beauty buys she uses on Broadway and beyond.
Her Smooth Skin Essential
“[Shaving] is the number one thing that has to happen for me to feel fresh and ready to go. The eucalyptus and lavender [scented handles] are so calming and energizing — you have all this air and spaciousness in your body, but also your nervous system is relaxed.”
Her On-Stage Lipstick
“I actually use a lot of Rare Beauty’s products for my makeup [on Broadway] — they are so highly pigmented and great for stage. My character is from Iowa, so it’s all about that fresh-faced [look]. Brave is the rusty orange-brown color that I use.”
Her Signature Scent
“When I started watching Law & Order: SVU, I became obsessed with Mariska Hargitay — and it was always this thing on tour that I’d be on the back of the bus watching [the show]. I met [her] at an event seven or eight years ago, and I gave her a hug and said ‘oh my gosh, you smell so good — what is that?’ She reached in her bag and goes ‘Here, you can have it’ — and so I’ve had the fragrance ever since. Now anytime someone smells me and asks what I’m wearing, I get it out and hand it to them too as a little pay-it-forward.”
Her Must-Have Mascara
“I use Thrive’s mascara — which is a mascara that, with water, you can sort of [easily remove] and “pull off” the product.”
Her Skin Care Hero
“My facialist out of LA has a product called Cold Fusion and it’s my favorite product on the planet. You don’t need very much at all and it’s a moisturizing, super intense balm that’s so healing for the skin.”
Her All-Natural Deo
“[This is] probably my favorite deodorant because it’s all-natural, and it just feels really good.”
Her Brow’s Bestie
“I use Merit’s eyebrow gel [on Broadway].”
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