Three years ago Jessica Alba had recently given birth to her son, Hayes, and wasn't really in the mood for anything other than the daily grind that comes with being a mom of three and running a multimillion-dollar empire when an amazing opportunity came her way. “I was not feeling like being out in the world,” she tells Glamour. In fact, “I think it was the first time I actually left the house. But I was like, ‘I can’t pass this up.’”
And so, in an oversized sweater, sweatpants, and basically no makeup, Alba took Hayes to meet the woman who is now vice president of the United States: Kamala Harris. “I agreed to host a fundraiser for Kamala in my friend’s backyard. She spoke about so many topics that are important to me—like creating more equity across the board for people of color—that even though I wasn’t quite ready to be out and about yet, I loved that I did. It’s one that will go down in the history books for me.”
Alba recently reshared the image to her nearly 19 million Instagram followers with the caption, “why was I wearing sweats?!? I guess I just really wanted to meet @kamalaharris and didn’t have time to get dolled up.”
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Even now, with Hayes having just turned three, Jessica Alba still doesn’t have much time. “I don’t sleep as much as I’d like, but I don’t know if anybody does,” she says, speaking the truth. “I really want eight hours of sleep at night, but I just don’t get it.”
It’s why Alba is always looking for ways to make life easier and better, whether it’s with the creation of a new multi-use skin care product or through advocating for more opportunities for women of color. For Glamour’s latest installment of Big Beauty Questions, she fills us in on her daily routine, the newest product she swears by, and what she’s sick of seeing in Hollywood.
Glamour: What’s one beauty trend you’re obsessed with right now?
Jessica Alba: Self-care everyday. When I wake up, I throw a thick layer of my Prime and Perfect Mask on my face. I think of it as my morning smoothie. It takes one minute to do, and I leave it on as I brush my teeth, make my coffee, and get breakfast ready for the kids. Then once it’s dry, I take it off, apply serum, and use Honest’s Calm and Heal Balm. And my last step is a mist.
Do you ever use a jade roller or a Gua Sha stone?
Yeah, I like those. My friend Shani Darden just came out with this Facial Sculpting Wand that I love. And Nurse Jamie has one called the Eyeonix that I love for around my eyes.
What beauty rule do you think is B.S.?
That if a product is really expensive or has a name brand on it, it’s a better product. It’s just not. You’re paying for the packaging and for the name brand, but the quality of the product sometimes isn’t any different from any other product out there.
What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
Korea’s pretty groundbreaking when it comes to skin care, so I always love discovering brands there. The south of France has the rosemary and lavender fields, and they make body-care products where they take these florals and press them down and infuse products with it. I think there’s such an elegance to French beauty. They’re not shying away from being fussy, but they seem like they don’t try too hard, even though they all try really hard. There’s something so great about that.
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You can only use three products for the rest of your life. What are they?
I would definitely use our new Calm and Heal Melting Balm. Thanks to allantoin and mondo grass, it helps with inflamed or chapped skin, and also gives you the benefits you want from skin-care products over time with cell regeneration. I have sensitive skin, and I’m able to use it every night and don’t break out. In the winter I’ve been using it in the morning as well. I take a nice, healthy scoop, warm it up in my palm, and then press or massage it into my face or my neck. It’s also great if you’re looking to do a treatment—you can put our reusable facial mask over it, which helps create a more sustainable option than a sheet mask. Because at the end of the day, the sheet mask is like the new plastic straw. There’s so much plastic that goes into a one-use item.
Next, I’d make sure I have a tinted sunscreen, because it can replace foundation and it helps block out blue light and UV rays, especially with all the exposure to our screens. Ours is great for indoors or outdoors. It’s a nice, light coverage that you can layer. And finally, our liquid lipstick, because I can put it on my lips and I can put it on my cheeks. It’s also great during COVID because it stays on underneath your face mask. It’s basically a stain.
Your hair is so gorgeous. What do you use to keep it in such great shape?
I don’t use a lot of hair-care products, but I like a good conditioning treatment. Before I wash my hair, I’ll usually comb through conditioner, put shampoo just at the roots, and then put conditioner again on the ends. I don’t use a lot of heat on my hair, so I'll let it air-dry and then use a leave-in conditioning spray on my ends, like our Conditioning Detangler Spray. The less amount of damage you can do, the better when it comes to hair health.
What’s the last Instagram rabbit hole you went down?
Looking for small businesses to feature on Small Business Saturday. If you look at my highlights on Small Business Saturday, you can kind of see all my rabbit holes I’ve gone down. It’s just a great way to support women or people of color in small businesses. I’m always like the Little Engine That Could. I know how great it is when you can have support from anyone to help you get the word out about your business, especially businesses that are trying to make a difference in the world.
If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, what would it be?
Glorifying that you need to be white. People of color and different ethnicities and shapes and sizes are all beautiful. But there should be a lot more Latinas that are stars and are looked at as people to aspire to as leading ladies. There should be a lot more Asian women and Black women. There should be a lot more different-looking people instead of the token one person of color who is allowed to have a seat at the table for a short period of time.
Who are the women inspiring you the most right now?
The women who have a chip on their shoulder, who are grinding everyday and paving the way to make tomorrow better. Everyone from Amanda Gorman to Kamala Harris, who’s dedicated her life to trying to change the outcome for people who haven’t been part of the conversation in underserved communities. The same is true of women who have small start-ups that are running food trucks in L.A. They came here, and they had a dream to pave the way for their families and break a chain and be independent. All of those women inspire me.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14.
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