Jessica Chastain’s Favorite Things | Strategist
Photo illustration: Strategist; Photo: Guy Aroch
We asked the Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain – who was recently announced as the new face Real botany — about kissable lip balm, headphones that fit small ears, and the non-irritating retinol she can’t live without.
I’m a New Yorker and I always have these hats. I discovered them on set. Usually, when I’m on set, I like to go shopping on the weekends. If there is a James Pearse store, that makes me very happy because I love the feel of cotton. His t-shirts were already part of my daily uniform, and when I discovered the hats, it was heaven. In New York, especially with the weather like this, I wear it every time I go outside.
I love lip balm. I like to put a little lipstick on my lips, but most of all I like to moisturize my skin. I like that it is not sticky. I think some lip balms can be a little sticky and I have a pet peeve: if my hair gets stuck to it, I don’t want to wear it. It seems natural: I like the smell; It’s pretty cute. And it’s a nice kiss – if I’m lucky enough to get a kiss, it won’t stop the person (my husband).
There’s probably a pattern to all of my favorite things – hydration. Because I’m a redhead, I have very sensitive skin and hair and need to constantly moisturize. As for Philip Kingsley, I don’t even use him for his intended purpose; I use it probably a couple times a week when I take a shower, apply it to the ends of my hair, throw my hair into a bun and go to bed with wet hair. I never wash it off; I just leave it on my hair at night. It’s all about hydration and I love that it gives me a little shine. It’s also a natural way to avoid frizz.
I love the size of it: it’s a mint to take on. Some people don’t like how chalky it is – I like it. I like the subtle mint; I like that it’s chalky, almost like Altoid. But it is larger and softer than Altoid. I also probably like the fact that I can’t buy it in the United States. So I’m one of those people who actually stock up on it when I go to the UK. I have about 40 rolls of this drink at home – a drawer is filled with them. And I bring them everywhere. When I’m doing press or when I’m meeting people and signing autographs, I’m always careful not to get into a situation where I don’t have a mint (and a marker).
I think they are so beautiful and chic. I have them in rose gold and I really like them. At some point I panicked: I was riding in a taxi and thought that I had left my suitcase there because they had called me. Luckily I found them the next day but was planning on going out and buying a couple more. I like that they don’t hurt my ears. I have small ears, so if these are hard earbuds, they will feel uncomfortable for a while after making calls. I also like that they don’t fall out.
I don’t have a signature scent. I choose different scents for each character I play, so I’m always discovering new scents, but Le Labo is my favorite perfume. I have several styles that I wear and I love the orange blossom model. (I also love rose, labdanum and iris.) I have a very long relationship with this company: the orange blossom I wore for The tree of LifeI wore labdanum for Lawlessand I wore a rose for Scenes from a Marriage. So it depends on what I’m playing.
The bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic from the ocean. The company works by going into rivers and cleaning the rivers of plastic because once it gets out of the rivers and into the ocean, it can no longer be used. So it really works to clean up our rivers. I’m also very careful about water. I don’t like drinking it that often. Some people say, “I’m addicted to water,” but for me it’s always, “I need to drink some water.” And there are certain waters that I just don’t like because they’re either mineral or salty. I like this one. I also like the size of the bottle. It’s wide, so it feels like I’m drinking from a small glass.
I like the company because I’m vegan. It’s cruelty-free; It’s vegan; it’s organic. This is everything I want in my skincare routine. And I love retinol because I don’t like wrinkles, so I want to do everything I can to get rid of them. But traditional retinol, I think because I’m a redhead and have dry skin, might leave me with little dry patches, flaking, and not-so-great skin. True Botanicals Retinol works twice as fast as traditional retinol and doesn’t leave my skin with those side effects that I don’t notice, especially when I’m doing work where I’m being photographed or filmed. I don’t want dry patches on my face.
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