Gwyneth Paltrow Restorsea - Skin Care Routine

Photo: Courtesy of Restorsea

Is there one person on the planet who does not feel feelings when Oscar-winner and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow is brought up? Whether they're superfans that study her cookbooks cover to cover (um...guilty) or haters that roll their eyes at her every mention of nightshades and zucchini flowers, the woman stirs up passionate emotions in almost every person that comes her way. Despite the negativity, GP always manages to keep on doing her thing — and for that, we give her major props.

So, when we got the chance to interview Ms. Paltrow in honor of her partnership with Restorsea, you best bet that we were on that. We chatted Gwyn up about everything from her tried-and-true skin-care tips (Epsom salts, anyone?) to exactly how one can detox from caffeine without getting a wicked headache, and you better believe that the superstar was totally open and game to tell us everything. Click through to get all of Gwyneth's best (and cheapest!) tips — we have a feeling that it might even inspire the haters to join Team goop for good.

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Illustrated by Sydney Hass.

You've gone the beauty spokesperson route before — what made you want to sign on with Restorsea? What about the brand captured your interest?

"Mostly it was because I just love the products — and I really use them. My routine is actually really simple — I use the night cream, the eye cream, and the hand cream the most. I really love the smell, and I started to notice a huge difference in my skin. Then, I would talk to my girlfriends about it, and learned that a bunch of them were already using it! So, when I got the call about working with them, I was really excited. I researched the company a little bit, and I was really impressed. It's a natural line, and they have a female CEO, which I love. So, I was really psyched to work with them."

You've famously tried some out-of-the-box beauty solutions in the past. What's your biggest beauty regret — or do you stand by everything you've tried?

"I don't regret anything, in general — I always feel like, even when something doesn't work out, I've learned something valuable. That being said, one beauty thing that I really believe in is getting facials. I have a facialist named Sonya Dakar, and she's this crazy Israeli lady, but her treatments are amazing. I do some lasers and collagen treatments, but I'm not doing anything more extreme than that, beauty-wise, at the moment."

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Do you have any inexpensive or DIY beauty tips that work in a pinch?

"If I'm really tired and puffy, I stick my face in a sink or bowlful of ice water! It's really good — it gets the blood flowing to your skin. There's your old-fashioned Hollywood star trick that still works! I also take an Epsom salt bath every night, and I use a lot of organic essential oils in baths and on pressure points." [Editor's note: That's two celebrities with glowing skin who swear by the detox bath — Liv Tyler and now Gwyneth. We know what we're doing tonight...]

Illustrated by Sydney Hass.

It can be expensive to maintain a healthy diet and fitness routine. If you could recommend the most important areas of health and beauty to spend in and the areas where readers can skimp, what would they be?

"I think that in terms of exercise, it's really important for both your appearance and health to exercise — it makes the biggest difference. If you're on a budget, you can get a yoga DVD, go for a walk, get your heart rate up by running or dancing with a friend. It's a hugely important part of staying young."

"Beauty is an area where it tends to be slightly more expensive. I think that you should do research on what you're putting onto your skin. You often get what you pay for. You're better off rubbing some organic coconut oil on your face than wasting your money on cheap, ineffective products."

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Illustrated by Sydney Hass.

How integral do you think diet is to great skin? What are some of your favorite "good-skin" foods?

"If I feel sluggish — or just not right — I'll do three days no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, and no coffee. I'll eat simply but nutritiously, eat big sweet potatoes, stir-fried rice, salmon, and vegetables. Caffeine is the most important thing to nix if I'm really trying to get rid of inflammation."

Okay, but let's be real: How do you cut caffeine without getting the world's worst headache?

"Well, right now, I'm on a cleanse for seven days. So, for the first few days, I'll do a matcha green tea latte with some steamed vanilla rice milk to slowly wean off of the caffeine. After I do that for a couple of days, I'll switch to Kukicha, which is Japanese roasted twig tea. It's super-low in caffeine and has a toastiness that almost reminds me off coffee. It's really good!"

Illustrated by Sydney Hass.

Are there any beauty moves that you're secretly awesome at?

"I'm so bad — I'm such a tomboy when it comes to that kind of thing. I never learned how to do my own hair or makeup because I've been having it done for me on set for almost my entire life. I even put on mascara badly — seriously! I'm always clumping it. I never wear makeup in my own life. I have the type of face that doesn't look great with a lot of makeup, anyway. So, I really just try to take care of my skin and leave it at that."

If you could invent a beauty product, what would it be?

"A mascara that comes with instructions!"

Do you dole out any beauty advice to your daughter? Was there any great beauty advice you've received that you're passing on to her?

"I really just try to teach her the philosophy of looking after herself and taking care of her body and her skin. So much about what we look like goes back to what we eat, how much we exercise, and how we feel about ourselves — so, that's the mindset that I'm trying to teach my kids."