Emma Roberts Wasn’t Always Obsessed With Her Bold Brows

“My brows have really gone on a journey with me.”

Throughout her 32 years, Emma Roberts has accumulated quite the list of impressive skills. While, yes, she’s mastered the art of transforming from one character to the next throughout her tenure on American Horror Story — and knows how to recommend a book or two better than anyone in the biz — there’s one hidden talent that’s yet to be discovered by the general public: she’s pretty damn good at figuring out what works for her skin and sticking to it (at least when she’s on the go, that is).

“I'm always trying to minimize my makeup bag and my skincare bag, because I'm always traveling. Especially now, having a baby, I find I need to have fewer things,” the actress tells InStyle. “Usually, the things that are always in my bag are sunscreen, Finishing Touch Flawless Brows (because I have a minor major brow obsession). I love having a rosewater mist in there and just a simple cleanser. That's my bare minimum.”

As for at home? “Of course, if you actually come into my bathroom, it looks like an apothecary,” Roberts laughs.

While the multi-hyphenate's transition into motherhood upon welcoming her now 2-year-old son Rhodes back in 2020 may have partially served as the catalyst for this massive cutback, it’s the actress’s partnership with Flawless (for which she serves as an ambassador) that’s helped keep her list of go-to products short and sweet — something she especially values when enduring long days on set.

“I'm always wanting to try new products, and my favorite thing that Flawless has is the new and improved Finishing Touch Flawless Face,” she shares. “There's no irritation, there's no redness, there's no breakouts. Sometimes, I won't do certain things to my face because I'm working and I don't want to risk getting a breakout, like even certain facials or products, it's not worth the risk. And what I love about this is I don't ever have to worry about that.”

Figuring out how to expertly avoid breakouts isn’t Roberts’s only trick of the trade, however. As we chat, it quickly becomes apparent that she’s collected her fair share of tips over the years, and luckily for us, she’s not in the business of gatekeeping.

Need a tried-and-true mom hack to make it look like you tried in the morning? “Hoop earrings and a red lip,” she reveals. The best way to make the most of a carry-on suitcase? “Packing sets that you can mix and match are great,” Roberts explains. Looking for advice on how to deal with body hair? Well, you’ll just have to read on to find that one out.

Related: Saks Campaign Star Emma Roberts Once Put Her Favorite Coat In Storage Because She Wore It Too Much

Ahead, Emma Roberts chats with InStyle about her brow journey, the one book she needs to see on-screen, like, ASAP, and her dream Eras Tour surprise songs pairing.

I know that hair removal is an important part of my self-care and skincare routine. What role does it play in yours?

I'm always wanting to try new products, and my favorite thing that Flawless has is the new and improved Finishing Touch Flawless Face. That was a game-changer, because I was like, “Well, I don't necessarily have hair on my face, do I need it?” And it's really amazing, because first of all, everybody [has hair on their face]. And second of all, it just makes your makeup go on smoother, it makes your products absorb faster and deeper.

Once I discovered [Finishing Touch Flawless Face], I was just sold on all of the products — especially because they're approved by dermatologists, which to me is a great stamp of approval.

Are there any other steps or rituals in your self-care routine that you swear by?

I love, at the end of the day, after I've worked and my son is in bed, just taking some time for me to unplug and take a bath, read my book, do a face routine. That, to me, is just always the most relaxing time. And it's something that I need, especially working and being a mom and just trying to be everything to everyone all at the same time.

It's nice to put your phone in the other room and just take some time for you. Even if it's only 30 minutes, it just makes such a difference, I think. So, my before-bedtime bath ritual is when I can do it. I used to do it every day, but now with working and having a kid, twice a week is a win, if not once.

Related: Emma Roberts Says This Shoe Trend "Makes Even Jeans and a White Tee Look More Polished"

Speaking of entering motherhood, how has your beauty routine changed since becoming a mom?

In the morning, sometimes there is no routine at this point. [laughs] No, I'm kidding. It's definitely about being quicker. Especially having a baby, I find I need to have fewer things.

Today, plenty of women are becoming more and more comfortable with body hair. How would you say your relationship with body hair has changed over time? Have you always loved your iconic bold brows?

Well, it's so funny. It's a two-part answer about my brows. One being that if you look at my first license photo, the arch in my brow is so intense and they're so skinny and dark that it doesn't even look like me, and I just remember that was so the look back then. And now, I definitely go way longer without removing hair from my brows. I try to let them grow in and then just maintain them.

It's just so funny, because when you're in the moment of a trend with brows or hair, you never know you're in the trend until you're out of it — and then you can't believe it. But the first thing I remember about my brows, because we all get made fun of for something growing up that sticks with us, was that I was in school and this kid told me I had a unibrow. I didn't know what that was, and I went home and my mom felt so bad for me. And that was when I started to become aware that, “Wait, you're supposed to get your eyebrows done? What do you mean?” I couldn't have been more than 6 or 7. So yeah, my brows have really gone on a journey with me.

What about hair on other parts of your body?

I personally don't think that body hair is anything to be ashamed of. For me, it's all phases. I like the feeling of not having some, and then I like the feeling of having some sometimes, so it just goes back and forth. Like I said, when it comes to face and brows, it's really about how my products are going to be on my face and how my makeup's going to be on my face. And when you're in front of the camera, you have to unfortunately be more aware of it. Definitely when I'm not working, I am not necessarily as hard on myself as when I'm working, just because everybody has an opinion.

I like that I've been seeing [body hair] on social media more, because I love seeing what everyone's using and doing beauty-wise online. I like seeing different faces and different trends and not everybody just doing the same thing, which I think is cool.

I know one of the many projects you're involved in is your book club, Belletrist. If you could play any character from any book in its on-screen adaptation, who would it be and why?

Oh, my goodness. Well, one of my favorite books that I just saw it as a movie as soon as I read it, it's called The Light We Lost. It reminds me of The Notebook, which is one of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations, ever, and this falls into that category. I would love to bring that story to life. I recommend that book to everyone, and they always call me after being like, "I cried and finished it in two days and absolutely loved it," and I just feel like it's a romance that really should be seen on-screen.

I noticed that you've been traveling a lot this summer. What's your formula for the perfect vacation outfit? 

I'm all about mixing and matching bathing suits and coverups and shorts and slip dresses that I feel like you can wear over a bathing suit, but also can wear out to dinner. I try to mix it and match it in that way. I also think packing sets that you can mix and match are great. I have this gingham Hunter Bell set that's a short and a little blouse and I can wear it together or separately, so that creates already four outfits just in one outfit.

Related: Emma Roberts Is Giving the Green Light to Quirky Baseball Caps With Swimsuits

What are some other go-to style hacks you’ve adopted since welcoming your son, Rhodes?

I just try to keep everything pretty simple. I noticed that you can immediately transform a casual outfit into a not-so-casual outfit with a pair of hoop earrings. That's a good mom hack, hoop earrings and a red lip and it looks like you really tried.

I love being comfy. I feel like not only having a baby, but then with the pandemic and how much time I spent at home, I realized I didn't really have comfy clothes that were also cute, so I've started going more in that vein. I love The Great, I love Free City, I love all the T-shirts by ATM. I just feel like having comfy stuff that you can mix and match and just feel comfy in but you could also still wear to the store is an art that I'm trying to master.

Finally, I saw that you attended the Eras Tour earlier this year. I'm dying to know, which two surprise songs were you hoping for?

“Cornelia Street” and “Clean.” Those are my two faves. And I actually got to see “Clean” [live], which was absolutely riveting.

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