Kristen Bell on Saunas, Smart Beauty Routines, and Leaning Into Feelings
Courtesy L’Oréal Paris
Kristen Bell is feeling characteristically optimistic. When we chat, the actor and producer is on her way to Disney’s D23 fan event for a special performance tied to Frozen 3 (due in November 2027), and it’s just one of many big moments she has on the horizon. “This upcoming year has come with a particular amount of excitement because it’s all good things,” she says. “But at the same time, I’m balancing work and life with having two middle-schoolers and being a mom, and it’s all of the feelings.”
Feelings are something Bell says she likes to lean into. And the news being revealed this morning—that Bell is the newest global ambassador for L’Oréal Paris—has her absolutely giddy. But it’s not just the fabulous face creams (her first campaign is tied to the Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream) and Lumi Glotion (a favorite of both Bell and her two daughters) that enticed Bell to this moment. It’s the ethos behind the brand too. “This partnership is rooted in our shared values,” she says. “It’s not just about beauty. It’s about confidence and high-quality products at an accessible price point. Accessibility is something that’s very high on my list, [along with] empowering women to keep defining beauty on their own terms.”
Bell adds that approaching beauty on her own terms is something she’s teaching daughters Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11. “When we talk about makeup, we talk about creativity, not concealment,” she says. “I remember sneaking into my mom’s vanity and stealing a couple minutes with her L’Oréal Paris lipstick before I got busted. I loved those moments because it wasn’t about the lipstick or the makeup. It was about trying on who I might become.”
Who she’s become, Bell says, is a perpetually curious person who’s always “go, go, go.” Because of this, she needs her beauty products to work smarter, not harder—like a moisturizer that works double-time while she’s sleeping. “My recovery time is paramount because my life is very fast-paced,” Bell says. “I need to make sure that something is repairing my skin barrier at night. I need to make sure that I am clocking a fair amount of hours with rest because I have such a fast-paced life.”
If you were invited to a sleepover at Bell’s house (and yes, hubby Dax Shepard is participating), the night would go something like this: “If I have my druthers, we are all sitting down to the table at six. But that doesn’t always happen, so we will just do dinner when we can. I find that dinner together, when we share about our day, connects our family more than anything. Then more often than not, after dinner, [Dax] and I will go in our little sauna. We call this our after-work drink, because neither of us drink. But it’s 20 minutes for Mom and Dad to talk about their day and reconnect without the kids and also the kids to have some space from us. And then we will watch a nature show together or something to get a little snuggle time in, and it’s time for bed. We’re an early-to-bed household.”
She surprises me by saying that her own nighttime routine takes “under three minutes.” Smarter, not harder, I’m reminded: “My priority is to be with my family, and maybe when they’re out of the house I’ll have a 25-step care routine, and that will be awesome and I’ll love it. But right now, by the time I make it to my bedroom, I am brushing my teeth, I’m putting on my Midnight Cream, and I am going to bed.”
When she wakes up, it’s time to hit the ground running again. Moisturized. Rested. And ready to take on whatever life brings her way.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.