Welcome to I Swear by This, an interview series where we chat with our favorite fashion and beauty insiders about the beauty products they use down to the last drop. This week we asked actress and Neutrogena ambassador Jenna Ortega to share her selections.
Jenna Ortega's film and television credits are so impressive, they'd probably make acting veterans twice her age a tiny bit envious. The 18-year-old is known for her roles on Netflix's You, Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle, and Jane the Virgin, and her upcoming slate is just as high-profile: she'll be starring as Wednesday Addams in a new Netflix project, and Ortega has a role in The Fallout, the film that won the 2021 SXSW Grand Jury Award.
Ortega has spent countless hours in the hair and makeup chair (she's been a working actress since she was eight). She knows firsthand the havoc that full glam can wreak on skin and hair. As she's gotten older, Ortega placed more of a focus on taking care of herself and sticking to a consistent routine to keep her skin and her sanity in check. Below, she breaks down her beauty must-haves.
Makeup Remover Cleansing Face Wipes
"One thing that I used to do a lot when I was younger is that I would fall asleep with makeup on. I would just pass out on the couch, and it was bad—like red carpet, full-face-beat bad. I was young and I didn't realize that was a no-no. And then I got older and realized, 'Oh, this doesn't slide.' So taking all of my makeup off with Neutrogena's makeup remover wipes, washing my pillowcases on a super-consistent basis, and then sticking to a day and night routine in general helped me get my acne under control."
Healing Ointment for Dry & Cracked Skin
"This is kind of basic, but [if I was stuck on a desert island,] Aquaphor would be a must-have for me. I get dry lips often and it's not the move. Plus, it helps to moisturize any random dry patches you might have on your body."
Santal 33 Eau de Parfum
"I got Le Labo Santal 33 for my birthday a couple of years ago, and it's been my signature scent ever since. People always tell me that I smell like a really nice hotel. I like it because it's very unisex—it doesn't lean too masculine or too feminine."
Healthy Scalp Clarify and Shine Scalp Scrub
"I just spent some time in New Zealand, and I guess ultraviolet rays are more intense there, so I used to get burned on my scalp and it would get really oily. So during the summer, I'd use a scalp scrub to clear out the pores and get rid of any buildup. It feels so nice, too—super refreshing and not too aggressive."
Cryo Freeze Tools
"Not only is this tool so fun to use, but it's amazing if you wake up a little swollen or just need to soothe your skin. It helps to de-puff your face, and it has a cooling sensation that is so relaxing."
Eyelash Curler
"I absolutely love lashes. I feel like I'm not talented enough, makeup-application-wise, to throw on falsies, so I stick to mascara, or I use this Shu Uemura eyelash curler to lift my lashes up and open up my eyes."
Exfoliating Shampoo for Oily Hair & Scalp
"I just got bangs and they're really cute, but during the summer, my skin gets really oily and then my bangs do, too. I try to keep them off my face, and sometimes I'll wash just my bangs with shampoo over the sink to keep them fresh and clean. I recently started using Neutrogena Exfoliating Shampoo—it's very lightweight, which is nice because I hate when it takes forever to wash shampoo out of your hair in the shower. It also makes my hair look super shiny and it smells good."
Top photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@jennaortega
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