Actress Lucy Hale, who many first fell for as Aria Montgomery on Pretty Little Liars, has since built a steady run of rom-coms and thrillers we can’t stop watching. But she’s not just keeping busy on screen; Hale recently partnered with Shiseido for the launch of its new Benefiance Dark Spot and Wrinkle Smoothing Serum ($89), formulated to improve the appearance of dark spots and wrinkles in as little as two weeks. We sat down with the 36-year-old to talk skin care, upcoming projects and reconnecting with former costars.
What does your current skin-care routine look like?
“My whole approach to skin care these days is so different. It used to feel like a chore, or like I was trying to hyperfixate on something, but now it’s my self-care time. It’s like my ritual time. I look forward to it, especially at night, because it’s a little bit of a longer routine. I’ve really simplified my routine, so it’s more about just being consistent with a few products.
I partnered with Shiseido for their new Benefiance Dark Spot and Wrinkle Smoothing Serum. There’s also a cream ($95) and eye cream ($67). I like that type of routine with just a quick lineup. These products, in particular, have a plant retinol. I started using retinol, probably too young, but with this product, I see my skin changing. I definitely like to incorporate more natural, gentler ingredients, but it helps with dark spots, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, all the fun things.”
I’m marveling because you really don’t have any wrinkles.
“Well, you're very kind, and this lighting is forgiving. But I've always loved skin care, and I feel like my mom and grandmother were always really good about taking care of their skin. So I think I learned just by watching them growing up. I had struggled with my skin a bit, so I got obsessed with ingredients, what to use, what not to use and so my skin-care routine is almost like a hobby.”
Did you learn any useful tricks while being on set at a young age, or are they somewhat outdated?
“Super outdated. I feel like, for the projects I do now, I usually come in with my skin care already done because I find products I like and know my skin type, but the makeup now is so different from what it was 15 years ago. The amount of strip lashes we used to wear and so much contour, and now it's like, natural is better, and it is more skin-care focused.”
If you're running out the door and you have five minutes, what’s your routine?
“I would put on the Benifance serum with the cream, a little eye cream and some lip balm. Brush up my eyebrows. My hair go-to is a slick back, very simple. If I had time, though, you know, the thing everyone was doing, putting their skin in ice. It works. It brings the blood flow to your face.”
I saw that you and Ian Harding are going to be costars again. Has it brought back old memories from filming Pretty Little Liars?
“It’s a Christmas movie that we shot this past Christmas that will come out this Christmas. It was such a trip. I mean, he is exactly the same. He's just the sweetest, most fun. It was nice to come back and play more age-appropriate characters this time around. It was great, of course, it brought back so many memories. I hadn't seen him in almost five years. I haven't worked with him in almost 10 years, but it didn't feel like that long. We were definitely going down memory lane. It was fun.”
I love following you and your personal journey. So I'd love to hear a little bit more about your goal for Light Dwellers.
“Oh, that’s such a nice question. Thank you for asking about that. So I started Light Dwellers because I’m naturally curious about the bigger questions in life. And a couple of years ago, I made some changes in my life, and I just needed more meaning. I wanted more purpose. I wanted to connect with more people. So I started posting things on my Instagram and saw that people were into it, so I funneled that into another Instagram account.
There are definitely some ideas I have for it that we’re building out, but I want the heartbeat of what it is to be a comfort spot for people to turn to, where you can say anything, with kindness, of course. It’s for curious minds looking to connect. It goes without saying there’s so much going on in the world that’s really heavy, and sometimes we just need a little break from that.”
