Reese Witherspoon On Fighting For Gender Equality With Elizabeth Arden

Reese Witherspoon is no stranger to fighting for a cause, especially when it comes to women. The actor, producer and entrepreneur is also a co-founder of Time’s Up, so as the Storyteller-in-Chief of Elizabeth Arden, she’s a perfect fit for the beauty brand that is also a champion of women. In 1912 Elizabeth Arden marched down Fifth Avenue for women’s equality and gave out red lipstick to suffragettes as a symbol of solidarity. Now, their new limited edition lipstick in Pink Punch is continuing that legacy to unite women. For Elizabeth Arden’s March On campaign, 100% of proceeds of the lipstick will go to UN Women, a nonprofit dedicated to gender equality and empowering women around the globe. Witherspoon tells us all about it.

What does being Elizabeth Arden’s Storyteller-in-Chief entail? Working with the brand, I tell stories around the product on Instagram, in the community, talking about work here and things that women are interested in, whether that’s products and skincare or how to get ready for big events. Also, championing Elizabeth Arden and the story of her company. She was always a fierce advocate for women’s rights. It’s a really nice partnership because we have so many similarities.

What are a few of the similarities you share with her? I’ve definitely started my own businesses. I’ve worked really hard to advocate for seeing more women onscreen and I think Elizabeth Arden really advocated for women to feel beautiful and part of that is being seen, you know? (She fought for) the importance of women’s roles in our cultures, in our world, and she was doing that way before I was ever around.

What are your go-to Elizabeth Arden products? I tried the Retinol Ceramide Capsules about a year ago and I noticed a real difference in my skin. It evened out my skin tone. I feel like I have a different texture, so that’s become part of my daily routine. I’m really enjoying their new White Tea Fragrances. The Vanilla Orchid is my favorite. It just pulls you together and makes you ready for your day. I really love fragrance.

What is your skincare and beauty routine? I wear a lot of makeup at work so it’s really important for me to take off all my makeup. I usually use coconut oil to take off all of my eye makeup. It’s really important that I clean my skin thoroughly and I have really dry skin, so I put the moisture back in my skin—I really like the ceramide collection. It’s very hydrating. The capsules themselves are actually very portable, so it’s great for people who travel a lot, like myself. The overnight cream is fabulous and smells luxurious, so I use that at night. And then during the day I definitely load on the sunscreen because I have a tendency to get little brown spots because I am so fair, so I apply sunscreen twice a day, the Prevage City Smart Sunscreen.

What beauty and style tricks have you picked up from working on so many sets? I think prepping your skin is really important, so always start with a really nice base of skincare. (I apply) the Superstart Skin Renewal Booster before I put any foundation on, because it will affect how your makeup sits on your face all day. If you don’t moisturize properly it’ll either absorb into your skin or it’ll move around, so really just taking care of the skin first.

What’s your desert island beauty staple? Definitely something for chapped lips because I’m stranded on a desert island. (laughs) I use the Eight Hour Cream that comes in a little lipstick tube. I have it in every purse, in my car, at work—it’s everywhere.

Why did you choose the Pink Punch shade for the March On campaign? I really like the shade. I love the Red Door Red that we did last year for the March On campaign to support the women’s organization. This year we wanted to choose something vibrant and bold and empowering, and I just love this color Pink Punch because I always wear a bright color when I want to pull my whole outfit together and get ready to face the world.

How does this campaign personally speak to you? We had a really great launch a year ago at the UN, all these incredible women from around the world talking about gender equality, the importance of women helping other women financially to create equality in the workplace, equality at home, equality in their environments. A lot of work is going to be done; Elizabeth Arden has committed $1 million to the UN Women’s Organization to do research that’s very critical. Before they begin any action, they have to get a lot of data and then once that’s accumulated they’re going to get started on really affecting the lives of women and girls worldwide, whether that’s through safety or medical needs or schooling needs. It’s an incredibly broad range and important.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from your mother? My mother is one of the most positive people I have ever met in my life. She laughs every single day, she loves work, she loves her job, she loves everyone around her. She tries to find something positive to remark on every single day, so I hope my children feel that too. I try to come home after work every day and say something wonderful that happened or something funny that happened. Life isn’t just about waiting for happy moments; it’s about finding every day happiness and I hope to pass that on to my kids.

(Forbes)