Elle Fanning Shares Her Favorite Beauty DIYs and Soothing Eczema Remedy

Chatting with Elle Fanning is like being served a teaspoon of molasses: there’s an inherent, pleasant sweetness that reverberates while a mature headiness slowly inches in. The actress has an ardent innocence about her—she wears clip-ons over her un-pierced earlobes; she loves Strawberry Shortcake so much that her mom got her a birthday cake and coloring book with the character on them this year; and as we chat via Zoom, she consistently giggles to fill any pockets of silence—but despite her young spirit and affinity for pink cartoons, she’s practically lived a full life at 22. Fanning has been in over 36 titles, her most recent as Russian empress Catherine II in Hulu’s The Great. She’s an old soul, to be sure, perhaps the product of her grandmother’s influence, a real-life southern Rodeo Queen. “We have an amazing magazine cover of her with a horse and the whole thing,” she tells me, eyes sparkling and smiling in earnest. “She’s a true Southern Belle, really fierce and strong and takes no nonsense from anyone, so [my family is] all very opinionated women [having grown] up in that environment, which is something we all need to learn—how to be strong and fierce and stand up for ourselves.”

Fanning radiates positivity throughout our chat—she’s sunshine in human form. And in spite of the fact that we’re communicating via video rather than in person given the global state of affairs, the takeaway is that she’s constantly able to find the silver lining, whether that be in a pandemic, a difficult role, or a skin condition. Keep reading for our full conversation.

Which products do you currently have in your makeup bag?

I have good staples. I have Lash Paradise, a staple mascara. The bottle is pink, so it goes with my aesthetic. Also, I have a crayon [Ed. note: the L’Oréal Paris True Match Crayon Concealer] and it matches my skin perfectly because I’m very pale and they have the perfect color for me—it’s the lightest one. I do that for any blemishes or under-eyes. Ive been using a really good Kiehl’s hand cream—I think from all the hand sanitizer, my hands have been dry, so that’s good. Those are basically my staples. Obviously a lip balm or what not, but that’s pretty much it.

Have you done any DIY beauty activities in the past several months? I saw your amazing pink hair…

I did my pink hair and my crazy makeup… I do also try to make masks—I’ll look up face mask recipes and have crazy stuff on my face, you know, yogurt, honey, cocoa powder… whatever. I love a mask. I guess that’s also the cooking in me too, I just want to mix something up.

Elle Fanning Shares Her Favorite Beauty DIYs and Soothing Eczema Remedy