Over the years there is no doubt that Gillian Anderson has been a constant stream of inspiration for us. From her award-winning acting to her advocacy of sexual pleasure via her book Want, she is all around goals, just embodying the confidence and charm that we dream of. As a L’Oréal Paris ambassador, Gillian recently filmed an episode of the 'Lessons of Worth' series for the brand, a series of powerful life testimonies from the brand's ambassadors rooted in the iconic tagline “I’m Worth It," and to celebrate, we had a chance to sit down with her and quiz her about how to emulate her beauty and self-confidence in our own way.
Here are five lessons we learned that'll get us one step closer to the beauty of queen Gillian Anderson...
Beauty starts from within
"I know it sounds cheesy, but it does come from the inside," Gillian tells us. "And if you're feeling beautiful from the inside, you are going to take care of yourself more, take more steps to do the things that naturally might also contribute to you feeling more beautiful on the outside. But if you're radiating that beauty, it doesn't matter whether you've got, you know, whether your hair's brushed or whether you've got makeup on or whether you've cleaned properly or you've got glossy skin or actually any of that, because it does come from the inside out."
The best skincare routine is disciplined and simple
Gillian's current routine is straightforward, involving just a cleanser, serum, and moisturiser at night, followed by a toner and moisturiser in the morning. But she does admit that she has only recently gotten into the habit of taking her makeup off at night. "I've only just stopped falling asleep with my makeup on!" she confesses.
A nightly bath is a non-negotiable
When talking about the beauty rituals she refuses to skip, because she's *worth it*, Gillian swears by an evening soak in the bath. "Scalding hot", she insists, noting it's her time to switch off and relax into the quiet. So chic.
Cultivate inner self-worth over external opinions
"Perfection is ultimately about what other people think and other people's opinions," says Gillian, when I ask her what she'd say to young women now who feel that they have to be 'perfect' online. "But actually," she continues, "the only thing that really matters is what we think and what we feel and how we feel about ourselves, and if we are good in ourselves and the acceptance of that."
On societal beauty pressures, she notes, "If we accept that we are perfect exactly as we are and that we don't need the filters and we don't need the fillers and we don't need any of that to be perfect, the more you actually believe that, then the less attention you will put towards trying to get it from the outside or by various steps or injections or surgery."
Trust that self-confidence and worth often grows with age
While ageing can be a taboo topic in beauty, Gillian credits her current confidence to it, telling me that if she were to meet her younger self, she'd notice "a confidence, because I do feel like things have shifted since since I was younger, just in terms of my own sense of self and self-worth and I think she'd definitely notice that I hold my head high now."
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
