Giada de Laurentiis Shares her Beauty Secrets and Favorite Products!

Yesterday I had the chance to talk to one of my girl crushes, Giada de Laurentiis. Yes, she of the Food Network, Today Show and amazing cookbooks. I love her food (I have issues watching her show, I want to make and eat everything, even the mushrooms, which I’m allergic to), I have always thought she was pretty but she’s also just… approachable. And normal. My husband calls her “the hot one”, and I don’t care because I love her too.

Our conversation didn’t get off to the best start, at least in my (embarrassed) opinion. As soon as the phone rang, my daughter started crying and demanding attention. Giada, bless her, didn’t care and instead asked how old she is, lamented that 2 years old can be a difficult age, and generally made comments along those lines. It made me love her even more.

I had no idea that Giada is a spokesperson for Clairol’s Natural Instincts line, which means I must be living in a cave somewhere. She says that she likes Clairol because they both like to empower women, though they take different approaches to it. “I do it through cooking and food, but Clairol’s Natural Instincts does it through their hair color.”

Giada does use Clairol, though she admits that “I had never before used a box hair color, and I was a bit hesitant at first. But after using it, my hair just got so shiny and soft and radiant that I’m a believer now! So, I have to thank them (Clairol) for it! Because honestly, I never would have done it otherwise.”

Giada switched up her color depending on the time of year. She was previously Toasted Almond (#12, a light golden brown), but she just changed to Navajo Bronze (#12A, a light caramel brown). The change was even tweeted by her husband, Todd. In the spring and summer she likes to go lighter, but in the winter she likes a bit reddish, and a tad darker. “What’s great is it sort of brings out my highlights. A couple times a year I get my hair highlighted and this really brings out the highlight color.”

“As we get older need to use more and more color. It happens at a different age for all women, but you can be 30 and need to cover your whites and greys.” Giada uses Natural Instincts relatively frequently to cover everything up for her on camera time.

Giada has a few favorite beauty products that she’s used for years. Chantecaille foundation is “something that I’ve used for years. I love it because it gives my skin that light little glow.” She also swears by Jouer concealer. She is a big fan of the CoverGirl LashBlast mascaras as well.

Giada’s nail polish has been much discussed. I remember about 5 years ago hearing that she was OPI Bubble Bath, and I had a really hard time finding a bottle. It had sold out! The color was reformulated a few years ago and the “new” Bubble Bath is a bit more nude, so Giada has switched over to Essie Ballet Slippers. (I fully admit that I own 2 bottles of the old formula because I liked it so much.)

I asked Giada what she does for her under 15 minute beauty routine on days that she isn’t filming. She’s much lower maintenance than me! She uses moisturizer, if she has time she’ll apply a little foundation, and then mascara and some lip gloss. Her hair goes up into a quick bun and she’s done!

Finally, Giada also wears sunscreen every day. Her brother died at age 30 from skin cancer, so protecting herself from the sun is very important. “Every single day, rain or shine, it doesn’t matter.”

I also had to ask Giada what she’s cooking for Christmas dinner. Her family does the “big one” on Christmas Eve. But, on Christmas she’s just home with her family and she wants something quick and easy. She prepares dinner up to 2 days in advance, and with 2 dishes she’s able to make sure everyone in her family (both the carnivores and vegetarians) are happy! She’ll be making Butternut squash lasagna and Short Rib Lasagna rolls. She just throws them into the oven about 30 minutes before people come over and “it makes Christmas dinner super, super easy!”

At that point the conversation became one of those comparisons for who lives where, have you been there, etc. It turns out that her husband, Todd, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Very close to where I grew up, and her mother in law now lives 6 months of the year in my home town! Oh, and her husband has a ton (really) of relatives in the Ann Arbor/Saline/Milan, Michigan area. Which is where I live now. We didn’t even get to the part about her being a student at UCLA at the same time as my husband and his brother.

I think if I happen to run into Giada somewhere here in Michigan (or back in So Cal, where a bunch of my family lives), we’ll definitely be friends. Like those lucky people she feeds in her backyard on the show!

Clairol