Actress Selma Blair discusses beauty mishaps in Legally Blonde, her Jackie O-inspired bangs, and the skin care product that acts as her Goldilocks solution.

      What immediately stands out to me about Selma Blair when we settle down in a luxurious NYC penthouse isn’t her undeniable star power, but rather her friendly nature—a noticeable contrast to the cool, calculating character I associate with her: Vivian Kensington from Legally Blonde. Her eyes brighten as we reminisce about Harvard Law School (a.k.a. UCLA dressed up in movie magic), and she shares a little secret with me. "My skin was a disaster that entire shoot," she chuckles. The actress and activist underwent rigorous beauty treatments to embody her Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis-inspired role, which unfortunately worsened her dermatitis (due to hairline threading), a skin issue she would face for many years. "I have this tiny forehead, and for Legally Blonde, they threaded it to give me a more East Coast look, like Jackie O," she clarifies. That classic preppy style of hers—complete with thick headbands and side-swept bangs? It was a mix of character choice and necessity. "That’s why I wore argyle berets—covering up my dermatitis from threading my little forehead," she adds.

      Blair's collection of cult classics kept her on the big screen consistently, but as someone with extremely sensitive skin—something that went unrecognized as being aggravated by her multiple sclerosis (MS)—she experimented with every cream, serum, and laser treatment to soothe her rosacea-afflicted skin for the cameras. "My skin, once upon a time, was a disaster," she shares. Living with autoimmune skin, especially without the awareness, filled her with shame regarding her lack of progress, despite seeking help from many esteemed facialists and dermatologists to identify the problem. After too many encounters with skincare trends that promised results but left her disappointed, Blair was ready to give up. "I got spooked," she admits. "It felt complicated. It was one of those things, almost like my MS, where I thought, 'I don’t know how to handle you,'" she recalls. "I wasn't diagnosed for so many years, and my skin had the same journey." It wasn’t until a facialist introduced her to a bottle from an Australian skincare brand, ESK, aimed at calming her irritated skin, that the actress finally found some relief. ESK, which stands for Evidence Skincare, naturally became Blair's preferred brand. However, there was one product missing from both her collection and their shelves, which she decided to create with Ginni Mansberg, the brand’s founder.

      Blair’s request was straightforward: a single product that could lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, smooth the skin, enhance hydration, strengthen the barrier, and reduce hyperpigmentation, all while being safe for highly reactive skin. Simple, right? With Blair’s dream in mind, the Ultimate A Gold was created—a revised version of ESK’s Ultimate A night cream enriched with retinal, niacinamide, ceramides, and more, designed to provide clinical results slowly and gently. Though Blair couldn't achieve satisfied skin in the doctor's office, the formula that checked all her boxes is now officially available for purchase.

      To Blair, it often felt like skincare products benefitted one aspect of the skin while neglecting others. "I wanted to encourage cell renewal and hydrate while also addressing aging and fine lines—all without compromising my barrier," she explains. The Ultimate A Gold excels in skincare because of its higher percentage of 0.1% retinal (compared to the typical 0.06%), targeting these issues without the harshness of most retinols. "Retinal is the Goldilocks ingredient, sitting between retinol and retinoic acid, the prescription version," explains Mansberg. The problem with retinol is that excessive amounts are often included in products to create a functioning retinal, leading to irritation. In this improved formula, you get a more effective ingredient at a lower percentage that provides quicker results. While 0.1% may seem daunting, Mansberg reassures that they’ve balanced the strength with other supportive ingredients, like barrier-enhancing ectoin and squalane. "Selma has particularly sensitive skin, so if she can handle it, anyone can," she confirms.

      You're probably curious about the price of this liquid gold, and I can tell you that ESK offers its reasonably priced night cream for $100. "Given the many skin barrier-building ingredients alongside the actives… it will be really cost- and time-effective for people who are very busy," says Mansberg. "[It] can be used by everyone, no matter what skin issues they’re trying to address."

      With her skin rejuvenated by ESK’s gentle formulas, Blair now has the confidence to explore other areas of beauty. The actress has begun sharing GRWM-style TikTok videos, showcasing her makeup routine (which Blair humorously describes as "the worst") after spotting viral beauty trends on her for you page. Celebrities, they