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Secrets of a Beauty Junkie: How to get Jennifer Aniston’s Beauty Routine for Less

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CMU chapter.

Let’s face it.  When it comes to beauty (and pretty much every other aspect of life), everyone wishes they were Jennifer Aniston.  The recently engaged “Friends” star is now 43 years old, but she doesn’t look a day over 30.  How does she do it?  Sure, she gets $450 red carpet facials every month, and her chemical peels cost almost $300 a pop, but Jen’s at-home routine actually has some very affordable aspects. 

Jen starts off her 30-minute nightly routine by steaming her pores for ten minutes.  Steaming open the pores is great for the skin because it clears out all of the dirt from the day, and it’s completely free.  If you’ve never tried steaming your pores before, I highly recommend it; your skin will feel softer than ever!  No wonder Jen makes it a part of her daily routine.

After cleansing, using toner, and applying moisturizer, everyone’s favorite “Friend” gives herself a ten-minute facial massage to stimulate skin cells and tighten muscles.  As college women, we think that we don’t have time for this, that we would rather spend that time sleeping.  In reality, there is no better way to relax after a long day than a facial massage.  Plus, if this will really make us look like Jennifer Aniston when we’re 40, then it’s worth the extra time, right?

Jen also uses Anna Lotan Vitamin A treatment, but it might be a little much for our broke college selves to spend on anti-aging cream.  The good news is you can get a product with the same active ingredient, Retinol, for a lot less.  I recommend Puritan brand, which can be purchased online for $11.99 (Bonus: The bottle lasts forever, and they usually have buy one get one specials).  I’ve been using retinol every night for almost two years, and in addition to (hopefully) preventing wrinkles, it really clears up the skin. 

While the Vitamin A soaks into her skin, Aniston breaks open Vitamin E capsules and applies them to her shins and elbows.  This might seem a little strange, but can you really deny that Jen’s skin glows on the red carpet?  It turns out that Vitamins E and A can both be absorbed through the skin, unlike most other vitamins, so soak in as much as you can.

Yet another awesome tip from Jen: don’t be afraid to combine products.  Aniston uses no fewer than six products on her face every night.  Try mixing Retinol cream with your favorite moisturizer (or two!).  Just make sure to apply the products from thinnest to thickest. 

Finally, my favorite piece of Jennifer Aniston beauty advice is to dab a little Vaseline under each eye before bed.  It’s like eye cream, but even more moisturizing, so it’s great wrinkle and dark circle prevention for the especially thin skin around the eyes.  Added bonus: Vaseline is also great for the eyelashes.  The $3.00 drugstore staple is great for anywhere that needs extra moisture, really (just ask Tyra Banks). 

We can’t all be Jennifer Aniston, but luckily, we can steal some of her more affordable beauty tips.  It doesn’t hurt that Jen has a contract with Smart Water (she drinks 100 ounces every day), since water is also great for the skin.  She even dunks her face in a sink full of ice water every morning to decrease puffiness.  It turns out that Jen’s beauty routine is more hard work than it is expensive, so it’s certainly worth a try.

I am a junior Materials Science and Engineering mjaor at Carnegie Mellon University, and I am also minoring in Professional Writing and Business. I am a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  I love TV and trying out new beauty products.  I follow E! on Twitter so that I can stay up-to-date on celebrity news.  I'm royal-obsessed, and I love Kate Middleton's style.  I'm kind of a Sephora addict, and I could easily spend hours there.  I also spend way too much time on Pinterest.  Finally, I love hockey and all Pittsburgh sports. 
Laura Stiles is a Creative Writing, Professional Writing double major at Carnegie Mellon University who will be graduating in May 2014. In addition to being Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Carnegie Mellon chapter of HerCampus.com, she is Co-Prose Editor of The Oakland Review, Carnegie Mellon’s literary-arts journal, a manuscript reader for Carnegie Mellon University Press, and has copy-edited for Carnegie Mellon’s newspaper, The Tartan. She was also Communications and Arts Management Intern at The Hillman Center for Performing Arts in summer 2012, and is ecstatic to be studying abroad in Sheffield, England in spring 2013. In her free time, she enjoys singing along to music on long car rides, spontaneously kicking off her shoes to explore lakes and creeks, and curling up with a soft blanket and a captivating book. She was also recently pleasantly surprised to discover that she has a taste for sushi.