Y2K trends may be back in a big way, but Nicole Richie has long since ditched one of the beauty essentials that defined her 2000s: her hair extensions.
“When I look at photos of myself in my 20s, the first thing that comes to mind is how much I thought I needed between extensions and makeup,” Richie, 42, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
“I would say, ‘I can never let anyone see me without an extension, not even my animals.’ [because] my hair is so thin. At the time, it took about six hours to put in a full head of extensions, so sometimes I would take my extensions out the night before and then put them back in the next morning,” she shared.
“Although I loved all of it, and I think it’s a lot of fun. I didn’t need it, and I think I was still at the stage where I wanted to look like something else,” Richie continued.
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Nicole Richie (left) and Paris Hilton at the Bon Voyage Party for ‘The Simple Life’ in April 2003 in Los Angeles.
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Richie — who teamed up with Estée Lauder for the beauty brand’s new “Night Night Club” campaign — admits that back then, “I wasn’t really focusing on the health of my hair.”
Today, the mom of two embraces her natural curls. “I’m really focused on the health of my skin and the health of my hair, and I rely on who I am and how I look naturally,” she says. “In my 40s, I just want to look like me. I want to be myself. It’s fun and exciting and it’s real life, which is no joke.”
The House of Harlow founder says that “hydration is a very important part” of feeling like her best self now.
“The biggest thing for me about this Supreme Bounce Creme is that it’s so hydrating,” Richie says of Esteé Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Power Bounce Creme, which the brand is introducing alongside its Advanced Night Repair Overnight Treatment as it celebrates and expands on its Advanced Night Repair. “You put it on before bed and you wake up and your skin is the most hydrated it’s ever been.”
Nicole Richie Trades Night Clubs for Night Serum in New Estée Lauder Campaign: ‘Authentic to Me’ (Exclusive)
Although Richie says she still likes to “look,” she insists that first and foremost, “I have to feel like me.” “Especially if I have to go out and talk to people, I can’t be in a look where I’m completely out of who I am on the inside,” Richie explains.
“For example, if I was doing a talk show or something where I had to do a lot of interviews, I wouldn’t wear red lips because I’m self-conscious and I don’t do a lot of red lips. I don’t want to think about something like, ‘Do I have lipstick on my teeth?’ Or to make sure I’m right!”
Paris Hilton joins Nicole Richie in a hot dog costume on set A simple life Reboot to Sonic Drive-In
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Joey Andrew/Estee Lauder
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Her longtime makeup artist Beau Nelson understands that approach. “I don’t really give him much direction,” Richie says. “I show what I’m wearing, and he just walks away. We have that quiet communication between us and that level of trust — I just sit down and he just goes to town. I don’t even have a mirror in front of me.”
One makeup look Richie loves: the smoky eye. “I have really big eyes, so I can go for a big, strong smoky eye and it’s not a problem for me,” she says.
These days, Richie wants to share what she’s learned about what works — and what doesn’t — with those close to her.
“I’m not like a goalkeeper,” she adds. “I like to share with my girlfriends.”
For more on Nicole Richie, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education