Before we met her as the ambitious Elle Woods from Legally Blonde in 2001, Reese Witherspoon was climbing the ranks of Hollywood—and looking fabulous while doing it. Few icons encapsulate the laissez-faire mood of ’90s beauty quite like the Cruel Intentions star. When working the red carpet, Witherspoon knew to let her silky blonde tresses do the talking—adding just a subtle touch of glamour with rich, rusty-toned lipstick, defined pencil-thin eyebrows, and lashings of mascara.
When it comes to her current beauty rules, the actress and producer has stayed true to her roots. “I’ve been thinking a lot about clean beauty,” she told luxury retailer Space NK. Before she heads off to work, Witherspoon always takes a moment of mindfulness by hydrating with a cup of tea. Then, it’s all about the skin prep, which includes applying the Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer with a small brush to work the product in. On the makeup front, she still leans minimal, opting for creamy complexion sticks, sheer blushes, and Clinique’s legendary Almost Lipstick in Black Honey.
As she celebrates her 50th birthday today, Vogue looks back on Reese Witherspoon’s best beauty looks from the ’90s.
