Alison Sweeney Shares Beauty Tips (and One Amazing Recipe)

Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

by Lexi Novak

Courtesy of Alison Sweeney
Courtesy of Alison Sweeney


Whether you own up to it or not, we've all gone through a soap phase: Dark Shadows for my mom, Hollyoaks for my coworker, and Days of Our Lives for me. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to speak with actress Alison Sweeney--soap star, author, mother, host of NBC's The Biggest Loser, and spokesperson for Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant--about her life and career.

What are the best beauty tips you've learned over the years?
"The most important ones are the simplest. My mother always taught me to use sunscreen every day. Another is to take care of my smile. I think it's one of the first things people notice about you."

Are there any products you can't live without?
"I don't travel without my eyelash curler. Mandatory."

See more: Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape

Do you have a favorite workout?
"It's always good to shake up your routine and try different things. I love to run outside, so when I can, I hit the trail."

I have so much respect for runners.
"I definitely wasn't a runner naturally. It came to me over time, because I really wanted to run the [Los Angeles] marathon as a bucket list thing. And I just sort of made it happen. I'm so proud of what I did. It's one of those achievements where I'm like, 'Yeah, I ran a marathon. Can I bring it up?'"

What are some of your go-to recipes?
"I'm sort of an at-home would-be chef. I'll make a stir-fry. I make chicken using mashed up almonds as a crust instead of breading. It's really delicious. I put a Dijon mustard coating on it and then a little bit of honey or a tiny bit of agave just to create a sweet/savory thing, and then you crust it with the mashed up almonds as a coating and bake it. It's super easy."

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So how long have you been on Days?
"Twenty one years. I literally have grown up on the show. They're my family."

What's the most insane plot-line your character has been through?
"Oh my gosh, I don't even know where to begin. The craziest would probably be when she was on Death Row. That was pretty outrageous."

I'm so sad you're leaving the show this year. Do you have any other projects coming up?
"My second novel comes out June 3rd, and I'm really excited to move on with that. I loved writing it, so I'm hoping to write another. I have a project with Hallmark that I'm working on. And a lot of little things--playing with my kids more."

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